A Neighbourhood Revitalization Project
With the help of residents, businesses, and social agencies, Shrubscriber, with support from a City of Edmonton Revitalization Grant, is working on a project called Cultivate McCauley to grow, distribute, and plant 1,000 trees. This effort will increase the neighbourhood’s tree canopy by 2%, moving it closer to Edmonton’s goal of 20%.
Imagine an Edmonton neighbourhood where children play under the canopy of thriving trees, neighbours gather in cooler, safer outdoor spaces, and everyone breathes easier—all thanks to a shared commitment to nature and reforestation. This is the goal of Cultivate McCauley, a project led by Shrubscriber and supported by a City of Edmonton Revitalization Grant.
Cultivate McCauley
Trees are more than just beautiful—they have “woody superpowers.” Well-placed trees improve air quality, boost property values, enhance health, and reduce utility costs, flooding, crime, and the effects of extreme heat. Despite McCauley’s mature American Elm and Green Ash trees, its tree canopy coverage remains underdeveloped at only 13%. Expanding this coverage will bring vital environmental, economic, and social benefits to the community.
Using community mini nurseries, trees will be grown from seeds and cuttings during workshops and be distributed once they reach 6 to 18 inches in height.
Read the complete Cultivate McCauley Grant
6 Ways to Be Involved
For the Cultivate McCauley project to succeed, we need the involvement of as many community members and property owners as possible. Here are six ways you can participate. McCauley resident or not, here are six ways to get involved:
1. Request A Tree for Your McCauley Property
If you’re a McCauley resident, we’d love to match you with a tree of your choice! There’s something for everyone, from shade trees to fruit and nut varieties.
2. Host A Mini Tree Nursery
We’re looking for people willing to host a mini 4-foot square tree nursery in their backyard. Mini nurseries hold 144 little trees on a single pallet.
We call these nurseries pallet farms, and you can read about and see some pictures in my Pallet Farming Article.
3. Attend A Workshop
Join us at one of our workshops, where we’ll cover everything from seed preparation and germination to transplanting and tree care.
Using a community forestry model, trees will be grown from seeds and cuttings at multiple community workshops. Once 6 to 18 inches tall, seedlings will be planted into tree pots and distributed to McCauley residents and businesses.
4. Volunteer To Support Planting and Tree Care
Help spread the word, deliver plants, dig holes, or water trees. Every bit of support helps us reach our goal.
5. Help Translate
McCauley is a culturally diverse neighbourhood, and not everyone speaks English. Translators are essential to ensure every resident has access to our resources and opportunities to participate.
6. Share This Post With a McCauley Resident
Do you know someone who lives in McCauley or loves trees? Sharing this project is a simple but powerful way to help us succeed.
What is Shrubscriber?
Shrubscriber brings together community-driven changemakers, nature-inspired entrepreneurs, and urban nature enthusiasts to cultivate a thriving network of urban tree farms and organize impactful tree-planting initiatives so that we can create a biodiverse, equitable, and climate-adapted Edmonton.
Through implementing the Cultivate McCauley project, we hope to streamline our propagation and distribution methods. We believe we’ll be able to leverage the lessons learned in McCauley to reforestation projects throughout the city.
Consider joining the Shrubscriber Community if you’d like to support community tree propagation or learn how to grow trees.