Saskatchewan Heritage defines Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as that which “encompasses the underlying fabric of our lives — stories, skills, traditions, ways of doing things, ways of speaking, and ways of interacting with each other and the environment.”Source “Living Heritage are those values, beliefs, and ways of living we inherited from past generations that we still use to understand the present and make choices for the future.” Heritage Saskatchewan The City of Saskatoon has a true and rich heritage as can be seen in the Planning process of 1960. The conventional wisdom shown by Bert Wellman, Saskatoon Planning Department, A. L. Ligtemoet, Assistant Parks Superintendent City Planner Bill Graham certainly honours the time-honoured tradition and legacy set by the great foresters who stood before them, Richard St. Barbe Baker and John Evelyn.
What is happening at the afforestation areas to safeguard the legacy of Richard St. Barbe Baker and nurture the concept of Living Heritage?
How can you become involved in curating the Living Heritage of the afforestation areas in the southwest sectors of Saskatoon?
How can you create opportunities in your organisation or your class to relate the stores of the afforestation areas in Saskatoon and Richard St. Barbe Baker?
How do the afforestation areas in Saskatoon, these semi-wilderness urban forests, impact your personal cultural identity, and the concept of Saskatoon’s urban regional parks?
A story from Richard St. Barbe Baker’s international organisation Men of the Trees journal “Trees”; We have saved for posterity many trees and woodlands, besides influencing large-scale re-afforestation both at home and over-sees. But for our aid, the finest Redwood groves of California would have fallen to the axe.
We would like to think that the Spirit of John Evelyn lives on in the Men of the Trees of today and through our TREE – PLANTING FUND we are endeavouing to help to restore our tree cover. With the co-operation of affiliated nurserymen, throughout the country trees are being raised each year for planting during Arbour Week, November 4th-10th and onwards.
It is not sufficiently realized that many of todays major problems are directly due to ignorance of the importance of trees. Millions of acres of rich farmland are now deserts as a result of the wholesale destruction of trees and forests. The Sahara of Africa, the dustbowls of America and Austraila, and erosion in New Zealand are tragic evidence of the results of this ignorance.
It is a race between education and catastrophe. …With Ruskin they belive that: “God has lend us the earth for our life. It is a great entail. It belongs as much to those who are to come after us as to us and we have no right, by anything we do or neglect, to involve them in any unnecessary penalties, or deprive them of the benefit which was in our power to bequeath.” University of Saskatchewan, University Archives & Special Collections, Richard St. Barbe Baker fonds, MG 71.
John Evelyn, FRS (31 October 1620 – 27 February 1706) was an English writer, horticulturist, vegetarian, gardener and diarist. Evelyn wrote a treatise named Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees , even as early as 1664, Evelyn was aware of the need that a growing army required trees, economy and forestry went hand in hand. This book, Sylva, served as the foremost text on forestry, and even in contemporary times, is still being re-printed.
The introduction, written by John Nisbet states; “It is unnecessary to say much about this charming classic of Forestry, of whose various excellences the reader can herein judge for himself. Gracefully written in nervous English and in a cultured style, ornately embellished according to the then prevailing custom by apt quotations from the Latin poets, it contains an enormous amount of information in the shape of legends and of facts ascertained by travel, of observation, and of experience. No man of his time could possibly have been better qualified than Evelyn for undertaking the special duty laid upon him; and he carried out his task in a brilliant manner. Sylva soon ran into several editions. …The publication of Sylva gave an enormous stimulus to planting in Britain, the benefits from which were subsequently reaped at the end of the XVIII and the beginning of the XIX century…Apart from the planting done in the royal woods and forests, details of Evelyn’s diary shew that he was frequently called upon to give advice with regard to laying out private plantations,—as well as of ornamental gardens, on which subject he was also considered one of the leading authorities of the time.”
As the international organisation “Men of the Trees” created by Richard St. Barbe Baker, treasured the treatise, Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and walked in the footsteps of Richard St. Barbe Baker and John Evelyn. So, should the current generation learn from our past generations, and follow in the footsteps of these two foresters. Similarly, the role of the City of Saskatoon parks department, planting the 660 acres of afforestation areas in 1972 and preserving them in perpetuity, is truly a part of the City of Saskatoon’s rich heritage.
A green belt for the city starts with Bert Wellman, Saskatoon Planning Department, who walked around Saskatoon’s perimeter choosing high spots of land for scenic beauty. Together with City Planner Bill Graham they worked on parkways and planted trees for the 1960 Circle Drive Parkway at these sites. 1972, A. L. Ligtemoet, Assistant Parks Superintendent sets before council that these first 660 acres of afforestation areas be kept in perpetuity. The city pioneer’s Wellman, Graham, and Ligtemoet surely did, indeed follow in the footsteps of the conventional wisdom set down as building blocks in the forestry profession by Baker and Evelyn.
“Safeguarding our Living Heritage is accomplished through documentation, celebration, transmission of knowledge and skills, and adopting sustainable practices and processes…It sounded the trumpet of alarm to the nation on the condition of their woods and forests.’”Heritage Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Heritage week February 20-24 2017
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52° 06′ 106° 45′
For directions as to how to drive to “George Genereux” Urban Regional Park
For directions on how to drive to Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
For more information:
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 SW 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
Facebook Group Page: Users of the George Genereux Urban Regional Park
Facebook group page : Users of the St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
Please help protect / enhance /commemorate 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!
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You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area
You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker presented by Paul Hanley
You Tube Video Richard St Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and West Swale wetlands
You Tube Video Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area – Saskatoon’s best kept secret.
Our task must be to free ourselves … by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.~Albert Einstein
“This generation may either be the last to exist in any semblance of a civilised world or that it will be the first to have the vision, the bearing 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, I am determined to live and work for peaceful construction for I am morally responsible for the world of today and the generations of tomorrow.’” ~ Richard St Barbe Baker
Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park. 