Content related to tree canopy and preservation
This year, the LBNA planted 100 trees to honour Canadian Veterans as part of a program to plant 300 trees to commemorate veterans in Long Branch. The program is known as Long Branch Remembers.
All trees planted are native species and were planted at residences in Long Branch whose owners wished to honour a family member who was a veteran.
Here is a link to an article by Tamara Shephard in the Etobicoke Guardian with more details.
This year’s Long Branch Tree Fest will be held on Sunday, September 22nd in Marie Curtis Park. From noon until 4 pm, you can visit over 50 exhibitors and vendors and participate in a variety of activities for all ages.
This also is a special occasion, as it marks the 135th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Long Branch.
We have a number of local musicians to entertain you and there will be an open mic to allow young musicians to showcase their skills.
For adults, we have yoga and nature walks to explore the trails in Marie Curtis Park and enjoy the beauty of the park.
For kids, we have story-telling and face painting.
In keeping with the theme of celebrating and preserving the urban forest around us, we have an arborist to answer your questions about trees and, for avid gardeners, we will have a plant exchange and giveaway of shrubs.
The Long Branch Tree Fest is made possible through the generous support of a number of public and private organizations including:
We look forward to seeing you there. See other Long Branch events here.
On Saturday, May 25th, we held our second Tree for Me event at Colonel Samuel Smith Park.
In 2018, we gave residents approximately 300 trees. This year, we increased that to 446 trees.
Despite heavy rain during the early hours of the event, we had residents lining up to pick up their free trees, and walking away with big smiles on their faces. For the LBNA Volunteers, it was very rewarding to see those smiles.
Our MP, James Maloney, even took time out from his busy schedule to attend and to see the Bird Festival that was also underway at the Park.
On behalf of the LBNA Board, we’d like to thank both the residents and the volunteers who came out for the event and we expect next year’s Tree for Me event to be even more successful.
We launched our Neighbourwoods© project in Long Branch in the summer of 2018, and hired three students for the summer to be trained by and to work with Dr. Danijela Puric-Mladenovic, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto.
In 2019, we decided to expand the project and hired six students.
This summer, we have hired six more summer interns to work not only on the Neighbourwoods Tree Inventory, but also to work on programs related to tree stewardship.
Building on the data we gathered in 2018 and 2019 Dr. Puric-Mladenovic is also working on measuring the overall changes in tree canopy to provide us with feedback on whether our tree canopy is declining, increasing or just staying the same.
Our goal is to have trees covering 40% of Long Branch.
Our teams of students will come to your property and ask permission to enter your yard and conduct their inventory. Among other things, they will:
If you are interested in participating in our tree inventory project and having the tree data on your property added to our database, you can just email us with your name, address and phone number so we can arrange for one of our teams of students to come around.
If you are a student, between the ages of 18 – 30 years old who loves trees; would like to work in Long Branch this summer and is going back to school in the fall we would like to hear from you!
You will be assisting the LBNA (Long Branch Neighbourhood Association) in developing an inventory of the trees in Long Branch, and educating the community on the benefits of preserving and growing our Urban Tree Canopy.
This neighbourhood was an exclusive cottage community in the late 1800’s featuring densely treed lots. Many of these trees survive today. This project will include identifying Heritage Tree nominees to join the first three which are now officially recognized by Forests Ontario in Long Branch; assisting with the Long Branch Remembers program to plant 100 trees for our Veterans in Long Branch and assisting in the preparation of displays and other educational materials about the benefits of our Urban canopy for community events including the 1st Annual Long Branch Tree Festival.
As a member of two, 2 person crews, you will accurately record the Long Branch urban forest inventory, including species and tree health data on public & private land using digital recording and mapping software. You will also identify strategic areas to plant trees. You will assist in analyzing the tree inventory data collected and prepare reports on the findings. Training and technical support / mentoring will be provided through community partnership with the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto.
This project is funded through two Grants, one of which is from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation and the City of Toronto and the other from a Federal Summer Student grant to the community. The LBNA encourages students in forestry-related or arboriculture programs or environmental sciences or other related programs to apply, including applicants who are women, indigenous students; members of a visible minority and new immigrants/refugees.
Interviews have begun, but it’s not too late to apply.
Position start date will be Monday, June 3 for University/College students with one position available for a high school graduating student starting beginning of July.
If you are passionate about conserving and expanding urban forests, please email your resume and cover letter with why you are interested in one of these positions as soon as possible to Judy Gibson, Chair, Tree Canopy Preservation and Enhancement Committee, Long Branch Neighbourhood Association via email: longbranchnato@gmail.com
Long Branch is no stranger to flooding. Part of our history is the catastrophic flooding that came from Hurricane Hazel in 1954. Seven residents of Long Branch lost their lives and many more homes were destroyed or washed into Lake Ontario.
With more modern storm sewer systems and flood control, it is much less likely that we will see residents lives at risk from storms and flooding. More likely is that flooding will rear its head in our basements, where it can be an expensive nuisance.
Many residents of Long Branch are aware of the network of underground streams in our neighbourhood and we have frequently warned developers about the potential impact on residents by taking down trees and reducing soft landscaping that soaks up storm runoff.
A recent article in the Globe and Mail suggests that the cost of a flooded basement can be as much as $43,000, and this may not be completely covered by household insurance. in some cases, insurance companies are refusing to offer flood damage coverage on household insurance policies.
What can you do?
Fortunately, preventing basement flooding is not outrageously expensive and can cost less than $250 as the Globe article suggests.
Clearing out eavestroughs helps ensure your downspouts will be able to direct runoff from your roof away from your foundation. In some cases, you can do this yourself with a ladder, a trowel and a bucket.
Installing a backflow preventer will cost more that $250 but insurance companies will often give you a reduced rate for flood damage that will help you recover the cost over time. Also the City has a program of giving rebates to homeowners who install them.
A backflow preventer is a valve installed in your sewer line that only allows flow in one direction – to the main sewer line. It is intended to help prevent sewer backups which are far more messy to deal with than water coming in through basement walls and windows.
Waterproofing your foundation usually involves excavation around the foundation, replacing damaged weeping tiles and installing a waterproof membrane around the foundation to prevent groundwater from getting through your foundation and directing runoff to the weeping tiles that direct runoff away from your foundation.
It’s not cheap to do this, but it is better than seeing furniture or other valuables get damaged by flooding.
Installing a sump pump in your basement is a way of collecting groundwater and pumping it away from your house. New homes are required to have a sump pump installed.
We hope we’ve given you some tips you can use. Please let us know how else we can help you.
