Blogs

Out of all the species we offer in our Backyard Tree Planting Program, I get the most calls about the Kentucky coffeetree. The greatest number of them involves concerns that the tree 1) was dead when planted, 2) has died over the winter, or 3) has full branches dropping off of it in the fall. Fortunately for me (and our homeowners!) these concerns are rarely warranted. And in fact, the majority of these can be explained by looking at the tree’s Latin name: Gymnocladus dioicus.

This year marks 50 years of conservation, action and advocacy for the Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC). To celebrate, they organized a weekend of events dedicated to educating and inspiring those who care for the urban forest. The three-day festival included a gala, a tree tour of the Moore Ravine, and a full day seminar delivered by Dr. McKenzie-Mohr – an environmental psychologist and leader in promoting sustainable behaviour.

In the year 1900 Frank Chapman set out to change a Christmas Day tradition. At the time, it was considered a sport to team up and see who could gun down the most small mammals and birds on this holiday, but Mr. Chapman wanted to change this. Calling his proposal the Christmas Bird Census, he sought out people to count the birds – not shoot them. One hundred and thirteen years later, his tradition (now called the Christmas Bird Count) involves 60,000 people across North, Central and South America annually.

There’s nothing more powerful than our own history. Knowing where we’re from, how our ancestors lived, and that moments in time were marked - somehow by someone related to us - is an amazing thing. For me, I feel most connected with my ancestors when I can visit something that was around while they were – something they may have touched, seen or visited. In a southern Ontario context (far away from where my ancestors made their mark on Canadian History, which may or may not be a statue in Montreal), these are the ancient trees that have stood guard through the passing of time.