At Fredericton Botanic Garden, three upside-down ash trees stand as an unexpected attraction after being felled by the emerald ash borer insect. The installation, dubbed the Stumpery, began as a joke but has become popular for photo opportunities. Created from 14 removed ash trees due to infestation, volunteers Eldon Toner and Matt Forlot turned three of them upside down, making it one of the garden’s most photographed spots.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why are 3 trees planted upside down at Fredericton Botanic Garden?
asserted
trees → plant → Garden
A playful idea to reuse ash trees killed by invasive insect has become a popular attraction
At the Fredericton Botanic Garden, visitors may expect to find trees planted firmly in the ground.
uncertain
visitors → reuse → ground
Instead, three ash trees are standing upside down.
asserted
trees → stand → ?
The unusual installation, known as the Stumpery, has become one of the garden’s most popular spots for photos and selfies, despite starting as little more than a joke.
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installation → know → joke
The trees were among 14 ash trees the garden at the west end of Odell Park had to remove after they were infected by the emerald ash borer, an invasive insect that attacks trees.
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that → have → trees
The garden wanted to make sure the trees were not simply wasted, said Linda Stephenson, executive director of the Fredericton Botanic Garden.
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Stephenson → want → Garden
“Some of the trees were cut up into firewood that was given to people that could benefit from it,” Stephenson said.
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Stephenson → cut → it
“Some have gone to a mill to be planed to make benches in the park.”
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Some → go → park
Three of the trees, each about 14 feet tall, were turned into the Stumpery.
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each → turn → Stumpery
Stephenson said volunteers Eldon Toner and Matt Forlot had heard about stumperies before and decided to create one at the garden.
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Toner → say → garden
Then Toner suggested taking the idea a step further.
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Toner → suggest → idea
He turned the trees upside down.
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He → turn → trees
“Why did we turn it upside down?
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we → turn → it
I have no idea,” Toner said.
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Toner → have → idea
“We just did it for a joke.”
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We → do → joke
The joke has attracted considerably more attention than Toner expected.
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Toner → attract → attention
Stephenson said people have stopped at the garden’s resource centre to talk about the installation, while photos of it have circulated on social media.
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photos → say → media
“It’s become the selfie site in the garden,” she said.
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she → become → garden
Not just for pictures
Some visitors see more than just an unusual photo opportunity.
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visitors → see → opportunity
Liam Jackson, a Fredericton resident who visited the Stumpery, said he liked the idea of giving the diseased trees a second purpose.
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he → visit → purpose
“If these were sick trees, now they’ve got a second life,” he said.
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he → get → life
Stephenson said people have also interpreted the installation as an art piece, although she said there is no single meaning behind it.
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she → say → it
“Since none of us really know what the meaning of it is, I think that’s sort of neat, that it means something different to different people,” she said.
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she → know → people
He said he was working nearby when he overheard visitors discussing the upside-down trees and suggesting the garden had an artist in residence.
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garden → say → residence
“They noticed me and they just asked me a few questions about it and who thought of this,” he said.
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he → notice → this
“And I said, well, you’re looking at him.”
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you → say → him
While the Stumpery is playful, the problem that created it is serious.
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that → create → it
The emerald ash borer has killed millions of trees across Canada since its arrival in the country was confirmed almost 25 years ago.
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arrival → kill → country
Toner estimates there are between 500 and 600 ash trees on the 56-acre garden property.
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Toner → estimate → property
He expects many could eventually have to be removed because of the beetle, which was first detected in the city in 2021.
uncertain
which → expect → 2021
“In the next 10 years, they’re either going to be falling down in the woods or cut down for safety reasons,” he said.
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he → go → reasons
Stephenson said the garden is already seeing more ash trees affected by the insect and expects managing them to be a continuing challenge.
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managing → say → them
The garden plans to give the Stumpery another transformation next spring, adding flowers and vines around the trees.
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garden → plan → trees
Stephenson encourages people to visit the garden and see the installation for themselves.
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Stephenson → encourage → themselves
The garden is open until dusk and there is no admission charge.
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garden → be → dusk
The Aporia
