Tree planting to mark Hiroshima Day offers ‘powerful symbol of hope’

Planting a gingko tree at Lerwick Flower Park (left to right) from Shetland Amenity Trust, Alison Moncrieff, Vice Chair, and Paul Goddard, Woodlands Team Leader; and from Shetland Islands Council, Malcolm Bell, Convener and Christine Ferguson, Director of Corporate Services.  Credit: SIC

 A tree grown from seeds which survived the atomic blast at Hiroshima has been planted to mark the 76th anniversary of the bombing.

The gingko biloba seedling was planted at Lerwick Flower Park on Friday morning as part of an international message of peace.

The SIC’s convener Malcolm Bell said: “The seeds of the gingko trees in Hiroshima are a powerful symbol of hope, survival and resilience. 

“They serve as a constant reminder of the need for meaningful dialogue and political discourse as a prerequisite to achieving lasting peace between nations.” 

The US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed more than 200,000 people, hastened the of end the Second World War and remain the only wartime use of nuclear weapons.

Although the blast at Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945, destroyed 13 square kilometres of the city, six gingko trees near to the bomb site survived to produce seeds.

These have been gathered and circulated through the Mayors for Peace scheme.

Shetland is a “member city” of the initiative, which aims to attain lasting world peace through the abolition of nuclear weapons, and finding solutions to global problems such as starvation and poverty, the plight of refugees, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation.

Shetland Amenity Trust staff have nurtured the gingko seeds, which were initially grown in a greenhouse before being brought on outdoors.

Some seedlings have already been planted out in other locations in Shetland, including at some local schools, with other sites still being considered.

It is hoped that the story of the trees will be an educational resource to stimulate discussions about conflict and peace.