Federal NDP Pushing Trudeau Government To Fulfil Promise To Plant Two Billion Trees By 2030

The federal NDP is pushing the Trudeau government to follow up on its promise to plant two billion trees by 2030.

Canada’s environment commissioner says the feds are nowhere near that target.

The audit was one of five reports issued Thursday by Jerry DeMarco, who said he cannot stress enough how important it is for the government to live up to its commitment on trees.

"There is no solution to climate change and terrestrial biodiversity loss that does not include forests," DeMarco's report said.

An audit shows the government will only be able to come through with 4-percent of that target by 2030.

NDP Environment and Climate Change Critic Laurel Collins says the government has “dropped the ball,” and is asking it to “immediately redesign the Two Billion Trees program, to meet climate targets and restore wildlife habitats, and to use all their powers to protect wildlife and meet emission targets.”

Trees act as natural carbon-capture systems, with a single mature tree able to take in and store about 22 kilograms of carbon dioxide over the course of a year.

That is about what a passenger car produces for every nine litres of gasoline used.

Seedlings will take several years to get to that point, however.

The emissions associated with preparing sites for planting and doing the actual planting will exceed the emissions absorbed by the trees until after the planting is complete.