The Helen Schuler Nature Centre is building a growing coalition in its quest to plant 1,000 trees in 2023 in Lethbridge.
The latest to commit is fire chief Greg Adair and his wife, Kirsten, who spent a number of hours in their backyard this summer, digging, planting and watering in an effort to support the Helen Schuler Nature Centre's 1,000 Trees in 2023 campaign.
“We planted quite a few new trees this spring to help fill out our backyard,” said Kirsten, in a release. “When Greg told me about the 1,000 trees campaign, we jumped on board and registered all of them. I had some fun coming up with names for the new green additions in our yard and it was a really easy process.”
Planting trees provides food and habitat for local fauna and reduces the heat in your home with natural shade -- that means lower air conditioning bills.
“Trees offer so much to our community! They boost biodiversity, which makes our city more resilient to climate change. They help manage stormwater and erosion, clean the air and create cooling microclimates that make life in the city more enjoyable,” said Paige Rosner, who is the environment educational program co-ordinator for the Helen Schuler Nature Centre. “We also want to help people choose the right tree for the right place.”
The nature centre is offering a free tree guide which provides suggestions for pairing trees to the fickle southern Alberta climate.
The guide helps residents identify relatively low-maintenance trees that are built to survive a Lethbridge summer.
“The big trees we enjoy today were planted many years ago by residents just like us,” said Rosner. “We want residents to plant a tree, register it with our tree registry and help us reach this goal.”
For the fire chief, planting trees not only make ecological sense, it also makes psychological sense.
“Apart from the obvious environmental benefits having trees provides, we find it supports our mental health in a few ways too. Taking care of the yard is kind of a meditative practice and it is a great way to wind down after a busy day at work.”
It's also not a bad workout.
“I get to dig all the holes and install the sprinkler lines,” said Adair with a laugh. “But I also get to reap the benefits of having a beautiful space to relax in with my family. It’s a pretty good compromise.”
Residents can learn more about the 1,000 Trees in 2023 campaign and register their trees at nature.lethbridge/1000trees.
