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Long Branch Neighbourhood Association

News and Events

Long Branch Neighbourwoods© Tree Inventory

We launched our Neighbourwoods© project in Long Branch in the summer of 2018, and hired three students for the summer to be trained by and to work with Dr. Danijela Puric-Mladenovic, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto.

In 2019, we decided to expand the project and hired six students.

This summer, we have hired six more summer interns to work not only on the Neighbourwoods Tree Inventory, but also to work on programs related to tree stewardship.

Building on the data we gathered in 2018 and 2019 Dr. Puric-Mladenovic is also working on measuring the overall changes in tree canopy to provide us with feedback on whether our tree canopy is declining, increasing or just staying the same.

Our goal is to have trees covering 40% of Long Branch.

Our teams of students will come to your property and ask permission to enter your yard and conduct their inventory. Among other things, they will:

  • identify the species of every tree in your yard
  • measure the size of each tree and estimate the age
  • note the location of each tree
  • evaluate the health of each tree.

If you are interested in participating in our tree inventory project and having the tree data on your property added to our database, you can just email us with your name, address and phone number so we can arrange for one of our teams of students to come around.

The 2019 Long Branch Garden Tour is Coming Up.

Attention all gardening enthusiasts! Saturday June 22 is the date for the 2019 Long Branch Garden Tour. Mark your calendars.

This year marks the 135th birthday of this beautiful community, and the 2019 garden tour promises to be better than ever.

If you would like to have YOUR garden included as part of the tour, it’s not too late to register. We have to close registration soon to allow us time to design and print the brochure and map showing the participating gardens, so register yours by contacting us.

Then on June 22nd, come visit Long Branch between 10 am and 4 pm and enjoy over 3 dozen beautiful gardens.  Best of all – it’s free!

To learn more, visit our website longbranchgardentour.ca

Meet More LBNA Summer Interns!

Whether or not you choose to participate in our Neighbourwoods Tree Inventory, you’ll probably see these summer interns in their green T-shirts.

Meet Nicole Bitter

I am very excited to be back working for the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association and taking part in the LBNA tree programs. Last year our team visited many of the properties in Long Branch and I had the pleasure of meeting the residents and getting to know the area.

I live on the west end of Long Branch where my grandparents bought a condo in the 70s and I remember many visits to Marie Curtis Park and taking the GO train downtown.

I am a graduate student from Fleming College and the University of Guelph where I took Environmental Science programs and developed my love for nature and trees.

I really enjoyed my summer last year learning about urban trees and the importance of preserving forest ecosystems in city areas. I love working outside and also within small communities to try and spread awareness and understanding for the living world.

From my many years at school, I have studied the relationship between humans and nature and why it is so important to maintain a healthy balance in any landscape. Growing up in the GTA, I have a keen interest in helping the urban environment achieve a more symbiotic relationship with nature than it has in the past. I believe that by following and applying what we know of ecology and biology we can grow to become a more sustainable community and world. 

Meet Lucas Udvarnoky

A photo of one of our summer interns, Lucas Udvarnoky

I’m a jazz music student at the University of Toronto, entering my 4th year. I started playing guitar when I was 8 years old, and I play the trumpet at U of T. I enjoy listening to and playing all kinds of music!

I’ve lived in Long Branch since 1999 and this is my second year on the Long Branch tree inventory team.

I have a love for nature (especially trees) and am excited to be working around trees again this summer. I’m eager to see all of the beautiful and interesting species that are planted, as well as the old and wise. I’ve always been an avid tree watcher and am always on the lookout for noteworthy trees!

I care a lot about the environment and am happy to be a part of an effort to help our urban forest. It is awesome to both live and work in Long Branch!

Meet Savannah Bein

I am a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, majoring in environmental studies with minors in French and German. Because I have lived my whole life in Long Branch, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with nature in my own neighbourhood.

During my undergrad, we studied the sustainable development goals. Particularly, the goal of “building sustainable cities” caught my interest, which I focused my research in. I am really interested in the combination of dense urban cities meeting the balance of nature. I look forward to preserving the green canopy and preserving the character of Long Branch as the neighbourhood continues to grow. 

Meet Evan Udvarnoky

I am a passionate science student studying biology at the University of Waterloo and I am excited to begin my second year of studying in September.

I have been a resident of Long Branch my whole life and have enjoyed all 19 years of living in this beautiful neighbourhood. I enjoy the outdoors and my hobbies include mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and camping.

This position interests me as I will get to spend my summer outdoors and in my neighbourhood. As a biology student, I’m also looking forward to expanding my knowledge of trees and the ecosystems around me. I’m ready to apply my learning from school. 

What Is That Tree?

 

Join us on this exciting 1.5 hour walk to learn how to identify and talk about trees by looking at leaf anatomy and other distinguishing features!

Led by Jonathan Dionne,  Long Branch Tree Stewardship Program Lead and University of Toronto Masters in Forest Conservation Candidate.

 

On-line Workshop: How to help your little trees grow!

Join us online for this free, interactive workshop to look at what you can do to help the young trees on your property thrive and grow into strong beautiful trees.

What type of fertilizer should I use?  When should I fertilize my tree?   How much water does it need?  How do I get rid of pests that are eating my tree’s leaves?  What type of mulch should I use?

Led by Jonathan Dionne,  Long Branch Tree Stewardship Program Lead and University of Toronto Masters in Forest Conservation Candidate

LBNA Launches New Tree Stewardship Programs!

The Long Branch Neighbourhood Association has been very active in programs to preserve and re-build the tree canopy in Long Branch.

These programs have included Tree for Me – distribution of free native Canadian trees for residents to plant at home. Another is Long Branch Remembers – again distributing native species to commemorate veterans connected to Long Branch.

Our latest program is structured around Tree Stewardship.

What better way to celebrate Canada Day than a guided walk to learn about trees (physical distancing requirements will all be met so the walk is enjoyable and safe for all) or an on-line workshop to learn how to care for your young trees so they grow to become gentle giants (or healthy mid-size trees).  

Registration is now open for the first programs in our new series.   It is free thanks to a grant to the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association (LBNA) from the City of Toronto.