Oak saplings with origins from Vimy Ridge planted at Military Heritage Park

CTV Barrie: Symbols of Vimy Symbols of conflict from Vimy Ridge take root at Barrie’s new Military Heritage Park. Aileen Doyle reports.

After more than a decade of planning and work Barrie’s Military Heritage Park opens this week, and included in its landscape will be a tribute marking one of Canada’s defining moments in the First World War.

Small, newly planted trees have been planted behind the large memorials and pathways. The trees originate from the acorns of trees that grew at Vimy Ridge.

The acorns were brought to Canada by a soldier who fought in the battle of Vimy Ridge.  Lt. Leslie H. Miller planted the acorns from Vimy on his farm in Scarborough, which is now owned by a church.  All of the oak trees at Vimy Ridge were destroyed by explosives from the war, but the acorns planted at the farm have grown into hundred-year-old oak trees.

Monty McDonald worked with Lt. Miller at the farm and wants to honour his friend by having oak trees grow at Vimy once again.

“They are the only descendants of these trees that grew on the ridge, and now we're bringing them back. Their children are coming back and they're going to stand on guard, on the same land that their grandparents grew on,” says McDonald.

McDonald is working to plant the saplings of Miller’s trees back at Vimy. He is raising money to do so by selling additional saplings across the country.

Twenty-five young trees have been planted at Barrie’s Military Heritage Park, which is the largest collection of the trees in Canada.

“The one-hundredth anniversary of Vimy Ridge, it just seems so special that we were able to get the actual trees, or descendants of the trees, from this important battle,” says Rotarian and Co-Chair of Military Heritage Park, Arlette Utton.

The official opening ceremony for Military Heritage Park will take on Friday at 11 am. The public is welcome to attend.