Tree planter Alex Pattison with Coast Range Contracting Ltd. plants one of the 16,000 seedlings -photo  UNBC

Prince George, B.C.- As the University of Northern B.C. prepares for its community celebration to  mark its 25th anniversary, ithas revealed  one of its efforts to recognize the 16 thousand people who signed a petition  that called for its  development.UNBC’s Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) planted 16,000 seedlings , one for each petition signer, at two locations.

“The trees will be living monuments to those who helped make UNBC possible,” says Darwyn Coxson, Director of NRESi. “The seedlings we have planted in their honour will create a living memorial that links our environment and the community.”

Five-thousand seedlings were planted at the John Prince Research Forest, located 50 kilometres north of Fort St. James. Another  11,000 were planted 25 minutes east of Prince George on the south side of Highway 16. The latter planting was a partnership with the BC Government’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, through its Forests for Tomorrow Program.

NRESi also organized and provided the resources for the planting of ceremonial trees at UNBC campuses in Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John as part of this year’s convocation events, and on Sept. 2, 2014 at the Prince George campus during the 25th anniversary kick-off celebrations. A tree was also planted at the Quesnel River Research Centre in honour of the anniversary. Besides the symbolism associated with the project, the trees will sequester carbon and create oxygen.

“Trees are a key component of the social and economic fabric that makes up Northern BC,” adds Coxson. “As the trees have been planted in sites that would otherwise have remained deforested, it will make a positive contribution to the future quality of life in Northern B.C.”