VANCOUVER residents can order up to three trees at $10 each online at vancouver.ca/tree-sale. One thousand trees—21 varieties, including hibiscus, larch, persimmon, magnolia, apple, cherry, and Japanese maple—are available.

This fall, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Park Board staff will provide contactless delivery to residents’ homes instead of having residents pick the trees up as in previous years. Deliveries will take place September 23 through October 2.

“The tree sale is part of a larger effort to grow the urban forest by planting 150,000 trees since 2010. That’s enough trees to cover Stanley Park almost five times. We expect to celebrate that goal by the end of this year,” said Vancouver Park Board Chair Camil Dumont.

“The tree sales have been tremendously successful over the last five years. Moving forward the Park Board will be creating a new program to work more closely with residents to help build the urban forest canopy on private property.”

Planting on private property continues to be the biggest area of opportunity to enhance Vancouver’s vital tree canopy.

The urban forest plays many important roles: it cleans the air, absorbs rainwater, provides bird habitat, and improves our health and well-being.

The Urban Forest Strategy outlines plans to restore forests across 25 hectares of natural areas and to double the number of street trees in priority neighbourhoods such as the Downtown Eastside, Marpole, and False Creek Flats. In addition to supporting private property planting, urban forest enhancement will be achieved through planting along streets and in neighbourhood parks, and by working to retain mature trees wherever possible, says the Vancouver Park Board.