Native tree for ship's table

A small piece of Saskatchewan will soon become part of Canada's most famous sailing ship.

As part of the restoration of the Bluenose II, a piece of Saskatchewan birch will be incorporated into a special dining table for the ship's mess hall. The table will include samples of native wood from each province and territory across Canada. Saskatchewan's contribution, a two- by-six-by-eight-foot birch plank, was made from a tree harvested by Halland Farms Inc. based in Love, Saskatchewan.

"I am pleased that Saskatchewan can be part of such a nationally important project," Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said. "It is appropriate that this table, where the ship's crew will gather together to dine for many years to come, should be an assembly of different woods from all across the country."

The white birch (Betula papyrifera) was adopted as the official tree of the province in 1988. A fast-growing deciduous hardwood tree, the white birch is a frequently planted ornamental species, easily recognized by its chalk-white papery bark.

The Bluenose II was launched at Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 1963. The ship is a replica of the original Bluenose, the iconic schooner pictured on the Canadian dime.

The Province of Nova Scotia began the complete restoration of the Bluenose II in July 2010. The project, being carried out by the Lunenburg Shipyard Alliance, is expected to be completed in the summer of 2012.