As part of the City of Fredericton’s mission to grow a resilient and sustainable community, the Parks & Trees division has opened a brand-new greenhouse facility. This greenhouse serves as a tree nursery dedicated to cultivating seeds collected from native species in the Fredericton area.
Thousands of seeds are collected throughout the spring and fall seasons and include species like sugar maple, black walnut, and red oak and collection of these seeds from local trees help maintain their genetic diversity.
This project will have a very positive impact on the City with a capacity of up to 5,000 seedlings that will eventually be planted in parks, trails, and green spaces throughout the city. The greenhouse will allow the Parks & Trees division to locally source their trees while maintaining local biodiversity and alleviating constraints by both shipping and supply.
Not only will this project have a positive influence on tree availability and biodiversity, but this will also reduce the City’s carbon footprint with less emissions associated with the transportation of seedlings from other sources. The greenhouse is also a net-zero facility which means that it does not produce any harmful emissions into the atmosphere. The nursery is equipped with solar panels for a power source, natural lighting, and irrigation and temperature control with an earth battery. This battery consists of a series of perforated pipes within a large volume of sand underneath the greenhouse. It stores and releases heat as an underground thermal mass and eliminates the need for carbon intensive fossil fuel heating inside the greenhouse.
In the time after its opening in March of 2024, the greenhouse has already received international recognition by receiving the Healthier, Livable Cities Award. The City was praised for its investment in innovation and energy-saving technology. The City of Fredericton also received the Tree Management Award for its devotion to tree care across the region.