Diario del proyecto Upper Thames River Conservation Authority

Did you know???

• White pine is the tallest tree species in Ontario
• Red oak is used for making flooring, furniture, and railroad ties
• Hickory wood is long-burning firewood making it ideal for smoking meat and cheese
• Birch outer bark makes a good fire starter even when it is wet!
• Tulip tree wood was also used to make canoes
• Spruce trees are the most abundant tree in Canada
• Sycamore trees also produce sap that can be made into a sweet syrup

Check out more fun activities here:
http://www.cif-ifc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NFW-Educational-Material-Crossword-Puzzle-EN.pdf
https://assets.ctfassets.net/e09p19lzfrfe/5iOpPeTZJpLRMIMTxGc7lM/9c35a500e2c13d6688cdda2b768bb0ab/Forest_Fun_Booklet_Final.pdf

Tree Planting on Private Lands
Landowners who reside in the Upper Thames River watershed and own a minimum of 1 hectare (2.5 acres) are eligible to participate. The program offers coniferous and deciduous large stock trees and seedlings, as well as wildlife shrubs. Planting projects may include windbreaks, highly erodible land retirement and treed buffer strips along watercourses. The deadline for ordering is March 1.

Community Forestry
Community Forestry establishes native tree and wildlife shrub communities in parks, along watercourses, and on industrial and commercial properties. Our staff meet with local partners to identify sites that can be restored, then coordinate community involvement in planting trees, shrubs, aquatic plants, wildflower meadows, and prairies. Projects range from small neighbourhood sites to large multi-year corporate and municipal initiatives.

Memorial Forests
Memorial Forests provide a lasting tribute to loved ones, and improve the environment. The UTRCA is involved in five memorial forests across the watershed.

https://thamesriver.on.ca/landowner-grants-stewardship/forestry-tree-planting/

Which one of these things just doesn’t belong here? An invasive species is an organism that has been brought to our area from another part of the country or world. These organisms tend to take over, decreasing biodiversity and reducing the health of forest ecosystems. Currently, in the Upper Thames River watershed, there are 16 trees that are considered invasive:

• Amur Maple (Acer ginnala)
• Manitoba Maple, Boxelder (Acer negundo)
• Norway Maple (Acer platanoides)
• Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
• European White Birch (Betula pendula)
• English Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
• Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
• White Mulberry (Morus alba)
• Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)
• White Poplar, Silver Poplar (Populus alba)
• Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium)
• Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
• White Willow (Salix alba)
• Crack Willow (Salix fragilis)
• European Mountain-ash (Sorbus aucuparia)
• Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)
Keep those observations coming! With your help, we might learn of new tree invaders, which is important knowledge to have.

Check out other invasive plants in the watershed here:
https://thamesriver.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/Invasive-plants.pdf

Check out native trees and shrubs to plant in the place of an invader!
https://thamesriver.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/Native-trees-shrubs.pdf

When taking photos to identify trees on iNaturalist, here are a few tips:
• Focused pictures that are well-lit
• Multiple photos of various parts of the tree like leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, branching pattern
• Picture of the whole tree (if possible)
It also helps to learn what trees are common in your area. The Upper Thames River watershed sits on the transition zone between the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Forest region and the Carolinian Forest region. Each of the four forest regions in Ontario has specific ecosystem characteristics that determine dominant tree species and animals.

Check out this fun activity from the Canadian Institute of Forestry on common tree terms and types!
http://www.cif-ifc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/NFW-Educational-Material-Tree-ID-Sheet-EN-.pdf

Happy National Forest Week!

National Forest Week is a time to raise awareness about the many benefits that forests provide and to celebrate this amazing natural resource! This year’s theme is “Our forests – continually giving”. So what are forests continually giving?
• Oxygen
• Mental and physical health benefits
• Soil and groundwater protection
• Carbon sequestration and climate moderation
• Habitat for wildlife
• Food, fuel, lumber
• Space for recreation and education

Check out the Benefits of Nature poster created by Conservation Ontario - https://conservationontario.ca/step-into-nature/benefits-of-nature/

Watch for tree-related journal posts all week! There will be a prize awarded for the most tree observations!

https://www.cif-ifc.org/national-forest-week/

Thank you everyone for your keen interest in the Upper Thames River Watershed. We surpassed 10, 000 observations since we started on May 11th! Keep up the amazing work.