Things are progressing well for the Soldiers' Tree monument, south of Estevan. Alberta carver Darren Jones has completed the iconic chainsaw-hewn sculpture on a 102-year-old cottonwood tree, dedicated to Canada's military history. The tree has been cut down, and work is underway to prepare the site where the it will be displayed, just outside the Estevan courthouse.
In an unintentional, but intriguing coincidence, the day the tree was cut down happened to fall on the auspicious date of June 6, the anniversary of D-Day.
"Seventy two years ago, today, the military started their advance toward the European continent, and here we are. The tree is starting its advance toward the courthouse today," said Jim "Frosty" Forrest, a member of the committee in charge of funding the Soldiers' Tree monument. "We didn't pick the day specifically. It just happened that everybody was available. How amazing is that?"
The cutting down of the tree proved to be an intricate process. Skylift Services brought a crane to where the tree was carved, to support the massive sculpture, as workers with Southeast Tree Care carefully cut the tree from its roots with elongated chainsaws.
Although the tree is ready to be transported, Forrest noted it's unclear when the monument will be moved, but the next step that must be taken is the construction of a base for the monument. There is still work to be done on the base. Forrest noted that the monument will rest on a concrete pad resembling that of the cenotaph at the same site, and will measure approximately 42 feet across. The Soldiers’ Tree will be set into the pad by a metal base structure attached to it.
"It needs something to anchor it in there pretty well," said Forrest. "It's basically going to be held by something like a big Christmas tree stand. When it's in, the rest of the groundwork will be finished; the benches will be moved in and so on."
There will be a dedication day held for the monument on Sept. 10, with a parade and official ceremony. Forrest noted that it will be an extravagant event, with a platoon of soldiers coming to Estevan, from Edmonton, to march in the parade, accompanied Second World War armoured Bren gun carriers and a fly-by, courtesy of two Second World War military airplanes.
"It's going to be quite a big deal," said Forrest. "The whole project has taken a life of its own."
