An upcoming event to celebrate Winnipeg’s trees should be anything but wooden.

Trees Winnipeg’s annual Arbor Day celebration will held on Sat., May 26 between 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Children’s Nature Playground at Assiniboine Park.

Adventurous attendees will meet local certified arborists and get a chance to be hoisted up to a canopy or ascend to the treetops on a bucket truck, organizers say. The popular children’s zipline ride will also be back, so thrill-seekers are advised to arrive early.

For visitors who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, there will be an Ask the Arborist booth to field tree-related questions and exhibitors will hand out prizes throughout the day.

At 1 p.m., there will be a live, interactive storytelling event during which guests can hear about a special tree with a story of its own.

One key organizer said the theme of Arbor Day is "All Trees Tell a Story’’ — which will be celebrated when a new creation related to a dead elm tree removed from a Wolseley yard this past winter —will be unveiled.     

Matt Vinet, Manitoba director of the prairie chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture, said there are hundreds of trees in the city with fascinating stories, and it’s imperative these trees remain protected for future generations.

"We’ve been building a historical tree database and a list of trees to help build a tree bylaw to protect trees in the city," said Vinet, who lives in Elmwood, noting that elms are treasured trees in Winnipeg.

"We want to draw attention to urban trees and the issues surrounding them."

For more details, visit www.savetheelms.mb.ca.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com