A 326-acre afforestation area, planted as a man-made forest on the prairies, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada was named after Richard St Barbe Baker, aka Man of the Trees. Celebrate this Jubilee celebration 50 years after he received his honorary doctorate at the University of Saskatchewan. The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas have commissioned a documentary about this remarkable man with historical footage, arguably the first global conservationist, and his legacy here in our city. It is based on interviews with several people who knew St Barbe Baker. The program, will also have greetings from conservationists from Australia, Switzerland, Scotland, Britain and the USA who were inspired by St Barbe and who became conservation leaders in their own right.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
Many people have heard of David Suzuki, David Attenborough, or Greta Thunberg. Richard St. Barbe Baker was the first global conservationist and he was also a humanitarian. This is our way to remember his international legacy. International Online Premiere: The Legacy of Saskatoon’s Secret Forest Saturday November 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm CST (UTC-6)
The Daily Telegraph, June 11, 1982 mentioned that “Richard St. Barbe Baker…spent his life in a single-minded campaign which stressed the essential importance of the part trees play in people’s well-being.”
In 1979, the Prince of Wales became the patron of the global green group Richard St. Barbe Baker founded, the International Tree Foundation.
Among the tributes paid to Richard St. Barbe Baker are hundreds if not thousands of trees planted to his honour.
Robert White says” St. Barbe is known all over the world for his tireless efforts on behalf of conservation and tree planting. He is truly a world citizen. In his life he has been instrumental in preserving the Redwood forests in California and developing a program for reclaiming the Sahara Desert. He has circled the globe countless times lecturing, setting up tree planting programs and providing a focus for several generations of people to learn more about the biosphere in which we dwell.”(9832)
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker
Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan,
University Archives & Special Collections,
Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Hoar Frost and Rime Ice covering the trees at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon , SK , in the bright morning sunlight
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Native species, Trembling Aspen or Populus tremuloides, quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, Quakies, mountain or golden aspen, trembling poplar, white poplar,, Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA
Richard St. Barbe Baker – global conservationist and humanitarian
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063
Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot
This news is fantastic! McNally Robinson Saskatoon listed their top 10 Best Sellers, and for Non-Fiction this book is number one; Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist, written by Paul Hanley with a foreword by HRH Prince Charles and introduction by Jane Goodall.
Soooo, if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet, and are wondering what to get that special someone on your list this is a perfect idea! Whether they are a biophiliac, a nature lover, or a tree lover, this is an impressive story, and sure to please anyone!
His honour, W. Thomas (Tom) Molloy, O.C., S.O.M., Q.C., LL.B, LL.D. Lieutenant Govenor of Saskatchewan and Paul Hanley, author Man of the Trees. Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist. By Paul Hanley Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales Introduction by Jane Goodall,
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Colorado Blue Spruce Picea pungens in Winter copyright Julia Adamson
Richard St. Barbe Baker L.L.D, O.B.E. photo credit University of Saskatchewan. University Archives and Special Collections. Richard St. Barbe Baker Fonds MG71.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
Multis e gentibus vires (From Many Peoples Strength)
The trees and vegetation, which cover the land surface of the Earth and delight the eye, are performing vital tasks incumbent upon the vegetable world in nature. Its presence is essential to earth as an organism. It is the first condition of all life; it is the “Skin” of the earth, for without it there can be no water and, therefore, no life. ~Richard St. Barbe Baker
Praise for Man of the Trees Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist, with a foreword by HRH Prince Charles and introduction by Jane Goodall
“Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario & Former UN Under Secretary General, UNEP – This biography of pioneering conservationist and environmental campaigner Richard St. Barbe Baker is in part a tribute to a remarkable man, and in part a guidebook for re-energizing our collective efforts to walk more lightly on Earth. In taking the reader through his life and career, Paul Hanley leaves no stone unturned: thoroughly researched chapters detail the depth and breadth of St. Barbe Baker’s activities to stave off deforestation and ecological degradation. I have no doubt this volume will inspire people everywhere to follow his example.” Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
Colorado Blue Spruce Picea pungens in Winter copyright Julia Adamson
“As long as recorded history, generations have successfully competed with their predecessors in their efforts to devise quicker, vaster, and more permanent methods of destruction and exploitation. Science divorced ethics is like a mind which in its blind self-sufficiency has torn itself away from the heart and man’s downhill race to total destruction can only be halted by immediate, courageous and resolute action.
And who will take this action? The world is sick indeed and needs a Divine Physician. If either of the great powers presses the wrong button to-morrow it will be too late. This generation may either be the last to survive in any semblance of a civilized world, or it will be the first to have the vision, the daring, and the greatness to say, “I will have nothing to do with this destruction of life; I will play no part in this devastation of the land, skinning it alive by removing virgin tree cover; I am destined to live and work for peaceful construction, for I am morally responsible for the world of to-day and to the generations of to-morow.”
“TWAHAMWE” is our motto. ‘Let us pull together’, and let us give our active support to all efforts of desert reclamation by tree-planting.” from the Richard St. Barbe Baker’s Condensed Sketch of Richard St. Barbe Baker’s Life in the University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
“I believed that God has lent us the Earth. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and it ill behooves us by anything we do or neglect, to deprive them of benefits which are in our power to bequeath.” Richard St. Barbe Baker
“We forget that we owe our existence to the presence of Trees. As far as forest cover goes, we have never been in such a vulnerable position as we are today. The only answer is to plant more Trees – to Plant Trees for Our Lives.” Richard St. Barbe Baker
Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
His honour, W. Thomas (Tom) Molloy, O.C., S.O.M., Q.C., LL.B, LL.D. Lieutenant Govenor of Saskatchewan and Paul Hanley, author Man of the Trees. Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist. By Paul Hanley Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales Introduction by Jane Goodall,
His Royal Highness, Charles Prince of Wales, photo credit Dan Marsh ccx2 Man of the Trees. Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist. By Paul Hanley Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales Introduction by Jane Goodall.
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Dame Jane Morris Goodall DBE formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist; founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme. photo credit Jeekc CCx3.0
Paul Hanley introduced his new biographical book, “Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, The First Global Conservationist”, on National Tree Day, September 26, 2018 at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. However, if you did not get a chance to come out to the afforestation area on that day to hear the presentation by Paul Hanley, McNally Robinson Booksellers will host a public launch with the University of Regina Press on November 20 between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
“Richard St. Barbe Baker was an inspirational visionary and pioneering environmentalist who is credited with saving and planting billions of trees. He saved lives, too, through his ceaseless global campaign to raise the alarm about deforestation and desertification and by finding effective, culturally sensitive ways for people to contribute to a more peaceful and greener world. “public launch
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker photographs
from the University of Saskatchewan,
University Archives & Special Collections,
Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
“As long as recorded history, generations have successfully competed with their predecessors in their efforts to devise quicker, vaster, and more permanent methods of destruction and exploitation. Science divorced ethics is like a mind which in its blind self-sufficiency has torn itself away from the heart and man’s downhill race to total destruction can only be halted by immediate, courageous and resolute action.
And who will take this action? The world is sick indeed and needs a Divine Physician. If either of the great powers presses the wrong button to-morrow it will be too late. This generation may either be the last to survive in any semblance of a civilized world, or it will be the first to have the vision, the daring, and the greatness to say, “I will have nothing to do with this destruction of life; I will play no part in this devastation of the land, skinning it alive by removing virgin tree cover; I am destined to live and work for peaceful construction, for I am morally responsible for the world of to-day and to the generations of to-morow.”
“TWAHAMWE” is our motto. ‘Let us pull together’, and let us give our active support to all efforts of desert reclamation by tree-planting.” from the Richard St. Barbe Baker’s Condensed Sketch of Richard St. Barbe Baker’s Life in the University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
“The future of the planet concerns all of us, and all of us should do what we can to protect it. ” Wangari Maathai.
“I believed that God has lent us the Earth. It belongs as much to those who come after us as to us, and it ill behooves us by anything we do or neglect, to deprive them of benefits which are in our power to bequeath.” Richard St. Barbe Baker
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker L.L.D, O.B.E. photo credit University of Saskatchewan. University Archives and Special Collections. Richard St. Barbe Baker Fonds MG71.
Paul Hanley author Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist which includes a foreword by HRH Prince Charles and an introduction by Jane Goodall.
Renny W. Grilz, P.Ag. Resource Management Officer Meewasin Valley Authority
Transcription is as follows:
This is Paul Hanley, the guest speaker of the evening.
And we also have Renny Grilz from the Meewasin Valley Authority who has come to introduce him and say a few words about Paul Hanley other than what you already know kind of thing about him So I would like to introduce Renny to you then
Thank you Julia
Thanks everyone
So the wind has died down. Really good.
So thank you for the invite.
And I am Renny Grilz Resource Management Officer with the Meewasin, and Meewasin’s been involved with part of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area since the 80’s This half of the afforestation area falls under our conservation zone. We don’t do much direct management but we have been working with a lot of volunteer stewards like Julia and Jeff with the Fat Tire people and they’ve been doing a great job keeping this place clean and looking ship shape – So really appreciate that Thanks a lot Julia.
With Paul – Paul and I were here on a volunteer event four summers ago three summers ago. Julia had organized the event out on the west side of the Richard St Barbe Baker and cleaning up some of the garbage and it was amazing how much garbage we were finding and how much we pulled out, we had our truck and trailer and we filled it several times.
However what was interesting, was that as we started getting further back into the bush
we were starting to notice this area becoming more wild and more naturalized So this area was planted in about the ’70s – 1972. and what was interesting was that you start wandering through the afforestation area you could start seeing a forest eco-system forming. You know there’s evidence of woodpeckers. This spring, the nature society came out for a bit of a bio-blitz and they found yellow lady slipper which is an orchid and a rare plant and they found that over that way [pointing to the east side of the SW OLRA] I had one of my summer students come out afterwards and she found some more .
So when you think about the work that Richard St. Barbe Baker did – so he planted trees in the prairies – he planted trees around the world – and its more than just a tree, you know he created ecosystems. And this is a site that’s forming its own eco-system right on the edge of the city.
My first introduction to the site was in early 2000, when I was working for Ducks Unlimited and we bought the land right across the road – Chappell Marsh – and at that time it was an overgrazed pasture and there was a former mushroom factory there they used the old acreages there, they used to make mushrooms there – a mushroom farm. And also there was shotgun shells. So it was sort of a different feel to that site, and now you look at the site and its a beautiful wildlife theme- nature built itself there
So its interesting coming out to these areas and you explore them and you get a re-connection to the land and a re-connection to the forest.
With Paul and his work, Paul has been quite involved with Meewasin over the years, has been a strong advocate for Meewasin has written quite a few things about Meewasin, and we really appreciate it and we are all excited to hear about Paul’s new book.
Richard St. Barbe Baker, Meewasin has recognized him quite a few times in different things. We have plaques for him down in the river valley there’s a memorial as well, and I think his legacy will definitely live on especially in Saskatoon. With that, I will pass it back to you.
Thank you very much.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, south west sector, in the City of Saskatoon, SK, CA before Volunteer Community Clean UP 2016 Paul Hanley Environmental Journalist, Personal Friend of Richard St. Barbe Baker, Baha’i representative, SOS Elms,
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, south west sector, in the City of Saskatoon, SK, CA at the Volunteer Community Clean UP 2016
Public Health Nurse Presentation at the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestaton Area, Saskatoon, Sk, CA 2016 Community Clean Up
Paul Hanley, this is someone who personally knew Richard St. Barbe Baker and now he has delved into a bit more of the biography and I’ll pass it over to you.
Thank you Julia, Thank you Renny,
So, it’s good to be here with you folks and Ill tell you a bit about Richard St. Barbe Baker in my new book,
I also wrote the 25 year history of the Meewasin Valley Authority,
St Barbe Baker did make a little appearance in that.
So this place is named after him and I guess he is kind of to me like a conservation super hero – starting in the 1920s, from about 1922 to 1982 when he died he was just on a world wide tour constantly traveling everywhere encouraging people to plant trees to save the planet.
I think possibly he was one of the first people to do that on a world wide scale, so that’s why I called him the first Global Conservationist.
So today, we think of people like Jane Goodall, and David Suzuki, and they are known everywhere for their work. He was the first person like that who was trying to raise consciousness among something like 100 countries he traveled. He started the first environmental non-governmental organization- it went global – it’s called the Men of the Trees its now the International Tree Foundation, and he started that in 1922 in Kenya. At one point it had 5,000 members in 108 countries. It was quite a legacy he started.
One of the things I find very interesting is the impact that he had on a number of people through little things that he did. So for example he would go and give little talks like this to people, and do radio interviews, and newspaper interviews, and some people heard those things and went on to make a great difference. For example there is a fellow named Tony Rinaldo and he was an Australian. One time he was with his father, and they were visiting a big farm and he noticed in the shed a great big pile of books, and on the top of this pile was a book called “Sahara Challenge” by Richard St. Barbe Baker and he picked up the book and it inspired him to become a forester. He went to Niger later and developed a whole new way of reforesting the desert, and working with the farmers there, they were able to reforest 12 million acres of the desert in Nigeria.
And Scott Poynton is another person with the same story, when he was fifteen heard a radio broadcast with Richard St. Barbe Baker – was inspired to become a forester, and started something called the forest trust, and what they did was they got the furniture industry to change all of their wood purchases towards sustainable forestry and now they’ve gone on to industry after industry working with them to change their practices towards sustainable wood management.
And there’s a number of stories like that.
One of the most interesting is a guy named Felix Finkbeiner and he started when he was nine years old he had a school project and he was supposed to write about the environment. he heard Richard St Barbe Baker and Nobel LaureateWangari Maathai who were both doing the same kind of work promoting tree planting and he wrote this paper and then he started an organization for children called Plant for the Planet. Over the years they have developed a whole program where they have child tree ambassadors and he is a really good publicist so he started working with people like Harrison Ford, Prince Ranier of Monaco, and they have this great campaign where they are standing there and have their hands over their mouth, and stop talking and start planting.
And these kids really got something going and now he is nineteen years old and his program has taken over the United Nations environment programs, tree planting effort, and he’s supposed to be planting a billion trees, and they changed the name to a Trillion Trees. And their goal is to plant one trillion trees There is about 3-4 trillion trees in the world, so now we are talking about a major tree planting effort here. They planted 15 billion trees so far and again inspired by Richard St. Barbe Baker.
So I find it really interesting how sometimes its the little things that we do have more impact than the big things that we do. So he tried in the 1950s to create a massive programme to reforest the Sahara Desert ’cause He believed that it used to be forest. He did an expedition through the desert, drove though it in a vehicle, found tree stumps in the middle of the desert and so on, so he started this campaign. And he said we should build a great green wall across the Sahel region of the Sahara but nobody would listen to him, they thought he was crazy. But today, they are planting a great green wall across the Sahara and some countries like Niger are doing a really good job of it.
So some of his ideas were way out there, at the time, and he was kind of like a voice crying in the wilderness, and people didn’t listen, but some of his ideas are taking hold and are happening around the world.
His organization Men of the Trees, which is now called in Australia, is called Trillion Trees as well.
They had, for example, the Guinness Book of World Records, for the most trees ever planted in an hour – 150 thousand trees – So they had this massive – all these students out to plant trees.
Just some of the impacts that have been felt.
Then, of course, there is his connection to Saskatoon.
When he was a young man he came here to decided to homestead and he came to Beaver Creek, He failed as a homesteader but he also became one of the first students at the University of Saskatchewan and was a lumberjack up at Big River which was at the time one of the largest sawmills in the British Empire, and he saw all of the bad forestry practices and became aware of them. That was one of the triggers he had for becoming a forester. He also spent a lot of time with people from Whitecap Dakota First Nation, which is not too far from Beaver Creek and he said a lot of his inspiration came from listening to their stories and so on. And throughout his life he was very connected with indigenous people. In Kenya when he went there, he became the first white person to become inducted into their secret society of elders in the Kikuyu tribe.
And he became very involved with the Maori and so on.
So basically from the time he was a little boy, just a little toddler, he was planting trees with his father who was a nurseryman, and he was here in Saskatoon in 1982 to plant his last tree, he was in a wheelchair, he got up from the wheelchair, and helped a bunch of children plant a tree which is now marked on the Meewasin trail right by the Diefenbaker Centre – his last tree- and a couple of days later he died, and he is buried in Saskatoon.
So anyways, that is some of his story, and I can answer questions, or talk some more, but its kind of cool.
That’s really awesome. I learned quite a bit of stuff I realized I hadn’t known about him before. That’s very awesome. Let’s say thank you to Paul. Let Richard Kerbes say a couple of words then if you guys want questions to anybody, either Renny, Richard or Paul you can ask them, but why Richard Kerbes is out, he is representing the SOS Elms Coalition. And I believe that one of the things when Richard St. Barbe Baker wanted to do on his last trip to Saskatoon was to try to establish a branch of the International Tree Foundation here, and SOS Elms Coalition is the advocate for the trees in and around Saskatoon. They are a bunch of foresters and grass roots people that have joined the group and so I’ll leave it over to Richard to introduce the SOS Elms Coalition and if you wish to say anything regarding Paul Hanley too.
Thank you Julia. We owe a lot to Julia. She’s the one who really brought the afforestation areas here to our attention. Because of course its a big job to try to educate on the urban forest, and this was a little corner that has been preserved and and more or less forgotten, and thanks to Julia for her efforts.
Its been many many community associations and green groups, a big group effort [from many wonderful community members, indeed].
Certainly in the spirit of St Barbe..
We started in ’92 which is about 10 years after St Barbe’s death, and he was certainly in our minds when we started- he was well known. One of our early members was Robert White – a friend of yours Paul – and on and off he was a great and important advocate and supporter for us, and he brought along quite a lot of help from the Baha’i community as well, and its unfortunate that Robert couldn’t be here tonight.
And I must apologize for getting here late, circumstances beyond my control.
In any case. We started as a citizen’s group to advocate for the American Elm in particular. We since broadened and covering the whole of the urban forest, both the planted trees and the wild trees in Saskatoon. In ’92 when we started, Dutch Elm disease had just entered into the south eastern corner of Saskatchewan and it was a contagion killing American Elm, and not much was being done by either provincial or municipal governments both places. So we took on this task We had a very dynamic president in our first five years. She literally traveled all over the southeast of the province to promote awareness and the need for action. And our efforts did lead to both the provincial government, and the City of Saskatoon really increased their effort for going into monitoring for Dutch Elm disease. It’s of course a hopeless case for the wild stands of Elm, but in our communities of Saskatchewan we have lost a lot of American Elm to Dutch Elm disease, but Saskatoon is very special, because we have only had one case here, it was probably a … fighting a … so that’s one feather in our cap but of course the battle is never over.
There is so many threats to our urban forest as if it wasn’t enough for natural threats like Dutch Elm Disease and other pests. We have several on our horizon. and things like the Cottony Ash Psyllid (Psyllopsis discrepans) which has been killing our Ash trees. On top of that, its a continual battle with various governmental authorities to regulate infill construction because its a good thing to have high density in the central part of the city, but the centre part of the city is where the old mature trees are as well.
Its a continuing job we have in lobbying. In any case, we have a number of projects we have carried out. The most recent is, we have a tree tour guide to the special and unusual or especially nice specimens of trees in the City of Saskatoon. So if any of you are interested, I am happy to give you a copy, And of course I am happy to take your name if you would like to join or join our mailing list or join – our membership is only $10 a year. You can have the satisfaction, as Julia has implied, we are here in the spirit of St. Barbe and Julia pointed it out to me – I didn’t realize that in his last visit here St. Barbe had specifically noted that for historical, for nostalgic reasons, since this is where he really started his appreciation of trees, that we feel kind of honoured, though its not official, that we are carrying on what he promoted his whole life to. So thank you very much.
Thank you Richard.
I think we have three awesome speakers here on behalf of National Tree Day, Paul Hanley is a great environmentalist and brings a lot of attention to environmental concerns, and he has done an excellent of Richard St. Barbe Baker, and Richard and the SOS Elms Coalition is doing a great job preserving our trees in the City of Saskatoon and surrounding area, and Renny representing the Meewasin Valley Authority, if it wasn’t for them this area wouldn’t be managed, and the river bank wouldn’t be a phenomenal place with all the trails and the Cranberry Flats, and Beaver Creek all that wonderful stuff, so lets give another big round of applause to all our wonderful speakers here today, and thank you all also for coming out, and I think what you come out – it turned out we didn’t have snow today, it turned out to be not too bad of a day, the wind has come down, and thank you all of you to appreciate National Tree Day, and to see the Afforestation Area.
And Paul when is your next showing, is that McNally Robinson?
So if anybody wants to hear a speech maybe a bit longer, and maybe inside, and would you have your slide show at that time.
Yes.
And at that time you would have a slide show.
And let people know about that. Spread the word.
Thanks for inviting me.
Thanks for coming.
Thank you guys for coming as well.
That book, I did a course on plants through the historical and social script of the plants and that book surfaced, and was given to the class so you can go and find the oldest tree in town, and the biggest tree in town, and there’s an address.
The average citizen has yet to learn the importance of Forestry…the man in the street does not know that the presence of Forests, in reasonably proportionate areas, is vital to human health and in order to stay the process of the disintegration of the surface of the land….Happily the solution of the Problem is at hand.” ~University of Saskatchewan,University Archives & Special Collections,Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
“I believe with Ruskin, that I must be just to the Earth beneath my feet, to the neighbour by my side and to the Light that comes from above and within that this wonderful world of ours may be a little more beautiful and happy form my having lived in it. “Richard St. Barbe Baker.
Who would know Richard St. Barbe Baker better than someone who actually met him?
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
The long needles of the Scots Pine
Paul Hanley personally knew Richard St Barbe Baker, OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Paul Hanley, environment awareness promoter, activist, free lance writer, speaker, and author introduces Richard St. Barbe Baker. Paul’s biography Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist, features a foreword by HRH Prince Charles and an introduction by Jane Goodall.
10702 Diefenbaker Dr, North Battleford, SK S9A 4A8
“You might call Richard St. Barbe Baker an expatriate Canadian with roots in New Zealand, and the whole earth as his baliwick An ecology worrier years before his time, Baker left his Saskatchewan homestead early in the century to study forestry at Cambridge University. Since then he has spent a lifetime in the woods of the world.” Star Weekly, Toronto, Ontario, January 15, 1972
Richard St. Barbe Baker received an honourary Doctor of Laws degree from his old alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan, and who should bestow it upon St. Barbe, but the Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker, a fellow student of Richard St. Barbe Baker.
“The average citizen has yet to learn the importance of Forestry…the man in the street does not know that the presence of Forests, in reasonably proportionate areas, is vital to human health and in order to stay the process of the disintegration of the surface of the land….Happily the solution of the Problem is at hand.” ~University of Saskatchewan,University Archives & Special Collections,Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
Chaque fois que je fais les courses, je vote résolument “Oui aux aliments en vrac!” et “Oui aux produits biologiques!” Pour mes enfants, je rêve d’un avenir plus sain et sans déchet: je suis heureuse d’y investir mon argent chaque semaine.”
― Bea Johnson
“Has any one of us ever really seen a Tree? When we become aware of trees we may catch glimpses of them in moments of spiritual vision and, identifying ourselves with the trees, become conscious of the rising of the sap; the upward thrust of life; leaf burgeoning, their consciousness of the changing seasons; we may share their passionately boisterous exuberance of life in the height of a storm, and their tranquility when at rest; with them we will enjoy the glad murmur of the ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to thirst; and we will know that these creatures, our elder brethern, are intimately related to us in their love and hunger for life. We may even catch their enthusiasm and aspire heavenwards while still rooted in our Mother Earth and in communion with our fellow men and, tree-wise, strive to make the Earth more fruitful again.” ~Richard St. Barbe Baker
40th Anniversary Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area 1978-2018
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF
Photo of Richard St. Barbe Baker Courtesy: University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker L.L.D, O.B.E. photo credit University of Saskatchewan. University Archives and Special Collections. Richard St. Barbe Baker Fonds MG71.
Introducing
Richard St. Barbe Baker, OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF
At the 40th Anniversary of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Presented by Paul Hanley who personally knew St Barbe
On National Tree Day: Wednesday, September 26, 2018 6:00 pm
National Forest Week September 23 to 29, 2018 2018 #NationalForestWeek
coordinates {latitude and longitude} 52.1004657,-106.7539449 (map)
Paul Hanley knew Richard St. Barbe Baker, and will introduce a biographical account of Richard St. Barbe Baker at this event on Wednesday September 26, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. With an introduction by Richard Kerbes, SOS Elms Coalition [Save Our Saskatchewan Elms] and Renny Grilz, P.Ag. Resource Management Officer, Meewasin Valley Authority
Paul Hanley, environment awareness promoter, activist, free lance writer, speaker, and author will present his new book, Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist which includes a foreword by HRH Prince Charles and an introduction by Jane Goodall.
National Forest Week is a celebration of forests and our environmental resources in Canada. The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area provides an opportunity for those in Saskatoon and area to discover out Saskatoon forests, and to appreciate Richard St. Barbe Baker, a silviculturist of international fame. Come participate in this event, and help to spread the word about this valuable habitat, the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, located in the City of Saskatoon. Learn more about the namesake of this semi-wilderness wildlife habitat, the founder of the International Tree Foundation, Mr. Richard St. Barbe Baker.
The Saskatchewan Roots of the Man of the Trees by Paul Hanley; “Although born in England, Richard St. Barbe Baker (1889-1982), the world-renowned forester who became renowned as the Man of the Trees in the 1920s, had a long association with Saskatchewan. …In her introduction to the book, Jane Goodall comments that Baker “was, without doubt, one of the greatest advocates for the protection and restoration of forests ever. I am amazed by his life and accomplishments. He is one of my heroes.”
Did you know that the back cover will feature a “Tree Positive logo”because inside the cover features:
One new tree will be planted and one existing tree will be saved for every copy of this book that is published. Trees will be planted in Kenya by the International Tree Foundation and in Haiti by the Smallholder Farmers Alliance. Trees that would otherwise be at risk for cutting will become protected forest areas through the work of The Forest Trust and with ongoing multi-stakeholder oversight.
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982)
“Saskatchewan’s forests cover 34 million hectares, more than half of our province,” Environment Minister Scott Moe said. “National Forest Week is a great time for everyone to consider the many ways that forests and trees add to our lives, every day.”
“A wind from the great hills and forests blows through this book. Here the author gives us some feeling of the surge of Richard St. Barbe Baker’s long life. He is one who burst into life and has been carried by the drive of his enthusiasm to make his mark upon our planet. Earth is richer for Richard St. Barbe Baker. He knew from his youth that the Earth was a sentient living being and that we humans are an integral part of nature. He is truly a steward of the planet, accepting the task that God gave Adam of tending the creatures he had made. His passion for trees has led him to give his dynamic energy to awakening mankind to the folly of exploiting the tree cover of the earth for gain, without replacing the loss. St. Barbe has probably done more than any man alive to awaken a love of trees. His crusade has initiated a great deal, but much more needs to be done if mankind is to survive. …This is indeed a healthy book and we are the wealthier for reading it…This book will bring joy and inspiration to many.”~This introduction for Richard St. Barbe Baker’s book, My Health, My Wealth, by Sir George Trevelyan, Bt, M.A. might equally apply to Paul Hanley’s book Paul’s book, Man of the Trees: Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist
“The average citizen has yet to learn the importance of Forestry…the man in the street does not know that the presence of Forests, in reasonably proportionate areas, is vital to human health and in order to stay the process of the disintegration of the surface of the land….Happily the solution of the Problem is at hand.” ~University of Saskatchewan,University Archives & Special Collections,Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
“Has any one of us ever really seen a Tree? When we become aware of trees we may catch glimpses of them in moments of spiritual vision and, identifying ourselves with the trees, become conscious of the rising of the sap; the upward thrust of life; leaf burgeoning, their consciousness of the changing seasons; we may share their passionately boisterous exuberance of life in the height of a storm, and their tranquility when at rest; with them we will enjoy the glad murmur of the ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to thirst; and we will know that these creatures, our elder brethern, are intimately related to us in their love and hunger for life. We may even catch their enthusiasm and aspire heavenwards while still rooted in our Mother Earth and in communion with our fellow men and, tree-wise, strive to make the Earth more fruitful again.” ~Richard St. Barbe Baker
What was Richard St. Barbe Baker’s mission, that he imparted to the Watu Wa Miti, the very first forest scouts or forest guides? To protect the native forest, plant ten native trees each year, and take care of trees everywhere.
Have you ever pondered how your favourite book came about? Do books come from personal experiences, random things, real life issues, a dream, or inspiration from another author? Paul Hanley will share his latest inspiration for his latest book on Sunday September 16, 2018. “Paul Hanley is a writer with a special interest in the natural environment, agriculture, and the future of civilization.” This event is of particular significance to the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and its namesake, Richard St. Barbe Baker OBE, Hon. LL.D. F.I.A.L., For.Dip.Cantab., ACF (9 October 1889 – 9 June 1982) . Come find out what Hanley has to say.
This book will bring joy and inspiration to many. …We honour the Grand Old Man of the Trees for his extraordinary life achievement.~Sir George Trevelyan, Bt. M.A. introduction to Richard St. Barbe Baker’s book ‘My Health My Wealth’
This introduction to one of St. Barbe’s books, could equally apply to the newest publication put out by Paul Hanley who has emerged as environmental champion. Hanley, environment awareness promoter, activist, free lance writer, speaker, and author introduces his latest book, Man of the Trees. Richard St. Barbe Baker, the First Global Conservationist, Foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales Introduction by Jane Goodall, at The Word on the Street. Hanley has published four other books and over 1,600 environmental articles.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area in the fog
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. Saskatoon, SK, CA Winter.
Hanley wrote the book Eleven, as “UN projections show global population reaching 11 billion – and the world economy growing 500 percent – by the end of the twenty first century – Can the planet accommodate 4 billion more people when our current ecological footpring already exceeds Earth’s biocapacity by 60 percent.”
Paul Hanley also was author and editor of Earthcare: Ecological Agriculture in Saskatchewan, The Spirit of Agriculture and wrote 25 Years in the Life of a River Valley.
Working for the Saskatoon Star Phoenix 1989-2016 he contributed articles about the environment, agriculture, and sustainable development.
As an Environment Awareness Promoter, Hanley is engaged as speaker for a plethora of events, including TED talks, and many more
Hanley was honoured with the Canadian Environment Award from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2006 and the Saskatchewan Sustainability Award from the Regional Centre of Excellence for Education on Sustainable Development. In 2006, Paul Hanley was the recipient of the Organic Connections Pioneer Organic Communicators Award. The Meewasin Valley Authority bestowed upon Paul Hanley the 2014 Meewasin Conservation Award. This award is given to those who make outstanding contributions to the Meewasin Valley natural heritage resources. Not only was Hanley a winner of the Saskatchewan Book Award for Non-Fiction from the University of Saskatchewan President’s Office in 2015 he also won that same year the North American Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the Association for Bahai Studies
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area is located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada north of Cedar Villa Road, within city limits, in the furthest south west area of the city. 52° 06′ 106° 45′
Addresses:
Part SE 23-36-6 – Afforestation Area – 241 Township Road 362-A
Part SE 23-36-6 – SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area ) – 355 Township Road 362-A
S ½ 22-36-6 Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area (West of SW OLRA) – 467 Township Road 362-A
NE 21-36-6 “George Genereux” Afforestation Area – 133 Range Road 3063 Wikimapia Map: type in Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Google Maps South West Off Leash area location pin at parking lot Web page: https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com Where is the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area? with map Where is the George Genereux Urban Regional Park (Afforestation Area)? with map
Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail)
Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal using the e-mail friendsafforestation AT gmail.com, or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!
“Has any one of us ever really seen a Tree? When we become aware of trees we may catch glimpses of them in moments of spiritual vision and, identifying ourselves with the trees, become conscious of the rising of the sap; the upward thrust of life; leaf burgeoning, their consciousness of the changing seasons; we may share their passionately boisterous exuberance of life in the height of a storm, and their tranquility when at rest; with them we will enjoy the glad murmur of the ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to thirst; and we will know that these creatures, our elder brethern, are intimately related to us in their love and hunger for life. We may even catch their enthusiasm and aspire heavenwards while still rooted in our Mother Earth and in communion with our fellow men and, tree-wise, strive to make the Earth more fruitful again.” ~Richard St. Barbe Baker
What was Richard St. Barbe Baker’s mission, that he imparted to the Watu Wa Miti, the very first forest scouts or forest guides? To protect the native forest, plant ten native trees each year, and take care of trees everywhere.
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 