The effort to “regreen” the hillside area of Promontory got a big corporate funding boost last week.
A $5,000 community grant from BC Hydro will be a “significant” contribution, said Mayor Sharon Gaetz.
City officials are aiming for tree canopy coverage of 25 per cent.
Promontory was cleared almost completely of trees and brush when it was being developed. The city did not have a tree replanting bylaw in place at the time, although it does now, she said.
“So trees are very important, not only for their aesthetic value but for their air cleaning ability as well,” said Gaetz. “This announcement was good news for Promontory.”
Three tree species will be planted, all of which are ideal for the urban environment.
City of Chilliwack Parks Department, together with the Promontory Residents’ Association, has put together a tree-planting program for spring 2011 as part of an ongoing plan to regreen the Promontory area.
The number of trees planted every year has varied, but thanks to the BC Hydro Community Regreening program, 2011 will see more than 200 trees planted in Promontory.
BC Hydro launched the Community Regreening Program in 1998 to reduce electrical hazard while enhancing urban forest, through the creation of safer, more attractive, and sustainable communities.
“I love looking up at Promontory and seeing the trees coming back,” Gaetz added.