London, Ontario's Heritage Trees

One of the features of London's Westminster Ponds area that always piqued my curiosity was just what the "Oak" symbol with the designation "Heritage Tree" meant in the northern section of the map of the area. (See the Westminster Ponds map on page two here.)

In mid February, I set out from the Parkwood hospital entrance determined to see the tree and hopefully learn more about it. Traveling north from the parking lot it took me only 10 minutes before I reached what could only be the tree in question. An impressively tall gangly tree stood about halfway down a rolling hill. In front of it, on the path, was a wooden fence with a plaque designating the plant as an official heritage tree.

Heritage White Oak "The Meeting Tree" at Westminster Ponds 

It turns out, the heritage tree designation is part of a joint project between the not for profit group Forests Ontario and the Ontario Urban Forests Council. Began in 2009, according to Forests Ontario, the program aims to bring: "awareness to the social, cultural, historical and ecological value of trees." From the Ontario Urban Forest Council's website, it appears some of these marked trees are protected under local municipal by-laws.

According to an email received from Forests Ontario, the Wesminster Pond's heritage tree is a White Oak. There is a bit of a question as to its age. Forests Ontario simply states that the tree is over 250 years old, while this CBC article claims the tree to be about 670 years old. 

Coined "The Meeting Tree" some websites suggest this tree was used as a gathering point by users of the underground railroad fleeing slavery and persecution. However, upon digging, there seems to be no hard evidence to back this claim up and it's unclear how this theory originated. Despite the confusion, each September on Emancipation day, people gather at the tree to celebrate its reputed ties to the black community.

The White Oak of Westminster Ponds is actually one of three heritage trees in the London area. The other two being an 84 foot tall Sycamore at the historic Eldon House "adjacent to the property's front gate" on Ridout Street and an around 150 year old Sugar Maple located just inside the front gates at Labatt Park baseball stadium. It should be noted that the historical significance of the land on which the tree grows is deemed an important factor in determining which trees gain designation, according to the Forests Ontario website.

I'm definitely interested in seeing the other two heritage trees in the London area and I'll be back with photos once I've seen them in person!

Also, in my research, I discovered that other local organizations have also set up their own committees to designate their own set of heritage trees. The St. Thomas Field Naturalist's Club has compiled an extensive list, complete with locations maps.

Below is a short video of the White Oak.