Selkirk embarks on large scale tree planting project to combat climate change
Posted May 12, 2026 5:39 pm.
Last Updated May 12, 2026 7:56 pm.
An ambitious environmental project is underway in Selkirk. Between now and the fall, the city will be planting 1,000 trees in residential areas, as part of ongoing efforts to be leaders in climate change action.
“These trees are going to act like a dome over the city, and it’s very, very important. What it’s going to do is it’s going to put people with air conditioning, they won’t have to use air conditioning that much, people without air conditioning, it’s going to keep their houses cooler,” said Selkirk’s mayor, Larry Johannson.
Around 94 per cent of the project was funded by provincial and federal grants, and is part of the city’s climate change adaptation strategy. Officials say tree planting is something they have done in years past, but never on this scale. The planting will take place in two phases: 500 this spring and another 500 later in the fall.
“We balanced it that way just due to the scale of it, to have to water 1,000 trees in the heart of summer is hard for us to complete, so balancing both spring and fall plantings is super beneficial,” said Daniel McDermid, the director of operations with the City of Selkirk.
Driving around town, the young trees can be seen everywhere you look. The hope is that in five to ten years, their growth will transform the community in more ways than one.
“It’s lit up the town, the city, all of the residents are in favour of it, and as mayor, I couldn’t be prouder to have this project right here in the city of Selkirk,” said Johannson.
Gabriella Ferrufino, a Selkirk resident, said, “As a kid I remember the trees being right over the streets, like it was beautiful, and it was cool in the summer time, honestly like it just, it’s nice to think about that when my kids are over they’ll have that, because walking down here now it’s so hot in the summer time especially, so it’ll be nice to see the streets a little bit more full of that life.”
Mayor Larry Johanson says with climate change risks more prevalent than ever, he hopes other communities look to Selkirk and implement their own tree planting projects.
“We have to plan for the future, and we’re seeing the severity of weather now. I want my grandchildren, and I want my grandchildren’s children to be able to have an environment in their lifetime that they can be proud of, and I can be proud of the team that’s helped to shape that,” said Johannson.
