PEACE TREE
City plants Peace Tree, celebrate
On Nov. 10, 2021, Councilors Sherman and Emami joined Jim Gersbach from the Oregon Department of Foresty to plant a new tree next to the Veteran’s Park Memorial. Its roots date back well over 75 years halfway across the world. A ginkgo seedling, this tree was grown from seeds collected in Hiroshima, Japan and is a descendant of a tree that survived the atomic bombing of the Japanese city in 1945. The tree serves as a sign of hope – that even amid unexpected devastation and loss of life, there can be optimism for recovery and a brighter future.
Similar seedlings have also been planted in parks throughout Oregon, all with the purpose of marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and to encourage peace. So many of these trees have been planted that Oregon now has one of the largest collections of Hiroshima peace trees of any state or nation outside Japan.
The City would like to thank One Sunny Day Initiative, Green Legacy Hiroshima, and the Oregon Department of Forestry for making this tree available and bringing lasting peace.
To learn more about this program and the significance of these seedlings, visit https://www.oregon.gov/odf/forestbenefits/Pages/hiroshima-peace-trees.aspx
