Blogs

Outdoor spaces, when properly planned and planted, can be such a great resource! A well designed yard can act as an outdoor extension of your home, where your family can relax. It can also serve as vital habitat for local wildlife. Designing a wildlife-friendly yard is an easy way to improve our urban forest and promote local biodiversity.

This summer, young women took part in LEAF’s Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) program to learn about urban forestry. The program concluded with participants organizing a community event at a Toronto park. For the four of us, Laura, Denyse, Jenna and Karla, this event took place on Sunday, August 19th, at Guild Park. It was the first of the three YUFL events and an amazing success!

Every year, LEAF organizes several Tree Tenders Volunteer Training Courses in various locations in the Greater Toronto Area. This September, we will be hosting a course at the Humber Arboretum and we’re especially excited about it!

Growing up, I loved to climb trees. When I was seated in the branches of a tree I could be anything I wanted, from a forest fairy overlooking her kingdom, to a firefighter saving an (imaginary) cat. Trees played an essential role in my childhood, but they did more than just fuel my overactive imagination. Trees benefit the health and wellbeing of all people, but they hold unique benefits for kids.

Thank you all for taking the time to pose your most pressing tree and garden questions! We loved reading each person’s individual queries, as they showed the unique connections between residents and the urban forest. There were so many questions, that we couldn't answer just five! We narrowed them down to the six most representative.