Roseburg is among Oregon communities that will mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II by planting a peace tree grown from Hiroshima seeds.
Information from the Oregon Department of Forestry said three organizations in Roseburg will plant the trees which are distributed by the ODF in partnership with the non-profit groups Oregon Community Trees and the Medford-based One Sunny Day Initiative. 26 Oregon communities will hold a peace tree planting next year.
The seedling ginkgo and Asian persimmon trees were grown from seeds collected from trees that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. That bombing occurred on August 6, 1945 and is also being remembered in 2020.
Roseburg locations for tree plantings include the Master Gardeners Discovery Garden at Riverforks Park, at Umpqua Community College, and at the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
The seedlings are not the first Hiroshima peace trees planted in Oregon. Some were planted earlier this year at Oregon State University and in Lake Oswego. However, they represent by far the largest number planted in any U.S. state.
Kristan Ramstad, manager of the Urban and Community Forestry Assistance program for ODF, said the plantings are an opportunity for Oregonians to acknowledge the service, sacrifices and sufferings of tens of millions of people all over the world who were touched by World War II, both civilians and veterans.