All of the trees in Regent Park, apart from one, are very young, and many appear quite frail. The park is huge and the trees require a lot of work and maintenance. Working with LEAF and two other Tree Tender graduates has given me new insight on trees. I’ve always been intrigued by the way nature impacts how we behave and interact with each other. I experienced this first hand by being involved with LEAF.
My group often meets up in the park to work on the tree inventory and plan what to do next. During our meetups in Regent Park, we’d see the farmers’ market, people dancing, playing soccer, or just hanging out. Judging by the engagement and constant activities going on in this lively park, I have no doubt the community will be willing to take part in caring for the trees with the Adopt-a-Park-Tree program.
Doing the inventory was a ton of work, as there are 207 trees in the park. We spent time identifying trees by their species and health, then put them all into an inventory online. So far I have learned a lot of administrative skills, something I wasn’t expecting from working with trees.
All of this work will lead up to our final project, a tree tour and stewardship event. At this event, we are planning to recruit people to adopt a park tree, meaning that they will provide the newly planted trees with necessities like regular watering and mulch. Gaining familiarity with the trees in the park is essential for us to host these events. We will then pass on this knowledge to the public. I am looking forward to creating a map and telling the stories of the trees in the park. We are going to take the participants of the event through the park and teach them the background information of each tree. Next time they walk through the park, they will have a newfound relationship with the trees, especially if they decide to adopt a park tree!
The Regent Park Adopt-a-Park-Tree Launch will take place on Saturday, October 17, 2015 from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Join us on for a hands-on mulching event and guided Tree Tour. Click here for more details and to register.
The Young Urban Forest Leaders Program is supported by the City of Toronto Community Recreation Investment Program. LEAF’s Adopt-a-Park-Tree Program in Regent Park is supported by the City of Toronto Community Recreation Investment Program and the Rotary Club of Toronto.
Marika MacLean is an Environmental Studies major at York University and enjoys reading, writing poems, and painting.