August 17, 2021
Guest Blogger
This year, we are working with Toronto Community Housing (TCH) tenants to green their communities with almost 100 trees and over 200 shrubs. Meet one of the TCH tenants we’ve been lucky to work with: Len Mirander. Len contributes a tremendous amount of time caring for his community, from protecting the trees provided by LEAF to tending to the community garden. Our TCH Stewardship Assistant, Ruiqi, had the pleasure of speaking with Len about his community work.
August 16, 2021
Adriana Rezai-S...
Providing your trees with regular water and nutrients is the key to ensuring they live long, healthy lives. Still, tree diseases can affect the aesthetics and health of your tree, and even have fatal consequences if left untreated.
August 09, 2021
Guest Blogger
Tags:
Walk past any of Toronto’s parks on a sunny day and you’ll notice, without fail, someone lounging under a tall majestic tree. It’s no secret that the best way to contend with the dog days of summer is by finding a nice, shady spot. But big cities like Toronto will likely experience more and more intense heat waves in the future. Is that same tree canopy the answer? Here’s how our urban forest is fighting to protect us from extreme heat.
July 28, 2021
Guest Blogger
This year, we are working with Toronto Community Housing (TCH) tenants to green their communities with almost 100 trees and over 200 shrubs. Meet one of the TCH tenants we've been so lucky to work with: Aisha Chohan. Aisha participated in the Young Urban Forest Leaders (YUFL) program in 2020. Now, in 2021 she is engaging her neighbours to beautify their greenspace with native shrubs and fostering a sense of camaraderie in her community. Hoping to inspire others, she shares her experience!
July 15, 2021
Janet McKay
Tags: Urban Forest Champion
Danijela Puric-Mladenovic has recently joined the LEAF Board of Directors. In this blog, our Executive Director, Janet McKay interviews Danijela about her experience and her motivation for becoming a LEAF Board member.
June 28, 2021
Guest Blogger
Tags: Community Programs
Throughout May and early June, LEAF staff members were busy bees naturalizing public lands in the City of Richmond Hill. As a first-time tree planter, I was amazed that we were able to plant over 700 native trees and shrubs in just seven days! As I reflect back on the planting days, every day was unique and offered new learning opportunities for me. Here are three lessons I learned as a first-time tree planter!
June 14, 2021
Adriana Rezai-S...
Caring for your trees and shrubs by providing them with regular water and nutrients is the key to ensuring they live long, healthy lives. While this is true, there are some other external factors that can impact your tree/shrub’s health, such as climate, damage, disease and of course, pests.
June 10, 2021
Brenna Anstett
Thinking of planting a tree on your property? Planting trees is an excellent way to enhance your outdoor space. Trees also offer a number of wonderful benefits such as shade, privacy, wildlife food and habitat, increased property values and more. However, in order to maximize these benefits to their fullest, it is important to ensure you are planting your new tree in the right place!
June 05, 2021
Guest Blogger
Tags: Community Programs
LEAF held three planting days in King Township during May. Due to COVID-19, we decided to limit the number of planters to a small group. Our small but mighty group went above and beyond, planting over 300 native trees and shrubs in Kettle Lake Park.
June 02, 2021
Brenna Anstett
The pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), is a smaller growing species that is often planted as an ornamental or centrepiece in many gardens. It is aptly named for its layered, horizontal branching which often resembles a pagoda (a tower-like, tiered structure). The pagoda dogwood is a beautiful native understory species that can be readily found in many forests across eastern North America.