Announcing the Winner of our Tree Story & Volunteer Prizes!

Trees Count 2014 could not have been possible without the diligence and dedication of a wonderful crew of volunteers! Over the course of the summer, we had over 25 volunteers help us count, measure and assess the health of 1272 trees. A few of our volunteers even contributed upwards of 100+hours each!

One of our project goals was also to raise awareness of the importance of urban trees and so we asked Hamilton residents and our volunteers to share their tree stories for a chance to win great prizes donated by local businesses!

We are finally announcing the winners of these prizes!

First off, a BIG thank you to MyDogJoe on King Street for generously donating a heap of gift certificates which kept our volunteers fed and fuelled with delicious snacks and coffee!

We'd also like to thank a number of local companies and individuals; including Coffeecology, Zenon Bee Inc., John Terpstra, Blue Oak Native Landscapes and Jelly Brothers for donating to our Tree Story and Volunteer Appreciation Prize Packs! 


Congratulations to Dheerendra, who is our Tree Story prize winner and to Kayley, who is our Volunteer prize winner! 

Dheerendra taking a break from counting trees by a large red oak in Westdale. Being a fairly new immigrant to Canada, Dheerendra was always puzzled that despite plenty of available space and good soils, so few people planted urban trees for fruits, nuts or other edible products! 

Kayley (right) with Nicholas and Giuliana after completing Block C! Kayley found out about our project from Volunteer Hamilton mid-summer and we are so glad she did! Kayley and Nicholas, undertook to complete the last 5 inventory blocks with unparalleled determination! 

---
Giuliana
P.S. In case you are wondering about our draw process: all volunteers who attended at least one inventory session and all tree story contributors had their names entered into a hat (well a bowl, actually) and then we drew out two names!

Tree Story: Hamilton's Tree in a Rock

Hamilton's Tree in a Rock by Peter Hill

Years ago on the northwest corner of King Street West and Breadalbane Street, across the road from Paton Motors, a large limestone rock was placed in the middle of a small grassy area.  Shortly thereafter, a seed (I think an elm) took root and started to grow - right out of the rock!!  The rock is now split and the young tree is about 5 meters high and has other young saplings growing around it.

At this point in time, it is hard to see unless you look carefully, particularly in summer when the leaves abound.  Winter is the best time to observe this hardy tree growing in the rock.  If you are passing by in a bus you can see it from the window (sit on the right side of the bus) or you can explore a little more closely if you are on foot or astride bicycle.

(Editor's note: Sorry Peter but I cannot identify the tree from this photo! I will endeavour to get a closer look, perhaps astride my bicycle as you suggest!)

Tree Story: Trees, Time and Fences

While conducting our urban forest inventory in Westdale this summer several of our volunteers noted that often urban trees occured not because they were planted and cared for but rather because an area was ignored long enough for a tree to become established. The most striking evidence of this were the trees (some of considerable size) that we encountered growing into and through old fences and posts. Unfortunately, the trees established in these unlikely places were more likely to be non-native, 'weedy'  species, such as norway maples, manitoba maples and locusts. One of our volunteers, Kayley, snapped these photos of trees engulfing a fence along a property boundary.

Another one of our volunteers, Dheerendra, went as far as to create a public education poster, that was a compilation of photos of urban trees in poor health due to neglect, with the caption: Hey!  We're sick, please help us....Each one of us has a different story to tell. You can find us near Whitney Avenue, Hamilton.

Thank you Kayley and Dheerendra for sharing your photos and tree story!

Tree Story: Exploring the Urban Forest While Travelling Abroad

Peter, one of our Trees Count volunteers, shared this tree story with us about how he connects with places he visits by learning about a new tree. 

I find that one of the enjoyable parts of travelling afar is finding trees which don’t grow close to home. My process is simple: I take a photo of the leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and the whole tree if possible and, once home, research its name and specific features. Somehow, the whole process makes my holidays more interesting. 

I recently visited the Cayman Islands and discovered a tree with some very distinct features.  We were on a tour of Grand Cayman when the trolley stopped at a beach.  Everyone else dutifully tripped to the sand and sun but I held back because I had noticed a very different tree - the Barringtonia asiatica, commonly known as the “Poison Tree.”

The most amazing thing about this tree is its fruit!  You can see from the photos how large it is - and its square, box-like shape.

The white flowers on the tree develop in large aggregations. 

So upon my return, I searched the internet for more information and what follows is summarized from Wikipedia.

Barringtonia asiatica (Fish Poison Tree or Sea Poison Tree) is a species of Barringtonia native to mangrove habitats on the tropical coasts and islands of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean from Zanzibar east to Taiwan, the Philippines, Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia.  It is grown along streets for decorative and shade purposes in some parts of India on the southeastern shore. It is also known as Box Fruit due the distinct box-shaped fruit it produces. The local name, futu, is the source of the name for the Polynesian island Futuna.

Westdale TreesCount Grows Awareness of our Urban Forest

This article is a great summary of TreesCount 2014 and will be featured in the HNC newspaper, The Wood Duck:

As the weather begins to turn cooler and summer enters its final stretch, TreesCount 2014 is also wrapping up in Westdale. The project has been ongoing since June, and volunteers now have just one final block to complete. When it comes to growing awareness of our urban forest (the trees and green spaces in our urban areas), TreesCount has been extremely successful.

TreesCount 2014, one of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club’s latest projects, was a detailed and comprehensive inventory of all of the public and private trees in a study area that covered most of Westdale South. Data was collected using the Neighbourwoods Protocol, a method developed at the University of Toronto. The data was collected by over 25 volunteers and entered into a database that will be sent to U of T for analysis. The results will be summarized in a report presented to the community. It is then up to the people of Westdale to decide how they are going to use this information to maintain or improve the health of their urban forest. The study is actually a re-inventory of the same area studied by Environment Hamilton in 2003. Now that this latest project is nearly complete, we can safely say that the changes that have occurred in the last decade are quite amazing!

 

This map outlines the TreesCount study area, which was divided into 8 blocks.

The project is called TreesCount, but volunteers did much more than simply count the number of trees. They collected over 30 pieces of data for each individual tree! Various measurements were taken, including height, crown width and trunk diameter.. The species was identified, and the location and ownership were noted. The rest of the inventory was devoted to assessing the condition of the tree (indicators such as leaf colour, dead branches and scars or cracks gave us clues) and looking for existing or potential conflicts with other objects, such as wires and buildings.

The detailed nature of the inventory makes the information extremely valuable as a tool for developing planting or watering programs, identifying safety hazards and ultimately planning for the future. The data can also be used to identify issues such as a lack of diversity or the need for greater canopy cover. The community will now be able to see which issues are of highest priority and make decisions that are specific to this area and its individual needs. For example, the study has only identified 17 ash trees in the area, so the Emerald Ash borer is not likely to greatly reduce the canopy cover of this neighbourhood. However, at last count, 61 percent of all trees counted were Norway Maples, a non-native species that can be invasive in natural areas. With this in mind, the community can spend less time worrying about ash trees and more time looking for ways to improve diversity and increase the presence of native species in Westdale. Making smart, well informed decisions today will ensure that our urban forest is healthy for years to come.

Throughout the project, we not only collected a lot of useful data, but we also got to engage the community in the project. Lots of homeowners had questions about specific trees and were interested to learn more about their trees and the urban forest as a whole. Many added their own personal tree stories to the information we collected, reminding us that there’s more to urban forestry than hard facts and measurements. The HNC plans to complete similar inventories in other Hamilton neighbourhoods in the future so that more communities will have the opportunity to learn about and improve their patch of urban forest. There is also hope that greater public interest may encourage the City of Hamilton to develop and implement an urban forest management plan, following in the footsteps of many other municipalities. If all goes well, TreesCount 2014 will grow into a greater movement of appreciation for our beautiful and extremely valuable urban forest.
--Mara

Another Successful Urban Forest Tour!

Thanks to the Hamilton Sustainability Professionals Network and guests for joining us on an Urban Forest Tour of Westdale this week! We did a little urban forest quiz about the health and composition of the urban forest (based on the 800 trees we've collected data on so far)! Thanks to our friends at Coffeecology for donating a jar of freshly roasted coffee for the quiz winner! 

Our volunteers, Kayley and Nicholas, also did a demo of how we collect over 30 measurements and pieces of data per tree! 

Finally, Certified Arborist and HNC member, Kyle, led us on a tour of Churchill Park and surrounding area. We talked about the importance of urban forest diversity and native species, looked at some non-native oaks in the Park, and then we went to visit our favourite Treescount white oak! 

English Oak in Churchill Park

When 20 people stand around oohing and awing at a tree, it attracts a little attention, especially from the Homeowners!  However, this tree's lovely owners were delighted to see us and they invited us to take a closer look. We had a lovely chat about the history of the tree and they showed us a photo of the tree in 1925, already looking very large, when the house was originally built! More on this great tree story is coming soon! 

The Paisley White Oak is in good hands with these shiny happy people! Thanks J & T for letting us stop by!

Our urban forest inventory should be wrapping up in a few weeks! Stay tuned for the results!

---Giuliana

Submit Your Tree Story Before August 19th!

Hamilton's First Ever Tree Story Prize Giveaway!

TreesCount is about more than just counting trees! We want to build appreciation of urban forests and hear your tree stories! Tell us about your favourite tree, why trees are important to you or what you value about Hamilton's urban forest. We'll happily share your tree story on our blog anytime but if you'd like to be entered into a draw to win our tree story prize pack, please submit your stories before August 19th! 

On August 19th at 6pm we'll be hosting a TreesCount Urban Forest Walk in Westdale with the Hamilton Sustainability Professionals Network and we'll draw a winner from among our tree story submissions that night! 

Our prize pack goodies have been generously donated to the Hamilton Naturalists' Club by a number of local companies and individuals; including Coffeecology, Zenon Bee Inc., John Terpstra and Blue Oak Native Landscapes. We thank them all for their generous support! 

This amazing collection of local goodness is up for grabs! Share your tree story with us!

If you'd like to submit a tree story (and photos!): 
1. Email your story to us: treescount2014@gmail.com
2. Post your story to our Facebook page: TreesCount
3. Or tweet your short but sweet story and pics and include @TreesCount #treestory 

Either way you submit your story, be sure to include an email address, or contact information so that we can contact you if you win! (One story per Hamilton resident!)

If you'd like to attend our TreesCount Urban Forest Walk: Register via the SPN Eventbrite page. That night I'll be describing the protocol we've been using to measure and assess the health of over 900 trees (and counting!) and presenting some preliminary data about how Westdale's urban forest measures up! Certified Arborist, Kyle McLoughlin, will be taking us on a walk around Westdale and will talk about some current urban forest policy and management issues. All are welcome to attend this event and to join the SPN afterwards for networking at the Snooty Fox!

I look forward to hearing your tree stories!
-- Giuliana 

Weird and Wonderful Urban Forest Finds

We've had some weird and wonderful urban forest finds this week! 

Do you think the homeowners are aware that this lovely vine climbing on their fence and garage is Poison Ivy?
(We left a note!) 

A silver maple trunk that appears to be swallowing a sidewalk. 

Cicada emerging from its exuvia!

Mystery Tree...any guesses?

And another cicada emerging...this time with wings visible. 

Sometimes trees give hugs back. This Silver Maple appears to be 'hugging' hydro post 15900.

© Giuliana Casimirri 2014

Hamilton's EAB problem and our urban forest

Recently, Matthew Van Dongen reported on the Emerald Ash Borer’s (EAB) swift decimation of our urban ash trees in Hamilton: Invasive beetle quickly biting into city’s ash trees (July 15, 2014). I was compelled to write a brief letter to the Spectator to draw attention to a few important points about EAB and its impact on Hamilton's urban forest. I tried to make three points in my 250-word space limit: 
1. EAB underscores why we need to plant a greater variety of trees species, and especially more native species. 
2. Our current EAB plan only covers a portion of the City-owned ash trees and many more in City woodlots and on private property are going to be lost. We have no removal or replanting plans for these trees and this will impact our overall urban forest canopy cover, and as our current forestry crews struggle to keep up with removals and replanting, it will ultimately impact our safety, air quality and quality of life. 
3.  Projects like TreesCount are low-cost ways to help communities assess EAB impacts on private and City-owned trees. Because most of our City is 'private' land - individuals homes, industrial and commercial properties and institutions - if the City is serious about maintaining or expanding our urban tree canopy cover for its various health, environmental and economic benefits, they need to consider programs that encourage and support people to plant trees in these areas. The benefits of trees on private land accrue to us all! I've included my letter to the editor below.

If you'd like to learn more about EAB, the City of Hamilton has produced a fact sheet. More information on the City's EAB management plan can be found here.

So far our urban forest inventory in Westdale south has only turned up 6 ash trees (out of about 600 trees surveyed to date). However, as Matthew's article points out, other parts of the City including the East Mountain and Stoney Creek, with their much higher density of urban ash trees, have much more to lose. 

One of the many benefits derived from collecting comprehensive urban forest inventory data, as we are with TreesCount, is that you can identify ash trees on private land that are not infected and may be good candidates for a preventative treatment program and you can also identify ash trees that are infected and should be removed before they become hazardous. It would be great to see community-based monitoring of both public and private trees expand in future years to cover neighbourhoods in Hamilton where EAB is likely to be a problem.

Ash tree in Westdale south.

Dear Editor,

I wish to provide some additional perspective on the Emerald Ash Borer’s (EAB) impact on our urban forest.

EAB’s devastation in Hamilton underscores the need to improve diversity in our urban forest. Diversity in terms of different species and age distribution is critical to buffer the future urban forest from losses due to insects, disease, drought, and climate change. It is encouraging that City ash tree removals are being replaced with native tree species. However, out of the 90 or so trees native to our area only a few are being planted. We must do a much better job of planting more varieties of native species.

It is also likely that the scope of the problem is much bigger then we think. The City’s current EAB plan and budget for ash tree removal and replanting addresses only a portion of the ash in our urban forest – an estimated 23,000 ash trees along City streets and in municipal parks and cemeteries. As your article points out, it is difficult to keep up with this work and this does not include ash trees in woodlots and on private land. We have no plan to replace these lost trees.

A Hamilton Naturalists’ Club project, called TreesCount, is assessing the health of urban trees on private land in Westdale. TreesCount will reveal the impact of EAB on ash trees in the neighbourhood and identify hazard trees before they become dangerous. However, if the City wants to ensure our urban forest is maintained they should be initiating or supporting programs that help homeowners to plant native trees.

Giuliana Casimirri
Hamilton Naturalists' Club
Urban Forest Project Coordinator

Tree Story: John Terpstra

John Terpstra, a Hamilton author and cabinetmaker, has been helping us count trees in Westdale. Inspired by Hamilton's urban forest, John wrote what he called a 'deciduary' - a dictionary of deciduous trees, called Naked Trees in 2012. Naked Trees and several of John's other books are available from Mixed Media on James St. and Bryan Prince Booksellers in Westdale. John has also generously donated a signed copy of Naked Trees to our tree story prize pack!

We asked John to tell us about his favourite tree and he penned this lovely little story about his side yard Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). John's tree is a cultivar called 'Forest Pansy', which has purple leaves throughout the year. Eastern Redbuds are available via the City of Hamilton's Free Street Tree program and they are an excellent small tree for urban yards, providing bright pink blossoms in the early spring, pretty heart-shaped leaves throughout the year and they also resist clay soils and black walnut allelopathy!
--Giuliana

Here is John's tree story:

Redbuds Rule!

It took us many months to decide how best to obscure the pale blue vinyl siding of our neighbour’s house. I wanted to completely conceal the wall: a cedar hedge. My wife convinced me a small tree would be better. We settled on an Eastern Redbud, which we purchased from Connon Nursery last June while it was still in blossom.

Good choice. The tree instantly looked like it belonged. It was a young thing of beauty which, when its blossoms fell, began to unfurl red instead of green leaves, making it even more special.

We watered. We fertilized. It took hold, thrived and grew.

Fall came, the leaves fell. We were already looking forward to spring, when our redbud would have its first seasonal blossom in our yard. Then winter came, and was cold, and stayed long. In the spring, no blossoms appeared on the branches. Small buds were visible, but they dried up and failed to leaf. We thought we had lost our tree. 

Slowly, however, it started to come back to life. More and more buds, and leaves, started popping, and though several branches proved dead for most of their length, closer to the trunk they valiantly sprouted new growth.

In the photographs, you can see the dead branches poking their sticks into the air. We have yet to prune them, but that will happen soon. In the meantime, our stalwart little eastern redbud tree has survived its first trial by fire, or rather, ice.