Trees are an excellent tool for climate resiliency in urban ecosystems. They cool cities, clean the air and help manage storm water.
1,000 Trees
Help us plant 1,000 Trees in 2023
The big trees we enjoy today were planted many years ago by someone like you! Planting trees is both a legacy project and an act of climate leadership that will benefit Lethbridge for generations to come.
Select a tree that works best for your yard (feel free to use our optional Tree Guide below!)
Plant a tree in your yard
Register your tree with the City of Lethbridge's Tree Registry to help us reach our goal!
Need help selecting a tree?
Use our Tree Guide and be sure to choose the right tree for the right location.
This native tree is adapted for extreme heat, extreme flooding, extreme wind, extreme cold and is great habitat for local wildlife.
Plains Cottonwood. Choose 'Sargent Poplar' cultivar if you do not want your tree to produce seeds. This tree is great in very dry and very wet spots.
A deciduous tree on the south-west side of your property can significantly cool your home in summer.
Austrian Pine
Plains cottonwood ‘Sargent Poplar’ (seedless)
Bur Oak
Hackberry
Honey Locust ‘Northern Acclaim’, ‘Skyline’, ‘Prairie Silks’, ‘Prairie Sky’
Limber Pine
Manchurian Alder ‘Prairie Horizon’
Manitoba Maple ‘Baron’ (seedless)
Northern Pin Oak ‘Majestic Skies’, ‘Shooting Star’
Ohio Buckeye
Ponderosa Pine
Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir
Swiss Stone Pine
All trees need consistent watering until established, but these trees can tolerate, and even thrive, in drought conditions.
Bur Oak
Hackberry
Honey Locust ‘Northern Acclaim’, ‘Skyline’, ‘Prairie Silks’, ‘Prairie Sky’
Manitoba Maple ‘Baron’
Ohio buckeye
Plains Cottonwood ‘Sargent Poplar’
Ponderosa Pine
Tartarian Maple
These species tend to grow more quickly with proper care.
Hackberry
Manchurian Alder ‘Prairie Horizon’
Manitoba Maple ‘Baron'
Ohio Buckeye
Plains Cottonwood ‘Sargent Poplar’
Trembling Aspen
These varieties look great year-round
Austrian Pine
Bristlecone Pine
Crabapple ‘Thunderchild’, ‘Courageous’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Radiant’, ‘Dolgo’. 'Starlite'
Limber Pine
Mountain Pine
Northern Pin Oak ‘Majestic Skies’, ‘Shooting Star’
Ohio Buckeye
Ponderosa Pine
Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Swiss Stone Pine
Tartarian Maple ‘Rugged Charm’, ‘Hot Wings’
Ussurian Pears ‘Navigator’, ‘Prairie Gem’
Urban biodiversity is incredibly important for soil, air and water quality and sharing your home with local wildlife is a great way to create a healthier neighbourhood. *starred trees are also great for pollinators!
Austrian Pine
Bristlecone Pine
*Crabapple ‘Thunderchild’, ‘Courageous’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Radiant’, ‘Dolgo’, 'Starlite'
Chokecherry (shrub)
*Evans Cherry ‘Evans’
Limber Pine
Mountain Pine
Northern Pin Oak ‘Majestic Skies’, ‘Shooting Star’
Plains Cottonwood ‘Sargent Poplar’
Ponderosa Pine
Rocky Mountain Douglas Fir
Rocky Mountain Juniper
Swiss Stone Pine
Ussurian Pears ‘Navigator’, ‘Prairie Gem’
Crabapple ‘Thunderchild’, ‘Courageous’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Radiant’, ‘Dolgo’, 'Starlite'
Chokecherry (shrub)
Evans Cherry ‘Evans’
Ornamental Pears ‘Navigator’, ‘Prairie Gem'
Conifers are a great understory trees as they will stay small until the larger trees die then they will grow to fill in the space.
Chokecherry
Conifers (see Tree Guide for full list)
Manchurian Alder ‘Prairie Horizon’
Ohio Buckeye
American Elm (threat of the invasive Dutch Elm Disease)
Ash (threat of invasive insect - Emerald Ash Borer)
Russian Olive (invasive species)
Common Buckthorn (invasive species)
Salt-cedar (invasive species)
Why plant a tree?
Trees offer many ecosystem services for our community:
providing food and habitat for hundreds of animals in our community
absorbing storm water and reducing soil erosion through their roots
creating microclimates that help reduce heat-island effect
shading roads, pathways and buildings making travel more pleasant and reducing heating and cooling demands.
providing biodiversity or variety which makes our city more resilient to changing climate, new diseases, and pests.