Re: Planted.

Trees are about as multipurpose as a plant can get. They provide oxygen, shade, and wildlife habitat. They trap carbon dioxide, enhance the appeal of a park or neighbourhood, soak up excess ground water, and help protect our waterways from erosion and even pollution.  Shrubs do much of the same, but on a smaller scale.

These are a few of the projects that have been underway or completed recently:

Beban Park Forest Renewal Project (Adjacent to Merle Logan Field) 2017 - 2020

The City of Nanaimo has been working with TD Bank to rebuild a forest in Beban Park. Adjacent to the Merle Logan Field, over 100 volunteers from TD Bank in Nanaimo have worked together with City Parks staff, and so far planted 76 Trees and 281 native shrubs.

Third Street Park Wetland Habitat Enhancement Project 2017 - 2020

This project hasn’t just been about planting – its also been about removing invasive plant species. Beginning in April 2017, the City worked with Provincial staff on a project to re-introduce and establish a population of rare Vancouver Island Beggartick plants in Third Street Park. V.I. Beggerticks used to flourish in the park, but were squeezed out by invasives. After two years of treatments to remove and control canary reed grass from two planting sites, both sites are successfully seeing V.I. Beggarticks return and thrive.

In an effort to improve the biodiversity of the surrounding wetland edge, an 850 square meter area of English Hawthorn thicket was removed in the spring of 2019. The site will be planted with a variety of native tree and shrubs, including 600 native Alder, Douglas Fir and Pacific Willow. Much of the work has been done with help from students of Vancouver Island University and Nanaimo District Secondary School.