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A new First Nation-owned tree nursery near Oliver, B.C., is aiming to grow millions of tree seedlings every year in a bid to help restore forests ravaged by wildfires.
Nestled on just over 10 hectares is the Osoyoos Forest Nursery, owned by the Osoyoos Indian Band. Corner to corner, the seedlings stretch over nearly 500,000 square feet of outdoor space. The seedlings are only a few centimetres long now, but officials say eventually they will be used to help reforestation projects in the nation’s territory and right across B.C. and Alberta.
“The wildfires are a big issue in British Columbia and we need to replace those trees that got burned down and we are very proud that many of the trees will come from the Osoyoos Indian Band nursery,” said Chief Clarence Louie.
In 2021, nearly 20,000 hectares of Osoyoos Indian Band land was scorched in the Inkaneep Creek Wildfire.
The forest nursery is a first for the nation, and includes a partnership with K&C Silviculture Ltd. Once it is fully operational, the nursery will be able to grow roughly 18 million seedlings a year.
“Like many First Nations, we are actively involved in forestry — we cut down trees, we log trees. But I am so glad we are the only First Nation to say we are actually growing trees,” Louie said.
With drought prevalent in the south Okanagan, officials told CBC News water conservation tactics are included in the forest nursery’s design.
“Naturally, when you are irrigating trees, not all of the water is utilized by the trees, you get a lot of runoff, so with the design that we put in place here the water actually drains into a recirculation pond,” said Peter Flett, head of operations for Nk’Mip Forestry.
The initiative is a good first step towards reforestation, according to Thompson Rivers University researcher Jill Harvey, who said reforestation supports more than just trees.
“It’s also about creating habitat, generating more stable soils and thinking about the future and how do we make our forests more resilient to climate change.” she said.
But in order for it to happen successfully, it is important to pick the right kinds of trees, such as ones that are able to handle the impacts of climate change and a hotter climate.
The Osoyoos Forest Nursery will mainly grow lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and western larch seedlings, which Harvey said are all suitable for the Okanagan’s hot, dry characteristics.
During reforestation, Harvey said a careful balance needs to occur — one that weighs adding more fuels and identifying areas that should not be fully reforested such as areas near communities significantly impacted by wildfires. She said long-term planning is key.
“How are you going to manage these forests into the future, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, 100 years from now, so that they continue to be resilient from climate change and from future wildfires? So I think this is a first step, an important step into the recovery of these landscapes, but I also think we need to think about a long-term vision,” she said.
The Osoyoos Forest Nursery received funding from the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program which aims to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss through the planting of new trees.
The federal government announced last November during the fall budget it would be winding down the program, and cutting the two billion tree target down to one billion trees by 2031.
