Since 2002, as part of ACER’s “Let’s Plant, Measure and Mulch!” program, over 3000 students have been involved in planting, measuring and mulching native trees at ACER’s Outdoor Climate Change Laboratory at the Humber Arboretum in Etobicoke. The Humber Arboretum is located within the urban heat island of Toronto, which is nearly 4 degrees Celsius warmer than outside of Toronto, making it an ideal spot to study the impact of climate change on the growth rate of different species of trees.
The “Let’s Plant, Measure and Mulch” program provided a unique opportunity for students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 to broaden their understanding of scientific research through hands-on field work including planting native trees in restoration areas, maintaining existing planting sites, and recording and reporting data on tree health and growth using scientific techniques and calculations. Students were also encouraged to relate their experience at the arboretum to the fields of geography, mathematics, science and technology, environmental science, world issues and biology.
To date, two experimental biodiversity plots have been established, the first being a full one-hectare plot planted in 2002 with native City Street, Forestry, Carolinian, Hardwood, or Mixed Wood tree species and the second a smaller plot planted in 2013 with yellow birch and sycamore trees.
Since the original plantings at the two experimental biodiversity plots, the success and growth of the trees planted have been measured regularly by students, community volunteers, environmental club members, recent university graduates, ACER interns and ACER Canada Summer Jobs students. This tree monitoring data, collected following strict Smithsonian forestry protocols, can be used by scientists and foresters to help assess the impacts of climate change and other environmental and social factors on biodiversity and tree health in forest ecosystems.
More on each experimental biodiversity plot, including tree maps and the data collected to date, can be found here:
Humber Arboretum Experimental Plot
Humber Arboretum Experimental Plot 2
Related Publications:
Posters
Biological Threats to Biodiversity
M. B. Karsh, A. Casselman, D. C. Maciver, S. Fung & H. Auld
Article
Benchmarking Biodiversity and Planning Future Forests in Urban Impacted Areas
M. B. Karsh, A. Casselman
Paper
Ten Year Results of the First Climate Change Experimental Site in Canada
M. Karsh and A. Casselman, 2012