. Earth Science News .
WOOD PILE
Toronto seeks to save oak tree older than Canada
By Olivier MONNIER
Toronto, Canada (AFP) Aug 25, 2020

In the shadow of Canada's largest cluster of skyscrapers, Toronto is looking to preserve a majestic, centuries-old oak tree -- but efforts have been complicated by the pandemic.

The towering 24-meter (79-feet) high Northern Red Oak is one of the oldest trees in these parts, having sprouted an estimated 300 years ago, around the time that French explorers set up a trading post on the nearby shores of Lake Ontario.

The tree now finds itself in the back yard of a nondescript bungalow on a winding street in the heart of a residential North York neighborhood.

Its huge trunk has a circumference of five meters and brushes up against the back of the 1960s house.

In summer, its long leafy branches shade the entire lot from the sun's rays.

But in recent years, a new homeowner expressed concerns about being able to afford proper tree maintenance and its roots cracking the house's foundation.

Neighbors also worry that this awesome specimen may one day be damaged by strong winds or felled in a storm.

To protect it and make it accessible to everyone in this city of six million people, Toronto's city council voted in 2018 to buy the property, raze the house and turn the land into a small public park.

- 'Takes your breath away' -

A deal was reached with the homeowner last year to sell the property to the city.

That outcome delighted Edith George, a local resident who lobbied over 14 years to preserve the oak tree, whose beauty she says "just takes your breath away."

"It's the Rolls-Royce of heritage trees. No other tree in Canada has the heritage value that this tree has," the 68-year-old retiree told AFP.

Experts say that with care and under the right conditions, the tree could live another 200 years or more.

"A tree like this is expensive to maintain. If the lot is a public space, the city will be able to take care of it better than I can," says Ali Simaga, who purchased the home in 2015.

"I don't want to be selfish and keep it to myself, either," he adds.

The deal, however, is not done yet. The city's purchase offer is conditional on private donations to cover half of the price tag for the property.

Fund-raising started in December 2019, with a target of raising Can$430,000 (US$325,000) by the end of this year.

After a promising start, including a Can$100,000 pledge by a couple of local philanthropists, contributions slowed to a trickle during the pandemic.

As of mid-July, about Can$125,000, or nearly 30 percent of the goal, had been collected. If the target is missed by the deadline, without an extension, the monies collected would be used to support tree planting across the city while the future of the historic oak tree would be in doubt.

- Canadian heritage -

The tree sits along a former Humber Valley trail used by indigenous peoples and later by European fur traders portaging between lakes Ontario and Simcoe -- a leg of a trade route that spanned the continent from the Gulf of Mexico to the north shore of Lake Superior, according to historian Madeleine McDowell.

Travellers used large trees as landmarks, she said. This oak was probably already pretty big when the French lost the territory to the British, who established the Town of York -- which would later become Toronto -- in 1793.

It is "a wonderful tree," commented Manjit Jheeta, director of the City of Toronto Partnership Office.

"It is part of Toronto's heritage, it is part of Canada's heritage and it tells the story of our country," she said.

Last year, the city unveiled a plaque in its honor, a first for a single tree in the nation's largest metropolis.

Its ecological value is no less: the oak tree has absorbed and stored more than 11 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.

"When bad things happen," said George, "I don't go to church, I come here because this is like my cathedral.

"It's a survivor and it gives us hope for a planet that's in peril."


Related Links
Forestry News - Global and Local News, Science and Application


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


WOOD PILE
Brazil military plane flew illegal Amazon miners: prosecutors
Sao Paulo (AFP) Aug 22, 2020
Brazilian prosecutors alleged Friday that a military airplane was inappropriately used to fly a group of illegal miners operating in the Amazon rainforest to meet with Environment Minister Ricardo Salles in Brasilia. The allegation is the latest controversy for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's environment minister, whom activists accuse of working to dismantle environmental protections rather than promote them. Prosecutors in the northern state of Para said the Air Force plane used to transp ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

WOOD PILE
Pentagon's AI to be applied to natural disasters, humanitarian assistance

More climbers successfully summit Mount Everest, death rate stays the same

IG report: Use of U.S. troops at U.S.-Mexico border compliant with law

Nepal landslide toll rises to 19 as hope fades for missing

WOOD PILE
NOAA selects Orbit Logic for enterprise scheduling

'FreeFortnite' tournament taunts Apple amid legal battle

A bit of gold grants crystals new electric properties

New Flight Simulator game takes off with French studio in cockpit

WOOD PILE
As neighbours build dams, Iraqis watch twin rivers dry up

Oklahoma City nabs $617M to upgrade water utility for Tinker AFB

In northeast Syria town, families say Turkey cut their water

New research shows NOAA scientist built a better lionfish trap

WOOD PILE
Climate scientists now know how cold it got during the last ice age

Fire on Coast Guard icebreaker Healy ends Arctic scientific mission

New melting hotspot found in East Antarctica

Antarctica's glacier-damming ice shelves at risk

WOOD PILE
Chile slaps record fine on Norwegian salmon producer

Colombia close to resuming aerial spraying of coca crops

Australia blocks Chinese firm's bid to buy major dairy company

China's crash diet begs the question: is it facing a food crisis?

WOOD PILE
Study links rise of buried CO2 with earthquakes in Italy

Floods in Sudan kill over 70 since July

'Unsurvivable' storm surge feared as Hurricane Laura strengthens to Cat 4

Four years on, Amatrice remembers Italy's quake dead

WOOD PILE
Mali junta wants three-year military rule, agrees to free president

EU suspends Mali training missions after coup

Rebel splinter group withdraws from Sudan peace process

Seven killed in DR Congo attack; As 'illegal' land sales drive conflicts

WOOD PILE
Each human gut hosts a unique community of viruses

Study: Humans have been sleeping on beds for 200,000 years

Humans have been cremating the dead since at least 7,000 B.C.

Primate voice boxes are bigger, evolve at a faster pace, study says









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.