Nova Scotia news, the Nova Scotia Tree for Boston 2026 is a 14-metre white spruce from the East Amherst property of Henry and Pat Knol, and it carries more than a century of gratitude from Nova Scotia to Boston.
By Maplestime News Desk | East Amherst, Nova Scotia | November 9, 2026
Sources: Government of Nova Scotia, CTV News | Last updated: November 9, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Henry and Pat Knol of East Amherst, Cumberland County, are donating their 14-metre (46-foot) white spruce as the 2026 Nova Scotia Tree for Boston.
- The public tree-cutting ceremony takes place Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10:30 a.m. at 880 Hwy. 6, East Amherst.
- Boston’s 85th annual tree-lighting ceremony happens Dec. 3 on Boston Common.
- 2026 marks the 109th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, the tragedy behind the annual gift.
A Family Spruce Becomes the Nova Scotia Tree for Boston
The province announced on Nov. 6 that the Knols’ white spruce will be the 2026 Nova Scotia Tree for Boston. At 14 metres tall, about 46 feet, it is the kind of tree that has anchored a family property for decades, and now it will anchor a holiday tradition in another country.
“We feel very honoured that a tree from our property has been chosen as the 2026 Tree for Boston,” Henry and Pat Knol said in the provincial release.
The tree will be cut at a public ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 10:30 a.m. at 880 Hwy. 6 in East Amherst. Nova Scotians who attend will see the start of a journey that ends under the lights on Boston Common.
A Thank-You That Dates Back to 1917
The Nova Scotia Tree for Boston is Nova Scotia’s annual thank-you to Boston for the medical personnel and supplies the city sent after the 1917 Halifax Explosion. That disaster killed about 2,000 people and injured thousands more, and Boston’s help arrived fast when Halifax needed it most.
2026 marks the 109th anniversary of the explosion. The first Tree for Boston was donated in 1971 by Joseph Slaunwhite of Lunenburg County, and the province has sent a tree every year since.
What Happens Next in Boston
Once the spruce reaches Boston, it will stand on Boston Common for the city’s 85th annual tree-lighting ceremony on Dec. 3. The lighting is one of Boston’s best known holiday events, drawing crowds to the Common each year to see Nova Scotia’s gift lit up for the season.
For the Knol family, the weeks between the cutting and the lighting will be a waiting game. For Nova Scotia, it is another year of a tradition that turns a single tree into a reminder of a bond forged in the worst week of the province’s history.
Related: More Canada news from Maplestime
How to See the Cutting Ceremony
- Date: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026
- Time: 10:30 a.m.
- Location: 880 Hwy. 6, East Amherst, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
- Tree-lighting: Dec. 3, Boston Common, Boston
Maplestime will provide updates from the Nova Scotia Tree for Boston as announcements are made.
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Should a 109-year-old thank-you still be the brightest thing on Boston Common, or is it time Nova Scotia found a bigger way to say it? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who still believes a small province can keep a big promise.
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