A couple of weekends ago, our Tree Identification Tour explored the incredible diversity of tree species found in the valley and a few of the urban pressures they face as part of Toronto’s urban forest.
Blogs
September 23, 2011
Mat Laporte
The needles are soft, deep green in color with a rounded tip, and each needle has two silver bands on its underside. A hemlock tree can grow quite large – up to 40 feet high and 25-35 feet wide in ideal conditions. The seed cones are ovoid in shape with rounded scales that make them look like dangling ornaments.
September 23, 2011
Janet McKay
Keep watering your trees until the ground freezes
Most urban trees suffer from drought. This stress weakens a tree’s ability to withstand winter conditions. Fall watering is especially important for evergreens, which continue to lose water through the winter months. Water your tree by placing a hose at the base of the tree on a slow drip for approximately 15 minutes (or apply 3 to 4 buckets) once or twice a week. For mature trees, a soaker hose can be used and spread on the ground out as far as the trees branches reach.
September 22, 2011
Melissa Williams
These insects cut off the flow and water and nutrients by feeding underneath the bark of the trees. All ash trees are susceptible, and if a tree has become infested with EAB, mortality will result, usually within 2-3 years. Healthy trees may be treated with TreeAzin™, the only product registered for use in Canada against EAB that in some cases may be able to slow or prevent infestation in individual trees.
September 22, 2011
Janet McKay
Green Prosperity, a joint effort of 21 leading environmental organizations including LEAF, identifies seven environmental priorities for this election.
September 22, 2011
Andrea Bake
With the wet spring we had in southern Ontario this year, there has been an increase in the prevalence of Quince rust on serviceberry trees and shrubs. This fungus has a two-stage life cycle, the first of which is hosted on juniper or cedar species, and the second of which is hosted on species of the rose family. In the first stage, branches on infected cedars will swell up to double their normal size, and red-orange fungal fruit bodies will emerge out of the bark mid-spring.
September 22, 2011
Matthew Higginson
I'm happy to launch this blog following a very special day in Canadian tree history. For the past 15 years we’ve been working tirelessly to increase the urban forest canopy in Toronto and the surrounding region. We’ve carved out a home for all of the amazing stories we’ve gathered, heard and experienced since those early days of LEAF – and from here on out this is where you'll find them.
September 21, 2011
Janet McKay
I’m very pleased to be here today and to have this opportunity to recognize the ongoing contributions of University of Toronto, Faculty of Forestry to the urban forestry movement.
I’d like to thank Tree Canada for their efforts to establish a National Tree Day for Canada.