Oregon Peace Trees

Oregon Community Trees helped Oregon communities mark the 75^th anniversary of the end of World War II and the atom bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by the planting of peace trees. These are trees grown from seeds collected in Hiroshima of trees that miraculously survived the atomic attack on that city. Since 2011 the non-profit group Green Legacy Hiroshima has gathered seeds and sent them in batches around the world to recipients who agree to plant them in public locations as symbols of peace, reconciliation and hope. Through a collaboration between OCT, the Oregon Dept. of Forestry and the non-profit One Sunny Day Initiative, Oregon now has the densest collection of Hiroshima peace trees outside of Japan.

In April 2019, OCT Board Member Jim Gersbach, who works for Oregon Department of Forestry, transported 30 seedling ginkgo trees to Avery Park in Corvallis where they were lovingly cared for by OCT Board Member Jennifer Killian and her colleagues at Corvallis Parks and Recreation. Later that year, another dozen ginkgo seedlings from the original germination were added, as were nine seedlings grown from an Asian persimmon survivor tree.

Seedlings from both species were offered in 2019 by the Oregon Department of Forestry at no cost to Trees Cities USA/Tree Campuses USA in Oregon with a requirement that the trees be planted in public places as a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and the end of World War II, and to mark 75 years of continuous peace between the U.S. and Japan.

“The response was amazing,” said Jim Gersbach. “More than 40 entities in 36 Oregon communities asked to receive one or more of the seedlings.The communities ranged from Oregon's largest city to small towns from the coast to Ontario on the border with Idaho. Requests came from churches, schools, colleges, parks, arboretums and cemeteries all across the state. One is even planted on the grounds of the Oregon State Penitentiary at the request of the inmates there.”

Five of the trees were planted in 2019 in Eugene, Hillsboro, La Grande, Lake Oswego and at Oregon State University in Corvallis. See in the side panel video of Lake Oswego’s peace tree dedication ceremony coordinated by then-OCT Board Director and independent arborist Morgan Holen.

An additional 48 tree were planted over the next four years as community celebrations had to be rescheduled due to the COVID pandemic. Oregon now has the densest concentration of peace trees outside Japan - more than 53 in three dozen cities and towns spread across the state from the coast to the base of the Wallowas and from the Columbia Gorge to near the California border. View the full list of locations here.

One requirement from Green Legacy Hiroshima that a community must fulfill in order to get a Hiroshima peace tree is to hold a public planting ceremony or dedication. The COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020 forced the postponement of many dedication ceremonies,. These were rescheduled in following years as restrictions on public meetings were eased. Communities have tailored their ceremonies in a variety of ways, from schoolchildren reading haiku poems they wrote about their new peace tree, to traditional Japanese dancing and taiko drumming. Blessings, prayers, poems and solemn observances featured at many dedications,. At others, there were speeches from citizens and elected representatives about the importance of peace, justice and reconciliation to our continued collective survival in a nuclear-armed world.

Environmental historian David Hedberg has been documenting the diverse ceremonies accompanying the planting of peace trees. Hedberg interviewed Hiroshima survivor Hideko Tamura of Medford, who founded the non-profit peace group One Sunny Day Initiatives and inspired the effort to bring peace trees to Oregon. Oregon Community Trees is supporting the documentary Hedberg is making. Called "Seeds of Peace." OCT hopes to schedule screenings of it in 2026 around the state. To schedule, please contact brittany.n.oxford@odf.oregon.gov