Trees for Heroes

In partnership with Trees for Life and their Trees for Heroes program, the Royal Canadian Air Force has been planting trees in communities across Canda. These RCAF Centennial Groves, or commemorative public plantings projects combine trees, shrubs, tulips, and other plants into meaningful landscapes at locations across Canada.

These groves will serve as a tribute to all our RCAF personnel who have served our country proudly over the last 100 years. As part of the RCAF’s commitment to sustainability, these projects will help grow our country’s tree canopy and help combat climate change while contributing towards a healthier Canada for future generations.

Participation in this initiative includes seven communities in five provinces, with the possibility for more RCAF Centennial Groves in the future. Community members, local organizations, and air cadets have played a key role in the planting of trees, and a series of unveiling events are taking place throughout the summer and fall of 2024.

The following communities will host RCAF Centennial Grove plantings.

• Beechwood Cemetery – Ottawa, Ontario
• Military Heritage Park – Barrie, Ontario
• Downsview Park – Toronto, Ontario
• D Ross Park – Calgary, Alberta,
• RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge – Pennfield, New Brunswick
• Malcolm J Darrach Community Centre – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
• Open Hearth Park – Sydney, Nova Scotia

Stay tuned for more updates, as this project continues to grow!

Air cadets plant trees at the RCAF Centennial Grove in A.D Ross Park in Calgary, Alberta. The grove saw 25 dwarf spruce trees, surrounded by 75 densely planted maple trees, planted in the shape of the RCAF roundel. Tulip bulbs, with a historical connection to the RCAF, have also been planted among the trees and will bloom next spring.

On October 16^th, 2023, trees, shrubs, and tulips were planted in the shape of the RCAF Roundel at A.D Ross Park in Calgary, Alberta.

Students from St. George Elementary School and Fundy High School plant trees at the Pennfield Ridge Memorial in Pennfield, New Brunswick on November 28^th, 2023. The project, spearheaded by 250 (Saint John) RCAF Association and Turnball (NB) Chapter, will see a large monument constructed, dedicated to those who served and died at former RCAF Station Pennfield.

Members of the local community, Landscape New Brunswick, St Geroge Branch #40, Royal Canadian Legion, Charlotte County ATV Club #39, St George Elementary School, and Fundy High School at the site of the Pennfield Ridge Memorial on November 28^th, 2023, after having planted Vimy Ridge Oak.