Tree Planting Ceremony

Tree Planting Ceremony

Tree Planting Ceremony

Rediscovering our Roots: The UBC Tree-Planting Ceremony

It’s hard not to notice the trees.

UBC Vancouver’s campus is home to some 8,000 planted trees and more than 10,000 native trees. Whether you’ve taken shelter under one of Main Mall’s red oaks or plundered through the fallen leaves of a sugar maple — you’ve likely considered the many species that arch and stretch around us.

Maybe in passing you asked yourself where they came from, wondered about their genesis or thought about who planted them and why. The answers to these questions are not so elusive as you may think. The origins of UBC’s trees can be traced back through history.

Many of our trees represent the lasting legacies of our students. Since 1919, a graduation tree-planting ceremony has taken place to give each graduating class a chance to leave something behind and to remind and inspire current and future UBC students. Bark, phloem, crown and all; every year a hole is dug and the ceremonial roots are embraced by land.

The idea for an annual tree planting stemmed from a combination of factors — the desire to honour the first official graduating class of UBC and the apparent need to keep up with the early 20th-century trend that was commemoration. The class of 1919 took after its American neighbours (graduation-tree planting was common at American universities) and planted a basswood tree to celebrate its own graduation. For the next seven years, basswood trees were planted for each graduating class. These trees were originally placed in the botanical garden but later moved to the east side of the Geography Building. In fall, it’s common to see their heart-shaped leaves scattered on Agricultural Road.

Wherever you look there are these gentle, living reminders of our heritage: in 1937, an American elm was placed south of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre; in 1956, an oak tree beside the Wesbrook building; in 1960, a dove tree; 1972, an arbutus; 1981, a Japanese cherry tree. Like pages in a long and lengthy memoir, these trees shape our university’s temporal narrative. Siberian spruce, honey locust, blue Atlas mountain cedar; these are the trees we planted, years ago, and our campus thrives on their deep roots.

This year, the class of 2018 will have a Plantanus x acerifolia or London plane dedicated beside University Boulevard. Now, almost 100 trees commemorate UBC graduates and if history is any indication, many more will follow.

As you walk the Vancouver campus, be sure to look up now and then — our living memories are growing all around us.

— Mormei Zanke, Assistant Writer, Brand and Marketing

Tree Planting Ceremony

It has long been the custom at UBC for the graduating class to plant a tree to serve as a tangible reminder of the class in years to come. The graduating class of 1919 began the tradition at UBC and since then every graduating class has planted a tree on the campus.

Eight of the trees now planted are not in their original positions. These eight trees, planted by the first eight Graduating Classes, were moved, since the University was not functioning at its present site at that time.

The following is a description of the trees that have been planted by the Graduating Classes since 1919, in reverse chronological order:

2017-2018 A London Plane Tree (Platanus acerifolia), was planted at the Northwest corner of East Mall and University Boulevard.
2016-2017 A London Plane Tree (Platanus acerifolia), was planted at the Northwest corner of East Mall and University Boulevard.
2014-2015 A Zelkova tree was planted at the corner of East Mall and Marine Drive.
2010-2013 Three Zelkowa trees were planted in the Zelkova Grove, along East Mall, north-west of the Curtis Building (Gate 3).
2008-2009 Two Zelkowa Serrata trees were planted along North East of Chan Centre between NW Marine Drive and East Mall.
2003-2007 Four Zelkova trees were planted in the Zelkova Grove, along East Mall, north-west of the Curtis Building (Gate 3).
2002 A Japanese Zelkowa was planted at the Dorothy Somerset Grove, along East Mall, north-east of the Chan Centre (Gate 3).
2001 A Honey Locust was planted at the corner of East Mall and Thunderbird Boulevard, on March 22, 2001.
2000 A Raywood Ash was planted on the East Mall Boulevard across from Thunderbird Residences (north east corner of East Mall and Thunderbird Blvd.), on March 28, 2000.
1999 A Honey Locust was planted on the East Mall Boulevard across from Thunderbird Residences (north east corner of East Mall and Thunderbird Blvd.), on March 30, 1999.
1998 A Katsura was planted on the East Mall Boulevard across from Thunderbird Residences (north east corner of East Mall and Thunderbird Blvd.), on April 1, 1998.
1997 A Tulip Tree was planted on the East Mall Boulevard across from Thunderbird Residences (north east corner of East Mall and Thunderbird Blvd.), on March 14, 1997.
1996 A Dogwood was planted in North Meadows, directly across the street from the Rose Garden Parkade, on March 13, 1996.
1995 An Austrian Black Pine was planted in the courtyard between Buchanan Blocks C, D & E, on March 17, 1995.
1994 A Dawn Redwood was planted in the courtyard between Buchanan Buildings C,D & E, on March 7, 1994.
1993 A Katsura was planted on the East Mall Median between Law and Buchanan Buildings, on March 23, 1993.
1992 A Maidenhair was planted on the East Mall median between Law and Buchanan Buildings, on March 11, 1992.
1991 An English Oak was planted on the East Mall median between Law and Buchanan Buildings, on April 3, 1991.
1990 An Austrian Black Pine was planted on East Mall between the Law and Buchanan Buildings, on March 30th, 1990.
1989 A Red Maple was planted on East Mall between the Law and Buchanan Buildings, on March 31st, 1989.
1988 A Himalayan Silver Birch was planted across from the Bookstore in front of the Wesbrook Building, on March 31st, 1988.
1987 A Blue Atlas Mountain Cedar was planted on the boulevard north of the Bookstore in late March 1987.
1986 A Stewarts Golden Cypress was planted on the boulevard north of the Bookstore on Thursday, March 20, 1986. This tree is no longer there.
1985 A Blue Atlas Mountain Cedar was planted between the Aquatic Centre and the Student Union Building on Thursday, March 21st, 1985. This tree is no longer there.
1984 A Red Oak was planted in front of the cheese factory on Agronomy Road on Tuesday, March 13th, 1984.
1983 A Stewarts Golden Cypress was planted on East Mall opposite the old Home Economics Building on Friday, March 11, 1983.
1982 A Pere David’s maple was planted in front of the Barn Snack Bar on April 1st, 1982.
1981 A Japanese Flowering Cherry was planted in the quadrangle between IRC and Dentistry Buildings.
1980 A Siberian Spruce was planted on East Mall, east of the Hebb Theatre.
1979 A Black Tupelo was planted on East Mall, east of the Hebb Theatre.
1975-1978 A Western Red Cedar was planted each of these years in Fairview Grove on Main Mall.
1974 A Red Maple was planted south of the H.R. MacMillan building.
1973 A Yellow Cedar was planted at the north-east corner of East Mall and University Boulevard.
1972 A Davidia or Dove Tree was planted at the site of the H.R. MacMillan Building.
1967-1971
Group 8
A Sugar Maple was planted each of these years at the new Student Union Building. None of these trees survive now.
1960-1966
Group 7
A Davidia or Dove tree was planted each of these years in the inner courtyard of the Biological Sciences Building.
1956-1959
Group 6
An Oak tree was planted each of these years on the west side of the Wesbrook Building.
1947-1955
Group 5
A Pacific Dogwood was planted each of these years on East Mall. None of the East Mall Class Tree Dogwoods survive now.
1941-1946
Group 4
A Sugar Maple was planted each of these years east of the Chemistry Building.
1937-1940
Group 3
An American Elm tree was planted each of these years on the south side of the Main Library.
1931-1936
Group 2
An English Oak tree was planted each of these years on East Mall Boulevard between Buchanan Tower and Brock Hall.
1927-1930 An Oak tree was planted each of these years running down the east side of the Geography Building.
1919-1926 Eight Basswood trees were planted in a row running down the east side of the Geography Building starting from the north end.