Forests Canada and Cariboo Carbon to plant 2.3 million trees in areas devastated by wildfires

BARRIE, ON,- As Canada faces another year of rampant wildfires, non-profit charity Forests Canada and forestry consulting firm Cariboo Carbon Solutions are partnering to help private landowners and First Nations communities restore their forests. The two organizations supported the planting of 100,000 trees in North Shuswap and Criss Creek, British Columbia this spring in response to the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire and will plant 2.2 million more in other areas of the province over the next five years. 

(left to right) Amber Brant, Tree Planting Resource Manager, Forests Canada, and Andrew Steeves, Registered Forest Technologist and Operations Manager with Cariboo Carbon Solutions, at a spring 2025 forest restoration planting project in North Shuswap, British Columbia. (CNW Group/Forests Canada)

"Canada is currently facing a devastating wildfire crisis, with active fires burning from coast to coast to coast. A warming climate, drought, past fire-suppression practices, and the impacts of insect outbreaks have contributed to the increase of dry fuel in the landscape, creating the perfect storm of destructive fires," Elizabeth Jarrett, Chief Operating Officer, Forests Canada, says. "While fires are a natural part of our forested landscapes, the intensity and severity of them is starting to impact how quickly a forest can naturally recover. This new partnership will enable us to support restoration efforts where nature needs a helping hand."

In regions across British Columbia, Cariboo Carbon Solutions is providing private landowners and First Nations communities that have been devastated by wildfires with professional reforestation services for their properties. After the successful planting of 100,000 trees in North Shuswap and Criss Creek this spring, the organization is now looking to help restore forests in other communities in British Columbia, including 100 Mile House, Kamloops, West Kelowna, and Princeton.

"We feel this partnership with Forests Canada gives landowners hope and an ability to restore their land that they didn't have before," says Andrew Steeves, Registered Forest Technologist and Operations Manager with Cariboo Carbon Solutions. "Our vision is to play a part in a sustainable future by developing projects like this that enhance the health and functionality of British Columbia's ecosystems and help reinstate ecological balance and support native biodiversity."