November 14, 2012
Al Yoshiki
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With a week of high winds and rain - the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy – we are all waiting on Jessica to see if the seasonal clean up of the St. Clair Urban Forest Demonstration Garden is a no-go. But as the clock rolls around, the email arrives and we, the stewards of the garden, are ready for the last hurrah of a very hot and dry season.
November 07, 2012
Jennifer Gagné
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Tree identification is a cool skill to have even for the fun of it. Like pointing out the constellations, it can be a great way to impress your friends. But even more than that, being able to tell the difference between a black walnut and a green ash can give you a greater appreciation for the urban forest - and how to properly manage it.
November 05, 2012
Jessica Piskorowski
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Nature can be an excellent teacher if you take the chance to learn from its various characters. In their own way, our Urban Forest Demonstration Gardens have instilled little bits of wisdom into everyone who has been touched by them. LEAF stewards and volunteers have been busy preparing our gardens for the looming cold (especially with the first snowflakes flying last week!)
November 02, 2012
Amanda Gomm
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Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a very special event in my own west end community. I’ve lived here for years and began admiring a certain silver maple when I first moved into this community in 2002. It’s just south of Roncesvalles and Westminster. You can’t miss it; it will stop you in your tracks, and is enough to make anyone look up.
October 29, 2012
Jessica Piskorowski
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This summer I took the ultimate train trip out West on board VIA Rail’s The Canadian. After stops in Jasper & Vancouver, we made the international jump and continued travelling down the coast to Seattle. A mix of wild, rural, and urban scenery offered a whole new roster of tree species to admire and thoughts on trees and landscapes.
October 23, 2012
Michelle Bourdeau
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A week ago, I was doing routine work at LEAF making sure our information was correct on websites outside of our own. One on my list was OPGBiodiversity, where I spent time catching up on what old friends are doing. The site highlights all of the organizations that currently receive funding from the program, and what they are doing to increase biodiversity across Ontario.
October 17, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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I'm at the final day of the Planet in Focus Film Festival. Poetry - visual, verbal and written - draws me in, occupying two of my five senses. Popcorn takes the rest. Quebec filmmaker Réal Junior Leblanc’s short finishes and I haven’t taken a single note. From the first frame his work, drawing on indigenous culture, highlights an intense relationship with the natural world.
October 05, 2012
Jessica Piskorowski
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Just south of Pacific Ave and Dundas St West, we removed over 200 interlocking bricks to improve the lives of four existing boulevard trees. Despite their day-to-day battle with compaction, drying salt, and lack of access to moisture and nutrients these four honey locusts have grown into beautiful specimens that provide shade to the streetscape and beautify the neighbourhood – along with a host of other ecological benefits.
October 04, 2012
Madeleine McDowell
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Last October, I was one of the leaders of a LEAF Tree Tour along the Humber River. This tour on the 57th anniversary of Hurricane Hazel was intended to illustrate the impact of this severe storm.