Let’s head back to the March 24, 1971 edition of the Optimist and check out an article featuring a tree planting ceremony a few days earlier in Ladner with special guest Grace McCarthy.
Ken Wenman, son of Delta MLA Bob Wenman, had gone to Victoria and negotiated 2,100 trees from the provincial government.
It included 1,000 cedars, 1,000 Douglas firs and 100 spruce trees.
At the time, McCarthy, minister without portfolio and MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain, was on hand to help Ken and a group of Young Socreds get a start on their beatification project, located by the 499 freeway (now called Highway 99) near the Highway 10 overpass.
Half the trees would be planted in Delta and the rest would be planted in White Rock.
Delta council in 2020 approved moving ahead with a new urban forest strategy.
A civic report notes biodiversity goals can be supported with tree planting efforts by increasing tree species diversity and expanding green corridors for wildlife.
All actions will be considered under a “climate change lens” to ensure that tree species are selected to fit within future climate scenarios.
By planting the "right tree in the right place", Delta's urban forest of the future will have a better opportunity for survival and growth, the report notes.
The strategy includes seeking to establish agreements with the provincial government to undertake planting on lands adjacent to provincial highways.
City council is also considering changes to Delta’s tree protection bylaw which will make it more difficult to cut down larger so-called “significant” trees in neighbourhoods.
