Burlington tree hugger adopts Romanian beech in honour of Central Public School's fallen giant

There is a tree stump on the grounds of Central Public School, remnants of an American Beech tree that was cut down years back. 

Despite the once towering tree no longer providing shade, leaves, or much else these days – it still does provide a place for children to play. 

Emil Sekerak remembers the tree fondly, and decided to commemorate the American Beech by adopting a Beech in Romania, numbered 638 to match the address of Central Public School. 

“The tree in Burlington has been gone for a decade, and it was only a few weeks ago I found out about the adoption opportunity,” Sekerak said. “It was a great way to commemorate a friend.”

Romania holds the largest concentration of beech trees in Europe, so Sekerak felt it was appropriate to adopt the greenery where it can thrive. After reading an article in the New York Times about the Romanian trees, he jumped at the opportunity. 

Sekerak has been a fan and a friend of the trees in Burlington and the surrounding area for years, having a connection with nature that goes back generations and even comes through in his name. 

“In my family history, we were involved with farming but they also had a woodlot,” he said. “In the wintertime when there wasn’t too much farming going on, they’d cut firewood and lumber. When I talk about my family history, we have dirt under our fingernails and sawdust in our veins.”

Though he can’t say specifically, Sekerak said the American Beech was likely around 150 years old when it got sick, and needed to be cut down to minimize the risk of children being hurt. The tree was nearly three feet thick at the time, developed a deep purple leaf that stood out in the field, and unfortunately had branches already falling off at the time of being cut down. 

Sekerak has a few other favourites that are still standing in the area however. 

“There’s a black oak on North Shore Boulevard, just across from LaSalle, which is a beautiful tree,” he said. “There’s a red ash as well, and they’re labelled as honour roll trees.”

Burlington’s Honour Roll of Trees was launched in 1975, recognizing 110 trees to start. The program relaunched in 2023, recognizing 120 trees and 75 species, a map showing the tree’s plaques can be viewed online. 

Sekerak added the pines in the trails through LaSalle are not only beautiful, but served an important part of Burlington’s history. 

“The white pines that grow so tall and straight were the favourite for the British Navy to harvest and make masts for their ships,” he said. “That was one of the big features of Ontario for the British, being able to harvest the wood and ship it over to England to make their boats.”

Other trees, such as the Sakura cherry trees in Spencer Smith are held in Sekurak’s top tier of trees in town. 

Those interested in learning more about tree 638, and the rest of the trees like it in Romania, can click here.