We Envision a City That Is Healthier Because Every Citizen Cares for the Urban Forest
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Front cover Inside cover Slug text We envision a city that is healthier because every citizen cares for the urban forest. Oak stand in Kew Gardens, Beaches Tree Tour. Photographer: Robin Sutherland 1 SlugForeword text - Who we are Slug text is Growing As an organization that champions This has been an incredible year of growth for LEAF. We have expanded our staff to eight passionate people who are dedicated to urban forest issues. We’ve increased the number of trees and shrubs planted and cared for, as well as the the urban forest our mission is to: number of people we reach through our planting programs, educational workshops, training sessions and tree tours. Our wonderful volunteers have helped us with everything from planting trees to designing this report. Our board of directors has contributed their time and expertise to help with organizational development and sustainability issues. Raise public awareness We’ve expanded existing partnerships and forged many new ones with diverse Foster a sense of ownership groups across Toronto and into York Region. LEAF also has a beautiful new home in the Artscape Wychwood Arts Barns. This move brings us not only a new office Engage diverse communities space, but an outdoor area in the surrounding park where we will be designing demonstration plantings in collaboration with area residents. Provide educational tools and resources This report contains just a few highlights of our year. I invite you to visit our website, participate in a tree tour, register for a workshop, consider volunteering Facilitate urban forest stewardship or just drop by one of our monthly LEAFy Drinks gatherings to meet our staff and volunteers. We are excited about the growing community- based urban forest movement and want you to get involved! The environmental threats faced by our planet continue to grow. But our urban trees offer us a tangible way to make a difference every day, right here at home. Join us in celebrating and caring for these wonderful beings that provide so much and ask for so little in return. – Janet McKay, Executive Director Rouge Park Tree Tour. Photographer: Andrew Chiu 2 Photographer: Calvin Kuo 3 LEAF is Growing Growing continued Growth by the numbers 4480 2008 3575 3235 2007 0 2008 235 1491 2008 1225 70 1280 24 2008 105 ours 570 1300 2007 22 t 2006 2008 s 2007 2008 e e 2008 d 2008 n te 1450 1005 at 76 2007 700 8 2006 21 tour 1000 650 s 500 2006 50 2007 2006 2007 5 5 310 3 00 2006 2006 att tours 2007 endees 11 2007 40 2 2006 es 2006 de 340 atten People reached People reached People reached Tree Tours held Trees and shrubs through Backyard Members in LEAF’s through community through educational Tree Tenders Volunteer hours and number of planted Tree Planting graduates network events attended with presentations and attendees Program educational displays workshops 4 5 Tree planting Tree Planting continued Growing trees BACKYARD TREE PLAN T ING PROGRAM LEAF’s resident arborists have been busy this year, with Thank you to our Funders! hundreds of people welcoming them into their backyards to plant trees and shrubs. An amazing 2350 trees and shrubs were Ontario Power Generation Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation planted this year. We also conducted a pilot planting project City of Toronto in Markham with the support of York Region and the Town of Toronto Hydro Corporation Markham. Response from residents was overwhelming, and we look forward to further expansion into York Region in the coming years. I think this is a terrific This program is “program, particularly in view of “fantastic! I received a great the fact that this is the simplest, least deal of information and insight expensive and most straightforward way about my property, best tree to combat carbon dioxide emissions in an options, and my existing trees... urban area. Best of all I am beautifying my property and helping the -- Mary Ellen,” program participant environment all at a great price! -- Sandy,” program participant Above: LEAF arborists taking the time to ensure this honey locust and nannyberry are planted properly. Top Right: A good drink after planting will help this silver maple adjust to its new home. Bottom Right: A few years after planting, this red maple is growing strong. Photographers: (Large photo) Calvin Kuo. (Small photos) Matt Smith 6 7 Tree Tour Tree Tour continued Growing enthusiasm Tree Tours held throughout Toronto Map by artist Marlena Zuber TORON T O TREE TOURS 10 Since the official launch of this program in 2007, the tours Thank you to our Funders! have gained incredible public support and interest. Over 20 were conducted this year, many of which reached out to The Ontario Trillium Foundation City of Toronto new Canadian communities. Our Parkdale Tree Tour was Toronto and Region Conservation translated into Tibetan and helped welcome over 25 new Canadians who had recently arrived from Tibet. Our Edible 12 Tree Tour had the highest attendance of over 100 people; the 13 Tour was presented in collaboration with Not Far From the Tree, a grassroots volunteer group that picks fruit for property owners and takes a share for local food banks. [LEAF arborist Local historians, community groups and not-for-profit organiza- “Todd] Irvine offered anecdotes about everything tions helped bring even more local relevance and vibrancy to 2 from trees thriving in neglected 20 the various tours. Thanks to the uniqueness and appeal of parking lots to … some of the this program, LEAF received unprecedented press coverage, impressive centuries-old black with over 40 appearances in newspapers, online blogs, radio 8 7 oaks in the neighbourhood that 16 and television including CBC radio, the National Post, and the once covered the entire region cover of 24Hours. surrounding what is now High 21 19 17 Park. 4 14 -- Peter” J. Thompson, 5 11 15 National Post, September 13, 22 3 2008 1 9 18 6 1. Cabbagetown 6. Col. Sam Smith Park 11. Teesdale 16. Scarborough Village 21. Urban Water Cycle 2. Lawrence Park 7. Mount Pleasant 12. Downsview Park 17. Junction 22. Parkdale Tibetan 3. Green Roofs 8. Cedarvale Park 13. Black Creek 18. Beaches Top Left: Education and Outreach Coordinator Todd Irvine points high up to describe a tree’s canopy. Above Left: MPPs Rosario 4. Annex 9. Bain Co-Op 14. Brickworks 19. Edible Tour visit www.treetours.to Marchese and Toby Barrett share a laugh at the Queen’s Park Tree Tour. Above Right: Todd Irvine, with translator Lobsang WangKhang, 8 5. Danforth 10. Rouge Park 15. Queen’s Park 20. Lawrence Park for online Tree Tours reaches out to the Tibetan community at the Parkdale Tree Tour. Photographers, from left: Robin Sutherland, Tegan Smith, Calvin Kuo 9 Tree Tenders Tree Tenders continued Growing knowledge TREE TENDERS VOLUN T EER TRAINING Tree Tenders I Thank you to our Funders! Three Tree Tenders Training courses were held this year in Toronto Atmospheric Fund the spring and fall at Toronto’s Riverdale Library. Ninety-nine Canadian Tree Fund actively engaged citizens committed to attending eleven hours Ontario Power Generation of arboriculture training, learning about tree biology, tree and shrub identification, proper planting techniques, tree stresses, and preventative tree care. Many participants, armed with their new knowledge and understanding, have gone on to volunteer Thanks for with LEAF or other organizations, or have started projects of their “allowing me to attend own. your very excellent Tree Tenders workshop. I’m Tree Tenders II extremely impressed by the depth, thought, and This year, we created a follow-up to the first course and offered care that you are putting an additional eleven hours of training to Tree Tender I graduates. into your training. Your There were two streams from which to choose. The first involved participants are very the City of Toronto’s Tree Stewardship program, teaching hands- lucky! in-the-ground stewardship skills. Graduates of this stream will -- Toni” Ellis, Tree Tenders become volunteer stewardship leaders in various ravines across II Instructor the city. The second stream explored citizen engagement in urban forest initiatives. Experienced community activists provided tips and advice about volunteer recruitment and management, It’s so great that advocacy, planning community meetings, and mobilizing citizen “there are people passionate groups to take collective action on urban forest issues. enough to take the time to pass on this fundamental knowledge. -- Tree Tender” I participant Clockwise from Top Left: Arborist Wendy Strickland talks tree identification in Riverdale Park; Tree Tenders learn how to use a tree identification key; Arborist Todd Irvine shows storm damage. Photographers: (Large photo) Liza Badaloo. (Small photos) Andrew Chiu 10 11 Community Outreach Community Outreach continued Growing connections COMMUNI T Y OU T REACH AND VOLUN T EERS Our Volunteer Community Outreach Assistants attended over 40 community events this summer. Through this amazing effort, we reached over 3500 people with our educational messages about the LEAF has been importance of our urban forest. Volunteers also helped with office “a critical vehicle for work, research, writing, design and promotion, as well as supporting mobilizing people (me included) the Tree Tours as tour assistants, photographers, transcribers and to focus on an extremely translators. LEAF staff delivered educational presentations about important issue. I’m grateful the urban forest to over 1400 people. for this. After four years of volunteering with LEAF, I The Leslieville Tree Festival was another smashing success this look forward to continuing to year. Cosponsored by LEAF, Councillor Fletcher’s office and Toronto do so! Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the festival took place in early -- Tanya,” LEAF volunteer June and was attended by over 400 people.