‘Gift Trees comfort the bereaved and heal planet Earth’
This moving story by Merry MacKinnon about planting Gift Trees in memory of others appears in the current issue of Boom! Boomers & Beyond. Below are excerpts from the story, which you can read in full on the newspaper’s web site.
Emma Gray first learned of the Friends of Trees Gift Tree Program after her brother died and a grove of trees was planted in his memory. She now manages the Gift Tree Program, in which native trees are purchased as memorials or celebrations. …
“When my brother died, I felt so helpless,” Gray recalled. “Planting a tree was very cathartic.”
Celeste Dryer’s mother also loved the outdoors, especially trees — so much so that when her mother was under hospice care at Southwest Portland’s Hopewell House, attendants opened the doors and windows and moved her bed to give her a good view of the outdoors.
While gazing at the trees, Dryer’s mother died peacefully.
In memory of her mother, Celeste and her two siblings planted a grove of trees at the Collins Sanctuary, next to Portland’s Forest Park. Generally, all Friends of Trees Gift Trees are now planted at the Collins Sanctuary.
Currently owned by Metro, the 86-acre sanctuary had been severely logged years ago. Short-lived alder trees had since dominated the forest canopy. After Metro acquired the property, it became a habitat restoration project, maintained by the Audubon Society of Portland. Partnering with Metro and the Audubon Society, Friends of Trees plants the native trees, such as Western hemlock and Western red cedar, along with native shrubs including snowberry and Oregon grape. A wheelchair-accessible hiking trail weaves through the sanctuary, and groups of young trees are planted in spots where sunlight drifts down through the canopy.
Twice yearly, Friends of Trees holds Gift Tree plantings at the sanctuary. At one such event last March, Dryer and her family planted their mother’s trees.
“My mother was only 65 years old when she died suddenly from lung cancer, though she never smoked.” Dryer said. “The tree planting was perfect for our family.”
You can learn more about Gift Trees on Friends of Trees’ web site or by calling Emma Gray at 503-282-8846 ext. 31.