“Trees are more than the lumber we use to build our houses — they are witnesses to the past, there is honour in them,” says Libby Fairweather, tree hugger, executive director of the Heritage Tree Foundation of Alberta and managing editor of Heritage Trees of Alberta, a new book that tells the story of 80 of Alberta’s heritage trees.

This book is the result of a project launched in May 2006 to raise awareness about the environmental and historical value of trees. The project solicited nominations from Albertans and received hundreds of entries with accompanying stories and photographs. “People are very proud of their trees and the history associated with them,” Fairweather says of the response to the project. “This was a venue for people to share and express that passion.”

The book features stories about native species such as the gnarly and robust 1,000-plus-year-old limber pines located along the David Thompson Highway west of Nordegg. There are also stories of imports like the silver “sugar” maple planted in Fort Kent by Jean Paul Campeau in 1966. Campeau had his uncle from Montreal send a sapling by mail, because he wanted to see if it was possible to grow a sugar maple in northern Alberta. It flourished and continues to produce syrup today. Closer to home, Calgary’s own Stampede elm is also featured. When homes were demolished to create the Stampede grounds, gardener Rick Van Gelder insisted that what is now one of Calgary’s oldest elm trees be saved. The heritage tree now commands special attention and care from Stampede administration.

A heritage tree is defined by qualities such as age, size, shape, special interest, location and/or history. The trees featured in this book are lone individuals, but can also be found in groups, such as in rural shelterbelts, along urban avenues and in large and small groves.

Fairweather says the book is “raising awareness about the value of trees” and how history relates to them. She says that people want to preserve these trees and take a stewardship role to keep them healthy for future generations.

The book is arranged by region and includes corresponding maps. Readers can visit the chosen sites — all of which are marked with plaques. Fairweather says she’s heard of people planning trips around the locations cited in the book. She says that some of the trees are now being included in horticultural tours, and that “people are still nominating trees to be heritage trees, because they want the story to be preserved. People are looking at trees differently.”