Is there really a difference for your yard whether your tree was grown locally or somewhere in the southern United States? The answer to that is a definite yes. The reason there are so many old trees in Toronto - besides being well taken care of - is that they, and their ancestors before them, evolved here. It’s kind of like when people from the southern U.S. come and visit Ontario during the fall. They think it’s freezing and are wearing five layers of clothes while the locals are all still running around in shorts with no coat. But it’s a lot harder for a tree to put a jacket on than it is for us.
If you were to transplant a tree from Windsor into someone’s backyard in the middle of Markham, you might have a stressed out tree on your hands. Even though there is a relatively short distance between the two cities, their climates can be radically different. A tree that has evolved in Windsor is used to very little winter snow and mild temperatures (for Canada). Markham, on the other hand, has colder winters with more snow accumulation. Therefore, it would take more time for the tree to establish and adapt to its new surroundings than a tree that was grown around there to begin with.
The benefits of planting trees grown from locally sourced seed are numerous. When you evolve in the same place as many of your predators, you learn how to beat them at their own game – meaning that these trees can be less susceptible to pests and diseases than their imported counterparts. Also, because these specimens are grown from seed rather than cloned from cuttings, they are genetically distinct individuals that make for hardier trees in the end. And, as we’ve discussed here before, local trees provided much-needed habitat in the urban environment for birds and other wildlife.
LEAF is striving to increase the number of trees planted through the Backyard Tree Planting Program that have been grown from locally collected seed stock. In general, the entire industry is moving in this direction, but we’re keeping ahead of the pack. Right now, over half of our stock comes from nurseries that grow trees from locally sourced seed and the percentage is increasing each year. So come on and join the movement!
Sourcing more local seed stock is just one way that we are working towards re-naturalizing our urban forest and building a more resilient canopy for future generations. And, as we move in that direction, we continue a design that has been refined over centuries by the greatest of all landscape architects - Mother Nature. So plant something with us this spring and give her a hand.
Andrea Bake is a former Field Operations Supervisor with LEAF and currently works as a Forest Data Collector with the City of Toronto. The Backyard Tree Planting Program is supported by Ontario Power Generation, York Region, Ontario Trillium Foundation, The City of Markham and Toronto Hydro.