If the trees at the Albion Fairgrounds could speak, what a tale they’d tell.

The paperbark birch planted near Spencer Creek would speak about Jenny Ljunggren, the former executive-director of Alouette River Management Society, who died last year of cancer.

Jenny loved the outdoors and the streams that nurtured the salmon and she’d have appreciated a tree, planted in her memory in that location.

“We planted it there because Jenny had an affinity for nature and the creeks, so anyways, we planted it for her,” explained Tom Cameron, who started the program.

And close to the office where volunteer Lorraine Bate toils for Ghost Ridge Haunted House, the Christmas Hamper Society and the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Country Fest, are two flowering cherry trees, in memory of her daughter Amanda, who died nine years ago.

Of the 36 trees planted in the last six years by the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Agricultural Association, about half are in the ground to honour those who’ve passed on.

The families donate the cost of the trees while the agricultural association ensures they go in the correct spot on Maple Ridge Fairgrounds.

“The intent wasn’t to create a memorial park, it was just to put some trees in a park,” that otherwise was pretty bare, said Cameron.

There’s still room for 20 more trees before Cameron would like to start the same thing in Pitt Meadows Athletic Park which also could use some greenery.

The trees aren’t just put anywhere.

Parks and leisure services tells Cameron what types to plant and where. Of the first bunch planted in 2003, about half are London plane trees and the other passmore ashes. The former is supposed to be a tough urban tree.

The next batch is about half paper bark or white birch and half flowering cherry trees, with the former having an affinity for water.

But only about half are planted in memory of someone, the others were just planted by various community groups who donated the cost of the tree.

One tree was planted for RCMP officer Randy Herman, who died in 2006, and another for former mayor Belle Morse. One tree near the sheep barn is in memory of Dayton Klein, a member of the fair association from the 1960s.

“I’d say probably about half them have significance or relevance to a passed-away person,” said Cameron.

However, there are no plaques identifying for whom the trees are planted. Cameron said the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Agricultural Association considered that but decided against that because of concerns about vandalism and maintenance.

“We didn’t want to do individual tree plaques, but we’re going to do like a legend, a map.”

That would be a relief-style map that would show where they’re located and for whom they were planted.

“I haven’t got that done. I’ve been too busy. Things keep getting in my way like Christmas Hamper, like [Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows] Country Fair, Ghost Ridge.”

Tree planting

Anyone interested in donating an indigenous tree such as a birch, maple, kwanzan cherry, patmore ash or London plane tree, can contact Tom Cameron 604-463-6922. The planting of any trees would coincide with Arbor Day at the end of April.