My Post on the Toronto Field Naturalists Blog

 Toronto Trees Getting A Head Start - You can see it here: https://torontofieldnaturalists.org/toronto-trees-getting-a-head-start/

 



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Maintaining Black Oak savannah with an annual burn

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Prescribed burns involve intentionally setting fire to a designated area in a controlled manner to help manage vegetation growth and promote biodiversity. The Toronto Fire Service, Toronto Parks and Forestry, and other agencies are working together to carry out these burns in High Park, which has historically been an oak savannah ecosystem. The burns are also being used to reduce the risk of uncontrolled wildfires and improve the health of the park's ecosystem. The article emphasizes that the burns are carefully planned and monitored to ensure they are safe and effective. Prescribed burns are used in many regions around the world as a tool for land management and conservation. In North America, prescribed burns are used in a variety of ecosystems, including grasslands, forests, and wetlands, to promote the growth of native plants, reduce the risk of wildfires, and manage invasive species. In Australia, prescribed burns are commonly used to reduce the risk of bushfires and maintain ...
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Big old trees are the urban dweller's best friend

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  A large scale study in Brussels, Belgium found that preserving existing mature trees in urban areas provides greater benefits in terms of reducing air pollution and improving the quality of life for city residents than planting new trees. Using LIDAR, researchers were able to identify 616,379 trees for the entire region with data on the diameter the crowns, and the density of trunks in a given area. The study then compared the benefits of tree cover to local sales of medicines. Where tree cover was high, medicine sales were low. So trees improved the health of urban residents, but not uniformly. The impact of trees on human health was much greater with old trees with large crowns than with a lot of young trees. The researchers concluded that preserving existing mature trees had a greater impact on carbon sequestration than planting new trees, due to the fact that mature trees sequester more carbon than young trees. The article emphasizes the importance of considering the preser...
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The threatened American Redstart needs trees

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  The American Redstart is a small migratory songbird that nests in the birch and maple trees of New England in June. The female is a cryptically colored bird with grey and yellow plumage, and it is known for its unique nesting habits. This species builds its nests in well-hidden locations, such as in the dense foliage of birch and maple trees. The nests are difficult to spot due to their camouflaged appearance. For Redstarts, whose populations are growing smaller, success depends heavily on the availability of the trees that serve as their home, not only for nesting but also for feeding on insects. Habitat loss and fragmentation of wooded areas can have a negative impact on the survival of this species. ADDITIONAL READING ==> https://thelocalne.ws/2022/06/12/the-american-redstart-is-nesting-well-hidden-in-birch-trees-and-maples/
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