Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests

Improving communities, one tree at a time.

Plant

Our Backyard Tree Planting Program offers native trees and shrubs to property owners at a subsidized cost.

Blogs

Kentucky coffeetree with visible seed pods

Hidden Ice Age Clues Could Be Growing in Your Backyard

You might think you know Kentucky coffeetree, honey locust and pawpaw, but are you aware these familiar trees hold a secret dating back to North America’s Ice Age? Their tough or oversized fruits evolved to be eaten and carried by massive mammals that no longer roam our landscapes. Keep reading to explore these lost partnerships and discover how echoes of that ancient world still appear in the trees around us today.

The LEAF team after their most recent TCHC pruning day in November 2025.

Five Years (and Counting!) of Pruning TCHC Trees

In November 2025, we returned to over 50 young trees planted through the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) Planting and Stewardship Program to provide structural pruning. This is an essential practice that supports long-term tree health, boosting the efforts of the TCHC tenants who care for the trees year-round. Read on to learn about this practice and how it supports TCHC trees!

Reinforcing Our House: The Story Behind LEAF’s Updated Mission and Vision

As a small and busy non-profit organization, we are very focused on our day-to-day activities, constantly evaluating and improving what we do and how we do it. Yet the “why” is usually what donors, volunteers and program participants care about most. Every so often it’s important to ask ourselves what we are trying to achieve and if our actions are aligned with our goals.