Centre Wellington Public Forest Policy
Centre Wellington now has a Public Forest Policy which is a comprehensive document that outlines standards for tree planting and maintenance on municipal and private property.
If you want to learn more about this legislation you can read the document, published January 1st of this year, to access the document click here
How Old Is That Tree?
If you have ever wondered, ‘how old is that tree?’, here is a simple worksheet which will give you a rough idea. Because this is an
American source, you will need to convert your diameter calculation into inches by dividing by
2.54.
And once you know, it’s fun to ponder what our community looked like when your tree was
young!
Instructions
1. Determine the tree’s diameter (inches) at a height of 4.5 feet from the ground.
Diameter = circumference / 3.14 inches
2. Use the table below. The table assigns a growth factor to various tree species.
Multiply the diameter (inches) by the appropriate growth factor.
Example: Your cottonwood tree has a diameter of 18 inches at 4.5 feet from the ground.
18 inches x 2 = 36 years (estimate)
Note: Growth factor numbers are most accurate for trees grown in healthy forests. Street and urban trees often are exposed to stressors such as poor soils, damage from machines and equipment, restricted growing areas, etc. Street and urban trees have different growth factors and they tend to grow more slowly and be weaker than healthy forest-grown trees.
Species Growth Factor
Aspen spp. = 2
American elm = 4
Austrian pine = 4.5
Basswood = 3
Birch, paper = 5
Black cherry = 5
Black maple = 5
Black walnut = 4.5
Colorado blue spruce = 4.5
Cottonwood = 2
Green ash = 4
Ironwood = 7
Kentucky coffee tree = 3
Northern red oak = 4
Norway maple = 4.5
Red maple = 4.5
Red pine = 5.5
River birch = 3.5
Scotch pine = 3.5
Shagbark hickory = 7.5
Silver maple = 3
Sugar maple = 5.5
White oak = 5
White pine = 5
Call For Volunteers
If you have been looking for an opportunity to contribute to our community, meet some really nice folks, learn some things then please consider volunteering for Neighbourwoods. All of our programs rely on folks just like you. Some of our projects ask for a couple of hours – like planting and stewards, and others need a longer commitment over the summer.
In all cases, you’ll learn about trees and feel good!
We invite you to take a look at the 4 volunteer opportunities we have for 2019 and fill our form below to find out more. No obligation!
Neighbourwoods Winter Tree Talk – Review
Neighbourwoods Winter Tree Talk: MCC: Reforesting for Hope and Change in Haiti
On January 21st, about 40 enthusiastic community members gathered to hear Fred Redekop give a fascinating overview of a long-running project by the Mennonite Central Committee to reforest the hardest-hit areas in Haiti, to provide local people with affordable food, cooking fuel, and building materials, as well as income from fruit and lumber sales. In addition, the reforestation project improves soil and reduces erosion from wind and water, reducing vulnerability to, and allowing quicker recovery from, natural disasters like hurricanes and droughts.
Fred’s talk included some background on some of the reasons that led to Haiti’s becoming so drastically deforested, including extreme weather but also political and economic pressures both internal and external to Haiti. This generated comments and questions among the listeners, and we were fortunate to have relevant insights shared by participants with first-hand experience in Haiti. A strong point of the presentation was that MCC works directly with local people and partners, to ensure the aid provided is appropriate to the people’s needs, and is sustainable by them over the long term. MCC has established local tree nurseries, and provides education, training, and support on sustainable farming practices. The trees are selected specifically for the climate and conditions, and are fast-growing. The project has been underway since 1983; in the past five years alone, over 2 million trees have been planted, of which approximately 400,000 are fruit trees.
The presentation gave us much food for thought, and provided a clear example of how forest conservation is critical to the well-being of people and environments.
Fred Redekop was a pastor in the Mennonite Church for 30 years. At present he is the Church and Community Associate for Mennonite Central Committee; he is also a councillor for the Township of Woolwich. We were delighted that he was able to join us for this special evening.
Neighbourwoods thanks our 2018-19 Tree Talk Sponsor, the Elora-Salem Horticultural Society, for their support.
Looking to have some tree work done?
Neighbourwoods encourages residents to hire a qualified arborist to maintain the health andvigor of private trees, and to address potential safety concerns. An arborist can also determine when a tree can no longer be maintained and should be removed due to health, structural concerns, or safety concerns that may impact long-term viability. Tree removal around buildings, vehicles and wires present special challenges.
Although the tree care industry is not regulated, many arborists choose to become certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) which mandates arboricultural training and continuing education, as well as adherence to the Certified Arborist Code of Ethics. A qualified arborist should be certified with the ISA or a comparable organization, have liability insurance, Workers Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) coverage, and provide detailed
estimates prior to undertaking any work.
If you are looking to have tree work done, there are many qualified contractors working in the Township of Centre Wellington, we invite you to start by visiting the website of the newly formed CW Arborist Association. Every member has volunteered their time and expertise with Neighbourwoods.
Their website can be found at https://www.cwarboristassociation.ca/ with new improvements coming soon!
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.