On March 4, 2025, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, announced nearly $49 million in federal funding to support the City of Montreal's goal of planting over 300,000 trees on public land in the city.

This initiative is part of the federal 2 Billion Trees program, which aims to expand forests, green spaces, and natural habitats across Canada while creating sustainable jobs in communities.

Objectives

The tree planting project in Montreal has several key objectives:

• Increase urban canopy: By planting over 300,000 trees, the city aims to increase tree coverage, which will help improve air quality and provide shade during extreme heat periods.

• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions: Trees play a crucial role in capturing carbon, thus helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

• Improve climate resilience: By increasing tree coverage, the city can better prepare for the impacts of climate change, such as heatwaves and flooding.

Funding

The nearly 49 million dollars in funding announced by Minister Guilbeault will be used to support several aspects of the project:

• Creation of new green spaces: The project plans to create nine new urban green spaces, providing relaxation and recreational areas for residents.

• Cooling vulnerable areas: Trees will be planted in areas of the city particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, thereby helping to reduce local temperatures.

• Partnerships and community initiatives: The Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain (Soverdi) will relaunch its "A tree for my neighborhood" initiative in partnership with the

  Regroupement des éco-quartiers, allowing Montreal residents to acquire trees at low cost and receive advice on their planting and maintenance.

  
  

Impact

The benefits of this project for the Montreal community are numerous:

• Improvement of quality of life: The new trees and green spaces will provide places for relaxation and recreation, thereby enhancing the quality of life for residents.

• Job creation: The project will create sustainable jobs in the field of tree planting and maintenance, thus contributing to the local economy.

• Strengthening biodiversity: By increasing tree coverage, the project will contribute to the creation of new habitats for urban wildlife.

• Partnerships: The Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain (Soverdi) will relaunch its initiative "A tree for my neighborhood" in partnership with the Regroupement des éco-quartiers

The federal funding of nearly 49 million dollars for the planting of over 300,000 trees in Montreal represents an important step towards a greener and more sustainable future for the city.

By increasing the urban canopy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving climate resilience, this project will bring significant benefits to the Montreal community.