1600 trees will be planted in Senegal, thanks to a partnership between UNBC and Veritree. Photo courtesy: UNBC

By Tommy Osborne

Tree planting

UNBC planting trees in Senegal thanks to new partnership

Nov 26, 2025 | 3:27 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A new partnership between the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Veritree will see 1600 trees planted in Senegal. UNBC’s Faculty of Business and Economics donated to Veritree, and it’s a partnership that the faculty’s Dean believes is a perfect representation of what the university is all about.

“It’s doing the things that, when you get right down to it, are the reasons why UNBC was founded in the the 1990s. This is a mission driven organization that said, ‘how do we create a more stable community in Northern B.C. and as a University? How do we take what we do in Northern B.C. and Prince George and create a model for the world so the world becomes a more sustainable place, right?’ We’re Canada’s green university,” said UNBC Faculty of Business and Economics Dr. Ron Camp.

“Veritree, I can’t think of a more natural fit for the vision that we have for the Faculty of Business and Economics, and for the University as a whole,” he continued.

Camp explained Veritree is a student founded company, as one of Camp’s former students David Luba at the University of Regina, and it focuses on planting trees and using technology to track how many trees are planted and how they are growing.

“The goal is to set out to do sustainability work, to know that we’ve done something real, that we can actually measure what we’ve done and then report that we’re actually being successful in doing it,” Camp said, explaining how Veritree works.

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Environment and sustainability goals of course are a top priority when it comes to planting 1600 trees, but Camp adds this also aligns perfectly with the Faculty’s business and economic goals as well.

“Not only does that help to retain soil against erosion and other things, but it creates jobs in local communities. Creating jobs means more adults stay in the community rather than traveling. It means they’ve got money to bring in teachers for local schools rather than having to send schools away. So it’s not just about the economic or environmental it’s community building, it’s sustaining farms, families,” Camp said.

Given that Veritree was founded by a student, Camp adds he hopes this inspires his current students to show what is possible, and that through business you can create positive lasting change.

“How can you want more as an educator than to know that the things that you’re doing, the things you’re teaching, are resonating with students, and the students are going out and doing more than you could ever do on your own. This is why you become an educator, and to see that and to see it in something that’s so important, not just locally, but globally,” Camp said.

He added the Faculty is looking into other partnership opportunities, which could include more tree planting with Veritree, B.C. kelp forest work, or planting trees throughout the province that would best suit local climates.

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