Jessica Piskorowski's posts

Fostering trees in Monarch Park

Friends of Monarch Park, Park People and LEAF were already hard at work mulching away when I stepped into the park two Saturdays ago. Last year, several of its large trees were brought to the ground by a heavy wind storm and it was imperative that succession planting be an important part of renewing the canopy. The vision of so many key community players had me up early to see the dream of a healthy canopy get a little closer to realization.

How will you celebrate Earth Day?

Earth Day is coming up, and as always, we have big plans to celebrate the urban forest and expand the tree canopy within the city! Our annual tree planting event aims to educate and share the beauty that surrounds us. This Sunday, the LEAF team (comprised of several staff and 25 dedicated volunteers) will celebrate Earth Day Weekend and National Volunteer Week by leading Toronto Hydro employees and their families in planting and mulching over 300 trees and shrubs in Milliken Park.

International Influences: Asheville, North Carolina

This year, my St. Patrick’s Day festivities took place in Asheville North Carolina, where we celebrated the luck o’ the Irish and trees together: It was Arbor Day in North Carolina! Much like our National Tree Day, North Carolina’s Arbor Day is a day where cities across the state come together to celebrate their urban forests.

Garden-Wise

Nature can be an excellent teacher if you take the chance to learn from its various characters. In their own way, our Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens have instilled little bits of wisdom into everyone who has been touched by them. LEAF stewards and volunteers have been busy preparing our gardens for the looming cold (especially with the first snowflakes flying last week!)

International Influences: Seattle

This summer I took the ultimate train trip out West on board VIA Rail’s The Canadian. After stops in Jasper & Vancouver, we made the international jump and continued travelling down the coast to Seattle. A mix of wild, rural, and urban scenery offered a whole new roster of tree species to admire and thoughts on trees and landscapes.
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