“How old do you think the tree is?” Jim Robson, the Director of Facilities at St. Jerome’s University, asked me this question while we stared upwards into the branches of a large, spreading bur oak on the university campus. The tree sits near Laurel Creek and has obviously been providing shade to the students of SJU for decades, though its exact age is difficult to determine without taking a core from the trunk and counting the rings. The diameter
of the trunk at breast height is 118cm, which can be used to deduce that the tree is over a century old. However, as the oldest post-secondary institution in the Region, I wondered if St. Jerome’s University might have clues to help corroborate this answer.
While the university was founded in 1865 ( two years before the Dominion of Canada), it didn’t inhabit the property along Laurel Creek until 1960, when it became federated with university of Waterloo. This aerial image from around 1965 features constructed SJU campus and a majestic, albeit
This image shows the tree is at least 60 years old, although from the size of the tree in 1965, it’s likely closer to double that. While many of the other trees in the picture no longer grace the landscape and have been filled in the new trees, I’m grateful to the founders of St. Jerome’s for preserving this tree. At the time, they likely didn’t know how impactful a tree lie this would become as it relates to our changing climate, as this tree alone stores~8 tonnes of carbon in its branches, trunk, and roots. They likely didn’t know that this tree would bear witness to generations of graduated, all while providing nutrients to the birds and animals that call its branches home.
I’m also grateful to the community at St.Jerome’s, the Ages Foundation, and Sutherland Insurance supporting the care of this legacy through Tree Trust, which provided pruning work in the spring of 2025 to extend its lifespan. On April 22nd, 2025, we celebrated Earth Day by planting 4 new ‘understory’ sapling to ensure the community receives the benefits from trees for many more years to come. We may mot be able to determine just how old this magnificent oak is, but we can be certain of the benefits that its providing o the community that continues to care for it and steward this beautiful campus.
– Aaron Boonstra, Chapter manager for Waterloo
If you’re interested in supporting the work that Tree Trust does to care for legacy trees like this oak, consider donating at : https://treetrust.ca/donate-page/.
