This Bur Oak was selected in 2016, Indiana’s Bicentennial of statehood, to be Jasper’s
official “Tree of Hope”. The Bur Oak is a native tree to Indiana, and it can be found
throughout the eastern and central United States and Canada. A long-growing and massive
tree, Bur Oaks can survive for 200+ years and reach heights exceeding 100 feet. Our hope is
that this tree will survive and thrive and be here for Indiana’s Tricentennial.

Although selected in 2016 to be Jasper’s official tree, in reality, this tree was not planted at
this site until 2018. The tree was ordered in 2016 from the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources Vallonia Tree Seedling Nursery. This state nursery collects nuts and seeds from
select trees in Indiana and then plants and cultivates the emerging seedlings until they are
ready for planting. Upon receiving the tree in 2017, it was planted in a large pot and held at
Green Thumb Nursery until its planting at this site in 2018. The reason for the delay in
planting was the land for the Parklands had just been acquired in 2016. Reshaping of the
terrain, building construction, and the addition of roadways and paths needed to be
accomplished. It was feared the tree could be damaged during this process, so the planting
was delayed until its safety could be guaranteed.

The tree was dedicated on Arbor Day, April 27, 2018. Likewise on that day, Patoka 2000,
the group responsible for securing and planting the tree, placed a plaque honoring the tree as
its “2018 Tree of the Year.”