Fall Tree Talk
Date: October 2nd, 2018
Time: 7:30-9:00
Where: Minarovich Gallery
Admission is free for members and $5 for non-members.
SERENA SOUCY
What is conservation? A simple question, with many differing perspectives. Serena will take us through the history of the conservation effort providing a variety of viewpoints, from people of different nationalities and backgrounds. How are different communities affected by the conservation? Who benefits from it? Come to our tree talk to find out more!
About the Speaker:
Serena is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia with a degree in Natural Resources Conservation. She has experience working in conservations with Parks Canada, the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, and with the UBC Botanical Garden. As a student in the relatively small Faculty of Forestry, she had an optimal experience working closely with staff and professors to get the most out of her degree.
Year in Review
Here is a look at everything Neighbourwoods has been up to this summer with our 2018 Summer in Review.
Tour the Trees
This past Saturday, Neighbourwoods and the Canadian Tree Fund hosted Tour the Trees; an event that put our town’s natural history in the spotlight. Our 30 cyclists toured around Fergus and Elora to listen to the stories behind nine magnificent trees – and one rock. This tour took us from the Sugar Maples planted in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, to the Kissing Stane in Fergus’ James Square. If you didn’t have a chance to join us, a listing of the trees that we saw will be available soon.
We are very thankful to our speakers Deb Dalziel of Centre Wellington Tourism, Toni Ellis of Neighbourwoods, Ali Morrison of Green Legacy, Al Koop and Gary Bryant of Older Voices, Monique Lee of the Centre Wellington Arborists Association, Greg Boland of the Chestnut Council, John Wilson of the Canadian Tree Fund, Kyle Smith of the Aboyne Museum, as well as Rick Goodfellow who led our pack of cyclists.
We would also like to thank our sponsors: The Township of Centre Wellington and the Rotary Club of Fergus-Elora, as well as donations from Drayton Entertainment, the Elora Festival, Green Legacy, and the Elora Brewing Company, and Wreckless Eric’s Café for providing coffee.
Tour the Trees
This year Centre Wellington is proud to host Tour the Trees on Saturday, July 14th from 10am-12pm. Our group of riders will be making ten stops throughout Fergus and Elora to learn more about the historic foundation and beauty on which our community thrives.
Registration is $25 per rider and helmets are required.
To register please email canadiantreefundtrustee@gmail.com.
A special thanks to the Township of Centre Wellington and the Fergus-Elora Rotary Club for sponsoring this event.
Neighbourwoods Mulching
The Neighbourwoods crew and dedicated volunteers, Deb Jakab and Ted Ecclestone, were out mulching trees on June 27th around Elora. Using mulch from the Township, they mulched over one hundred trees in an afternoon. They visited many trees at sites including the Elora Public School trailway, Bridge Street and First Line, and the road to the OPP office.
Mulch is vital for both the maintenance and health of urban trees because it keeps their roots cool and moist on hot summer days. When mulching, it is very important to create a ring shape instead of piling mulch tight against the trunk of the tree. This helps keep the base dry and eliminates the chance for damp rot to form on the trunk.
Citizen Pruner Workshop
On June 23rd, 20 people, including representatives from ReForest London, Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP) Waterloo, and Longbranch Neighbourhood Association, attended our first-ever full-day Citizen Pruner Workshop. A special thanks to Chris Morrison, an enthusiastic, local, certified arborist. He provided attendees with a full overview of tree biology, structural pruning in a classroom setting, and practical application in the field. As well, a big shout out to Charlotte Rumbell who put many hardworking hours into organizing the event and providing attendees with take-away information.
2017 Year in Review
We are proud of our achievements last year. Check them out in our Year In Review Report. A quick but inspiring read.Neighbourwood Year in Review 2018
Citizen Pruner Workshop
Saturday, June 23: 9:30 to 3:30 PM in Elora.
Last summer in Elora/Fergus we ran a very successful Citizen Pruner program, with volunteers pruning around 150 trees. Not only did we help those trees avoid more drastic pruning down the road, but we offered up a very successful – and popular – volunteer program.
Join us for a Citizen Pruner Workshop on Saturday, June 23 in Elora. Find out everything you need to know to implement this innovative program in YOUR community. You will learn how to equip your volunteers to safely prune young trees.
The workshop will include:
- A presentation from certified arborist Chris Morrison (of Storm Water Forestry) to equip volunteers with information about how at tree grows and how to properly and safely prune a tree,
- how we organized the program and,
- field practice with Chris, pruning some local trees.
See you there!
Two Important Tree Tips
With spring around the corner, it is time to start thinking about having some tree work done. We encourage you to hire a certified Arborist for all your tree care work. They are insured, trained, educated and qualified to determine what measures are needed, how the tree will respond to any pruning cuts and have the skills needed to carry out tree care work. We also encourage you to hire local companies who understand how trees grow and react to our local weather conditions, and many of whom have been very helpful volunteers with NeighbourWoods.
ALSO, PLEASE DO NOT move firewood. This practice is responsible for spreading tree diseases – witness the Emerald Ash Borer. With fatal Oak Wilt at our doorstep in Windsor, our best defence is to keep and use firewood locally. Please share this!