Written by: Summer Graham
The world around us is changing, we can see it every day. With forest fires in the west, tropical storm aftermath in the east, and record-breaking heat waves scattered across the country, resiliency in our environment is needed now more than ever.
Resiliency is the ability of a system to maintain its function, regardless of external stressors or events that might disrupt it. Resilience also refers to the ability to recover after a disturbance. In a climate that tends to be shifting to extremes, ecosystem resiliency is essential for any chance of stability in the years ahead.
Regarding our ecosystems, resilient communities are those that are better suited to withstand the negative impacts caused by a variety of events, such as:
Native plants play a critical role in the health of Canadian ecosystems. Climate change and settler colonial encroachment have eliminated enormous tracts of native plants in Canada, and around the world. When native plants are lost, replaced with non-native species or urban areas and concrete, wildlife is also lost, leading to collapse of ecosystem function.
Environments that have been weakened by the introduction of invasive species into a natural area, or those that have little or no native species remaining (such as in an urban environment) will be less resilient in a changing climate.
By adding more trees, native plants, and restoration efforts like mini forests to our communities, we can create more resilient ecosystems across Canada. Native species planted in urban areas do not replace the natural forests around us, but rather are a method of reforesting areas that currently serve little or no ecological function. Benefits of planting trees and other native species include:
To better help Canadians across the country build resilient ecosystems by planting native species in their own communities and backyards, CanPlant is excited to announce the next chapter in our story.
Details coming soon! Stay tuned for more…
Additional reading:
Government of Canada - Planting 2 Billion trees
Nature Canada - Trees Help Fight Climate Change
Government of Canada - The power of trees
Canadian Geographic - What if we could plant trees as quickly as we cut them down?
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