Coming up next month, we will once again be giving away free trees to Long Branch residents.
Watch this spot for an update. We’re planning to enable you to order your free tree through our website to make it more convenient for you.
Coming up next month, we will once again be giving away free trees to Long Branch residents.
Watch this spot for an update. We’re planning to enable you to order your free tree through our website to make it more convenient for you.
I want everyone to look out at your front yard, look at the trees. How many trees do you have? What species are they? Are they in good health? Now, go to your back yard and do the same thing. Consider the trees in your neighbour’s yards, the trees that line the streets, or the trees in Parks. It is important to remember that each individual tree is contributing to something much bigger, an ecosystem that supports so much life and provides many unseen benefits.
Starting my internship with the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association (LBNA), I was thrilled to see their involvement in so much, including planting trees, Tree Fest, and their work on the Neighbourwoods® inventory project. It is clear that the LBNA cares about the trees of Long Branch, and I have been thrilled to get to know this amazing community, and to work on the LBNA Tree Stewardship projects this summer.
Some may ask: “What is tree stewardship?” and “Why are we promoting it?”
It’s simple, actually, tree stewardship is the job of monitoring and maintaining trees. The important thing to remember is action.
Urban trees face many additional stresses from living in the city, so they require more attention than a tree in the forest. This summer has been hot and dry, don’t forget that your trees need water too! Trees need deep long watering, as opposed to the shallow frequent watering of grass. Another way to help get your tree enough water is with mulch. Mulch benefits your tree by retaining water, regulating temperature, providing physical protection, and more.
The City of Toronto has been planting new trees to raise the average canopy cover of Toronto from 27% to 40%. Planting trees in your own yard helps contribute to this goal however, most canopy coverage comes from older trees. These older trees have massive canopies that filter pollutants from the air and soil, as well as reduce storm water run-off and provide shading and cooling for the community. Unfortunately, once the tree is planted, the resources aren’t always available to look after them for the remainder of their life. This is why we need your help as tree stewards.
At the beginning of the article I asked about the trees in your area, and if you didn’t know the information, that’s okay! Learning is a part of Stewardship too. And that’s why we have a lot of fun and exciting events going on this summer including: Tree Walks, Tree workshops and the Tree festival! All of this and more is made possible thanks to the contributions from our summer inventory team, Nicole, Savannah, Evan, Lucas as well as Richard, who is working on our LBNA Tree app.
We have one last member of our team, you! Get involved yourself, learn something new, plant a tree, or give a tree some water and a hug. Give back to nature and conserve the beautiful trees in our amazing Etobicoke communities.
If you would like more information on any of our projects please take a few minutes to explore our website .
Or register for an upcoming event at https://lbnasummerevents2020.eventbrite.ca
Jonathan Dionne, who wrote this post, is a Master of Forest Conservation candidate at the University of Toronto and is the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association Tree Stewardship Program Lead.
This article was also published in The Etobicoke Guardian and toronto.com.
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.
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!
Two Sessions: Friday, July 3, 2020 at either 9:00 am or 11:30am
Starts and ends in Sam Smith Park
Led by Jonathan Dionne, Long Branch Tree Stewardship Program Lead and University of Toronto Masters in Forest Conservation Candidate.
This year, the LBNA planted 100 trees to honour Canadian Veterans as part of a program to plant 300 trees to commemorate veterans in Long Branch. The program is known as Long Branch Remembers.
All trees planted are native species and were planted at residences in Long Branch whose owners wished to honour a family member who was a veteran.
Here is a link to an article by Tamara Shephard in the Etobicoke Guardian with more details.
This year’s Long Branch Tree Fest will be held on Sunday, September 22nd in Marie Curtis Park. From noon until 4 pm, you can visit over 50 exhibitors and vendors and participate in a variety of activities for all ages.
This also is a special occasion, as it marks the 135th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Long Branch.
We have a number of local musicians to entertain you and there will be an open mic to allow young musicians to showcase their skills.
For adults, we have yoga and nature walks to explore the trails in Marie Curtis Park and enjoy the beauty of the park.
For kids, we have story-telling and face painting.
In keeping with the theme of celebrating and preserving the urban forest around us, we have an arborist to answer your questions about trees and, for avid gardeners, we will have a plant exchange and giveaway of shrubs.
The Long Branch Tree Fest is made possible through the generous support of a number of public and private organizations including:
We look forward to seeing you there. See other Long Branch events here.