N.S. to plant 118K trees in neighbourhoods impacted by 2023 wildfire

Nova Scotia is helping plant more than 100,000 trees to replace the ones destroyed in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains in the 2023 wildfire.

According to a news release from the province, residents in Highland Park, Perry Pond and Westwood Hills applied to tree-planting program Thriving Forests to plant roughly 118,000 trees on residential properties and municipal parks this fall.

“We are grateful to be part of the Thriving Forests program and for the commitment to further enhance our existing Forest of Hope trail in the community of Potlotek First Nation,” said Veronica Bernard, organizer of Forest of Hope, in the release. “This October, 1,000 trees will be planted during our Forest of Hope event, which will include 250 each of red spruce, white pine, red maple and red oak, which for us is a symbol of rebirth and regrowth.”

The release says the province will offer $974,000 to plant more than 570,000 trees across Nova Scotia this fall.

“We’ve committed to planting 21 million trees in Nova Scotia as part of a national effort to support biodiversity, carbon capture and quality of life in our communities. This work also supports ecological forestry and green jobs to boost our rural economy,” said Kent Smith, acting minister of Natural Resources and Renewables.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.