On the heels of September’s ceremony to honour heritage trees in Ottawa, Forests Ontario has confirmed that it can list more bur oaks from this neighbourhood in its provincial registry. The deadline for nominating a tree to Forests Ontario’s heritage tree program is December 31, 2017. Since I am already registered as a nominator with Forests Ontario, I can do… Read more →
Results of an 18-month project that mapped trees on private property are in, and more number crunching is set to occur. Called Neighbourwoods, the work involved training volunteer tree mappers in the spring of 2016 and then setting them loose to measure the girth and height and health of trees in a segment of the neighbourhood. This infographic tells the… Read more →
Discovering the family story DNA can tell reminds us of just how diverse genetic roots can be in a human life. Farmers know that the genetic variations within wheat, corn, millets and other food plants hold the key to disease resistance and future food security. The same value comes from keeping forest genes going. The genes of the bur oaks honoured… Read more →
Diameter at breast height: 121 cm w. Estimated age of tree: 200+ years old The bur oak that towers over four properties from a place of pride in the backyard at 211 Daniel Ave. represents the largest and oldest of Champlain Park’s bur oaks. In recent days, since the announcement that it will receive heritage status from Forests Ontario, Dennis… Read more →
Diameter at breast height: 94 cm Estimated age of tree: 180 years old In 1948, newlyweds Madeline and Al Heavenor built the first home on what is today Daniel Ave. They raised two daughters, Susan and Anita, in a 2-storey brick house whose backyard hosts a majestic bur oak. Nowadays, Al is 96 and Madeline is 93. They continue to… Read more →
Diameter at breast height: 94 cm Estimated age of tree: 180 years old Gillian Peters felt the power of what she calls “the mighty oak” in her front yard even before she and Jeff MacIntosh moved in with their 18-month old daughter. Here is Gillian’s tale of her first meeting with this heritage tree: In September 2001, Jeff and I… Read more →
Bur oaks in Champlain Park will be named as heritage trees by Forests Ontario on National Tree Day 2017. Among the approximately 60 bur oaks in Champlain Park neighbourhood, at least 40 are more than 50 cm Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and thus deemed “distinctive” under Ottawa’s tree protection bylaw for private property. Of these, 18 are over 120 years… Read more →
Diameter at breast height: 107 cm Estimated age of tree: 180 years In 1957, when Kay and Steve Kot bought the property where they have lived for 60 years, two impressive bur oaks graced the front yard. Back then, the trunks of these twin bur oaks might have been one-third as wide as the remaining oak is today. That would… Read more →
Although she lives in Lanark county, Diana Beresford-Kroeger has an international reputation as a scientist and author. The Bytowne Cinema is screening her documentary Call of the Forest this weekend. She will be at the cinema after the showing on Saturday, April 15. The film’s trailer will entice you, and the documentary itself, which I saw last night, will entrance… Read more →
Mark your calendar for a chance to walk on the softening earth and to hear from expert, Owen Clarkin, on ways to identify a tree when it has no leaves. Here are details of this April 22 event, to be held in the Champlain Park neighbourhood. All are welcome.
The Champlain Oaks Project: we're a volunteer group of neighbours, honoured to share our community with these magnificent old-growth giants, and dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and restoring the historic Oak forest in Ottawa's West end.
