Giving Nature a Helping Hand

In the aftermath of another year of rampant wildfires, Forests Canada and forestry consulting firm Cariboo Carbon Solutions have partnered to help private landowners restore their forests. The two organizations supported the planting of 100,000 trees in North Shuswap and Criss Creek, British Columbia in 2025 in response to the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire and will plant 2.2 million more in other areas of the province over the coming four years.

“Canada continues to face a devastating wildfire crisis from coast to coast to coast. A warming climate, drought, past fire-suppression practices, and the impacts of insect outbreaks have contributed to the increase of dry fuel in the landscape, creating the perfect storm of destructive fires,” Elizabeth Jarrett, Chief Operating Officer, Forests Canada, says. “While fires are a natural part of our forested landscapes, the intensity and severity of them is starting to impact how quickly a forest can naturally recover. This new partnership will enable us to support restoration efforts where nature needs a helping hand.”

In regions across British Columbia, Cariboo Carbon Solutions is providing private landowners that have been devastated by wildfires with professional reforestation services for their properties. After the successful planting of 100,000 trees in North Shuswap and Criss Creek in 2025, the organization is now looking to help restore forests in other communities in British Columbia, including 100 Mile House, Kamloops, West Kelowna, and Princeton.

“We feel this partnership with Forests Canada gives landowners hope and an ability to restore their land that they didn’t have before,” Andrew Steeves, Registered Forest Technologist and Operations Manager with Cariboo Carbon Solutions, says. “Our vision is to play a part in a sustainable future by developing projects like this that enhance the health and functionality of British Columbia’s ecosystems and help reinstate ecological balance and support native biodiversity.”

Jim and Valerie Gillingham live west of Kamloops and have had 12,500 trees replanted with Cariboo Carbon following the devastation of the 2021 Sparks Lake fire.

“We have lived on this property since 1976 and have always been stewards of the forest,” Jim says. “The importance of a healthy forest is paramount – for active wildlife, busy bird life, and for the sheer enjoyment and pleasure of a vibrant, living forest.”

Beyond the benefits to wildlife and birds, Jim and Valerie believe that reforestation is important to help mitigate the effects of climate change, which they have seen all too clearly over the years.

“In 2005, when I was only 58, and Valerie 54, we were able to plant several thousand trees on our own. Twenty years later, arthritis and age and funding have made replanting difficult if not impossible,” Jim says. “Without Cariboo Carbon and Forests Canada, we would have to look at a burned landscape for the rest of our days. Though we will never see a mature forest again, the fact that it has been planted and is growing is wonderful. Thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts.”