TOF Helps Naturalize Toronto Park

The park is located on McNicoll Avenue, near Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue. Tree planting will be conducted in phases over the next two-three years, involving spring and fall operations. For the inaugural phase, TOF supplied 50, one-metre tall, potted red oak, sugar maple, white birch, and black cherry trees, plus 50 tree guards to protect the trees from rodent damage.

At each stage, L’Amoreaux Park staff will prepare the site with rototilling to control grass competition and reduce cover for rodents. TOF and OFA staff will plant trees, install tree guards, and spread mulch around each tree to retain moisture and reduce weeds, while the city’s urban forestry staff, which developed a naturalization plan, will provide a variety of native shrubs and a small number of calliper trees. Urban forestry staff will also plant shrubs and look after watering and periodic weed clearing of the area. The park may also seed additional native wildflowers and herbaceous plants.

The city is also operating the Tree Seed Diversity project, in which native tree seed collected in natural areas within the city are grown into seedlings and planted in local naturalization projects. When they have grown sufficiently, some of these trees will be planted at L’Amoreaux Park.

Tree’s Company: Members of TOF, OFA and the City’s Urban Forestry Section replant a forest of native trees and shrubs at L’Amoreaux Park on May 24, 2007.

For more information:
Cara Webster, Natural Resources Specialist, City of Toronto Urban Forestry, 416-392-0380
Ernie Stronge, Park Supervisor, City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, 416-396-4363
Tim Gray, Operations Coordinator, Trees Ontario Foundation, 647-291-6450 Uyen Dias, Natural Resources Specialist, City of Toronto, Urban Forestry, 416-397-4005