Local Indigenous youth transformed cedar trees into repurposed materials while learning about their culture recently at UFV’s Gathering Place.

The participants used coffee grinders to process cedar leaves into powder for medicine, and their families will receive wood from the trees for firewood.

The tree gives up its life so that we can sustain ours and have good come from it, says Shirley Hardman, UFV Senior Advisor on Indigenous Affairs.

The cedar trees were removed as part of site preparation for UFV’s Building Renewal Project to improve and upgrade Abbotsford buildings A-East and D.

Replacement trees will be planted this fall on the Abbotsford campus — it is university policy to replace all trees that are removed.

In addition, UFV is engaging a landscape architect to help plan the re-landscaping, which may include additional trees identified for planting.