Long Branch Neighbourhood Association

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Please say “Yes” to Tree Inventory on your property

Get your trees inventoried early!  It will likely take us a couple of summers to inventory all the trees in Long Branch but click on the link below and give us your permission and address to get your property inventoried this summer.   Natalie and Henri (our summer students conducting the Tree Inventory Project) will be providing individual homeowners with reports on your own trees and/or plantable space and we will be working with the University of Toronto Faculty of Forestry to share the preliminary data and key findings with you as the data accumulates.

 

Click here to say YES to Tree Inventory

 

Future Impacts of Having a Neighbourwoods© Inventory for Long Branch
Both the Long Branch Neighbourhood Character Guidelines and Toronto Official Plan outline what sustainability features the city desires in both public and private space. Their vision, in conjunction with our analysis, has the power to really help Long Branch understand our urban forestry successes and challenges in a way that can concretely inform policy, funding and stewardship.

What we need you to do

1) Watch for Henri and Natalie this summer on your street and say “Hi” and invite them into your backyard to conduct the Tree Inventory.
2) Say “Yes, to Tree Inventory on my property” to participate in the inventory project. You can do this by clicking on this link or emailing us at longbranchnato@gmail.com and provide your address
3) Encourage your neighbours on your street to participate.
4) Come out to “Toast the Trees” to help us raise money for the program (see our earlier email with more details on what the funds will be used for)

Look what has been discovered in Long Branch!

Henri and Natalie added this magnificent Red Oak to our Tree Inventory on Friday.   Who knew we had such a gargantuan tree in our neighbourhood?  Stay tuned for more information about this amazing Long Branch “Titan Red Oak”!

Say Hello to our 2 Summer Students

Welcome Henri and Natalie!

The Long Branch Neighborhood Association (LBNA) is pleased to introduce you to our 2 Summer Students who have been hired to start our Tree Inventory Project.

Meet Henri (on the left) and Natalie (on the right) on their first day on the job standing in front of an Ohio Buckeye tree  with Dr Danijela Puric-Mladenovic of the University of Toronto Faculty of Foresty (in the middle).

Natalie and Henri are university Biology students – also residents of Long Branch – and are in the process of being trained on Neighbourwoods©:  a tree inventory and monitoring system that collects data that can be used to inform decision making and will help to develop the Long Branch Urban Forest Management Plan.  Neighbourwoods© was developed by Dr Puric-Mladenovic and Dr W.A. Kenney from the University of Toronto and has been used in communities all over Ontario and beyond.   We are so excited to add Long Branch to the list!

Future Impacts of Having a Neighbourwoods© Inventory for Long Branch

Both the Long Branch Neighbourhood Character Guidelines and Toronto Official Plan outline what sustainability features the city desires in both public and private space. Their vision, in conjunction with our analysis, has the power to really help Long Branch understand our urban forestry successes and challenges in a way that can concretely inform policy, funding and stewardship.

What we need you to do

1) Watch for Henri and Natalie this summer on your street and say “Hi” and invite them into your backyard to conduct the Tree Inventory.
2) Send an email to us at longbranchnato@gmail with your address and just say in the subject of the email “Yes, to Tree Inventory on my property” to participate in the inventory project.
3) Encourage your neighbours on your street to participate.
4) Come out to “Toast the Trees” to help us raise money for the program (see our earlier email with more details on what the funds will be used for)

Don’t Miss “Toast the Trees” in Support of our Long Branch Tree Inventory Project

Please join us for “Toast the Trees”

The Long Branch Neighborhood Association (LBNA) is organizing our first fundraiser “Toast the Trees”.  Please join us for a fun afternoon Wine and Cheese event in a beautiful private setting on Lake Ontario in Long Branch in support of our LBNA Tree Inventory Project.

Test your Long Branch Fun Fact Knowledge – Win great door prizes – Silent Auction – Get to know your neighbours

Buy a Ticket for Toast the Trees

The LBNA has hired two local university students to conduct a tree inventory in Long Branch. In cooperation with the University of Toronto Forestry program, the data produced will help us understand our urban forestry successes and challenges in a way that can concretely inform policy, actions and stewardship and will be used to create a Long Branch Urban Forestry Management Plan. This plan will serve as a “measuring stick” against the City of Toronto’s goal of achieving a tree canopy of 40%.

Funding for the wages of the summer students for 8 weeks was obtained by the LBNA from a Canada Summer Jobs Grant – for which we are very grateful – however we did not receive the fully requested funding we need to conduct this program.

The University of Toronto, Faculty of Forestry have partnered with the LBNA to provide training and some equipment, however the LBNA needs funding to ensure its successful implementation and maximize the positive experience for both our students and the community.

All funds raised will go towards the LBNA Tree Inventory project and will help to provide:

  • T-Shirts for our students so they are easily identified as they work in the community;
  • Printing expenses including notices to homes to participate in the Inventory,
  • Signage to raise awareness of the Tree Inventory Project; and
  • Transportation for the students for training and mentoring with the U of T Faculty throughout the project;
  • Tree inventory equipment and tree identification tools beyond that loaned to the LBNA by the U of T ;
  • Extension of tree inventory paid hours above and beyond the 8 weeks provided by our Canada Summer Jobs Grant.

Please let us know if you have any special food allergies or food preferences when you book your ticket or email us at longbranchnato@gmail.com

If you prefer to pay cash or cheque for your ticket, please contact one of the LBNA Board members or email us at longbranchnato@gmail.com.

Tickets are $40 for 1 person or $75 for two people.   You can also make a donation on-line if you would like to contribute to our Tree Inventory project but are not available to attend on June 24th.

Tickets are limited so please get yours soon.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Note:  Graphic design provided by Vecteezy.com

Long Branch Neighbourhood Association is Hiring

Job Posting:  Forester – Urban Forest Inventory

May 1, 2018

We are looking for two full-time students, between the ages of 18 – 30 years old to work in Long Branch this summer for a minimum of 8 weeks. You will be assisting the LBNA (Long Branch Neighbourhood Association) in developing an inventory of neighbourhood trees, and educating the community on the benefits of preserving and growing the Urban Tree Canopy.  This neighbourhood was an exclusive cottage community in the late 1800’s featuring densely treed lots. Many of these trees survive today. This project will include identifying Heritage Tree nominees to join the first one which is now officially recognized by Forests Ontario – a 200 year old Red Oak, Quercus rubra.

As part of a 2 person crew, you will accurately record the Long Branch urban forest inventory, including species and tree health data on public & private land.   Training and technical support will be provided through community partnership with the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto.

This project is part of a Federal Summer Student grant to the community.  The LBNA encourages students in forestry-related or arboriculture programs, including women, indigenous students; members of a visible minority and new immigrants/refugees in forestry-related programs to apply.

If you know of a student who is passionate about conserving and expanding urban forests, please have them email their resume as soon as possible to Judy Gibson, Chair, Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement Committee, Long Branch Neighbourhood Association via email:  judy.gibson@lbna.ca.

Our 1st Heritage Tree Dedication Ceremony

History was made on April 30th when the 200 year old oak “Big Red” at the corner of Park and Long Branch Avenue became Long Branch’s First officially recognized Heritage Tree.   The Ceremony was co-hosted by the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association and Councillor Mark Grimes.   In addition to the local residents who attended were  Councillor Mark Grimes and his staff;   Toni Ellis from Forests Ontario; Wendy Tobin, Branch Manager of the Long Branch TD Canada Trust and her staff and faculty and students from James S. Bell school.  Mary Kennedy conveyed a message from James Maloney, MP Etobicoke-Lakeshore who was up in Ottawa and not able to attend.

Hopefully this is just the first of many more Heritage Tree Ceremonies in Long Branch.   Heritage Trees bring awareness to the social, cultural, historical and ecological value of trees. For trees to qualify, Heritage Trees have to be associated with a historic person or event, or be growing on land that is historically significant. Candidate Heritage Trees are also assessed for form, shape, beauty, age, colour, size, rarity, genetic constitution or other distinctive features and/or as a prominent community landmark, however its historical or cultural significance is of most importance.

If you know of a tree in Long Branch that should be nominated, please contact us at longbranchnato@gmail.com.