If you’re bothered by an overgrown backyard or you’re constantly worrying about a large tree near your home, you’re probably also wondering what you should do about it. Maybe you Googled “How to remove a tree” or “Best tree care Thunder Bay” and were flooded with options for local arborists and Facebook posts advertising cheap […]
That’s right. It’s the dead of winter and I’m still writing about trees. Our city and our urban forest is geographically unique compared to most others in North America. We’re right in the middle of one of the biggest forests in the world. We are the polar forest opposite of our prairie companions like Winnipeg […]
I recently read John Vaillant’s “The Golden Spruce”, a true account of a misguided environmentalist named Grant Hadwin who, undercover of night, felled the most culturally significant tree in British Columbia. This giant sitka spruce was special because its foliage glowed an unnatural gold unlike any other tree in the world. It was revered by […]
Do you remember how excited you were when we had those few days of really warm weather over the march break? We all felt that spring was coming super early this year and we were going to skip that phase of the spring where it’s too warm to ski but too cold to spend time […]
In my last column I had made a prediction that the early warmth of this spring followed by many nights of sub zero temperatures would cause damage to trees. Well, unfortunately, it turns out that I was right. The vast majority of trees in the region have fared surprisingly well. I was expecting some early […]
I realize that writing about how to water trees while we’ve been having many rainy days is not the best timing. You just have to look at North Eastern Ontario to see that weather can change quickly and within a week or so, we may be hit by drought and hot temperatures just as easily […]
Firstly I need to apologize to the people of our region. The last article that I wrote for this paper was about watering trees and within 24 of press time, we had one of the biggest rainfalls in recent memory. As the consistent victim of Murphy’s Law, I take all responsibility for the deluge. All […]
Before you call the Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) a “weed”, I want you to remember what our winters are like in Northwestern Ontario. It gets really cold and stays really cold for a long time! Typical champion trees that are common in North America like white oak, hickory or sycamore just won’t survive the punishment […]
I’ve been betrayed! For many good years of my life I’ve fostered a loving relationship with a cute little green haired, golden skinned creature. I’ve helped it grow and spread over many seasons but now I’ve had enough. It’s over. Amur cherry trees are my former object of desire. They are beautiful trees of smaller […]
Fall is here and winter is just around the corner and I’m anticipating what global warming will have in store for us this winter. Perhaps another +20 Celcius March Break or a snowstorm in May? If it’s anything like last winter, my staff and I will be busy pruning trees all winter. Mild weather and […]