CHESTERMERE – Last September, eleven sets of parents, along with their newest additions in tow, gathered together at one of the small parks along West Chestermere Drive to plant a tree.
They did so in honor of their newborn babies, who will always have a tree in Chestermere with their name tagged on it.
Bill Peddlesden, who voluntarily helps to get the trees planted on behalf of the local
Streetscape Committee, explains that the trees are kept under a watchful eye for their first few years, to make sure they survive.
If a tree dies, a new one will be planted in its place. Each tree is equipped with a metal tag that bears the name and birth year of each baby. The names are all kept on record, and the metal tags last a long time.
Many areas green areas in Chestermere that have small groups of trees are considered to be birth forests. Many of the small trees that were planted five years ago at Sunset Beach are currently tagged with names if you look close enough.
This year’s trees will be planted on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. (weather permitting) in Westmere Park, just north of town hall on the Marina Drive.
Twelve families will be participating this year, and will ultimately be helping to make Chestermere a little bit greener.
