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Trees that are quirk of history to be spared by developers in River Heigths By
Matt Flitton
A grove of trees along the boundary between River Heights and Providence, at about 300 East, will stay as part of a development. The trees, planted by Don Wilson, now deceased, of River Heights, was to be a Christmas tree farm in contract with a Wisconsin company called Santa's Forest. "They would furnish the seedlings, we furnished labor and ground, then they [Santa's Forest] were supposed to come in and market the trees," said Ted Wilson, Don's son. In 1957, Wilson said, he helped his dad plant three acres of the seedling Scotch pines, cedar and spruces. But Santa's Forest went broke a few years later. "Because of a lack of knowledge and understanding, Dad didn't thin them [the trees]," Wilson said. "They got too big, too thick, too fast." In 1978 when a stake center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was built on 600 East in River Heights, Don Wilson donated trees for the landscaping. "I went to Don and asked him if he would donate some trees for the stake center," said Todd Weston, a River Heights resident. "All the trees around the church came from that lot." During the 1980's, Don Wilson hung out a sign that said DJ's trees. People could go in and cut down their own Christmas trees. If they wanted, they could buy some to plant in the spring after using the tree for the holiday. Those trees all came with instructions to help the new owner move the trees. Wilson said his dad didn't know enough about marketing to carry the project through once the retailer went broke. "The investment was never worth it," he said. The trees also went to the Logan Tabernacle each year to serve as a backdrop for Bethlehem Revisited, a Christmas program put on by the River Heights 1st Ward. "I would say the church got more benefit out of them [the trees] than Don J ever did," Wilson said. Wildlife love the forest. It was especially popular with deer and pheasants. "Before they started that construction down there," Wilson said, "there was a herd of deer that lived there year-round." The grove was annexed into Providence a few years ago. A housing development, Cobblestone at Spring Creek, is planned for the area. The gated community will include single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. Jay Christopherson, a manager of Provco, the company developing the site, said prices will begin in the low $100s. But Christopherson, who now owns the lot, says the grove will stay. "We've been very sensitive to the trees, we've tried to build around them," he said. Plans for the development originally had a parking lot south of the condominiums, but it would have meant cutting down quite a few of the trees. The parking was moved underneath the condos at $20 more per square foot. "We redesigned the condos," Christopherson said. "We've put the parking underneath them to save the trees." Where the trees are, plans show trails and a gazebo. Provco plans to thin the trees out, enough to get rid of the dead ones and give the others room. "We're going to try and move some of the trees," Christopherson said. "Relocate them around on the property, because trees are kind of hard to come by."
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