New Westminster – Today the City of New Westminster is celebrating the completion of Phase 1 of its Urban Reforestation and Biodiversity Enhancement Initiative (URBEI). The work done under the URBEI has resulted in the planting of more than 2,300 new trees across 40 parks and public open spaces in the city. This exceeds the original target of 2,200 trees and marks a major milestone as the City continues working towards its ambitious urban forest goals. 

Amid a backdrop of some of the relatively new trees, representatives from the federal and provincial governments were on hand at City Hall to mark the achievement. The completion of Phase 1 would not have been possible without substantial funding from the Provincial and Federal Government’s COVID-19 Resilience and Infrastructure Program. In June 2021 the City received $1.7M in funding for URBEI through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program—COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.

“URBEI is a testament to our commitment to environmental sustainability and climate resilience,” says Mayor Patrick Johnstone. “Planting 2,300 trees is a long-term commitment to an urban forest that buffers the impacts of climate disruption, improves our air quality and enhances local wildlife habitats. This bold action by the City would not be possible without the generous support of the Provincial and Federal governments.”

URBEI is in alignment with the City’s Urban Forest Management Strategy. The strategy identifies tree planting as a crucial way to increase canopy cover and associated benefits. Achieving the 27% canopy cover target is estimated to support the removal of 4,050 tonnes of carbon pollution annually, and will increase New Westminster’s forest carbon storage capacity by 50%.

“Completion of this project significantly contributes to our city’s response to the climate emergency,” says Dean Gibson, Director, Parks and Recreation. “When we invest in our urban forest, we invest in the health and well-being of our community and future generations.”

Tree populations in urban areas also provide vital long-term assistance in offsetting the effects of extreme heat and wind. To reverse the downward trend of canopy loss in New Westminster, it is important to protect existing trees wherever possible, and ensure robust new plantings. The grant further supports these efforts by funding supplemental watering for new trees for three years, ensuring their successful establishment and high survivorship through the installation of irrigation and purchase of watering equipment.

“The completion of Phase 1 of the Urban Reforestation and Biodiversity Enhancement Initiative marks an incredible milestone for New Westminster,” said Jake Sawatzky, Member of Parliament for New Westminster – Burnaby – Maillardville, British Columbia. “By planting over 2,300 trees, we've strengthened our commitment to climate resilience and enhanced the natural beauty of our city. This initiative supports a greener future for generations to come, and we look forward to launching Phase 2 to expand our urban canopy even further.”

"Trees strengthen communities – they keep us cool, clean our air, and support a better quality of life for both people and wildlife,” said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour. “We are proud to invest in a greener future that benefits British Columbians today and for generations to come.”

The City of New Westminster will begin working on Phase 2 of the URBEI later this year. Phase 2 will focus on planting 6,000 new trees on streets and boulevards in New Westminster by 2030.

To learn more about the City of New Westminster’s Urban Forest Management Strategy, please visit: newwestcity.ca/urbanforest.  

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Media Contact:

Ria Renouf
Communications Coordinator
City of New Westminster
778-789-0573 | rrenouf@newwestcity.ca