As British Columbia recovers from another season of destructive wildfires, a new partnership is offering landowners and First Nations communities a path toward renewal.

Forests Canada, a national non-profit charity, has teamed up with forestry consulting firm Cariboo Carbon Solutions to restore burned landscapes across the province. Together, they are helping private landowners and First Nations replant trees on their properties — starting with 100,000 seedlings planted this spring in North Shuswap and Criss Creek, two areas heavily damaged by the 2021 Sparks Lake Wildfire and the 2023 Bush Creek East wildfire.

Over the next five years, the partnership plans to put 2.2 million more trees in the ground in communities including Kamloops, 100 Mile House, West Kelowna, Princeton and Williams Lake.

Andrew Steeves, operations manager with Cariboo Carbon Solutions, said the partnership between his agency and Forests Canada gives landowners something they didn’t have before: the ability to restore their land after a devastating wildfire through NGO funded projects.

“There’s so much planting and replanting going on on public land, Crown land, and there’s provincial and federal funding to do that,” said Steeves. “But there is this gap where we have private landowners who have these forested properties, these large acreages, and then end up being out on their own when the forest is burnt.

“This initiative was designed specifically for private landowners who were not otherwise eligible for federal or provincial replanting programs,” said Steeves. “Supporting private landowners is essential to restoring B.C. forests and re-establishing ecological balance on their properties.”

Cariboo Carbon Solutions provides on-the-ground expertise, ensuring trees are planted strategically to restore ecological health. That includes choosing native species and fire-resistant varieties suited to each property.

Steeves said landowners apply for the service, and his agency then conducts a site assessment to determine the best planting strategy. Once the seedlings are in the ground, Cariboo Carbon staff monitor the property yearly for four years to ensure the forest is on track to recover.

“We’re a one-stop shop,” Steeves said.

Forests Canada stresses that wildfire resilience requires everyone’s involvement — homeowners, Indigenous leaders, researchers and governments alike.

For landowners in Kamloops, 100 Mile House, West Kelowna, Princeton and Williams Lake, or anyone who’s private property has been affected by wildfire, applications for replanting support are open until Oct. 15 at www.ForestsCanada.ca/PlantTrees.

Elizabeth Jarrett, Chief Operating Officer of Forests Canada, said the initiative is urgently needed as climate change, drought and insect outbreaks increase wildfire risk across the country.

“We are very proud of our partnership with Cariboo Carbon Solutions and know how important it is for people whose land has been devastated by wildfires to know that they have somewhere to turn to help them restore their forested landscapes,” she said.

With millions of new trees set to take root in the coming years, the two organizations hope to turn blackened hillsides into thriving forests once again — restoring ecological balance and giving homeowners peace of mind for the future.