Krista Jones
Posts by Krista Jones:
Farewell to the Sugar Maple
After more than a century on the grounds of the former Elora Public School, now home to the Elora Centre for the Arts, we are sad to announce that the last historic Sugar Maple is coming down.
This tree was one of a number that ringed the former schoolyard; they were planted by David Boyle, a renowned and progressive teacher who served as the school’s principal between 1871 and 1881.
Like so many of the old Sugar Maples that grace our community, the tree is in decline. In 2019, Tree Trust spearheaded work in the canopy to help preserve it. It is due for more work, but the Arts Centre’s exciting expansion plans will impact the tree by compacting its roots- which will eventually prove fatal. Thus, the difficult decision has been made to bring the tree down in March.
We invite you to leave a note or picture to thank this tree for its role contributing to our urban canopy, sheltering students and wildlife, storing carbon and … well, being part of the community for generations. Truly, it has stood as a connection between past students and the learning that flourishes in the Centre today.
A new Sugar Maple and a number of saplings – offspring of a similarly aged maple tree – will be planted at a dedication ceremony this fall.
Please visit TreeTrust.ca to learn more about the efforts of our program to help preserve beloved trees in our community.
Tree Talk: Nov. 30, 2022, The Vimy Oaks Project
Bob Domoney of the Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation presented a Neighbourwoods Tree Talk at the Fergus Legion on Nov 30th. Domoney related the inspiring story of a remarkable project that memorialized Canadians who fought in WWI.
After the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, Canadian soldier Lieutenant Leslie Miller gathered acorns, brought them back home to Canada, and planted them on his farm in what is now Scarborough. By the early 2000’s, a group of volunteers led by Monty McDonald, a close friend of the Miller family, became determined to commemorate Lt Miller and others by repatriating “Vimy Oak” saplings descended from those acorns, back to Vimy Ridge, to reforest the devastated area, and also distribute Vimy Oak saplings across Canada.
This compelling story was a wonderful example of how a group of volunteers worked together and persevered through various setbacks to accomplish their mission to honour Canadian veterans. One hundred and twenty Vimy Oak trees are now planted in a beautifully-designed park near the Vimy Memorial in France, and more than 900 are planted across Canada. Two Oaks are growing in front of the Wellington County Museum and Archives in Aboyne, and two are on Tower Street in Fergus at the edge of Victoria Park. There are plaques identifying the trees.
Neighbourwoods thanks the Fergus Legion, the Vimy Oaks Legacy Corporation, and the Elora and Salem Horticultural Society, for helping to make this event possible.
Are We Doing Tree Planting Right?
August 11, 2022
“It’s fairly easy to plant a tree when purchasing products or donating to tree-planting programs. But when done poorly, tree-planting can hinder biodiversity and harm the planet. When does tree-planting becoming green-washing? What’s the relationship between land, species, and technology when it comes to global tree-planting?”
Click here to watch the segment in which Nam Kiwanuka speaks with Derrick Emsley, CEO of 10Tree and Sean Thomas, Professor at the Toronto Institute of Forest Conservation about the challenges surrounding current planting and the conflict between how planting and conservation of our current canopy could make all the difference.
Ottawa’s pledge to plant two billion trees is proving difficult to execute
MATTHEW MCCLEARN PUBLISHED AUGUST 7, 2022 UPDATED AUGUST 12, 2022
“Standing atop an old landfill, Francis Allard is in his element.”
Mr. Allard is co-founder of Ramo, whose business is planting willows and poplars to help remediate landfills, mines and marginal land. At the Ste-Sophie Landfill north of Montreal, the company is growing willows to treat leachate from areas of the facility that were closed decades ago. Ramo harvests the trees every few years, weaving them into a variety of products, including fences and noise barriers. It’s also establishing a plantation in northern Quebec to supply soil amendments for reclamation at nearby mines.
But Mr. Allard’s mood darkens back at Ramo’s new $7-million willow nursery nearby. Half of it was paid for using funding from the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program (2BT for short). An early believer in the program, Mr. Allard scaled up Ramo’s capacity to meet the anticipated surge in demand.”
Click here to continue reading about Ottawa’s plan and whether the numbers will add up in the end.