Blogs

Imagine walking through your community and recognizing the trees around you as living neighbours — knowing their names, their stories, their significance. For many participants of LEAF’s Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) Program, this is exactly what happens. Through hands-on learning, mentorship and community engagement, youth gain the knowledge and confidence to better understand, care for and connect with the urban forest around them. As LEAF celebrates 30 years of community-driven urban forestry, we are reflecting on the people who are becoming its next generation of stewards.

When a branch snaps, a tree doesn’t heal the way we do. Instead, it adapts. Read on to learn about the remarkably effective, long-term strategy that trees use to deal with injuries, and why proper pruning can make or break it.

Spring is just around the corner, and that means warmer weather, longer days and leafy trees! It’s also the time of year when some people start wondering, “Is there something wrong with my tree?” Of course, the answer to this varies by tree, but here are five common spring tree concerns along with advice on how to tackle challenges.

As LEAF celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are reflecting both on where we began and where the next generation of environmental leadership might lead. For this first story in our anniversary series, we brought together two voices from different points in our timeline: LEAF founder, Janet McKay, and emerging environmental leader and long-time LEAF program participant, Dany Ko.