Over three days, the team of the NGO “Ukrainian Ecological Club ‘Green Wave'” together with the families of the fallen planted 47 named memorial trees across the Irpin community—slender linden trees, sturdy maples, and vibrant mountain ashes. This is our third planting in the parks of Irpin, with previous ones taking place last autumn and spring. In total, 163 trees have been planted.
When we first started this initiative, to be completely honest, we knew little about professional memorialization practices and their deep psychological significance. We simply combined the opportunity to green our city with people’s desire to honor their loved ones. That is how we found ourselves at the very heart of a complex yet profoundly important topic—learning about it through human stories, grief, and trust.
To make memory visible, to give it physical form—this is what families who lost loved ones yearn for:
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For a young girl who lost her father, it is essential to have something physical and tangible that reminds her of him.
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For a wife who lost her husband, it is a way to hold on to life and keep growing alongside the roots.
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For parents who lost their only son, it is an opportunity to preserve his memory for decades to come—even when they themselves are gone.
A stele or a memorial plaque is a mark of honor. But a tree is living memory. It is a place where you can come not to cold stone, but to something alive—something that rustles with leaves, grows, offers shade, and continues life in their hometown.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our international partners, the Arbor Day Foundation, for funding the trees, as well as to the Memorialization Sector of the Culture Department of the Irpin City Council and the utility company “Municipal Services and Landscaping Department” (KP “Upravlinnia blahoustroiu mista”) for their help in organizing and carrying out the planting. We thank every family who joined us and trusted us to create this space of memory.
We remember. We honor. We grow memory together.
