Syncrude is hitting a new milestone when it comes to planting trees and shrubs.

They announced on Thursday they’ve now planted over 11 million across their reclamation sites.

Just this year, they’ve been able to cover around 400 hectares with over one million trees and shrubs.

“To continue reclamation is the right thing to do,” said Eric Girard, Syncrude’s vegetation specialist

“It was tough to do this work during the pandemic, however, safety has always been a top priority at Syncrude and we had the protocols in place to ensure everyone’s health and safety.”

Tree planting started on May 20 and lasted for one month.

The majority of these new trees were planted around their north mine, located north of Fort McMurray.

“The plants need time to get out of dormancy, grow roots and leaves, grow new buds, seal them, and be ready with reserves for the upcoming winter,” added Girard.

“They need time to go through different phases of growth.”

Syncrude plans on planting more trees around their north mine in 2021.