REGINA — The City of Regina celebrated their sixth annual recognition as a "Tree City of the World" by giving away seedlings.
The designation is given to cities demonstrating efforts for a successful urban forest. Regina was one of 21 Canadian communities to receive the distinct title.
“We have [a] budget set aside for maintenance. We have special events such as this one that encourage promotion and awareness of our urban forest,” said Veronica Schroder, Coordinator, Forestry, Pest & Horticulture at the City of Regina.
Wednesday’s event also acknowledged Arbor Day, an international event where people or groups are encouraged to plant trees.
Regina themselves gave away 1,000 seedlings of the Adam’s Elderberry tree to mark the occasion.
Schroder said the plant will be nice and flowery in the springtime and will fruit by mid to late summer.
“[Someone can then] use the fruit for gems and jellies, and other preserves.”
Part of planting trees also helps ensure the environment is healthy and breathable.
“Our urban forest takes away thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year, equivalent to like 3,500 mid-sized vehicles,” said Schroder.
Schroder said the city owns upwards of 200,000 trees, while the community has almost 500,000 trees.
To continue their efforts to promote urban forest management, Schroder encouraged residents to participate in
“We're looking for information from community members about why they love trees, what's important to them in the urban forest and different opportunities that they'd like to see.”
The city said there will likely be another tree give away as part of National Tree Day, which is Sept. 24.
