Calgary planting thousands of trees to boost urban canopy [Video]

Calgary is set to see a massive increase in the number of trees throughout the city.

The City of Calgary made the announcement on Thursday, saying the move is because of an agreement with the federal government as part of their 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program.

The agreement will see Calgary get 930,000 new trees, thanks to nearly $61 million in funding.

The trees will help the city move toward its goal of nearly doubling Calgary’s urban canopy – the amount of ground sheltered by branches, leaves and stems from all publicly and privately owned trees – in the next few decades.

As of 2022, Calgary’s tree canopy coverage was 8.25 per cent, and the city says the goal is to increase it to 16 per cent by 2060.

“By planting 930,000 new trees, we will provide more shade to cool our streets, increase our biodiversity, more effectively manage stormwater …