Get to Know Our Natives by Nature
Get to Know our Natives by Nature
This month, we Get to Know our native Sugar Maple.
Scientific name: Acer saccharum
Sugar maple was designated as Canada’s national tree in 1965. The maple leaf adorns the Canadian Flag. It is well known for being the primary source of maple syrup and for its foliage turning a brilliant red, orange or yellow each fall.
Project Update: Royal Canin Canada and the City of Guelph Support Local Naturalization
Thanks to our friends at the City of Guelph and corporate partner Royal Canin Canada, there are now 175 new native trees including Bur Oak, White Cedar and Sugar Maple in the Kortright Hills Natural Area in Guelph. This marks the second time in as many years that we are fortunate to be working together and greening an important part of the Hanlon Creek watershed.
10,000 Thank Yous
A key reason Trees for Life has been able to plant so many trees because of the support from Landscape Ontario’s leadership and membership.
A Passion for Native Maples
Ken Jewett, businessman, naturalist, and philanthropist, shares his story of love for native maple trees, spanning decades, which has resulted in a legacy of roads lined with their undeniable beauty.
It was a native arboreal tree that inspired an image of its leaf on our national flag. Not just any maple but a sugar maple.
Stronger Than Ever
Is there any better way to celebrate National Forest Week (September 18th-24th) and National Tree Day (September 20th), than by planting your favourite, native, tree species?
Not the first time you’ve heard this from me, but if you need a good reason, (better than the benefits that trees deliver), consider the forest fire crises we are enduring nationwide.
A Remarkable Year
Over the past few months, our incredible partners, sponsors and volunteers have joined us in planting native trees and shrubs across Canada where we live, work and play. This year’s efforts have been nothing short of remarkable, and together, we are making a better future for generations to come.
Get to Know Our Natives by Nature
This month, we Get to Know our native Freeman Maple (also called Freeman’s Maple)
Scientific name: Acer × freemanii
A naturally occurring hybrid of two native maples – red maple (Acer rubrum) and silver maple (Acer saccharinum). The hybrid yields both the strong branch attachment of the red maple and the fast growth rate of the silver maple. Freeman Maple is known for its yellow and orange-red fall colour.
Planes, Heroes, Smoke and Trees
The moment the plane doors opened, what I was expecting to be a breath of fresh, prairie air, didn’t happen. Instead, I was hit with a wall of hazy smoke. Sadly, this is something that is all too familiar right across the country including the Greater Toronto Area, and something I had never experienced before.
The Project Forest & Nutrien Partnership
Trees for Life is excited to share the news that the Ontario government is providing $195,000 in funding over three years, through the Species at Risk Stewardship program to Trees for Life to undertake on-the-ground work to protect species at risk.
A Fight Worth Fighting
How do you feel about wearing a mask? An N95 respirator mask? You remember the one, but likely already have or would like to forget it, as health authorities highly recommended they be donned while indoors during the COVID pandemic.
Get to Know Our Natives by Nature
This month, we Get to Know our native Red Oak (also known as Northern Red Oak)
Scientific name: Quercus rubra
A fast-growing native oak with a broadly rounded shape. The foliage starts out light red in the spring, turning dark green in the summer and finally vibrant reds and oranges in the fall.
Inspiring Partnerships
Philanthropists Bob and Francine Barrett share the inspiration behind the Barrett Family Foundation’s support of Trees for Life.
A Significant Grant to Help Protect Species at Risk Across Ontario
Trees for Life is excited to share the news that the Ontario government is providing $195,000 in funding over three years, through the Species at Risk Stewardship program to Trees for Life to undertake on-the-ground work to protect species at risk.
A New Trees for Life Campaign: Honouring More Heroes to Help Save Our Planet
One million trees. $6 million dollars.
On Wednesday, May 17th, Trees for Life hosted an intimate event to thank some of our longest-standing and most ardent supporters. It was also when we announced the details of the new Trees for Heroes Campaign.
Trees for Life Partner Spotlight: Harrington & Associates
Harrington & Associates is a construction management company based out of Richmond Hill, ON. Their company slogan is “Building Relationships”, and it could not be more appropriate for not only describing their approach to providing excellent client service but also what they do to give back to their community.
A Deeper Future
When our brood gathered to celebrate Mother’s Day last month, I was reminded that having children raises your horizon. Suddenly the future seems deeper.
Having grandchildren does much the same, only deeper still.
Get to Know Our Natives by Nature
This month, we will Get to Know our native Kentucky Coffee-tree.
Scientific name: Gymnocladus dioicus
Status: Threatened. This means the Kentucky Coffee-tree lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered, but is likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it.
Renewed Commitment & Renewed Hope
Trees for Life is thrilled that TD Bank Group (TD) is providing a renewed commitment in 2023 to support the expansion of our national impact and to plant trees in honour of healthcare heroes.
Get to Know our Natives by Nature
Some interesting facts you may not know about Native plants
Increasingly, gardeners are looking for native plant varieties – generally defined as “species which existed in North America prior to European contact”. Discovering native plant varieties opens our garden design to new possibilities.