Acorns from Pierce County’s historic Boulevard of Remembrance grow into new homes

The memories of Word War I veterans are continuing to sprout across Lakewood as descendants of Pierce County’s original Boulevard of Remembrance oaks.

The Boulevard of Remembrance began in 1929 as a way to commemorate WWI veterans, civilians and groups that were involved in the war effort. The goal was to plant trees between the entrance to Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Tacoma-Lakewood area, Mike Farley, a DuPont resident who used to serve on the DuPont Tree Board, said. The board helps advise city officials on urban forestry and discusses projects related to forestry and tree improvement. Originally, about 500 trees were planted around Pacific Highway over time to honor those individuals. However, continuing construction on I-5 proved detrimental to the boulevard.

Farley said it’s hard to pinpoint the number of remaining oaks due to the difficulty of accessing them along the highway. A 2016 post submitted by Farley to “The Suburban Times” says only 66 of the original oaks remained at that time.

“Every time they widen the highway, what happens to the trees that are there? The bulldozer comes in, the chainsaw comes in and they take out a few more trees,” Farley, 78, said.

Kyle McCreary, who used to be chairman of DuPont’s Tree Board, decided to do something to protect the oaks’ legacy. He gathered acorns of the remaining oaks about four years ago and put them in containers so they could sprout, Farley said. McCreary, a civilian working for the army, was then stationed in Hawaii, resulting in Farley taking over the project.

“It’s a wonderful hobby. I enjoy working with trees and nursing them along,” Farley said. “So when Kyle had these sprouts that were coming up and looked untended, it’s like, ‘Oh, no, guys, somebody’s got to do something with these.’ … It was fun watching them grow up from little acorns on up to trees that we’re getting.”

Farley was able to transfer the oak sprouts into individual pots and containers. The oaks were held in a tree nursery in the city of DuPont, and from there, Farley worked to find them a permanent home.

Above all, Farley wanted to make sure the oaks would be properly honored wherever they were planted. After casting a wide net through a May 2020 post in “The Suburban Times,” Farley found what he considers two good homes for the oaks in Lakewood.

Jim Kopriva, communications manager for the city of Lakewood, said in an email that staff read Farley’s post and became interested in the oaks. The city claimed 31 oaks for planting and began to take over nurturing them. Farley said he knew thereafter the oaks were in good hands.

The oaks were planted in Spring 2021 along the path just west of Angle Lane in Fort Steilacoom Park, Kopriva said in an email. That location was chosen because the park draws thousands of visitors a year and allows for a great opportunity to tell the boulevard’s story, Kopriva said. A sign will eventually be installed to tell visitors the history of the Boulevard of Remembrance.

Lakewold Gardens, 12317 Gravelly Lake Dr. Southwest, is home to five of the other oaks.

Kristine Dillinger, lead horticulturist at the gardens, said the oaks came to her attention through Carla Pelster, chair of Lakewold Gardens’ board. and a retired Air Force lieutenant.

The trees came to Lakewold Gardens in August 2020 and were planted in the spring, Dillinger said.

“I’m interested, in general, in forgotten trees and the legacy of trees, and these trees in particular tell a story of the history of our country and of the relationship of the military community, to the greater Lakewood … area,” Dillinger said.

Three of the oaks are English oaks and two are Northern Red oaks, Dillinger said. The trees are spread out throughout the park, in areas where they will get the necessary water and space to develop to their full size. Anyone who visits the gardens and is interested in learning more about the oaks can ask a staff member to show them where they are located and share some history.

Dillinger said those who originally planted the oaks enjoy watching them grow over time. The second-generation remembrance oaks were planted on Earth Day — April 22, 2021 — by veterans.

“I think being connected to a particular tree is a really strong, powerful healing force in people’s lives,” Dillinger said. “And so what we gave them is a connection to a tree that they can watch. I think tree planting and watching trees grow is really good for people … to know that those trees will be here and that they can come back and continue to visit them is a really powerful thing.”

After years of watching the oaks grow, Farley is happy with where the oaks ended up and to see them be appreciated.

“When I went out and saw what the city of Lakewood had done with those … it was just a very, very good feeling to see that, yes, they’d gone to a good home; they had gone to people who were actually caring for them better than I had been,” he said. “That really made it feel worthwhile.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.