Survivor Tree Inspires Messages of Hope

Survivor Tree Inspires Messages of Hope

  • October 14, 2022
  • Colorful messages and notes adorning the Survivor Tree
  • Colorful messages and notes adorning the Survivor Tree
  • Colorful messages and notes adorning the Survivor Tree

Messages surround the Survivor Tree

As visitors walk beneath the shady boughs of the more than 400 swamp white oak trees that cover the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, one beckons with its branches not simply for its shade, but also for its story. 

A single Callery pear tree known as the Survivor Tree was found buried in debris at the World Trade Center nearly a month after 9/11. Though burned and badly damaged, the tree still showed signs of life and was taken to a nursery to be tended to and cared for. In 2010, the tree returned to the World Trade Center site, finding its forever home between the two reflecting pools on the 9/11 Memorial plaza. While it still bears scars of its past trauma, the signs of new growth and healing today serve as a living reminder of resilience, survival, and rebirth

This impactful story has drawn thousands of visitors to the site and inspired hundreds to participate in meaningful hands-on activities offered during the summer months as part of the Education department’s Art Cart* program. The Art Cart offers free, self-guided activities to help children and their caregivers discover the stories and symbolism behind the Memorial and rebuilt World Trade Center site. In an activity connected to the Survivor Tree, visitors learn its story and use its symbolism as inspiration to decorate colorful paper leaves with messages of hope and resilience. After decorating their leaf, participants can either take it home as a reminder of their visit or leave it as a tribute at the tree for other visitors to admire. 

On days when the Art Cart is present, visitors can be seen surrounding the Survivor Tree to regard the dozens of colorful and thoughtful tributes left behind, photographing the ones that move them or feeling inspired to create a leaf of their own. As fall kicks into high gear, we invite you to participate in this tangible act of remembrance by creating your own Survivor Tree leaf at home. Think about what the story of the Survivor Tree means to you and share it with us on social media using the hashtag #911MuseumEd and #NeverForget

For more inspirational stories, view our 2022 Anniversary in the Schools webinar

By Meredith Ketchmark, Assistant Manager of Youth & Family Programs 

* The 9/11 Memorial Art Cart is made possible in partnership with the New York Life Foundation

Ukraine Close to Our Hearts on International Museum Day

Ukraine Close to Our Hearts on International Museum Day

  • May 19, 2022
Metal railing at base of tree trunk, with hand-painted wooden stars hanging from it
Photos: Jin S. Lee
The Survivor Tree is illuminated in blue and yellow light, against the nighttime sky

We were proud to host a special ceremony in honor of International Museum Day, highlighting the role that institutions like ours can play in cultural exchange. Diplomats, visitors, and community members joined Museum staff last night at the Survivor Tree, which was illuminated in blue and yellow in solidarity with our museum colleagues and the people of Ukraine. 

Wooden Stars of Hope - hand-painted by our staff and bearing messages of support - were hung along the Survivor Tree railing as well. Meaningfully decorated with sunflowers, peace signs, hearts, Ukrainian phrases, and blue and yellow stripes, the stars will be donated to a non-profit recommended by Ukraine's Ambassador to the UN Sergiy Kyslytsya, who was in attendance at the ceremony. 

A group of nine people - four women and five men - pose on the plaza

Alice Greenwald, President and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (center, in red) on the plaza with, from left to right, Nathalie Broadhurst (French ambassador to the UN); Andrejs Pildegovics (Latvian ambassador to the UN); Sergiy Kyslytsya (Ukrainian ambassador to the UN); Mantas Adomenas (Vice Minister, Lithuania); Linda Thomas-Greenfield (US ambassador to the UN); James Roscoe (UK ambassador to the UN); Cait Moran (Irish ambassador to the UN); and Rytis Paulauskas (Lithuanian ambassador to the UN). 

  • Diplomats, one in a dark jacket and khaki pants and one in a dark suit, crouch at the base of the Survivor Tree, where hand-painted wooden stars hang
  • Two men in dark suits pose for a selfie with a woman in a red jacket
  • Hand-painted wooden stars hung from the railing of the Survivor Tree
  • A blonde woman stands at the base of the Survivor Tree looking at tributes
  • Two workers arrange lightbulbs and wires on the plaza
A woman in a red jacket and dark pants speaks to a group of diplomats in dark clothes

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

What Makes the 9/11 Memorial So Earth-Friendly?

What Makes the 9/11 Memorial So Earth-Friendly?

Aerial view of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum on a spring day, with all the oak trees on the plaza in bloom.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

This Earth Day we look to highlight and celebrate the 9/11 Memorial plaza, which was designed to conserve energy, water, and other resources and was conceived as one of the most sustainable plazas ever constructed.

Rainwater is collected in storage tanks below the plaza’s surface, and the tanks supply water for the more than 400 swamp white oak trees and other vegetation. The American Society of Landscape Architects describes the 9/11 Memorial as a “massive green roof—a fully constructed ecology—that operates on top of multiple structures.”

The most notable tree on the 9/11 Memorial plaza is known as the Survivor Tree. This Callery pear tree endured the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center and was found at Ground Zero in October 2001 severely damaged, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches.

The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation where, after years of recovery and rehabilitation, it was returned to the Memorial in 2010. In contrast to the plaza’s swamp white oaks, the Survivor Tree is the only tree of its kind and always the first to bloom in spring and the last to lose its leaves in autumn.

Read more about the sustainable design of the 9/11 Memorial plaza.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Survivor Tree Seedlings Donated to San Bernardino, Orlando, France After Tragedies

Survivor Tree Seedlings Donated to San Bernardino, Orlando, France After Tragedies

People stand underneath the bright green Survivor Tree on a rainy day at the 9/11 Memorial.
A photo of the Survivor Tree on the 9/11 Memorial plaza. Photo by Monika Graff.

The victims of tragedies in two U.S. cities and one country will be honored with the offering of “Survivor Tree” seedlings. Communities in San Bernardino, Calif., Orlando, Fla. and France were selected to receive seedlings this year as part of the 9/11 Memorial’s Survivor Tree Seedling Program. The communities have committed to nurturing these trees to serve as landmarks symbolizing resiliency and hope.

“After 9/11, the Survivor Tree became a symbol of our country’s fortitude and resilience,” 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. “The seedling distribution program was created in an effort to embody this spirit for communities that have endured suffering. As the trees grow and thrive, we hope they will inspire the people of France, Orlando and San Bernardino as they continue to recover and heal.”

The Survivor Tree has become a symbol of the nation’s spirit of hope and healing as well as strength and resilience in the wake of the 2001 attacks. The tree got its name after it was nursed back to health when it was pulled from World Trade Center rubble. It was later replanted at the 9/11 Memorial.

The Survivor Tree Seedling Program began in September 2013 in partnership with Stamford, Conn.-based Bartlett Tree Expert Company and John Bowne High School in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Flowers and tributes, including sunflowers and rainbow flags, have been placed at the base of the Survivor Tree on a sunny, summer day.
Flowers and tributes placed under the Survivor Tree. Photo by Jin Lee.

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The View: Flowers and notes are left as tributes to the victims of Sunday's Orlando, Fla. shooting under the Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial.

"Terror has again left a horrific mark on our country, this time in the city of Orlando, leaving an entire community in mourning and victims' families unable to sense an ending to their heartbreak and pain. We pray for those families, the injured, the residents and the city's leadership," said 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels. "Maybe they cannot today, or tomorrow, but they will find strength to recover, and when they do, they will be stronger because of it, and we will be there for them."

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

The top branches of the Suravivor Tree begin to bloom on a partly sunny day at the Memorial. A blue sky and some passing clouds are visible in the background.
The Survivor Tree prepares to bloom at the 9/11 Memorial. Photo by Jin Lee.

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The View: On the first day of spring, the budding Callery pear tree known as the Survivor Tree shows signs that it is preparing to bloom. This tree, which was rescued from the debris at ground zero, is the only one of the 416 trees on the 9/11 Memorial that blossoms annually—the swamp white oak trees do not.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

9/11 Survivors Reunite at Survivor Tree 10 Years Later

9/11 Survivors Reunite at Survivor Tree 10 Years Later

Survivor Richard Eichen embraces the stranger who drove him home on September 11, 2001, in the front yard of a home on a sunny day. An American flag stands to the right of them.
Survivor Richard Eichen and the stranger who drove him home on September 11, 2001. Photo courtesy of Richard Eichen.

Although Richard Eichen and Lucy Gonzalez both worked on the 90th floor of the North Tower, they were strangers before September 11, 2001. On that day, the pair evacuated the building together, escaping its collapse by seconds. Ten years later, on September 12, 2011, the two, along with other 9/11 survivors, reunited for the first time under the Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial.

Eichen, a consultant at Pass Consulting Group, had started working at the World Trade Center in early September 2001 and didn’t yet have a key to the office suite. On the morning of 9/11, he was waiting near the 90th floor elevator for his colleague to arrive when he heard a loud bang and was hurled to the ground as the office erupted in flames.

Despite sustaining a severe head wound, Eichen found his way to an adjacent office where he connected with four others, including Lucy Gonzalez. They decided to evacuate as the smoke billowed and they saw large severed pieces of the building falling outside. However, Gonzalez was reluctant and wanted to wait for first responders.

“I told her, ‘Lucy, we’re not leaving anybody behind. We got to get out of here, we’re starting to burn,’ Eichen remembers. "I took her hands, and put them on my shoulders, and I held them so she wouldn’t let go.”  

Lucy Gonzales and Richard Eichen at the Survivor Tree on the 9/11 Memorial plaza, September 12, 2011.

Overcome with anxiety, Gonzalez fainted near the 25th floor on their decent down the stairs. After FDNY firefighters revived her with oxygen, Eichen grabbed Gonzalez and yelled, “wounded coming through!” and descended the final flights of stairs. The building collapsed minutes after they exited.   

Leaving Gonzalez with paramedics, Eichen walked to Downtown Beekman Hospital to seek treatment for his head wound. In the waiting room, he first learned of the terrorist attacks from the news. Still bloody, wearing his hospital gown and a bandage wrapped around his head, Eichen discharged himself and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge toward his parents’ home in Rockaway, Queens. After he crossed the bridge, a stranger offered him a ride and he soon was reunited with his parents.

Weeks later, he tried to locate Gonzalez. Finally able to connect through email, he confirmed that she was okay. It was not until 10 years later that the two decided to reunite and confront their memories together.

They met at the then-newly-dedicated 9/11 Memorial under the Survivor Tree at a special event for survivors. “I really believe the beauty and peace of the memorial affected everyone there,” Eichen said.  

 By Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist 

New Video Highlights Survivor Tree Seedling Program

New Video Highlights Survivor Tree Seedling Program

The Survivor Tree blooms on 9/11 Memorial Plaza, its white flowers contrasting with the leafless swamp white oaks surrounding it.
The Survivor Tree on the 9/11 Memorial plaza. (Photo: Jin Lee)

For the last five years, I have been creating an independent documentary titled “The Trees” about the 9/11 Memorial. The film follows the journey of the over 400 Swamp White oak trees that were planted (and continue to be planted) on the memorial plaza. It features the architects and arborists who labored for years to design and build the landscaping there. But the film is also a deeper meditation on the power of trees, nature and “living memorials” to help us remember the tragedy of 9/11.

A visit to the Memorial will reveal one tree that is different from the monoculture of oaks: the Survivor Tree. Along with millions of others, I find great symbolism in the Survivor Tree and am weaving its powerful and moving story into “The Trees.”

Our team edited together three scenes from the feature documentary to create a short video titled “The Tree that Would Not Be Broken,” which is currently playing on the New York Times website.

Recently, we created another excerpt about the Survivor Tree. Filmed at John Bowne High School in Queens, the video chronicles the Survivor Tree seedling program. In the video, we see 421 Survivor Tree seedlings – each about four-feet tall – being cared for by a group of dedicated and passionate agriculture students. I am excited to share the video for the first time on the 9/11 Memorial blog.

Click here to watch the video. The anticipated completion date of “The Trees” is fall 2015.

By Scott Elliott, Director of “The Trees,” thetreesfilm.com

Documentary Tells Story of Survivor Tree, Memorial Grove

Documentary Tells Story of Survivor Tree, Memorial Grove

The Survivor Tree’s dark green leaves stand in contrast to the orange and yellow leaves of the swamp white oaks that surround it on Memorial plaza.
The Survivor Tree on the 9/11 Memorial plaza. (Photo: Amy Dreher)

Award-winning filmmaker Scott Elliott has documented the design and landscape of the 9/11 Memorial plaza for the last five years. On Thursday, he published a piece in The New York Times highlighting his new feature-length documentary, “The Trees,” which tells the story of the 400 white oak trees on the Memorial.

One tree stands out to Elliott in particular: the Survivor Tree. The callery pear tree was severely damaged after 9/11, but was rehabilitated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and brought back to the World Trade Center site.

“It was the last living thing to come out of the rubble of ground zero — a charred stump that, to an untrained eye, looked dead,” Elliott wrote.

Elliott’s short film about the Survivor Tree, titled “The Tree That Will Not Be Broken” is one of several that comprise the documentary. Today, the Survivor Tree represents the resiliency of our nation after 9/11.

“The Trees” documentary is expected to be completed in summer 2015. Elliott describes it as “a visual meditation on how we memorialize and remember, on seasonal change and the possibility of rebirth.”

Read the Times article here.

By Jordan Friedman, 9/11 Memorial Research and Digital Projects Associate

Survivor Tree Represents Resiliency, Strength

Survivor Tree Represents Resiliency, Strength

The green leaves of the Survivor Tree contrast against the orange leaves of surrounding swamp white oaks as several visitors walk by on Memorial plaza.
Since 9/11 recovery efforts, the Survivor Tree has served as a symbol of strength and rebuilding. (Photo: Jin Lee)

On the 9/11 Memorial plaza is the “Survivor Tree,” a callery pear tree that was discovered at Ground Zero in October 2001 severely damaged, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches.

After being removed from the rubble, it was placed in the care of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. Following its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010, where it remains as a living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth.

We asked our Facebook followers what they thought the Survivor Tree represented to them. (You can also view some of the responses on our Storify here.) Strength, survival and rebuilding were among the common themes. In their own words, here is what they said:

• “We persevere and are resilient. Our limbs may break but our foundation stays strong.”

• “It represents determination to persevere with strength and dignity and that we will never forget those lost that day. This tree is a living memorial to all those we lost on 9/11. We will go on, [re]build, and REMEMBER!”

• “To me, the tree represents that we survived 9/11 and we will continue to survive and rebuild.”

• “Eric and I were engaged at the tree last January. To us it represents strength, endurance and survival.”

• “Resilience, strength, and the power of the american spirit... the souls of all of those who passed that day brought this tree back to life. you can bend us, even break us, but we will come back stronger than ever.”

• “Healing and moving forward in life”

• “That we can overcome anything as long as we are united. Nothing can break us.”

• “That even as bad as that day was, and how painful the memories, life can spring from the ashes...”

By Jordan Friedman, 9/11 Memorial Research and Digital Projects Associate

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