Today, on a sunny Saturday, March 21, 2026, we gathered at the Douglas Fir Teaching Garden for Every Tree Has a Story.
We began seated in the sacred circle, on carved cedar benches created by Squamish carver John Spence.
Grace, Executive Director of Free the Fern, then proceeded to share the stories of 10 local trees along the Champlain Heights Trails. The stories took us on a walk through the trails, stopping along the way to observe the trees.
Stories included:
1. Safe Haven: how mice escaping a great fire hid in the Douglas fir pinecones (Coast Salish legend)
2. Resilience: how a Douglas fir tree’s weakness became its strength, leading it to survive logging in the area.
3. Cautionary tale: Ivy and its incredible power to climb, kill and fell a local tree
4. Home: how a paper birch tree that has now become home to mushrooms, bugs, and birds
5. Mother’s Arms: how a Western red cedar survives by rooting down its low branches – which look like a “mother’s arms” (as described by Metis Herbalist Lori AnnBird )
6. Lollypop: how fear led to a row of cedar trees having their lower branches branches cut (like a “Lollypop”), which led to the trees early demise.
7. Miracle: how Free the Fern volunteers found a pile of money half buried in the trail and used it to buy many trees, shrubs and flowers
8. Lemons into lemonade: how a big leaf maple was cut by urban forestry, but how it became transformed into a space for new growth and community
9. Rebellion: how an invasive black locust tree was cut into a stump, but it was determined to resprout dozens of new trees from its roots
10. Doug: how a local resident with a disability named “Doug” inspired the creation of the “Douglas Fir Teaching Garden”
Douglas Fir Teaching Garden sign (pictured) featuring local flowers, ferns, and berries, designed by amazing local artist Valentina Pagetto
Event participants included: Carla, Cassie, Chris, Jeannine, Joni, Karen, and Tom. Special thanks to Parks Commissioner Tom Digby for joining us and advocating for restoration along the Champlain Heights Trails.