News

MLF featured in Our Forest magazine: “The Long Road”

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 December 5, 2022

Forests Ontario’s seasonal magazine OUR FOREST featured an article about Maple Leaves Forever and founder Ken Jewett in the Fall issue. Below is an excerpt. The full article can be read for free on the Forests Ontario website: forestsontario.ca/en/article/our-forest-magazine-volume-62-number-4 (page 12)

The Long Road: Maple Leaves Forever continues Ontario’s rich history of planting trees along its thoroughfares

BY PETER KUITENBROUWER

Roadside trees do so much: they beautify the countryside, absorb carbon, prevent erosion, block wind and drifting snow, help pollinators, pump out oxygen and purify groundwater. But not everyone protects these trees. For more than 150 years, environmentally minded locals have worried about how to preserve trees and grow new trees along roadways across rural Ontario.

Ontario’s longstanding encouragement of tree planting along roadways continues today through the efforts of Maple Leaves Forever (MLF), a non-profit that has helped landowners plant thousands of native Sugar Maples, Red Maples and Silver Maples across the province. To date, MLF has subsidized the planting of more than 130,000 native maple trees, the equivalent of over 1,200 km of maple-lined Ontario roadside.

…
Today, there is no provincial program to help property owners who wish to plant roadside trees. And Schwan notes that, “sadly, many roadside trees have been lost to reasons other than age. Modernization of roads has taken its toll. Roads have been widened… ditching built, and hydro infrastructure has deformed the shape of trees.”

Still, there is hope for our roadside trees. In 2000, Ken Jewett, who had earned his money in the prepared foods industry, founded Maple Leaves Forever to encourage landowners to plant maples along their fencelines and along roads, as their ancestors had done. Landowners who commit to plant 10 to 50 trees with a minimum height of 175 cm, grown at one of 18 recognized nurseries, can receive a 25 per cent subsidy. A few municipalities aggregate Maple Leaves Forever funding with other programs to get more trees along roads.

…
Along with his deep commitment to the cause of native maple trees, Ken Jewett has for many years offered generous support to Forests Ontario’s tree planting and education initiatives. Forests Ontario is grateful to Jewett for his unwavering support.

Read full article: forestsontario.ca/en/article/our-forest-magazine-volume-62-number-4 (page 12)

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Winter 2022 E-News from Maple Leaves Forever

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 December 1, 2022

Check out our current Enewsletter and Click here to SUBSCRIBE!

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Nursery Partner Spotlight: NVK Nurseries

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 November 21, 2022

NVK Nurseries is one of Canada’s largest wholesale nurseries serving customers throughout Canada and several Northeastern U.S. states. We operate in the West Flamborough area of Southern Ontario on over 1000 acres and employ more than 200 employees. An additional 250 acres are under contract production in the local area. We offer more than 4,000 varieties of high-quality trees, shrubs, perennials and, green-roof plants, relying on more than 100 specialty nurseries from across Canada, the U.S. and Europe to grow specific stock to round out our own inventory. We stand behind the quality of our plants and ensure each plant is healthy and true to its name.

In order to ensure we stay true to our promise, we have developed an innovative Plant Health Team to provide in-house support for our greenhouse, container and field growers. The team is focused on conducting research and providing guidance on pest and disease challenges, as well as soil, water, weed and organic waste management. Ultimately the goal is to raise the bar in terms of sustainability, production efficiency and product quality. Whether you’re a fellow grower, researcher, arborist, landscaper or urban forester, feel free to reach out to us and we’d be happy to discuss what we’ve learned and implemented so far!

As a company, one of our main goals is to continually strive to improve our production practices and enhance overall plant quality. This requires taking a closer look at our current methods and assessing opportunities for change. Some areas the Plant Health Team are currently investigating include; the state of our field soils and how we can work to improve soil health throughout our acreage; investing in more biological controls to manage pest and disease issues in an effort to reduce pesticide usage; and focusing on tree root structure and quality.

This has led to some exciting projects we have been working on over the last couple of years that we are thrilled to share with you. As of 2019, the nursery has implemented the use of cover crops in over 1000 acres of our tree field production, effectively reducing erosion, improving weed control while simultaneously improving the health and biological activity of our soils. With all of these additional benefits, the issue of cover crop maintenance became more pressing. The need for increased labour and specialized equipment provided an opportunity to think outside the box, or paddock, if you will. Cue: working animals! In late May of 2022 we brought in a flock of sheep to begin work in our tree field production, maintaining our cover crops and eliminating the need for mowing, while also giving back to our soils with their by-products. We experienced some trial and error as we observed their behaviours and noted which tree species they enjoyed snacking on as a palette cleanser. We are looking forward to continuing our work with our four-legged colleagues next spring and expanding our knowledge. Additionally, we have tested the soils in the tree block where they spent the spring and summer, for nutrients, organic matter and compaction levels.

Pictured: Sheep flock working through the cover crops in field tree production

In our efforts to reduce the use of chemical pesticide applications and minimize their adverse environmental impact, we have also been putting other creatures to work for us. Specifically, biological control agents. These can be in the form of; parasitic wasps, who seek out and lay their eggs in the host of a plant pest; predatory mites who battle the almost microscopic insects that suck out the juices of leaves; the larvae of various beetles, midges and lacewings who help out with their voracious and diverse appetites; or a particular strain of fungus or bacteria working to target certain pests or disease. Over the past decade we have increased the use of these biological control agents within our greenhouse facilities, but have recently begun playing with the idea of their use in our outdoor production areas. Utilizing the good bugs to battle the bag bugs reduces the need for chemical intervention and invites natural predators to make themselves at home and help engage in pest management as well. It’s a win-win-win. For the environment, our coworkers and our customers.      

 Lacewing larvae attacking Whitefly
Ladybird Beetle pupa and larva
Ladybird Beetle larva attaching aphids

As mentioned, a strong focus on root quality and formation is a vital piece of our mandate for improved plant quality, not only in the nursery, but in the landscape as well. In order to gain a better understanding of how our plant roots are formed and in what way our production practices influence their growth, we are taking a deeper dive into our soil chemistry and biology, and digging into how we grow our liner stock. This past year, we’ve experimented with the growing seeds of certain tap root tree species in gravel beds, forcing the seedling to produce a much more fibrous root system, leading to improved transplant success and enhanced growth. Future investigations will lead to root pruning trials, where we will be using our tree spade to cut roots while they remain in our fields, promoting more fibrous root formation within the root ball and allowing us to harvest healthy, thriving trees with minimal plant stress.

Carya ovata seedlings emerging from gravel bed
Root system of Quercus sp. grown in gravel bed

As with any effort to grow and adapt, there will always be challenges, successes, failures and learning opportunities. We at NVK are committed and inspired to push forward with our industry partners, work together with our customers, and continue to strive for excellence in plant quality while we look forward to a green tomorrow, starting today!

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National Post features Forests Ontario article by Rob Keen

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 October 6, 2022

We Don’t Just Plant Trees – We Grow Forests

by Rob Keen, Registered Professional Forester, CEO of Forests Ontario and Forest Recovery Canada

Published Sept. 21, 2022

Having planted millions of trees across Canada and created tens of thousands of hectares of new forest cover, Forests Ontario is on a mission to combat climate change.

Since 2004, Forests Ontario and its partners have developed the infrastructure needed to facilitate and track tree planting across Ontario from seed to successful forest – and we are the only charitable organization in Canada to have that ability. To put it simply, we don’t just plant trees, we
grow forests.

To date, we have planted 42 million trees across Canada, creating more than 20,500 hectares of new forests on over 8,000 sites. We also recognize the vital importance and function of grasslands, resulting in the addition of Grasslands Ontario to our organization in 2018.

Our efforts to increase, conserve and maintain forests and grasslands help to clean the air we breathe and filter the water we drink, while improving the biodiversity of our ecosystems and nurturing pollinator corridors. In fact, creating healthy new forests and grasslands is one of the most effective, nature-based solutions we have in combating climate change impacts.

Working in collaboration with our professional network of partners, Forests Ontario is recognized for its unique ability to measure the success of the trees we plant. A 2021 study from Natural Resources Canada validated Forests Ontario’s successful afforestation outcomes, noting 83% of the total hectares planted through our landmark 50 Million Tree Program are thriving, and will sequester significant amounts of carbon over the lifetime of these new forests.

To ensure our ability to keep planting the right tree, in the right place, and for the right reason, Forests Ontario has more than 200 million source-identified seeds in storage for future planting projects – a direct result of working closely with our network of certified seed collectors and nursery partners to
forecast, collect, process and store seed, and monitor seedling health once planted. This essential infrastructure, together with our expertise to track the success of the trees we plant, ensures a greener and healthier future for generations to come.

While human activity has contributed to the greatest environmental challenges we have ever faced, there is still time to do something about it, but we must act now. With world-wide focus on sustainable solutions to climate change, we not only hope to inspire a healthy tomorrow for communities around the globe, but also contribute to real change, now.

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Fall Update from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 September 22, 2022

Fall has traditionally been a special time for many given the start of school and the cooler weather  that brings out our cosy fall sweaters. It’s  a time to make comforting soups and warm drinks, and sit by a fire. It is not to say that summer is pretty spectacular especially since it seems to one of our shortest seasons, but at Maple Leaves Forever I know I can speak for our team that the arrival of fall and fall foliage colours is a really special time of year. 
 
Many  parts of the province await in anticipation the arrival of “fall colours” – in the north it is usually arrives as a mix of yellow hues of  larch, poplar and birch against a dark green canvas of pine and spruce. In the Great Lakes Forest Region, you can add to that palette, hues of red, orange and almost pink and purple.
 
The greatest contributor to our fall colour canvas in this forest region is the native maple tree. Be it the red maple, the sugar maple, black maple, silver maple or Freeman’s maple  – all provide a spectacular range of colour for us for those brief weeks in late September or early October.   
 
Following the fall colour progression is a past time for many with fall reports (see links below) being updated throughout this period so that one can strategically take that fall drive to enjoy the best of the colours.

At Maple Leaves Forever we encourage you this fall to be on the lookout for rows of heritage native maple trees throughout Southern Ontario. If you should find some, we ask you to share your findings with us. If you are one of the first 50 to enter our scavenger hunt, you could win $150! See details here.
 
Good luck and the very best of the fall season to you!
 
Deb Pella Keen and the Maple Leaves Forever Team

News

Celebrating Maple Trees in Ontario this Summer!

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 July 4, 2022

A Summer message from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen

Have you ever thought about how our beautiful roadside native maple trees came to be? In the 1870s, the Ontario Government, through local municipalities, provided an incentive to farmers if they planted roadsides with trees from their woodlots. The majority of trees planted were native maples. This gave rise to an important element of Ontario’s rural landscape – rows of stately maples alongside roads and separating farmer’s fields.

We are hoping when you are driving through rural Ontario and come across one of these legacy rows of maples, you will record it and send it to Maple Leaves Forever. We are documenting as many of these as possible and you can be part of this project and possibly win $150.00! Find contest details HERE.

We would like to congratulate the Municipalities of Clarington and Port Hope, and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA), in their efforts to restore trees along municipal roadways in their communities. For the last 10 years, their “Trees for Rural Roads” program provided trees to landowners who wished to plant trees along these roadways. They have planted nearly 8,000 native road side trees and with the support of Maple Leaves Forever almost 1700 of those trees were native Canadian maples! A project like this ensures communities will continue to enjoy beautiful rows of native maples in our landscape that provide many benefits to the natural environment.

Click here to read and subscribe to our Summer newsletter – we hope you enjoy it!

June 2022
Deb Pella Keen,
Executive Director,
Maple Leaves Forever

News

MLF supports Ontario Envirothon 2022

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 June 15, 2022

Maple Leaves Forever support is key to another successful Ontario Envirothon Program Year!

As the 2022 Ontario Envirothon season comes to an end, Forests Ontario and our education partners reflect on yet another successful year. With 19 inspiring teams from communities across Ontario, we couldn’t have been more impressed with the enthusiasm, dedication and creativity displayed by all participants. This year’s competition can best be described as fierce, but fun.

The newly crowned winners of the 2022 Ontario Envirothon hail from St. Elizabeth Catholic School in York Region, and we hope you will join us in celebrating their success! The Ontario Envirothon Champions will travel to Ohio in July to represent the province at the annual, and in-person, NCF-Envirothon. Congratulations are also extended to University of Toronto Schools in Toronto whose teams took second and third place.

Forests Ontario would also like to recognize and thank Maple Leaves Forever for their very generous donation of prize money that has been awarded to students in the top three 2022 Ontario Envirothon teams. As a long standing and valued supporter of the Ontario Envirothon, Maple Leaves Forever has helped us inspire the next generation of forest stewards, and is integral to the program’s continued success. We applaud Maple Leaves Forever for their vision and dedication to environmental education and youth.

Find out more about Ontario Envirothon here >

Below: The Winning Team, St. Elizabeth Catholic School in York Region

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HERITAGE MAPLE SCAVENGER HUNT – ENTER FOR CASH PRIZES

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 May 24, 2022

Maple Leaves Forever is now offering a CASH INCENTIVE for sharing locations of rows of heritage native maples in your area!

Calling all roadtrippers, geocachers and heritage tree lovers! We need your help!

Maple Leaves Forever is putting together a heritage tour of 100+ year old maple plantings along roadsides, laneways and property boundaries in Ontario. We recently published an informative essay about the History of Roadside Tree Planting in Ontario by Terry Schwan – and it has inspired us to catalogue their locations and share these heritage plantings for all to enjoy, and to encourage ongoing native maple planting for the future.

If you know of a roadside or laneway that is lined with heritage native maple trees (read more about “What is a native Canadian maple” here), we invite you to fill out our online form (linked below). The first 50 submissions received by October 23, once verified, will receive a mailed cheque for $150CA from Maple Leaves Forever as a thank you! The $150 reward seems particularly apt, since 2021 marks 150 years since the 1871 Act “to encourage the planting of trees adjacent to highways” in Ontario – the original catalyst for many of these roadside plantings.

Submission Requirements:

  • There must be at least 10 heritage native maple trees in a linear row along a laneway, hedgerow, roadway or property boundary that is visible from a public roadway in Ontario, Canada
  • The trees must measure on average at least 199cm (78.5”) in circumference or 63.5cm (25”) in diameter measured at chest height
  • Three JPG photos must be included:
    • one photo of the whole row of trees,
    • one photo of a single tree with a tape measure or person to reference its size,
    • one close up photo of a leaf to verify species- All the photos must be taken while leaves are on the trees
  • Location of the row of trees must be included (civic address, GPS location or Latitude/Longitude)
  • Please respect private property. If the trees are not on your property, do not enter the property without permission to obtain pictures. instead, photograph them from the road to the best of your ability.
  • All participants must fill out the submission form in its entirety and agree to a potential follow up by MLF.
  • Submissions are due by October 23, 2022. (extended from Oct. 15)

FILL OUT THE ONLINE SUBMISSION FORM

Please email info@mapleleavesforever.ca if you require assistance or further information.

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A Spring Message from our Executive Director Deb Pella Keen

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 April 8, 2022

One of the quintessentially Canadian sign of spring’s arrival is seeing maple sap dripping into pails or tubing systems across the range of maples in Ontario and eastern Canada. If you are interested in the “Ultimate To-Do List” of maple syrup festivals, events and sugar shack activities in Ontario – please visit  todoontario.com/maple-festivals/. There are events happening across Ontario up until approximately the third week in April.

Spring is a busy time at Maple Leaves Forever, it is the season when we receive the most interest in and support for the planting of native maple trees. We recently undertook a mapping exercise to see the extent of our impact in southern Ontario. Check out this map showing the locations of road side, laneway or hedgerow plantings that were supported by Maple Leaves Forever over the last 3 years.

We are hoping this map will encourage landowners in areas under-represented by roadside plantings to contact us to learn more about our incentive program to support the planting of native maple trees.

I hope you will take the time to read Caitlin’s tree nursery news as it speaks to an important challenge we have in planting native maples that have the best chance for survival. She has made some suggestions on what you can do to help address these challenges!

And finally, stay tuned for the launch of our Heritage Maple Scavenger Hunt where we will offering a cash incentive for sharing locations of rows of heritage native maples in your area! We want to document the locations of 100+ year old maple plantings along roadsides, laneways and property boundaries in Ontario. We recently published an informative essay about the History of Roadside Tree Planting in Ontario by Terry Schwan – and it has inspired us to catalogue their locations and share these heritage plantings for all to enjoy, and to encourage ongoing native maple planting for the future. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn where we’ll be releasing information on this new initiative in the coming months.

Happy Sweet Spring!

Deb Pella Keen and the Maple Leaves Team

View the complete Spring 2022 Enewsletter
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Tree Nursery Challenges – Sourcing Native Ontario Tree Seed, Why it’s important and how consumers can make a difference

Posted by MLF Webmaster on
 April 7, 2022

Written and researched by Caitlin Ayling, MLF Nursery Liaison

In early February, I had the privilege to speak at the Landscape Ontario’s annual Nursery Grower’s Short Course, on the topic of Ontario Seed. Although this may seem like a broad subject, I was specifically speaking to the challenges and opportunities surrounding the procurement of native tree seed as it relates to nursery production. In doing so, I also discussed the broader impact this can have on our biodiversity and ecological systems moving forward in relation to climate change.

There are many reasons why our nursery growers have difficulty in sourcing native seed, the most consistent being the issue of supply shortages. This can be caused by things like loss of habitat and biodiversity due to development or invasive pest/plant species and severe climate events.

Another factor contributing to this supply issue is the loss of the Ontario Seed Bank as a reliable source for regionally appropriate collected seed. This closure increased the need for growers to explore other avenues in sourcing their seed, whether it be collecting themselves, engaging the services of a certified seed collector or purchasing seed from outside of Ontario.

Although these may seem like viable options in order to meet the demand, there are challenges in each scenario. In addition to the time and labour it requires to monitor and collect the seed, there is a need for specialized equipment for processing and storage in order to ensure good quality and viability. These additional operations can be very expensive and may not be in line with their desired volume of seed.

Bee on Red maple flower (www.firstlighthabitats.com/blog/bees-red-maple-phenology-note)

Alternatively, outsourcing that time and labour to a certified seed collector sounds ideal, but unfortunately, we are facing a huge decline of those with this particular knowledge and skill set.

So, why not just order seeds online from places outside of Ontario? Sounds like a reasonable option. However, in order to give that plant the best chance at survival, that seed should originate from a similar environment, or region as the final location of that planting. This where the term locally sourced seed, or source identified seed comes in. Knowing the original source, location, seed zone or environment in which that seed derived, allows for the best planting choices to be made down the line. 

Why does native seed really matter?

Using source identified seed to drive planting decisions basically comes down to how the genetics of the plant can impact the survival, potential growth and reproduction of the species, as the local populations have adapted over thousands of years to become in tune with their climates.  Factors like minimum winter temperatures, length of growing season and other environmental conditions can all impact the potential success or survival. So essentially, plants originating from dissimilar areas often result in low survival caused by things like heat stress, winterkill, reduced growth rate or increased pest/disease problems.

There may also be a larger impact on the role they play in supporting and enhancing biodiversity as these native species have co-evolved with the wildlife that relies on them. They have adapted and built strong symbiotic relationships that have synchronized need with provision.

To illustrate this point, think of how they have perfected the timing of flowering to coincide with local pollinators, meaning if genetically different plants, which may flower earlier, are used in these environments, they will be out of line with their essential visitors. This can create a domino effect within the ecosystem, impacting pollinator health, seed production and the other animals who rely on that food source.

Oaks from various Ontario seed sources grown under the same greenhouse conditions. This illustrates how genetics can impact performance and overall growth regardless of growing conditions; from an OMNR seed source study (fgca.net)

What can you do at the consumer level?

With every supply issue, there is the flip side of demand. This is where you, the consumer can help to move the needle.

Begin asking those questions about where those native plants come from. Are they grown from seed? Does the grower or garden centre manager know the origin of those plants? For example; are those native maple trees grown from liners brought in from Oregon or were they propagated from seed collected within your growing region?

If we can continue to create conversations around this concept, and increase awareness of why this is so important for the future of our ecosystems, we can work to drive more demand to ensure this becomes more common practice. But we need your help!

What else can you do?

Ironwood seed collection; Photo taken during 2021 Certified Seed Collector’s Course – Caitlin Ayling

I’m glad you asked. Have you ever heard of the Certified Seed Collector’s Course? Did you know there was such a thing?

Speaking from the experience of having just completed this program, it is an incredible opportunity to contribute to this cause in a meaningful and impactful way. The course is not meant only for growers or plant propagators, and there are no educational or experiential requirements in order to take part. Outdoor enthusiasts, landowners, farmers and anyone who finds peace and connection in nature can absolutely learn how to do this important work. If you are interested in learning about the course and finding out more information I suggest you check out the Forest Gene Conservation Association website.


In the meantime, do you want to collect some maple seeds?

You have no doubt seen the seeds from maple trees, swirling and flying through the air as they drop from the trees. They go by many common names such as, ‘Helicopters, maple ‘copters, whirlybirds, twisters or whirligigs, but the technical term for this winged seed is called samara. This refers to the specialized fruit that is designed to travel long distances from its parent tree.

Regardless of what you call them, they can typically be found in abundance, assuming the tree is in good health, there were no severe weather events and pollination was successful. In a successful seed production year, it can be quite easy to collect these little helicopters for sowing your own little maple tree seedlings.

So you may be wondering when the best time would be to collect these little ‘copters. And the answer depends on the species. Sugar maple seed matures in the fall, usually from late September to early October, whereas Silver and red maple seeds mature in the spring.

When the seed is mature, the samaras are a yellowish-brown colour and generally one of the two cavities will be completely filled with a bright green embryo (the early stage of plant development). These mature seeds may persist on the tree for several weeks so the best methods for collecting are to either hand pick from the ground using rakes or to use a tarp under the trees to collect after shaking branches or natural seed fall. For more information about collecting, forecasting and storage, check out this article posted on our website.

Embryo beginning to mature inside seed cavity (https://www.mapleleavesforever.ca/collecting-sugar-maple-seed/)   

Mature sugar maple samaras (photo: Sean Fox; https://www.mapleleavesforever.ca/collecting-sugar-maple-seed/
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