March 28, 2012
Vik Pahwa
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Last Wednesday High Park was set on fire - intentionally. There was excitement in the air - the tension of an imminent forest fire and police officers standing by mixed with curious onlookers and reporters waiting with anticipation. I was about to witness a prescribed burn.
March 28, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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This week ads went up along transit lines and will run for the next month. The message? "You could really use a tree." What a simple line - but it really captures the spirit of what we do at LEAF. When I first saw these I loved the humour, and the fact that we could use it to help tell our story. They speak to the issues we face and that Toronto's urban forest can really use a hand.
March 21, 2012
Guest Blogger
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With a high number of trees being removed each year in the GTA due to storm damage, insect infestations, disease, and urban development it’s a shame to see so many good trees go to mulch. While this method is very useful for nourishing the remaining urban forest, I’ve seen how fallen trees can also be transformed in other ways and passed down through generations as tables and benches. The issue of “urban wood waste” is not just unique to Toronto; it is a Canada-wide problem.
March 14, 2012
Susan Poizner
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With the surge of interest in the local food movement, more and more Torontonians are planting fruit trees in their yards, school grounds, or in their local parks. After all, why should we import fruit from around the world when we can grow it in our own communities? With proper care and nurturing, a fruit tree can feed us for up to 50 years or more.
March 14, 2012
Andrea Bake
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Every so often we choose a particular species to focus on from our residential planting programs. These are written to explore the unique characteristics more deeply than what is featured on our profile gallery, while offering insight as to why we choose to plant them in backyards across Toronto and York Region. This month we look at the pawpaw – a new addition to our list and a delicious twist on native species.
March 14, 2012
Andrea Bake
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It is common to see trees with brown leaves in the spring and summer, well before we expect the changing colours of autumn to appear. There are a few reasons for such symptoms. You can narrow it down by answering the following a few questions....
March 13, 2012
Andrea Bake
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One of my favourite fall activities is going to my local apple orchard to pick a bag of Mutsu apples, which (surprisingly) does not last a week with my family. In the winter, I scour markets and grocery stores for the best specimens that have not succumbed to becoming a mushy disaster.
February 29, 2012
Mark Sherman
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As a tree enthusiast, most walks I take are spent with my head up in the canopy. I observe trees for their form, leaves, over all health, wildlife and the urban stresses they face. During the winter, my gaze shifts. I like the opportunity to examine the naked tree’s architecture and to practice my non-leaf based identification skills - relying on the more subtle tells of the twigs and bark. With the added challenge of winter identification, I have found myself taking more time to let my eyes wander. Recently I have been noticing some neat tree-connected art around our city.
February 23, 2012
Matthew Higginson
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Salt. It's on our tables, in our food and on our sidewalks. It has been linked to high-blood pressure and cardiovascular disease in us; discoloured leaves and sparse foliage in our canopies overhead. And as pressure grows to get Canadians to ease up on our intake, it may also be time to put our trees on a low-sodium diet.
February 22, 2012
Guest Blogger
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The Guelph Urban Forest Friends (GUFF) is a group of citizen-based activists who took local tree preservation into their own hands. When faced with the city’s decision to cut down more than 20 mature trees we organized an action to preserve one of the remaining mature trees using a group of five bikes.