Premier Pat Binns and students from Southern Kings Consolidated School combined their efforts to plant three young trees, a red maple, a white ash, and a red oak, on the school property today. This special tree planting ceremony was an early kick off to Arbour Day 2003. In addition, students and teachers were given seedlings to take home and plant.
The Premier expressed his pleasure at being asked to help plant these new trees. "Trees and forest are a vital part of our Island's environment and economy," he said. "As these small trees grow and develop, they will add to the beauty of our Island home and provide future generations of students with an understanding of the values trees and forests offer to all of us."
The red maple, white ash, and red oak are Acadian Forest species which were grown at the J. Frank Gaudet Tree Nursery as part of the province's commitment to healthy and productive forests. This year, the nursery will ship some three million trees seedlings to planting sites on public and private lands across PEI. "These tree seedlings will be planted for the protection of streambanks, to create hedgerows and beautify our landscape, to support the long-term needs of local sawmills and wood manufacturers, and to contribute to the health and productivity of the Island's forest ecosystem," said Premier Binns. "By planting these small trees these students are recognizing the importance of our native trees."
While red maple is one of the most common deciduous trees on Prince Edward Island, red oak and white ash are considered to be rare or uncommon. Centuries of human activities such as land clearing for agriculture and urban development have reduced the quantity of these two species in many parts of the Island. In order to ensure that they remain a vital component of Island forests, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry has worked to conserve the unique traits of several rare tree species by reintroducing them on suitable Provincial Forest and private land properties, growing them for watershed enhancement groups, and providing seedlings for sale to the public through garden centres across the province.
May 16 is Arbour Day on Prince Edward Island. This special day can trace its roots back to ancient times when trees symbolized fertility and longevity. Even today, trees are planted to commemorate special events such as the birth of a child, in celebration of a wedding or anniversary, or to establish a memorial.
"The trees which grace our homes, parks, and streets were planted by visionary people who understood that those trees would stand for many generations to beautify the landscape and make their communities a better place to live and work," said Premier Binns. "They recognized that planting a tree represents a vision of, and commitment to, the future."
The Premier said that planting trees need not be restricted to Arbour Day, and he encourages all Islanders to plant trees for the future of the Island.