WAUKESHA, Wis. — One month after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, recovery workers pulled a tree from the rubble.

The tree was given to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, who nursed it back to health. The tree was brought to the 9/11 memorial site in 2010 and dubbed the Survivor Tree. The tree is a Callery pear tree. 

Every year, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum — based in New York — recognizes three communities that have undergone tragedy. Those three communities each receive a seedling from the Survivor Tree.

The City of Waukesha was selected as one of the 2023 recipients on Tuesday in response to the Waukesha Christmas Parade tragedy. The other two honored communities this year are Uvalde, Texas, and Little Rock, Ark. 

The trees, the city said, are symbols of hope and resilience.

The seedling will be planted at the Parade Memorial at Grede Park in Waukesha, Wis.

Learn more about the Survivor Tree, here.