A 125-year-old Calgary elm tree will be cut down, but it won't be forgotten

The Stampede Elm is estimated to be 125 years old but will soon have to come down to make way for the new Calgary Flames arena and event centre.

An American Elm that has grown in the parking lot outside the Calgary Stampede grounds for more than 125 years, will be removed this spring, but it will live on thanks to the internet.

The tree, affectionately known as the Stampede Elm, was planted at the intersection of four backyards in the early 1900s.

Now, as progress is being made on the new event centre, officials say the tree will be removed this spring.

Efforts were made to determine if the Stampede Elm could be transplanted, but the city found a crack in one of its branches that meant it likely wouldn't survive the trip.

Instead, researchers from the University of Calgary used a 3D scanner to digitally preserve the tree.

That work is now complete and the results are available online.

"We are grateful the University of Calgary was able to use this technology to capture the Victoria Park Elm. They were able to create a tactile tool that can be used to tell the tale of this tree for future generations," said event centre lead Bob Hunter in a news release.

"Their work will allow us to remember and honour what Calgary’s landscape looked like in its first 150 years."

A 3D scan of Calgary's Stampede Elm, has produced a digital copy of the tree that so many Stampede guests have seen as they come and go from the grounds. (Supplied)

The city says a number of the seeds harvested from the Stampede Elm are already growing in nurseries and a number of branches from the tree are being cultivated.

"If these branches propagate successfully, they will result in genetically identical trees to the Victoria Park Elm that can be re-planted back into Calgary’s urban forest," officials said.

The goal is to re-plant between 100 and 200 elm trees through the project.

Historic building also on the chopping block

In addition to the Stampede Elm, the event centre construction project means the end to another part of historic downtown Calgary.

The Stephenson & Co. Grocers building, located at the corner of 13 Avenue and Fifth Street S.E., will be dismantled and relocated starting this spring.

The city says efforts are underway to find the right location for the building.

"While a final decision remains to be had, options include adaptive re-use, such as repurposing the structure for commercial, cultural, or community use," officials said.

As discussions progress, the building will be temporarily stored at a secure location, the city said.