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By Angela Brown

Growth and renewal

Celebrating Arbor Week with plans for more urban forestation

May 28, 2021 | 5:35 PM

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — As Arbor Week is celebrated across Saskatchewan this week, with Arbor Day on May 28, Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie said people may not realize just how much trees benefit the community on many levels.

“Municipalities have not done a good job to keep up with tree replacement,” he said. “They are essential for keeping our air clean and reducing our carbon footprint. We are all upset about the carbon tax. Trees are a significant consumer of carbon. They add beauty, [and] a lot of protection from wind, dust and sound for that matter within our communities. The more we can get out there and plant these trees, the better off our community will be in five [to] 20 years.”

The town is starting a number of projects this year that include adding more trees to the landscape.

Crews will be working on a project to plant a significant number of trees for a shelterbelt between Highway 4 South and the Battle Springs subdivision, located at the south end of Battleford, in response to area residents’ concerns about excessive wind and dust.

The town has applied for a federal grant available for tree planting, which will determine how many projects the town takes on in 2021.

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The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment’s Vicki Gauthier with forest inventory and data management at the Forest Service Branch in Prince Albert, is encouraging people to get outside and enjoy nature during Arbor Week, which runs until June 6 in the province.

“Celebrate by taking a walk in the park, head out to a local forest or just notice the trees in your community and even on the street that you live on,” she said. “Just have some appreciation for all the hard work that they are doing for us.”

The aim of Arbor Week is to recognize the many ways trees and forest protection contribute to quality of life.

“This is especially important during the pandemic times, in getting out and appreciating nature,” Gauthier said. “Trees provide many benefits including a habitat for wildlife and birds, reducing heating and cooling costs, [and] producing oxygen and cleaning the air.”

Some of the tree species that grow well in the Northwest and West Central regions of Saskatchewan, including the Battlefords, are white spruce and aspen, trees common to the parkland and the boreal forest area.

“If someone wanted to plant some trees to celebrate Arbor Day or Arbor Week they could plant [those] that are local to the area,” Gauthier recommended.

Some of the activities taking place in the province during Arbor Week can be found here.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow