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Canadian government urged to support forest restoration post wildfires

This week during the Atlantic Forest Nursery conference, the Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) unveiled alarming new data on Canada's forest restoration challenge following recent wildfires. Executive Director Rob Keen stated, "We need over 5.3 billion seedlings to begin restoring only 15% of our forests destroyed by 2023 and 2024 wildfires. Action on this is urgently required by our Prime Minister, Premiers, and Forest Ministers."

The Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) advocates on behalf of 60 tree nurseries (CTNA-ACPF Membership) from coast to coast to coast. Formed in 2023, the CTNA-ACPF is the national voice representing tree nurseries in Canada, with their members growing more than 95% of the nation's forest restoration tree seedlings. The data they presented, shows the number of seedlings required by jurisdiction to start mitigating the impacts of 2023 and 2024 wildfires:

(Note: These numbers are conservative and assume 15% of burned areas will be replanted at a density of 1500 - 1800 seedlings per ha as per standards in each jurisdiction. This planting is separate and distinct from the forest industries legal responsibility to replant post-harvest.)

Long-term investments
The planning and growth of seedlings for forest restoration typically requires two to four years, which means our expert nurseries must make long-term investments in staff and infrastructure to guarantee availability of the right trees. Quebec-based, Mike Downing, Chair of the CTNA-ACPF, observed, "Our tree nurseries, who specialize in producing seedlings for forest restoration, serve as significant local employers in many rural Canadian communities, offering jobs for both permanent and seasonal workers. Strategic planning positively impacts the health of our forests, our communities, our climate and the economy."

The 2023 wildfire season set new records and 2024 is expected to be the second worst season in recent decades. The urgent need for forest restoration post wildfire is worsened by provincial budget cuts. British Columbia plans to plant 58 million fewer trees in 2025 than in 2024, a surprisingly regressive move.

Keen noted, "The Federal government's commendable 2 Billion Tree (2BT) planting initiative, announced in 2020 was made before the recent significant wildfires." He added, "It is now obvious the 2BT planting target and execution mechanisms are insufficient to address the catastrophic losses of 2023 and 2024. However, the lessons learned during the 2BT program development sets the stage for increasing overall restoration efforts beyond the program's 2031 end date. Government must ramp up their efforts to restore their Crown forests and prepare for future challenges. Governments must invest in the public's natural resource assets to ensure their long-term health and all the benefits they provide."

The CTNA-ACPF members are capacity ready and committed to meeting the current and increased demand for tree seedlings crucial for wildfire forest restoration. However, current policies, slow execution processes, and the lack of long-term forest seedling demand commitment from Government's to support Crown forest restoration, impede our member's planning and forward resource/capital allocation in line with Government commitment. By building these partnerships, we can ensure a reliable supply of quality seedlings, fostering healthy forests for future generations.

The CTNA-ACPF recommends:

1. Increasing and ensuring long-term Federal and Provincial commitment to the restoration of Crown forests: The existing forest restoration supply chain is ideally positioned to respond to increased planting demands. However, this will require addressing the barriers of planning and implementation, and governments making long-term predictable demand commitments. This will enable public and private growers to self-invest effectively to meet the challenge.

2. The Prime Minister committing to expanding the 2 Billion Tree Program beyond 2031.

3. Engaging western science and traditional knowledge to ensure the "right trees are planted in the right place."

4. Addressing labor shortages in the nursery sector and equipping workers with the training and skills for sustainable tree seedling cultivation.

5. Start now!

The CTNA-ACPF urges all stakeholders—including government, private sector partners, and the public— to prioritize a material increase in tree planting as essential to address wildfire devastation, support the sustainable rural economy, and champion more aggressive environmental stewardship in response to climate change. "Together, we will ensure our forests thrive for generations to come."

For more information:
https://ctna-acpf.ca/news

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