More trees to be hugged as Burlington honours our leafy friends

New members have been added to Burlington’s Honour Roll of Trees.

The City-initiated program, one that recognizes large, rare and historically significant trees, has been updated and now has a list of 120 trees of 75 different species.

Spread across Burlington in both public and private spaces, these trees are acknowledged with placards and mapped on a website that provides background and the reason for their significance.

“The Honour Roll of Trees program is a great way to acknowledge our heritage, our community, and our environment and I’m happy to see it revitalized this year,” commented Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. “Recognizing and preserving these historically significant trees reminds us of our commitment to protecting and expanding our urban canopy for future generations.”

Launched in 1975 through Burlington’s Recreational Services Department along with the Burlington Horticultural Society and the Royal Botanical Gardens, 110 trees were originally on the list.

Since then several more have been added including the Allview Oak, believed to be over 300 years old and considered one of the oldest of its kind in Canada. It has been recognized by the Ontario Heritage Tree Program as a heritage tree.

While most of the original trees remain, some, however, have been removed due to age or damage which has prompted the update.

Recently, to commemorate the relaunch of the program, City officials and members of the Royal Canadian Legion Burlington Branch gathered at Spencer Smith Park to celebrate three of the 120 trees included in the Honour Roll program. A plaque was placed in front of three maple trees that represent the three branches of  Canada’s Armed Forces and to serve as a memorial to the veterans that have sacrificed to serve our nation.

As the program is ongoing, residents will be able to nominate trees for the Honour Roll again next year.

The map of all the tree locations can found at: www.burlington.ca/honourroll.