Started in 2005 as a way to celebrate and commemorate Alberta’s Centennial, Chestermere’s Birth Forests have become a special place for families to visit.
A joint initiative between the Town of Chestermere Parks Dept and the Streetscape Committee, applications are collected from local families who would like the unique opportunity to celebrate the birth of a child. To date, about 100 trees have been planted in honor of newborn babies.
Bill Peddlesden, a Chestermere resident and Streetscape Committee volunteer explains that the birth forest is not only for newborns in Chestermere. The program is also open to children born in previous years, pregnant mothers of even to children born outside of Chestermere. For example “If the grandparents or other family members live in Chestermere, and would like to plant a tree for a new grandchild who does not live in Chestermere, we can do that too” says Peddlesden.
There is a $25 fee to help cover the cost of the tree but for that, families will get a substantially sized tree, with a metal tag on it with the child name engraved into it.
The trees are planted locally in parks and the area receives a brass plaque marking the forest. The Town of Chestermere Parks Dept maintains the wellness of the trees and replaces them in the event a tree dies.
This year, the celebration and tree planting will take place at 454 Marina Drive on September 25, 2013.
For more information and application forms, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.chestermere.ca/birthforest” www.chestermere.ca/birthforest or call (403)207-2807
