Blogs

Sammy Tangir is an outdoor educator and an alumnus of the Young Urban Forest Leaders program. For Sammy, learning never stopped, and she has continued to pursue her passions, learning all she can about trees. Today, she’s a self-published author of a number of plant identification guides and an avid nature photographer, interests that were spurred on after her time as a Young Urban Forest Leader.

I have always been captivated by how trees withstand the harshest of winter weather and know when to grow their new leaves in the spring. This isn’t magic. The process actually depends on a variety of factors, such as temperature, precipitation and species type, and the timing can even change from year to year! Bud burst, or in other words “leafing out,” in the spring, is a more remarkable process than many of us know!

The Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) Program provides hands-on training and mentorship for Toronto youths. As Education Coordinator at LEAF, I, Lam Tran, am in charge of running and delivering this amazing program. But, not too long ago, I was lucky enough to be a program participant myself. At the time, I was full of hope, curiosity and a bit of anxiety. Little did I know, becoming a YUFL would turn out to be a defining moment in my life. Today, I want to share my story.

I was hired as the spring 2019 Lead Planter at LEAF for the 2019 spring planting season. At the time, I was looking to expand my field experience and was excited to get involved with an organization that has been doing such great work in urban forestry for over 20 years! Now, a year later, I am sharing with you what a typical day might look like as a LEAF planter and why the work we do is so important!