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! 

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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.