Sharmeen Shahidullah's picture

Goderich versus the Tornado

Posted by Sharmeen Shahidullah / March 07, 2013
Replanting trees in Goderich
Storms can be terrifying. They remind us that nature is powerful, often unexpected, and can leave us helpless in its path. Take the recent snowstorms in Toronto. Not the worst Ontario has seen, but enough to put life on hold. Picture vehicles locked in garages, schools and businesses shut down. Those of us brave enough, or with no other choice, venture out at our own risk. These events tend to isolate us – we’re glued to our T.Vs and windows instead.
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Matthew Higginson's picture

Toronto: Ripe for the picking

Posted by Matthew Higginson / July 31, 2012
European Mountain Ash
The heavy afternoon rain offered our urban forest a brief reprieve from the drought we’ve sweltered in this summer – which is good news for the pears, plums, apricots, and apples that are coming into season. We often talk about the urban forest for its benefits – cleaner air, cooler streets, safer communities…. But did you know Toronto is also an urban food basket?
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Matthew Higginson's picture

Wandering can be a good thing

Posted by Matthew Higginson / July 27, 2012
St. Jamestown Tree Tour
I have my suspicions about the way LEAF Tree Tours became a reality six years ago. The simple act of eye contact can go miles in a city. Heads are down. People are accustomed to the rush. If you make that contact, add a smile, maybe a chance to take a stroll and learn something new… you might just have a tool for community building.
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Christine Bruce's picture

St. Clair West Adopt-A-Tree

Posted by Christine Bruce / December 14, 2011
St. Clair West Tree Audit
In the spring of 2010, I was volunteering at a LEAF table when someone from the neighbourhood approached me. She had noticed that the newly planted trees along St. Clair Avenue West were dying. Riding past that night, I saw examples of trees that had died brutal deaths: their trunks had imploded in the cold weather. I went home and wept.
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Jessica Piskorowski's picture

Engaging Communities

Posted by Jessica Piskorowski / November 14, 2011
Trinity Bellwoods UFSN Launch
Starting your own urban forest initiative – or any community initiative for that matter – can be a rewarding learning process. Working with LEAF’s stewardship programs, I regularly get to hear about the amazing initiatives our Tree Tenders Volunteer Training Program graduates and like-minded individuals start up.
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