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Marion County plants more Hiroshima peace trees than any other Oregon county

Capi Lynn
Salem Statesman Journal

When Dick Thomas inquired about the Hiroshima peace trees, he knew this wasn't just any giveaway and these weren't just any seedlings.

Distribution was coordinated by the Oregon Department of Forestry in partnership with a nonprofit started by a woman who survived the atomic bombing in 1945.

Their goal was to find homes in public places for seedlings harvested from the seeds of a ginkgo tree that also survived the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan.

Project roots:Meet Hideko Tamura Snider, who brought peace trees to Oregon 

Thomas thought the peace garden at his church, Unity of Salem, would be ideal.

Dick Thomas coordinated and helped to plant the three ginkgo trees that survived the bombing of Hiroshima that he planted at the peace garden on the campus of Unity of Salem on April 21, 2020. Thomas had the idea to plant the three saplings in the shape of a tree.

"They vetted me quite heavily," said Thomas, a member of the congregation for nearly 35 years and a current board member. "They asked who was going to take care of the trees, how we were going to take care of them, how we would protect them, and whether they would be planted near power lines."

His interrogators must have been satisfied with his answers, because the church received not one but three trees, more than any other Oregon location. Thomas boldly asked for three and although told that was doubtful, his request was granted.

The 2-foot-tall seedlings were planted together in the church peace garden in February, "just to make sure they got Mother Nature's water," Thomas said.

Dick Thomas examines one of three seedlings harvested from the seeds of a ginkgo tree that survived the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. The trees have been planned at the peace garden on the campus of Unity of Salem.

A dedication planned for late March had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other peace tree recipients shelved celebrations, too.

Unity of Salem is hoping to reschedule sometime around Aug. 6, which will be the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

Most recipients have already planted or will soon plant the trees before they leaf out — 41 total this year in 28 communities across the state at schools, college campuses, churches, cemeteries, parks and arboretums.

Marion County will be home to nine trees, more than any other county in Oregon, including five in Salem. A ginkgo recently was planted by the forestry department at its Salem headquarters and a persimmon by the city of Salem at Pringle Park.

Rev. Patty Williams walks through the peace garden on the campus of Unity of Salem on April 21, 2020, where three seedlings have been planted after being harvested from the seeds of a ginkgo tree that survived the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.

Others are destined for the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Mill Creek Park in Aumsville, and Cloverdale Elementary and Turner Lake Park in Turner.

Polk County will be home to one tree at Mt. Fir Park in Independence.

Thomas has been tending the trees at Unity of Salem, where they will become a centerpiece of an expanding peace garden 

The space, about 60 feet by 150 feet, originally was a rose garden. A Peace Pole was planted in 1987, emblazoned with the quotation "may peace prevail on earth" in four languages.

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The church plans to add benches and a labyrinth, creating a space for people of all faiths to visit and find peace.

"We are truly honored to be a recipient of these peace trees," Rev. Patty Williams said. "Ginkgo trees last forever. These trees will be here for thousands of years. This is really about planting a vision for the future."

clynn@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6710, or follow on Twitter @CapiLynn or Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.