Archived Articles: Kiwanis Trees of Honour Park

KIWANIS TREES OF HONOUR PARK

A community partnership with Etobicoke Parks and Recreation Services and the Kiwanis Clubs of the City of Etobicoke.

The Kiwanis Trees of Honour Programme is a way of celebrating a special event or of honouring an individual by planting a tree for you and the Etobicoke community to enjoy. The official opening for the Kiwanis Trees of Honour Park on the east side of The East Mall midway between Burnhamthorpe Road and Bloor Street took place on April 26, 1997.

The park was designed by Parks personnel as an Arboretum since trees make the greatest contribution to the long term health and well being of a community. Etobicoke Parks and Recreation Services will prepare the site, and plant and maintain the trees. A descriptive marker will be mounted in concrete at the base of each tree. The master planting plan is an excellent collection of carefully selected and clearly identified varieties of trees and identifies a particular planting zone for each tree. The total number of trees that has been planned for this site is 368. Each tree will provide shelter, oxygen and a lasting tribute to a special person, or a celebration of an event or accomplishment.

Individuals, groups and corporations are invited to donate specimen trees to honour a person or an event. (A charitable donation receipt will be issued by the City of Etobicoke.) A brochure outlining details of the Park and a tree-planting master plan is available by calling Kiwanis Trees of Honour Committee at 416-233-3338 or 416-231-9859.

Did you know that Etobicoke can boast a collection of trees that is unique in Canada and is now recognised as one of the rarest collection of nut trees in North America? The Echo Valley Park, situated on the north side of Mimico Creek where it crosses Kipling Avenue and the first big bend upstream contains the best specimen of Turkish Hazel in the region as well as a unique collection of other nuts and native fruit trees.

This collection of between 150 and 200 varieties of nut trees and hybrid nut trees was established by Mr George Hebden Corsan after he purchased the 9.4 acre section which is now the park in 1911. The collection includes black, white and Persian walnuts, American and European hazels, hybrids, sweet chestnuts and pawpaws. Some of the trees, all of which are of fruit bearing age, are as tall as 50 feet.

The City of Etobicoke purchased the property in 1959 and it was only in the early 1970's that the value of the collection was realized by city staff at which time the trees were identifed and labelled and a maintenance programme set up to preserve the existing trees, along with attempts to establish additional varieties. Echo Valley Park is a prime example of good urban greenspace management. As well as being aesthetically pleasing the park also serves the purpose of being a natural flood plain.

Echo Valley Park lies between Wingrove Hill Road to the north and Echo Valley Road to the south. Enter the park via Wingrove Hill Road one block north of Burnhampthorpe Road off Kipling Ave.