250 new trees planted at A.E. Wilson Park

A nice park in Regina is getting a bit more natural beauty.

The city has planted 250 white spruce saplings at A.E. Wilson Park’s Boreal Island.

The trees were donated by the Wascana and Upper Qu’Appelle Watersheds Association Taking Responsibility group.

Russell Eirich, the City of Regina’s manager of open spaces, said in a news release why the city decided to give A.E. Wilson Park the boost.

“We chose to plant the donated trees in A.E. Wilson Park as it is a naturalized and open space with lots of tall grass, giving the seedlings the best chance of survival,” he said.

“In time, the trees will help mitigate climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. They will also provide habitat for wildlife and will help reduce erosion along the river shoreline resulting in improved water quality.”

While people likely won’t notice an immediate difference while walking through the park, white spruce saplings tend to grow to about eight feet tall within five years.

The trees also gave members of city council an opportunity to get their hands dirty.

Mayor Sandra Masters works with city crews to plant tree saplings on June 3, 2021.

Mayor Sandra Masters and Coun. Shanon Zachidniak were two of the city officials who helped with the planting last week.

“We’re going to use it as a learning opportunity for us to learn about our tree-planting program with the city and how to properly plant trees … Aside from us actually getting the chance to do a tangible thing to benefit our community, it’s also a great learning opportunity for us,” Zachidniak said in an interview.

However, it wasn’t the greatest day to be suited up in full safety gear: The temperature reached 35 C on the day they planted.

“When we first planned it, I was worried it was going to be raining… now I wish it was. But it’s still exciting, because these days a lot of the work is virtual from my home office, so it’s nice to do something outside … Hopefully I don’t get heat stroke,” Zachidniak said with a laugh.