community belonging – Forests of Memory. Forests of Learning. Forests for Life.

Whenever we talk about cities, we tend to talk about density, storefronts, and the intricate ballet of the downtown sidewalk. But a city is not merely made of asphalt and brick; it is an organic, living entity that requires lungs as much as it requires feet. In Saskatoon, those lungs breathe at the edge of the map, in the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area.

On Sunday, May 3rd, we are going to do something that seems simple but is actually quite radical: we are going to walk through 326 acres of trees and talk to one another. There are no sidewalks, find out why.

The Living Room of the Wild

We often think of “urban planning” as a series of colored zones on a map in a windowless basement at City Hall. But real planning happens when we decide what we value. In the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, the planning isn’t just about setbacks and zoning; it’s about how memory, ecology, and people intersect. It’s a web, a biotic community structure, an interaction web, it’s interdependence, synergy, relationality and mutualism.

This year, our Jane’s Walk takes on a poignant weight as we discuss the proposed Memorial Healing Forest in honor of the Humboldt Broncos. A forest is perhaps the only monument that can truly hold the weight of such a memory—a place that doesn’t just stand static in stone, but grows, changes, and heals alongside the community. It is a “healing forest” in every sense of the word, reminding us that a city’s health is measured by how it cares for its grieving hearts as much as its moving traffic.

Eyes on the Forest

I have often said that a safe city is one with “eyes on the street.” People believe that safety comes from fences and patrols, but it actually comes from use. A used place is a cared-for place.

The Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas understand this instinctively. By inviting the public into these woods, we apply the same principles of CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) that make a neighborhood vibrant. When we walk these trails, when we bring our dogs, our children, and our curiosity, we are “observing” the forest into safety. We are claiming this space not as a forgotten wasteland on the city’s periphery, but as a vital limb of the urban body.

The Man of the Trees

We walk in the shadow of giants—both the trees themselves and the legacy of Richard St. Barbe Baker. He was a man who understood, long before it was fashionable, that the fate of humanity is inextricably linked to the fate of the forest. He saw trees not as timber, but as a global infrastructure of life.

As we navigate the gentle, uneven terrain of the SW Off-Leash area, or the forests on either side of the SW OLRA, we aren’t just looking at “greenery.” We are looking at a deliberate act of stewardship. We are looking at what happens when a city chooses to build a forest instead of just another parking lot.

Join the Conversation

Cities—like forests—are healthiest when people are part of them. They are not meant to be viewed from a car window at sixty kilometers an hour; they are meant to be experienced at three miles per hour.

So, bring your walking shoes (and perhaps tuck those pants into your socks—the ticks are part of the ecosystem, too). Bring your memories of the Broncos, your questions about Saskatoon’s growth, and your willingness to listen to what the wind says through the poplars.

The forest has a story to tell. But it needs an audience to make it a community.

WALK DETAILS:

When: Sunday, May 3, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Where: Parking Area P2, SW Off-Leash Recreation Area (355 Township Road 362A).
The Mission: To walk, listen, share, and reflect on the city we choose to build.
Learn More: friendsareas.ca