Amanda Gomm's blog

The History and Future of Boulevard Trees

Amanda Gomm — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:18:53 +0000

Last fall I had the pleasure of seeing Peter Simon speak about boulevard trees at the annual OUFC (Ontario Urban Forestry Council) Conference. He grabbed my attention right away with a historic introduction to how and where street trees first came to be and then moved to our very own city, back when horse and buggy were still the main source of wheeled-transportation. I fell in love with the topic.

Designing with trees

Amanda Gomm — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:55:46 +0000

Many of you know me as a people mobilizer. As Manager, Volunteer and Community Engagement at LEAF, I don’t often get a chance to really dig in (pardon the pun) to the concepts and difficulties landscape architects face when working to beautify our urban spaces. But I often walk by parks and only see the final product... we “tree people” may even get upset with chosen species or how the trees are planted. What we don’t see is all of the difficult trouble-shooting that’s required in urban planning. So at this years Spreading Roots conference I was excited to listen to Greg Warren talk about designing with trees.

Read more from the Spreading Roots conference

Reflections on a hurricane

Amanda Gomm — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:15:03 +0000

It is a chilly morning. Dampness hangs heavy in the air and clouds sit overhead as people gather in Etienne Brule Park waiting for a Hurricane. Ok... maybe not a "real hurricane" - not today... but we're meeting to remember Hurricane Hazel and the effect she had 57 years ago on the Humber.