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FYI October 2009 (also available as pdf file)
Back to other FYIs (UTRCA Newsletters) |
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 Crowds at the 2009 Outdoor Farm Show. |
2009 Outdoor Farm ShowThe UTRCA participated in Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show on September 15-17, near Woodstock. The UTRCA display encouraged landowners to tap into Clean Water Program funding and provided information about enhanced CWP opportunities in Oxford County. Several hundred people stopped by the booth for information and to chat about projects on their farms. People had the opportunity to put their name in a free draw at the UTRCA booth for a large Sugar Maple tree. The winner is from the St. Marys area. UTRCA staff will plant the tree once the trees are dormant this fall. Contact: , Marketing Specialist |
Furtney Memorial Forest DedicationDark clouds parted and sunny skies emerged in time to start the 18th annual George Furtney Memorial Forest dedication ceremony held at the Watson Porter Pavilion in Fanshawe Conservation Area on Sunday, September 27. A large crowd of over 300 people attended the service. Evans and Logan Funeral Homes staff, Reverend Dr. David McKane of First St. Andrews United Church, London’s Ward 14 Councillor Cheryl Miller, and Karen Pugh from the UTRCA delivered greetings to those gathered to mark the memorial trees. A chinquapin oak was planted as the ceremonial tree. |
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Many people commented on how meaningful the service is for them, and the beauty of the park setting. Dave Pizzey, Manager of Evans and Logan Funeral Homes, informed Karen Pugh the day after the service that he had already heard from two attendees who were very complimentary about the memorial forest program and the dedication event. Dave wrote that one visitor “couldn’t say enough about the importance and value of the tree program and the emotional satisfaction that she and her group received from the service.” Both people also commented on how important it is for people to hear the involvement of the UTRCA and the value of the project to the community. A chinquapin oak was planted at the service as the ceremonial tree. |
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Last spring, 271 trees
were planted in the field at the Adelaide Street North location in
London, just north of the Waltzing Weasel.Since the program’s
inception in 1991, nearly 6,200 memorial trees have been planted.
Contact: , Resources Specialist Gearing Up for Fall PlantingCommunity Forestry, through the UTRCA Communities for Nature program, is scheduled from November 3-12. Students will be helping to green Downs Golf Course in Woodstock, Weldon Park in Arva, the Butler property in Cedar Creek, CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll, and Avon Public School in Stratford. Scouts will be planting in Dorchester at Camp BEL, Citibank employees will be busy at Greenway Park in London, and Home Hardware employees from Ingersoll will be continuing their greening efforts at Smith Pond. As well, 14 new trees will be spade moved into the yard of Emily Carr Public School in London, thanks to funding from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Contact: , Resources Specialist |
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Kudzu VineA new invasive plant has been discovered in Ontario on the shores of Lake Erie near the town of Leamington. The kudzu vine, which is also known as “the vine that ate the South,” has been covering fields, trees and even buildings in the United States for years. It is native to eastern Asia and was first brought to North America in 1876 for a centennial exhibition. Our neighbours to the south have been fighting this weed but, despite efforts to stop it, the plant has continued to spread north. We have been
watching the vine move towards Canada for a few years now.
Fortunately, it has been found early and the Province has taken
immediately action to stop the vine, thus protecting Ontario’s
biodiversity. Contact: , Forestry and Vegetation Assessment Technician
Top: A close up
of kudzu leaves and flowers. |
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Deloitte Impact DayTwenty employees and their families of Deloitte & Touche LLP, a financial firm in London, participated in planting over 100 native trees and shrubs on Saturday, September 26. The partnership with Deloitte, Tree Canada and the UTRCA was part of a group that greened Canada in nine cities on this fifth national day of service. Other cities that took part included Halifax, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Over 5000 volunteers were improving communities from coast to coast. The City of London provided Greenway Park as the site for the new trees. Contact: , Resources Specialist
A young tree planter checks out some of the native shrubs. |
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Prescriptions for TreesTrees Ontario and the UTRCA will host a two day tree planting prescription writing course in Woodstock on October 27-28. The purpose of the course is to educate those who are delivering the Trees Ontario 50 Million Tree Program on proper tree planting prescriptions. On the first day, a number of speakers will present topics such as matching species to soils, site preparation techniques, tending and use of cover crops. On the second day, the UTRCA will showcase some of our planting sites from recent years. Approximately 35 conservation authority staff and consultants from central and southwestern Ontario are expected to attend. Contact: , Forester |
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Wildwood Hazard Tree ManagementThe UTRCA has removed 288 trees identified as hazards in a 5 ha (13 acre) area of the Dr. R.S. Murray Forest at Wildwood Conservation Area. These trees were identified using the draft hazard tree policy developed by staff over the past two years. The purpose of the policy is to maintain UTRCA owned and/or managed properties in a manner that ensures public safety in areas that the public is invited to enjoy. These areas include our campgrounds, trail systems and designated educational areas. While this particular area within the Dr. R.S. Murray Forest is part of the trail system, its primary users are the more than 5000 students that participate in the UTRCA’s Community Education programs at Wildwood every year. As part of the educational experience, students will now learn about the importance of forest management and the safety of those enjoying it. Contact: , Community Education Specialist |
 The ESA staff felled 288 hazardous trees. |
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Species of the MonthBlue Ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata)Several species of ash tree grow in southern Ontario but one is particularly noteworthy for its affinity for the Thames River. It is the blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata. Blue ash is known from only a handful of areas in Ontario including the floodplains of the Thames, Sydenham and St. Clair Rivers, Point Pelee, and nearby islands of western Lake Erie. Most sites are around Thamesville near Chatham. The most northerly known site of this tree in Ontario is in Fanshawe Conservation Area in northeast London. In Canada, blue ash is limited to the Carolinian Zone where the climate is warmest and the growing season longest. This tree prefers to grow on rich floodplain forest soils, yet in the Lake Erie islands it grows on shallow soil over dry limestone and well drained sand. This species has a large range south of the border, from Ohio and Wisconsin, south to northern Georgia and Arkansas. Blue ash are medium-sized trees, growing up to 20 metres (65 ft) tall. The leaves are dark green, emerge opposite from each other on the branch, and feature five to 11 leaflets. The twigs are quite distinctive, with conspicuous corky ridges that make them four-sided; hence the species name, quadrangulata, meaning four-angled. Blue ash gets its common name from a sticky substance found in the inner bark that turns blue when exposed to the air. The tree spreads primarily by seed dispersal. |
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Blue ash leaves (left) have 5 to 11 leaflets, and grow opposite each other on the branch, which has distinctive corky ridges (right). Because of its limited Canadian range and low numbers, blue ash is designated as a species of “Special Concern” by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and it is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act. The main limiting factor is probably the lack of suitable habitat, as this species occurs in a highly developed part of Ontario where floodplain forests are limited. The tree also has low reproduction rates in Canada. Will this ash be susceptible to the emerald ash borer? Probably. Evidence suggests this borer attacks any true ash tree. This raises concern for the blue ash as it cannot afford any additional loss. Contact: , Terrestrial Ecologist 15 Years and Going Strong!The Upper Avon River Conservation Club met in Roger and Elaine Cook’s kitchen on Tuesday, October 6 to prepare for the 16th planting season. Many stories of previous planting seasons were shared with lots of laughter. |
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 The Avon kitchen meeting in action. |
The club has been quietly working to fulfill the dream of the 1952 Avon Valley Plan. Many of the plan’s authors were local community residents and are related to some of the present club members. At the meeting, the names of the original authors of the plan were read and Craig Merkley of the UTRCA highlighted the club’s many accomplishments over the past 15 years. One of the most impressive achievements mentioned was planting treed buffers along priority sections of the Upper Avon River tributaries on 26 private properties. One landowner commented that the spring tree planting to buffer streams has become as natural as planting the fields in spring. The club members are truly an inspiration to community focused environmental restoration. |
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Following the meeting, club members shared homemade potato soup, freshly baked bread, and several different kinds of cookies, all prepared by Elaine Cook. Contact: , Marketing Specialist |
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City of Woodstock Memorial Forest DedicationCouncillor Connie Lauder
represented the UTRCA at the dedication service for the City of
Woodstock Memorial Forest, held in Pittock Conservation Area on
Sunday, October 4. Over 200 people shared in the event, and a red
oak tree was dedicated to the memory of family and friends who have
passed on. Thank you to the park staff at Pittock who ensured the “before and after” details were tended to, which resulted in a well run event. Even the weather cooperated on the otherwise rainy weekend. Contact: , Resources Specialist St. Marys Memorial Forest DedicationThe first annual dedication service for the St. Marys Memorial Forest program was held at Wildwood CA on Sunday, September 27. A commemorative red oak tree was planted in the presence of 100 people. Ian Wilcox spoke on behalf of the UTRCA. Andrew Hodges of Hodges Funeral Home and Pastor Richard Hryniw of East Nissouri Union Church were hosts of the service as well. The actual planting site of the memorial trees is at the southeast corner of Line 16 and Line 9 in Perth South Township. The trees are white spruce, a species that deer will leave alone! Thanks to Craig Machan and Wildwood CA staff for their assistance in making this first event so successful. The strong partnership that has been formed will provide an important service to the community. Contact: , Resources Specialist Fall in the CreeksUTRCA staff resumed benthic monitoring in September and October at about 80 sites. Benthic invertebrates, which are excellent indicators of water and aquatic ecosystem quality, are sampled to provide baseline data on our subwatersheds targeted for remedial activities (e.g., Trout and Mud Creeks, South Thames/ Dorchester) and for water quality studies (Cedar Creek). Other sampling includes reference (or least impacted) sites and sites located to monitor the impacts of stream rehabilitation projects or urban or rural development. Fish sampling this past summer included a fish rescue operation on the relocated section of Norsworthy Drain near Thamesford. Other sampling during the summer and continuing this fall is in the targeted subwatersheds identified above. In addition to providing fish population information for these watersheds, the status of Brook Trout populations in the Mud and Trout Creek watersheds will be assessed. This data will contribute to a possible cooperative future venture with OMNR and the Thames River Anglers Association to augment Brook Trout populations. Eggs would be collected for the TRAA hatchery and the young trout produced would be used to bolster existing populations or introduced into other areas with potential trout habitat. Contact: , Aquatic Biologist On the AgendaThe following items will be presented at the UTRCA Board of Directors meeting on October 27, 2009. Click HERE for Board meeting minutes.
Contact: , Executive Assistant |
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This page was last
revised on
February 17, 2010.
Copyright © 2010 Upper Thames River Conservation Authority 1424 Clarke Road, London, Ontario, Canada N5V 5B9 tel: 519-451-2800 fax: 519-451-1188 All rights reserved. |
