With the support of Councillor Paula Fletcher and City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation we worked to get these trees to the top of their game. In all, 63 newly planted trees were adopted that morning, each one by a community member who would help it establish during the crucial first few years in the park. In addition, several folks from outside the area had come to take a tour of the park, eager to learn more about the project and to take the Adopt-A-Tree idea back to their own neighbourhoods.
Sugar maples were in full display, glowing through a cloudy day like lanterns along our tour path. We were instantly drawn to their beauty like moths to a flame, surrounded by clementine-orange, fire-red, and sunshine-yellow as we investigated why leaves change colour in the fall.
Amid some of the tallest ash trees I’ve ever seen in urban parks, Councillor Fletcher shared some statistics on ash treatment in Ward 30 and highlighted the fantastic ways we can re-purpose the wood of those that have become infested and must be removed.
Side by side, young and mature oaks helped us to imagine what our new trees had the potential to become. It was the perfect opportunity to bring up a few of the easy actions that go a long way to aid young trees in their establishment: regular watering and mulching are simple but effective ways to give them an added advantage in a harsh urban environment.
This is exactly what the Friends of Monarch Park and community volunteers will be doing over the next few years. And Anna Hill’s recap of Withrow Park’s Adopt-A-Tree launch from September is a great way to see how it’s done. I can’t wait to watch these trees grow over the years…you know I’ll be checking in!
LEAF’s Adopt-a-Park-Tree Program is supported by Park People, Ontario Power Generation, Walmart-Evergreen Green Grants Program. Read an article about this event in the Beach Metro here.