Reforestation in Western Canada
The announcement comes during what's been described as one of the most vulnerable times for the province's forests.
"What we've been dealing with is increased disturbances is in forests for the last 10 to 15 years," said Dr. John Innes, the dean of UBC's forestry department.
"We've seen a large number of fires, and obviously the mountain pine beetle — and that changed our forests from being a net sink to a net source of carbon."
Prior to the announcement, the number of trees destined to be planted in B.C.'s forests was set to decline for the foreseeable future due to reductions in the Annual Allowable Cut.
But according to Tony Harrison, co-founder of Zanzibar Reforestation, that doesn't seem to be the case any longer.
"There's a lot of areas in the province that are affected by either beetle or fire that need that kind of work," he said. "I think it's great. I think it's really forward thinking."
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