Duane Hicks
A handful of trees in town soon will have small signs posted to them.
Town council on Monday night unanimously approved a request from the Rainy River District Stewardship to label trees as part of a cultural heritage project it is working on.
Project lead Tony Elders explained the group wants to put small (3” x 2”) plastic signs on half-a-dozen mature, native trees along Second Street East.
The small signs will feature the tree’s common name, as well as its scientific name and Ojibway name.
These will be affixed to the trees with two small screws, causing the least amount of damage to them as possible.
The small sign is not actually against the tree but raised away from its surface thanks to springs.
If the trees have to be removed in future, the signs easily can easily removed, Elders noted.
The stewardship is mapping and taking inventory of the trees in town.
Elders explained the idea is to identify trees native to this area and raise awareness of them.
“We’re looking to educate the public. We want them to think about trees,” he told council.
“And once you put a name on something, it’s not just a tree, it becomes another level of significance.”
Not only will the signage be educational, but it will be on trees along the town’s active transportation route.
As such, they can be worked into any walking tours that may be developed down the road.
Elders also noted that while the trees are on municipal property, the stewardship also will consult adjacent residential property owners to make sure it’s okay to put up the signs.
One example of a tree they’d like to label is a large white elm on the north side of Second Street East, just east of Portage Avenue.
The project is at no cost to the town, and the town will not have to do any maintenance.
The stewardship is doing the project with partners, including Fort Frances High School, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Northwestern Health Unit.
While the stewardship was granted access to the town’s GIS data to complete the project back on Feb. 9, a second request to label the trees initially was denied.
The Operations and Facilities executive committee had reviewed the matter and turned down the labelling request—mainly due to concerns about the signs possibly damaging the trees.
But after Elders explained the initiative in greater detail Monday night, members of council were convinced otherwise.
The Rainy River District Stewardship is a group of civic-minded individuals from a broad geographic area and diverse backgrounds who have come together to make a personal commitment to sustain and enhance the ecosystem for future generations.
Their mission statement is to advance the responsible care of nature in Rainy River District for benefits now and in the future.
