Krista Jones
About Krista Jones
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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.
These arborists explain how to save your trees from breaking in the next big storm
Aastha Shetty · CBC News · Posted: Aug 11, 2022 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: August 11
“A powerful storm in Elora, Ont. recently left a large number of trees bent and broken, bringing down some that were more than 100-years-old. A number of those trees also came dangerously close to falling on nearby homes.
Local arborists say there was a way to prevent that — tree maintenance.
“Look at what else you invest in on your property, whether it’s roofing or electrical … We’re encouraging people to look at it that way,” said Toni Ellis, executive director of Tree Trust, a program that helps preserve mature trees in Elora.”
Click here to read the full article about how important tree maintenance is to keeping our mature trees health and strong – storms come in all different shapes and forms!
Tour the Trees of Fergus & Elora
Are you looking for something fun to do outside this weekend?
Neighbourwoods has created an online Tour the Trees interactive map! Ride along the beautiful Cataract Trailway to each of the trees on the map (all between Fergus and Elora). Hear the stories behind each tree, meet some of the key players in Fergus/Elora history, and learn a little bit more about the beautiful tree species we have in our community. It even has videos, featuring local actors and historians.
Click here to view the Tour the Trees Story Map!
The Tour the Trees event took place in 2018 when Neighbourwoods, with help from the Canadian Tree Fund, put on a 10km bike ride, visiting 10 trees (and one rock). The ride was led by local bike-adventurer and enthusiast Rick Goodfellow, who has biked all around the world. The event culminated with a tree planting in Bissell Park, Elora.
We hope you get out and enjoy the beautiful summer weather, and learn about some trees!
Earth Day 2022
Tree Trust — a unique charity that sustains legacy trees — celebrated the preservation of one more beautiful tree in our community on Earth Day, April 22.
Thanks to generous support from Giddy Funeral Home, one glorious Silver Maple at the St. Mary Immaculate and St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Elora was given professional arboriculture care by Baum Tree Care and Full Circle Tree Care.
The occasion was marked with a special ceremony featuring Tree Trust sponsor Scott Giddy, Warden and Mayor Kelly Linton, and arborist Phil Guenter. Young, enthusiastic singers from the EarlyOn program at the Community Resource Centre gave a cheery rendition of “If you’re Happy and you Know it.”
The cost of treating the majestic Silver Maple was covered by Graham A. Giddy Funeral Homes. “I am delighted to announce that we have signed on as a Tree Trust sponsor,” said Scott Giddy, Funeral Director. “We plan to contribute at least $2,500 for the next five years to the cause.”
“Seeing the children sing reminds me why we need to be better stewards of the planet,” says Wellington Centre Mayor Kelly Linton. “Tree Trust gives us a way to take action — both planting and caring for trees that are so vital to a healthy world.”
Tree Trust Executive Director Toni Ellis pointed out the environmental importance of our biggest trees, which do the work of close to 300 saplings: “They store carbon, provide habitat, slow storm water and, “in a place like this, give shade, solace and respite. “ Toni also explained that the giant silver maple is estimated to be well over 100 years old and is storing close to 12 tonnes of carbon in its trunk, branches and roots.
The celebration concluded with arborists climbing sky high to remove deadwood and reduce the canopy, a fascinating aerial show of skill and artistry that many stayed to watch.
Tree enthusiast Rob Guthrie also led guests on a tree walk to inspect and learn about some of storied trees on the grounds.
