Trees in a backyard

The City of Calgary is giving away 10,000 trees this year. Photo by Stephen Strand

The City of Calgary has a program that will help the city to have a larger tree canopy.

Alan Joiner, Urban Forestry Superintendent for Calgary Parks and Open Spaces, explains more about the Branching out tree program, which has been around since 2019.

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Through this program, the City of Calgary is giving out 10,000 trees to Calgary residents, which is up from 5,000 trees last year.

Joiner adds that through this program, they are hoping to expand the City’s canopy.

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According to Joiner, they had consultants review what an achievable and beneficial tree canopy percentage for Calgary would be, which the City is implementing.

Joiner says there are benefits to adding more trees in Calgary.

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Each household is able to get two trees under this program, and there are 13 species of trees that are up for grabs.

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If you are a Calgary homeowner and want trees, Joiner explains how to register.

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To learn more about this program and to register, click here.