There are 7 new Planting for Change (P4C) schools in spring and fall of 2017. TD FEF funded the projects, which brought schools and their wider communities together to create mini-climate change outdoor classrooms/labs. The school plants 61 native trees and shrubs and monitors five different indicator species each year
This year ACER received 3 grants from the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund (GLGCF). We worked with Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA), Quinte Conservation Authority, and Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (LTVCA). These projects each involved planting a 1000 trees and shrubs in the spring and fall of 2017 with
ACER developed the Citizen Science (CSI) program with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). TD Friend of the Environment Fund funded the implementation of this project. In spring and fall of 2017, CSI was launched at 4 Planting for Change (P4C) schools; John William Boich Public School, Humberview Secondary
City of Mississauga Serson Park Planting and Monitoring On September 23rd, 2017 the City of Mississauga organized a planting at Serson Park in Mississauga for National Forest Week. ACER taught volunteers how to measure 10% of the trees and shrubs being planted. Community Volunteers planted 250 trees and shrubs. ACER
This summer ACER the interns from Sheridan College were Murat Oguzsimsaroglu, Souvik Banerjee, Faria Malik, and Kanna Sivakumar. The University of Toronto Scarborough intern was Bahy Salah. These interns did tree inventories at two Sheridan College campuses. They continued the inventory at the Sheridan College Davis campus started by previous
Join the City of Mississauga and partners at the annual Earth Day tree planting event on Saturday, April 22 at 9:30 a.m. This year, to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday and to kick off the tree planting program for 2017, 150 trees will be planted in each of Mississauga’s 11 wards.
Riparian Rangers ACER worked on three Riparian Rangers projects in 2016; Riparian Rangers Ausable Bayfield, Riparian Rangers rare, Riparian Rangers Lake Simcoe. Planting trees and shrubs along riparian zones can increase bank stability, slow the flow of water to the watercourse which leads to increased infiltration and less erosion. Decreased
To RSVP for this workshop, click here.
The conditions that favour the spread of wildfires, increased temperatures and frequent droughts, are two of the biggest symptoms of climate change. Consistent with the effects of our changing climate, many studies have shown that area burned by wildfires has been increasing over the last four decades, despite improvements in
2015 marks the 400th anniversary of Étienne Brûlé’s expedition with the Wendat-Huron from Orillia to Lake Ontario along the Toronto Carrying Place Trail. ACER is delighted to be collaborating with a variety of organizations to bring the history of Brûlé’s expedition to life during the second week in September. A
The Red Oak of Weston is one of the oldest trees in the city. Its leaves have cast shade on passersby as early as the late 18th century. “Back then, it sat near the Carrying Place Trail,” said the Toronto Star in an article about the tree in May, “an
On the eve of the Summit of the Americas Climate Change Conference being held in Toronto from July 7th to July 9th, the Association for Canadian Educational Resources (ACER) released its data on the amount of carbon sequestered by its Humber Arboretum Go-Global Plot, one of its 19 monitoring plots
ACER presented last night at Cabbagetown reLEAF’s Community Meeting: Cabbagetown Urban Forest Management Plan. The Urban Forest Management Plan was developed by U of T forestry students. ACER presented a talk on how to engage community in improving Cabbagetown’s urban forest. Sadia Butt, a PhD Candidate at U of T
ACER presented a workshop and had a display table at the Seedy Saturday event held at the Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga. The workshop introduced the audience to ACER’s TreeCaching program and provided tips on how to identify trees in winter. A total of 20 vendors and ENGOs were present at
Come join Climate’s Sake in launching our TreeCaching trail at the Humber Arboretum! The celebration will be February 3, 2015 at 1:00pm. Come scan tagged trees, identify, learn interesting facts about species, and discover scientific data related to each specific tree. For more information or to RSVP for
This weekend ACER attended the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario (COEO) Make Peace With Winter Conference! We presented a “Trees in Winter” workshop, teaching participants how to identify trees based on silhouettes and bark, how to measure tree growth and about our TreeCaching program. Examining a tree silhouette Image 1
ACER is featured in this article by Sadia Butt, a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Forestry at U of Toronto on How can Different ways of knowing – and producing knowledge – be useful for understanding and managing urban ecosystems? http://cabbagetownreleaf.typepad.com/urbanforest/2014/12/how-can-different-ways-of-knowingand-of-producing-knowledgebe-useful-for-understanding-and-managing-.html
ACER hopes you all have a happy holiday season! View our newsletter for the latest news: http://eepurl.com/-A2y5
On December 12th, 2014, the students at St. Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph measured trees planted this past spring to collect the first growth measurements for their long-term tree monitoring data. This site is now a part of ACER’s Tracking for Success program, where 10% of each species is monitored
ACER volunteers and the Grade 3/4 students remeasured Assumption Catholic E.S.’s P4C plot. The trees look very large for their age- the school was built on land that was previously a peach farm. Students learnt how to measure root collar diameter, crown width and diameter at 1.3 m. See photo
ACER staff and volunteers measured Quaker Road P.S.’s P4C plot. It was a windy day (wind gust speed reached up to 91 km/hr!). The trees were browsed, but looked healthy. See photo gallery below for photos from 2011-2014. Planting Day 2011 Image 1 of 21
The P4C trees were remeasured by ACER staff and volunteers at Robert Bateman High School in Burlington, ON. The P4C site was planted in 2008. See the photo gallery below for photos from 2008-2014. Planting Day 2008 Image 1 of 28
Thanks to the students at West Credit S.S. in Mississauga for measuring their trees that were planted in 2011. The trees are mostly healthy but were browsed (eaten by animals) near the root collar. The students watched our training videos and then took growth measurements such as root collar diameter,
Thank you again to all those who volunteered their time to plant, monitor, and restore riparian areas throughout Mississauga. The data, photos, and stories from the planting and monitoring days are now available on the Riparian Rangers web page.
16 students from City School in Toronto completed the Riparian Rangers program at Wildwood Park (Area D 3). Students planted and monitored 21 trees and shrubs, pulled buckthorn and garlic mustard (invasive species) and removed litter from the area. Thank you to all the students hard work and for being
Thanks to all who came to our 2nd Community Mapping Workshop, held at the Fort Erie Conservation Clubhouse in Stevensville, ON. Participants identified areas of ecological concern in the Niagara region. Groups were formed for specific areas in the Niagara region so that each group could review maps provided by
On Nov. 6th, 2014 the students from Blaydon Public School planted trees and shrubs at Wildwood Park (Area 2). Students monitored 20 trees/shrubs along the riparian area and also cleaned up litter and pulled invasive species (garlic mustard). Congratulations to the students for completing the Riparian Rangers program! Students taking
On Wed. Nov. 5th, 2014, the students from Pierre Laporte Middle School planted and monitored trees and shrubs at Wildwood Park (Area D1) as part of the Riparian Rangers program in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Students also removed litter and invasive species (buckthorn). Thank you to
Thanks to the students at Christ the King S.S. in Georgetown for remeasuring their trees in their P4C site. The site was planted in 2008. Unfortunately, a Bur Oak had Gypsy Moth egg mass on it but other Bur Oaks were healthy. Students learnt how to measure root collar, crown
Thank you to the 220 adult and youth volunteers who participated in the Riparian Rangers Mississauga program! Thanks to you, over 750 native tree and shrub species were planted to restore priority riparian areas in terms of natural habitat for native species, extend buffer zones to improve flood protection, and
Thank you to the students at East York Collegiate for planting and monitoring trees and shrubs at Valleywood Park! Students also removed litter and pulled buckthorn from the site. The event was in partnership with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Congratulations to the students for becoming Riparian Rangers! Before Image
On Wednesday, October 22nd ACER and 19 youth volunteers from St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga came together to restore another riparian zone. Over 300 native trees and shrubs were planted earlier this month which contributed to the City of Mississauga’s One Million Tree goal, and these
The grade 8 classes at Treeline Public School in Brampton planted 16 trees and 45 shrubs as part of the Planting for Change (P4C) program. This outdoor laboratory provides students with a chance to measure annual growth of trees to study climate change impacts on ecosystems. Treeline Public School is
Thank you to the Humberwood Youth Group from the Toronto Public Library for volunteering their time to remeasure the trees in the Planting for Change Plot and our 2nd Biodiversity Experimental Plot at Humber Arboretum (behind Humber College North campus). The 2nd Biodiversity Experimental Plot contains Sycamore and Yellow Birch
Thanks to the entire student body of Smith Public School in Grimsby for planting and monitoring the trees and shrubs as part of our Planting for Change schoolyard program. The artwork done by the students in advance depicting their love for the trees was beautiful and moving. Artwork, data, photos
On Saturday, October 18th ACER partnered with the City of Mississauga and EcoSource to deliver a community event as part of the Riparian Rangers Mississauga program. Approximately 95 youth and adult volunteers from the Mississauga Chinese Alliance Church and the Peel Environmental Youth Alliance (PEYA) showed their support for restoring
The green industry class at St. Joan of Arc S.S. in Mississauga remeasured the trees in their P4C plot, planted in 2013. The P4C plot was turned into an outdoor classroom with the addition of rocks for seats. The data will be posted online on St. Joan of Arc S.S.
On October 17th, we remeasured the P4C trees with the students at St. Gerard Separate School in Mississauga. Some students planted the trees in 2013 and were able to measure the growth after one year. Thanks to all that participated in collecting this data – it will be posted online
The grade 9 Geography class at Oakville Trafalgar High School remeasured the trees in their P4C plot. Most trees are now considered mature (>4cm in Diameter at 1.3m) as the plot was planted in 2008. Students learnt how to use clinometers to measure the total height of the trees and
The students at Connaught Public School in St. Catharines remeasured the trees planted in their P4C plot in 2013. The weather was unusually warm for this time of year. The data will be posted on Connaught Public School’s P4C website.
The students at St. Michael Catholic E.S. located in Niagara-on-the-Lake remeasured the trees planted in 2013. The Hop Trees were unfortunately heavily browsed (eaten) by animals but other trees were healthy. The data will be posted to St. Michael’s Catholic E.S. P4C webpage this season.
ACER participated at the Halton Forest Festival Public Days and Educational Days! Thanks to Conservation Halton for organizing a great event and to all the students who participated in our Tree Monitoring activity at Rattlesnake Point! The data will be entered into our database and can be found under Measuring
THe students at Kipling Collegiate Institute established their P4C outdoor climate change laboratory by planting and monitoring 16 trees and 45 shrubs on Wednesday October 8th, 2014. Thanks to all those who participated in this project. We look forward to remeasuring the trees next year.
The students at Tom Thomson P.S. (all 450 of them!) helped to plant our Planting for Change plot in Burlington, ON. We appreciate all of the students’ help in creating this plot. Benchmark measurements were taken. Thank you to Oakville Green, Friends of the Sheldon Creek Watershed and our volunteers
The students at Dr. G. J. MacGillivray P.S. in Courtice, ON remeasured the trees planted in 2012. This P4C plot is our furthest plot east (located east of Oshawa).
The grade 3 and 4 students remeasured their trees at Herb Campbell P.S. in Caledon. The trees were planted in 2008. The students were introduced to clinometers, equipment used to measure the height of a tree. Thank you to the parents, Anthony Persaud of Peel District School Board, and the
Thanks to the students who remeasured the trees at Applewood Heights S.S. in Mississauga on Sept. 26th, 2014. The trees were planted in 2008 and some trees are now considered “mature trees” (over 4 cm in diameter at 1.3m).
Thank you to all the “tribes” of Tecumseh P.S. for establishing a Planting for Change plot! All 195 students participated in planting the trees and shrubs in Burlington, ON. [scrollGallery id=68]
On Sept. 23rd, 2014, the students remeasured the trees planted in 2008. The trees are now “mature” trees (> 4 cm in diameter at 1.3 m) and the students used clinometers to calculated the height of their trees. Appleby College’s P4C plot