Growing interest in city’s tree planting program

Mar 2, 2021 | 1:30 PM Pete McIntyre

Plant a tree and save the Earth.

As part of the NeighbourWood program, Kelowna residents are invited to purchase one of the five tree varieties at a cost of $40 + GST. The program encourages citizens to help grow and preserve Kelowna’s urban forest. Trees are available for purchase now until April 1, or until they sell out.

This season’s varieties include the American Mountain Ash, Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilac, Maidenhair Ginkgo, Northwood Maple and the Urban Pinnacle Oak. There is a limited number of each tree species. A total of 250 trees will be available for purchase.

“The NeighbourWoods program has been helping to beautify our city with trees for over 10 years. Since 2010, residents have purchased over 5,000 trees to plant on their properties,” Tara Bergeson, Urban Forestry Technician, said. “This program helps us bring residents together to work towards our goal of becoming a greener city. Kelowna continues to grow, and we want to ensure our urban forest grows with it.”

Here’s how to order a NeighbourWoods tree:

View the five tree descriptions online at kelowna.ca/neighbourwoods.
Order your tree of choice online at kelowna.ca/neighbourwoods or with a credit card by calling 250-469-8800. To register online, residents must have an active online recreation account. Set one up by calling 250-469-8800.
Due to COVID-19 restricting in-person gatherings, the usual tree pickup event is cancelled. Trees will instead be delivered to residents’ homes on April 16, 2021.

New in 2021, for the first time, NeighbourWoods will return in the fall with even more trees.

“Due to supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to secure as many trees as usual this spring,” Bergeson said. “But the good news is that we’ll have a lot more trees available in the fall. October is actually an ideal time for tree planting, as it’s not as hot and trees can establish well over the cooler, wetter fall months.”

For more information about the NeighbourWoods program, visit kelowna.ca/neighbourwoods.