REGINA — Inside Wascana Centre, dozens of trees have been planted over the years with an impactful meaning behind them.
These trees are part of the centre’s Legacy Tree Program to help people of the community remember others, said Jenna Schroeder, executive director of the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC).
“If they have a family member, a friend, or a coworker that they want to honour, they can come to us.”
Schroeder said that planting a tree in remembrance offers a unique opportunity within Wascana Centre.
People spend so much of their lives here—picnics, family celebrations, and even moments of grief when they gather to remember someone who has passed,” she said. “From conversations with community members and regular users, it’s clear how meaningful Wascana Centre is to them and how deeply it’s connected to their family and social lives.”
How it works:
People can choose ten different trees to plant at the Conexus Art Centre, including: bur oak, blue spruce, scotch pine, pin cherry, clump paper birch, acute willow, ponderosa pine, tree lilac, alder, ohio buckeye, and hotwing maple.
There are also three choices located at the T.C Douglas/Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, which include mixed shrubs, honeysuckle and scotch pine.
The PCC changed the location sites last year to better suit the trees in a more suitable environment.
“We found that sometimes the tree species of the locations weren't the best for that tree to thrive,” said Schroeder.
She added, “So, we've identified those two specific areas as where we want to direct our legacy trees and for each of those areas we've identified specific species of trees that we know will succeed and that align with our planting plans.”
The trees selected are stored in the PCC tree nursery.
“All of the trees for the centre. We plant them, we grow them to a certain height and size within our nursery, and then they're planted throughout the centre," said Schroeder.
The trees chosen for the program are a few years old and receive extra care.
“For the first three years of their lives, we're putting more attention into watering and fertilizer to help them establish,” said Schroeder.
Depending on their care and growth, Schroeder said these trees can last over a century.
While several trees have been planted through the program in recent years, Schroeder said participation has been limited largely because many people are unaware it exists.
An opportunity could come up for the PCC to more actively promote the program, she noted.
As for cost, one donation for a tree planting is $1,000.
More information can be found here.
