In an urban environment, trees face many pressures to grow and survive. If we’re going to double the canopy cover in this city, understanding the challenges Toronto’s trees face and the benefits they provide is essential. But trees are more than just pleasant providers of shade that help suck up the city’s smog. Like heritage sites, they are links to our city’s past, full of stories belonging to the neigbourhoods in which they grow.
Toronto’s head of urban forestry has said it could take between 50 to 100 years to double our city’s tree canopy cover. If you’ve ever wondered why, you should consider joining LEAF on a tree tour this summer. Tuesday July, 10, LEAF, in collaboration with the Toronto Public Space Committee, will be launching their tours and a brand new website, featuring photos, maps and write ups of every tour they give. The festivities will begin with finger foods and refreshments at 6:00pm at St. Christopher House (at Ossington and Dundas), followed by a tour through Trinity Bellwoods Park lead by arborist about town Todd Irvine project coordinator Liz Forsberg, and Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone. (Todd also happens to be Spacing’s green space columnist and one of the magazine’s founding members.) Paula Fletcher and MPP Rosario Marchese will also be in attendance.
In partnership with the Toronto Tree Tours, Spacing will be posting a “Tree of the Week†every week over the course of the summer. Each tree will be selected from one of the many tours offered by LEAF.
For more information on the Toronto Tree Tours project, check out LEAF’s website. The Toronto Tree Tours site will go live on Tuesday. The Trinity Bellwoods tour features photographs by renowned photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo (above). An illustrated map of every tour will be created by Marlena Zuber (below).
5 comments
Now that is a cool idea.
Now what this map really needs is a little note in the lower left hand corner by Queen and Shaw saying:
Many of the old trees on CAMH property will be cut down when their ambitious renovation/revitalization/real-estate-sell-off goes through.
I’d suggest that cars are the biggest unnatural enemy of trees, from the direct problems of root compaction, salt, space demands, and hits, to the indirect harms from pollution like acid rain and climate change. If so, I’ve always found it strange how many of the left and progressives are supporting the Front St. Ext road when I don’t think they’ve thought out the transit options like more GO trains, or a Front St. transitway or a cheaper King St. ROW. A quarter-billion bucks is a lot of money and could do a lot for urban forestry.
I’m with you Hamish on the FSE, but please keep comments on topic. This is your pet issue, I understand, but I’m not sure how many times you end up highjacking the comments on the Wire.
Am I insane, or am I the only deluded voice who questions CAMH’s ambitious redevelopment plans, which entail cutting down sections of mature trees in central Toronto at Queen and Shaw?
Am I crazy?
Please correct me if i am incorrect.