November 12, 2011
Andrea Bake
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The keynote speaker at the Ontario Urban Forest Council (OUFC) conference last week was Cecil Konijnendijk, a professor from the University of Copenhagen. He gave a talk on urban forestry in Europe - something I was very interested in because it was a chance to see what the Europeans are doing differently than we are here in North America. It was also a chance to gain ideas of where we can improve canopy cover in our own urban environments.
November 11, 2011
Melissa Williams
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On Thursday, November 3rd, urban forestry enthusiasts gathered at the Toronto Botanical Gardens for the Spreading Roots conference organized by the OUFC and TBG. After procuring coffee and continental breakfast and saying hello to friends and colleagues, we all took our seats and settled in for two days of stimulating tree-related talks.
November 09, 2011
Matthew Higginson
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Few things are more inspiring than planting a living thing and knowing it is going to grow. And rarely do I meet people who plant only for themselves - whether it’s in a community garden or your own backyard - there always seems to be an urge to share it with others. That being said, I was still a little thrown off when they told me I would be spending a day in the field planting trees – after all, I had signed on to be in communications, not planting boots...
November 08, 2011
Kamla Ross McGregor
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Buying a new home this summer was really exciting. My partner and I got a very cute, detached bungalow with a simple backyard, which my husband calls our “bowling alley” because of its shape. But when we bought the house back in July, the sun was intense and it didn’t rain for the whole month. Not only was the house hot but you couldn't be in the yard for more than 10 minutes without feeling like you were being cooked. I knew I needed to do something, so I started thinking about solutions.
November 03, 2011
Matthew Higginson
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Last Thursday we were honoured to be voted Toronto's "best activist organization" by NOW Magazine readers for the second year a row. Over the past decade and a half we’ve been working tirelessly to raise awareness around urban forest issues, empower citizens and encourage them to take action through planting and education.
November 01, 2011
Jessica Piskorowski
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The last tree tour of the season couldn’t have been a better one and I was happy to be the one leading it. It’s so great that Councillors like Mary-Margaret McMahon have shown support for the urban forest by organizing relevant events – including the Upper Beaches Fall Tour!
October 31, 2011
Michelle Bourdeau
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As Halloween approaches and many people are dressing up their homes with spiderwebs, skeletons and tombstones, it’s a great time to dress up your yard for spring (yes, spring!) by planting trees and shrubs. Planting a tree in the fall, late September to mid-November, will give your trees a head-start for the coming season. Once the new tree has dropped its leaves, it begins to develop roots until the first freeze. These roots will help the tree leaf-out in a healthy way next spring!
October 31, 2011
Heather Douglas
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The sun emerged just in time for our tour of Cabbagetown’s historic tree canopy last weekend. This was to be the first activity of the newly reformed Don Vale Cabbagetown Residents Association (DVRCA) and our Canopy Committee sponsored a tree tour by led by LEAF’s Amanda Gomm.
October 24, 2011
Matthew Higginson
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This post originally appeared on WWF Canada's blog.
Albert Einstein allegedly said “if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left.” While many acknowledge that we are experiencing dramatic losses of bees globally and that there is indeed a crisis before us, few have spent time on the front lines. This is why I’m excited to be catching this story of The Ailing Queen.
October 18, 2011
Amanda Gomm
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It is a chilly morning. Dampness hangs heavy in the air and clouds sit overhead as people gather in Etienne Brule Park waiting for a Hurricane. Ok... maybe not a "real hurricane" - not today... but we're meeting to remember Hurricane Hazel and the effect she had 57 years ago on the Humber.