Green Advocate

Local Hatter, Jenn Cederstrand, takes great pride in volunteering with the City’s Adopt-a-tree program since it first launched last year in 2022.

“I am an outdoorsy person and absolutely love all of the trees along the street I live on,” says Cederstrand. “The beautiful parks, outdoor trail system, and landscaping in this community is one of the main reasons my husband and I chose to live here. It’s incredible how many parks we have and how well they are taken care of.”

The Adopt-a-tree program is a community-based initiative aimed at encouraging residents and organizations to take an active role in preserving and watering their boulevard trees.

The program is designed to allow individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to “adopt” a tree and commit to its care and maintenance.

The City provides participants with a tree care kit that includes information on how to properly care for their adopted tree. Participants are responsible for ensuring that their tree is watered regularly and kept free of weeds and debris. 

“When my granddaughter from Kelowna came to visit she said how magical it felt with all of the trees lining the street,” said Cederstrand. “We even get lots of kids who come see us at Halloween who think it’s one of the best streets to visit because of its “eeriness”. The trees add beauty and character to our street and the community overall – it’s important for me to help take care of them.” 

Taking an active role in the preservation of our trees is important for several reasons including (but not limited to): 

• Improved air and water quality
• Providing habitat for birds and other wildlife
• Immeasurable beauty for our community
• Providing shade and cooling in hot temperatures 

“We are so thankful for the community volunteers who help us preserve and enhance our boulevard trees,” says Jeff Quinlan, City of Medicine Hat. “There are nearly 24,000 publicly owned trees in our community with many more along the river valley. With the help of our volunteers, we can ensure our urban forest has the resiliency to thrive and defend itself from disease and pests.” 

Interested community residents are encouraged to fill out a volunteer application or visit our website for more information, medicinehat.ca.