Ottawa, October 1, 2003 - The President of the Tree Canada Foundation, Jeff Monty today announced the establishment of B.C. Fire ReLeaf, a fund to help the beleaguered people of British Columbia recover from the devastating 2003 wildfires.

"The return of trees to a community is an important step in the return to a more normal life", he said. "We want to help the fire-ravaged communities of BC return as quickly as possible to the beautiful environment they had before the fires hit", he said.

Tree Canada has previously helped the communities of Saguenay, Québec during the floods in 1996; eastern Ontario, Québec and New Brunswick after the Ice Storms of 1998; and the people of Saskatchewan whose urban tree losses to Dutch Elm Disease warranted the planting of other species from 2000 to the present.

Although wildfire has always been a part of Canadian forests, the B.C. fires of 2003 were particularly damaging because so many of them occurred in close proximity to people. At its peak, over 30,000 people were evacuated from such communities as Kamloops, Kelowna and Falkland. Communities such as Louis Creek and Barriere saw tremendous losses. Estimates are that insurance claims will easily exceed over $100 million. Unfortunately many people either do not have insurance or landscaping items such as trees are not covered.

"We appreciate the support that the Tree Canada Foundation is offering the people of this area", said Joe Creron, Parks Manager for the City of Kelowna, "We look forward to implementing the Foundation's BC Fire ReLeaf program so that we can rehabilitate the landscape of this beautiful area".

The Tree Canada Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments with the goal of helping reduce the harmful effects of carbon dioxide emissions. To date the Foundation has engaged more than 60 top Canadian companies and government agencies to support the planting of over 75 million trees, the regreening of over 300 schoolyards, five national urban forestry conferences and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees.

Individual and corporate donations to BC Fire ReLeaf can be made directly through the Foundation's website or through their office.