Saplings grown from a tree that survived a nuclear blast were slated to be planted in Rochester this fall. However, officials cautioned that the young trees might not yet be hardy enough to handle a New England winter.

“The professional arborists at the Arnold Arboretum have advised one additional season for the ginkgoes to strengthen,” Town Administrator Mike McCue said. “Given the significance of the trees and the difficulty in obtaining them, they advised the delay.”

Originally, a planting ceremony for the ginkgo bilobas was tentatively scheduled for this year.

The saplings were donated to McCue by Green Legacy Hiroshima. He discovered the organization, a group backed by the United Nations, while researching new trees to use in Avon’s Arbor Day ceremony two years ago. At the time, McCue was Avon’s town administrator.

Green Legacy Hiroshima collects seeds from a 250-year-old ginkgo. That tree is located 1,500 yards from ground zero of an A-bomb explosion that occurred in Hiroshima, Japan at the end of World War II.

Green Legacy then sends those seeds across the globe to spread a message of peace. Trees grown from those seeds can be found at the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva, Switzerland and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara, California.

An avid gardner who also loves history, the group's mission caught his interest. McCue reached out and – to his surprise – was granted permission to receive the saplings.

In addition to Rochester, the saplings will be planted at Tufts University, the Arnold Arboretum, Avon and Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire in the fall or spring.

For more information on the saplings, click here.