From the Desk of Paul Taylor
Well, that was quite the wind storm on Friday afternoon, wasn’t it? I hope your family and friends were not harmed by the very strong winds or the debris blown around by them.
For the third time in 2018, a severe storm brought down another tree here at Woodlawn Memorial Park. This tree was roughly 50 to 60 years old and was a rather healthy-looking tree, but its fall revealed signs of rot at the base.
The winds were strong and, in addition to the falling spruce tree, we woke up the next morning to thousands of small branches laying all over the grounds. We like to refer to this as Mother Nature’s tree pruning. Our dedicated outdoor team had just spent the previous week picking up branches off the grounds and tidying up. They will be back at it again this week.
Seeing the aftermath of the wind storm made me think of some words of caution: when the winds blow strong, look for shelter — it’s not the best time to take a walk through Woodlawn Memorial Park!
We have lost a number of trees due to storms this year. Our team performs annual tree inspections to determine which trees need to come down due to old age or general tree decline from lightning strikes, insects, wood rot, car damage, and once in a while, even lawn mower damage. Life in an urban forest can be hard on a tree. To overcome these great losses we plant young trees annually for future generations to enjoy. To do this, we rely on donations to our Arbour Fund from Woodlawn’s generous supporters. (You can contact our office or visit our website for more information about making a donation.)
On another note, it was brought to my attention this morning that we are experiencing illegal dumping on our grounds. In the past, our garbage cans have periodically been used for household garbage, but this time, small buckets of flat roof debris are being spread around the grounds. In my 41 years of service here, I have never encountered this type of dumping, nor do I understand it.
Visitors to Woodlawn Memorial Park are generally very respectful people. They come to visit the grave of a loved one or to simply get away from the hustle and bustle and appreciate nature. Sometimes they sit and reflect, sometimes they take walks through our 80-acre property along our four kilometers of roadways. Woodlawn is a very special place that has been here for over 164 years. I think of all the memories resting here; the stories of how this great community was built are in those memories. This is truly a special place, so why this illegal dumping is happening I simply can’t explain. It bothers me to even write about it but I feel it is necessary. Hundreds of visitors visit Woodlawn every day. These people truly care about Woodlawn Memorial Park.
If while visiting you observe something that appears odd or out of place, please feel free to call our office or send us a picture by email to inform us what you have observed. Together, may we halt this disrespectful illegal dumping in this very special place of memories.
That’s enough for today. Spring has sprung, so let’s enjoy the beautiful weather forecast for this week.
– Paul Taylor
