Regina residents can get trees for free on Wednesday.
On Monday, the City of Regina announced it had been recognized as a Tree City of the World by the United Nations for a fourth straight year. To celebrate and to acknowledge Arbor Day, a tree seedling giveaway is set for Wednesday in Victoria Park.
The city says 1,000 seedlings will be given away between 9 a.m. and noon, while supplies last. Available trees include Borealis Haskap Honeyberry, Boreal Beast Haskap Honeyberry, Tundra Haskap Honeyberry and Chum Cherry Plum.
The quantities of the seedlings will vary, the city said, and they’ll be limited to one per person on a first-come, first-served basis.
The city’s release noted another giveaway will be held in September for National Tree Day.
“The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and Arbor Foundation recognizes Tree Cities of the World that meet core standards on the care and planning of urban trees and forests,” the city explained. “The vision of the program is to connect cities around the world to a network dedicated to sharing and adopting the most successful approaches to managing city trees and forests.”
Regina was one of 68 original Tree Cities of the World. The roster now includes 169 cities, including 22 in Canada.
According to the release, the 500,000 city-owned and privately owned trees help with flooding and natural cooling, and remove the CO2 equivalent of 3,330 mid-sized vehicles from the atmosphere each year.