Terms of Use — Ancient Roots Alberta

1. Introduction

These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the Ancient Roots Alberta website and mobile app (collectively, "ARA", "the platform", "we", "us"). By using ARA, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

ARA is a community platform for documenting and sharing heritage tree records across Alberta. It is operated by Ancient Roots Alberta, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use ARA. By using the platform, you confirm that you meet this requirement. If you are under 18, you should review these terms with a parent or guardian.

3. User Accounts

Some features of ARA require an account. When creating an account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, truthful, and honest information
• Keep your login credentials secure and confidential
• Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access to your account
• Take responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree to use ARA only for its intended purpose — the documentation and exploration of heritage trees in Alberta. You must not:

• Submit false, fabricated, or misleading tree records
• Upload content that is offensive, harmful, or unrelated to the platform's purpose
• Attempt to access, disrupt, or interfere with the platform's systems or data
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to collect data from ARA without our written permission
• Impersonate another person or organization
• Use the platform for any commercial purpose without our prior written consent

5. User-Submitted Content

5.1 Your Content

When you submit tree records, notes, measurements, or other content to ARA, you retain ownership of that content. By submitting it, you grant Ancient Roots Alberta a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to display, distribute, and use that content as part of the platform and its public heritage tree database.

5.2 Accuracy

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you submit. ARA does not independently verify all user-submitted records. Inaccurate or fraudulent submissions may be removed at our discretion.

5.3 Public Visibility

Tree records submitted to ARA may be publicly visible on the website. Do not include personal information in tree record notes or descriptions.

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 ARA-Owned Content

All original content created by Ancient Roots Alberta is protected by copyright, including but not limited to:

• The platform design, layout, and visual identity
• The ARA logo and branding
• Written content, descriptions, and editorial text
• Software and source code underlying the platform

This content may not be reproduced, copied, modified, or distributed without our prior written permission.

6.2 Photography

Photographs displayed on ARA that were taken or commissioned by Ancient Roots Alberta are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of these images is prohibited.

To request permission to use any ARA photograph, please submit a request through our contact page. Requests should include the intended use, context, and any applicable publication or platform. We will respond at our discretion and may grant or decline permission.

6.3 Tree Record Data

Raw tree record data (species names, measurements, GPS coordinates, and similar factual information) is not protected by copyright, as factual data is not copyrightable under Canadian law. However, the selection, arrangement, and presentation of that data as part of the ARA database is protected as a compilation.

6.4 User-Submitted Content

User-submitted tree records remain the property of their contributors, subject to the licence granted in Section 5.1. If you submit photographs as part of a tree record, you confirm that you own or have the right to share those images.

7. Third-Party Services

ARA uses third-party services, including Google Analytics where enabled. Your use of ARA is also subject to the applicable terms and policies of these providers. We are not responsible for the practices of third-party services.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

ARA is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of inaccuracies. Tree records on ARA are community-contributed and should not be relied upon as authoritative scientific or legal data.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Ancient Roots Alberta shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform, including reliance on any tree records or information found on ARA.

10. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to ARA at any time, with or without notice, if we believe you have violated these Terms of Use or for any other reason at our discretion.

You may stop using ARA at any time. To request deletion of your account and data, contact us at info@ancientrootsalberta.ca.

11. Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the applicable federal laws of Canada, without regard to conflict of law principles.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. We will indicate the date of the most recent update at the top of this page. Continued use of ARA after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Use, contact: