The Halfway Tree

For many people driving between Winnipeg and Brandon, the Halfway Tree is a familiar landmark. This lone poplar beside the Trans-Canada Highway has become part of the journey, a tree people recognize and look for each time they pass.

In 2022, CTV News spoke with Parkland Tree Care about an arborist report on the tree's condition and future. The article below shares that assessment alongside the history and personal connections that make the Halfway Tree important to so many Manitobans.

A well-known tree can carry more meaning than its size or age suggests. It may mark a place, bring back a memory, or simply be something generations of travellers have shared. Those connections make decisions about an ageing tree especially difficult.

Assessing an older tree involves looking at its condition, its structure, and what surrounds it. Its place in the community matters too, but that doesn't replace a careful look at the tree itself. The CTV story is a useful look at how those questions came together for this particular Manitoba landmark. It describes the tree at the time of the 2022 report, rather than serving as a current condition assessment.