
Cut Leaf Weeping Birch 

American Elm 
Living Memorials 
Now that the war is at an end and the world is 
quiet again, the communities of this nation will feel 
a need to express the abiding consciousness of the 
sacrifices which have been made for it and for us. 
After every war the same urge is felt. Frequently 
the task of planning is placed in the hands of citizens 
who have the best will in the world but who do not 
have the experience or the specialized knowledge to 
bring to the effort the long range planning and imag- 
ination so essential to usefulness and permanency. 
As a result, the memorials of each war have left an im- 
pression of the era in which they were erected. While the 
memorials of the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and 
the Civil War are somewhat similar, consisting mainly of 
battle monuments, battlefields, and stacks of cannon balls, 
the first World War marked a distinct change in the con- 
ception of war memorials. Many of them embodied an ex- 
cellence of architectural and landscape beauty still revered 
today. The trend to utility combined with natural beauty, 
however, was not emphasized sufficiently after the last World 
War to give these memorials the greatest usefulness and 
esthetic value. Therefore, the first and most important con- 
sideration in planning a memorial is to be sure that it is de- 
signed with foresight and that every detail is considered before 
actual construction begins. In most communities it is better 
to plan large, co-operative memorials than a number of scat- 
tered insignificant ones. 
There are any number of forms which a memorial may 
take. Below is a list of suggestions: 
Arboretums 
Avenue plantings 
Bird sanctuaries 
City parks and squares 
Forestry projects 
Parks and parkways 
Picnic grounds 
Roadside plantings 
Conservation areas (game 
refuges, soil conser- 
vation projects) 
For avenue plantings, city parks, 
parkways, picnic grounds and road- 
side plantings, the American Elm or 
the Minneapolis Park Elm are out- 
standing as memorial trees. 
There is no greater thrill than to 
drive down a broad avenue, bor- 
bored with stately arching elms 
whose branches come together, 
forming a canopy of green. 
These trees preserve for all time 
the memory of those boys who 
served in World War II. 
Some of those beautiful elms 
planted in your boulevard, lawn or 
outdoor living room will be a fitting 
memorial for your loved ones who 
have served. 
Get together with your neighbors 
and plan for some Memorial Plant- 
ings this spring. Begin plans for a 
new memorial park, a new roadside 
planting program at the entrances 
to your town, or a memorial picnic 
and recreational area near one of the 
lakes or rivers which will be enjoyed 
by all. in memory of their boys who 
served so valiantly. 
Don't let a single year go by with- 
out starting some of these memorial 
plantings. Plant this spring. 
[28] 

Norway Maple 
Plant 
Andrews 
Shade and 
Lawn Trees 
C1 
B eauly and 
p eimanency 

They are 
Truly 
Living Memorials 

Schwedler Red-Leaf Maple 
