August 13, 2012
Christine Bruce
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Indonesia is a developing nation. They have a lot of challenges to deal with, not the least being their lack of infrastructure. It’s nearly impossible to walk to work (although I persist, to my friends’ horror). Enormous buildings and cars are big status symbols. In the midst of the turmoil, people and trees quietly contribute to a cooler, calmer environment. Both are kind to a fault.
August 09, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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We arrive in Chicago by plane, excited to touch down in a place that is as well known for its open lakeshore as it is for its historic architecture. The city wears history on its sleeve; the windy home Kanye West and Al Capone; the site of Harrison Ford’s green river chase and Matthew Broderick's teen-angst parade. But all stories aside, Natalie and I are about to discover it for ourselves.
August 07, 2012
Mark Sherman
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Each summer LEAF arborists head back to visit many of the yards that we have planted in since 1996. We asses their growth, form and relative health. This important step helps us track our success in building a stronger urban forest. It is not just about getting a tree in the ground, but getting the right tree in the right place. Here are some notes about a tree that is doing particularly well...
July 31, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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The heavy afternoon rain offered our urban forest a brief reprieve from the drought we’ve sweltered in this summer – which is good news for the pears, plums, apricots, and apples that are coming into season. We often talk about the urban forest for its benefits – cleaner air, cooler streets, safer communities…. But did you know Toronto is also an urban food basket?
July 27, 2012
Mat Laporte
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This poem was written during an eight day trip my girlfriend Brenda and I took to Big Sur and San Francisco, in June of this year. To call this a poem may be a stretch (it’s not really an epic either!). It’s made up of discrete journal-like entries. This method owes a lot to the example of two of my favorite poets who both spent the majority of their lives in San Francisco and surrounding areas: Joanne Kyger and Philip Whalen.
July 27, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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I have my suspicions about the way LEAF Tree Tours became a reality six years ago. The simple act of eye contact can go miles in a city. Heads are down. People are accustomed to the rush. If you make that contact, add a smile, maybe a chance to take a stroll and learn something new… you might just have a tool for community building.
July 23, 2012
Jonathan Yazer
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There’s no question it’s hot out there. And under this heat spell that has given us a record 9 extreme heat alerts so far this year, we’ve all been scrambling for any shade and cool spots we can find.
July 19, 2012
Guest Blogger
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We are the Young Naturalists, a group of keen and enthusiastic nature lovers, who love to learn about, care for, and promote a sense of respect for nature. Twenty-one of us, ranging from ages 8-12 years, meet daily for a week to participate in one of many summer camp programs at the High Park Nature Centre.
July 11, 2012
Erin Silverstein
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We live in a built environment. Almost everything around us is either human-made or human influenced. Even the tracts of meadow and woodlots across York Region have not escaped our influence. The meadow was once an agricultural plot. The woodlot is a remnant of a much larger forest. These places we now call home have undergone tremendous change throughout history. And few people stop to wonder what our environment was once like.
July 03, 2012
Visitor (not verified)
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What a wonderful time to be outside! This week, I am very excited to be a guest naturalist at High Park Nature Centre’s Young Naturalists Summer Camp, where I will be sharing my own expertise on the urban forest.