New project creates 'safe space' for Prince Edward Islanders to grieve fallen trees

A new project is allowing Prince Edward Islanders to share their stories of grief and love for trees they lost during post-tropical storm Fiona last fall.

P.E.I. Tree Stories gathers anecdotes from people across the province about trees that carried personal meanings for them, but are no longer standing after the fierce storm. The stories are then written and published to the P.E.I. Tree Stories website. 

Stuart Hickox came up with the idea. He said it's meant to give Islanders a place to embrace their vulnerability.

"The intent of this project is just to create a safe place where people can talk about that sense of loss," he said.

"It's just a way to build some community, some healing and an opportunity to talk about how we're going to move forward from this experience."

He said the trees being eulogized can be ones on private property or public land, including parks. The person writing merely needs to have a personal connection to the tree.

Islanders can write their short stories themselves if they are comfortable, or Hickox can help them. He said they don't need any professional level of writing, as long as they contain emotion with a personal connection.

We recognize what we had, what we've lost, but also what new perspective we have on life and living on P.E.I. that we didn't before.— Stuart Hickox, founder of P.E.I. Tree Stories

Personal connections galore can be found in stories like Don't delay. Hug yours today, by long-time Island journalist Sally Cole. She said she'd dreamed of painting her favourite tree before Fiona took it.

"We went to see if it was still there... The scene was devastating. Others were already there, also checking, and upset. The tree was special to so many! Tears flowed," she wrote.

Librarian Leo Cheverie wrote about a favourite of his in Glencorradale: "The large elm helped put into perspective the centuries through which it lived. It inspired contemplation and a new way of thinking of the time that passed since it was a sapling. It survived all the trees cut down to build ships or build pioneer cabins. It harkened back to a past when many large trees covered our landscape."

Another example is chef Ilona Daniel's tale about her whispering maple. 

"The tree I lost from my yard is something I still am so sad about. There is a void now that is hard to explain," she wrote.

'Of course it's OK to be sad'

The catalyst for the project was an interaction Hickox had with a worker at a rural garden centre after he had started to hear people talking about fallen trees, he said.

He'd asked her if she had a tree story she wanted to tell, and she said she'd done a Google search to ask if it was OK to be sad about losing a tree.

Hickox said that was the moment he knew P.E.I. Tree Stories was something he wanted to do.

"I just wanted to give her a hug. I said, 'Of course it's OK to be sad.' So really this is giving permission to people who may not be comfortable talking about it," he said.

Moving on

This September, Hickox and the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation are planning a gathering to recognize the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Fiona. Islanders will be invited to share their tree stories in person and have a healthy discussion on how to pivot from sadness and move forward, he said.

It will take place at the Carriage House at Beaconsfield in Charlottetown. He said there's significance to the choice of location, as an iconic 200-year-old tree on the historic property fell during the storm.

Hickox said he hopes the event will help people through the final stages of grief.

"I envision people in that room on that day looking around, feeling better about their own loss, remembering how bad it was, but then turning to the future," he said.

"We recognize what we had, what we've lost, but also what new perspective we have on life and living on P.E.I. that we didn't before."