What to expect this summer from the Tłı̨chǫ tree planting project

A three-year project to plant at least a million trees on Tłı̨chǫ land is now moving toward a key stage, with planting expected to begin this summer.

The Tłı̨chǫ Government signed an agreement in late 2023 with a goal of protecting boreal caribou habitat while addressing wildfire-related deforestation.

Representatives from national non-profit Tree Canada and British Columbia-based Let’s Plant Trees Ltd provided an update on the project’s progress in Behchokǫ̀ earlier this month.

David Tonkin of Let’s Plant Trees Ltd said the company has been successful in collecting seedlings from five different species – white spruce, black spruce, birch, tamarack and aspen – that will soon be planted in areas near Behchokǫ̀. He said seedlings for Wekweètì are going to be collected this year.

Tonkin said the project provides youth an opportunity to spend time with Elders on the land while monitoring the project closely.

“This has never been done anywhere this far north, and the experiences and the knowledge that we all gain from this will hopefully be to the benefit of many Tłı̨chǫ citizens,” Tonkin said during a presentation.

“There’s a lot of people that are interested in it and are going to want your help in how they do it on their northern areas.”

Although the project primarily focuses on planting trees, Jeff Fisher – from forestry management firm Blackwell and Associates – said its scope can be broadened to include different vegetation on the landscape.

Fisher said plants that provide food or medicine will be planted if they are found to be missing or not regenerating naturally. The majority of planting this year will occur on either side of the Russell Lake road as well as each side of the Rae access road.

An area to the west of James Lake, across from the north end of Marian Lake, has been burned “severely” by wildfire according to Fisher, who said efforts are being made to plant trees in that location – which can only be accessed for the work with the help of helicopters.

He estimates a total of roughly 1.7 million trees will be planted at both sites by the end of July, covering close to 1,500 hectares in total.

If the community government grants permission, Fisher said project leaders would like to plant deciduous species like aspen and birch trees nearer the community next year.

“When you have a forest fire, the fire does not rage through the aspen and birch necessarily as much as it does through a spruce or pine forest. It helps to slow the fire down, take some of the energy out of the fire,” he said.

“In the last few years, the fires appear to be more intense, they’re burning more often and they’re burning hotter, so they’re consuming the seeds in the fire, and they’re consuming in some places the soil.”

Fisher said the original plan drawn up in 2022 focused on James Lake. When staff arrived a year later to conduct field work, reforesting around Behchokǫ̀ became a priority.

To acquire seeds, trees’ cones are collected, sorted and dried to ensure no mould forms. Fisher said the cones are shipped to a nursery in Saskatchewan where they are processed to extract seeds.

As the program grows, setting up a small satellite nursery in Behchokǫ̀ is part of the plan.

Joshua Quaite, of tree planting firm Spectrum Resource Group, said an average planter can plant anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 trees per day. He said the company planted just under 15 million trees in British Columbia last year.

Quaite predicts that 100,000 trees will be planted every day during this project. For the first year, he said, planting will be done in teams of 12. Some 60 planters will come north to take part.

The project is seeking to locally employ three support staff, 11 tree planters, a few subcontractors, bear guards and one bull cook.