The Project Forest Swan River First Nation Ecological Reconciliation Project is 34 hectares located within the boundaries of Swan River First Nation, in Treaty 8 territory. Situated on the banks of the Swan River, this section of land was once a productive ecosystem. When the Canadian government mandated the clearing of forested land for agriculture in Indigenous communities, it created stagnant land with no benefit to its people.
In partnership with Swan River First Nation, Project Forest is rewilding this section of non-productive agricultural land, planting five species of trees and over 56,000 seedlings in 2021. In the spring of 2023, we returned to the Nation to plant over 13,000 food-bearing, culturally and medicinally significant plants that will find their forever homes among the young trees.
As the land transitions back into a forest, it will become home to countless species of flora and fauna and re-establish traditional land use opportunities for the people of Swan River First Nation.
Project Forest and our partners are committed to rewilding lands that never should have been disturbed in the first place.