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All About Maples

Ken Jewett and Deb Pella Keen at the 2025 Ontario Envirothon, May 25-28 at University of Waterloo.

Post-Ice Storm Tree Care & Ontario Evirothon: Summer Update from Deb Pella Keen

A Summer Message from Deb Pella Keen, MLF Executive Director Our spring newsletter was delivered to your inbox while a major ice storm was being experienced across south-central Ontario and into Quebec. The March 29-30 ice storm had accumulations of up to 30 mm and was immediately followed by northwest winds gusting to 50 km/hr, which also helped contribute to the damage… READ MORE »Post-Ice Storm Tree Care & Ontario Evirothon: Summer Update from Deb Pella Keen

Wood Ash for Maples: Turning a Household By-Product into Forest Restoration

By Kaylen Foley, M.Sc. For many landowners and foresters, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is more than just a tree, it’s a cultural symbol, a keystone species, and an anchor of forest health in Ontario. But decades of acid rain, poor soil recovery, and nutrient loss have left many sugar maple stands stressed and struggling. Trees on thin, base-poor soils are… READ MORE »Wood Ash for Maples: Turning a Household By-Product into Forest Restoration

Spring update from Deb Pella Keen, MLF Executive Director

We hope you are managing this roller coaster transition from winter to spring!  While this is somewhat normal for this time of year – here in Central Ontario, we have seen lows of -20oC and highs of +18oC within days of each other! On top of that, a significant ice storm event this past weekend affected a region of southern Ontario… READ MORE »Spring update from Deb Pella Keen, MLF Executive Director

Exploring Nurseries in Quebec and Eastern Canada

In our last newsletter I mentioned that I would be travelling east to Newfoundland in June and on the way east from Ontario would visit several tree nurseries along the way. I promised to update you on this tour which included stops in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. In Quebec we visited 2 privately owned tree… READ MORE »Exploring Nurseries in Quebec and Eastern Canada

Check Fall Colour Reports to optimize your “leaf peeping”

A fall message from MLF Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen What a warm September it has been! While fall colours are progressing well, it has been interesting to see the difference in timing amongst the regions and specific trees. For example, this particular roadside red maple growing near Huntsville Ontario was in full fall colour on September 4! The main… READ MORE »Check Fall Colour Reports to optimize your “leaf peeping”

New Resource: Grow your own maple tree… from seed!

Maple Leaves Forever’s Horticultural Consultant, Caitlin Ayling, has prepared a comprehensive guide to growing maple trees from seed. Follow this guide, starting with deciding on the type of tree, recognizing its’ seed, collecting, stratifying and sowing the seed to increase the chances your tree will survive and thrive. An excerpt is provided below, but you can read the whole article here… READ MORE »New Resource: Grow your own maple tree… from seed!

Mature sugar maple samaras, early October, 2006, Guelph - note yellow-brown wings Photo credit – Sean Fox

A “Mast Year” for Sugar Maple Seeds

by Deb Pella Keen, Executive Director Sugar Maple seeds or samaras have been flying everywhere this fall.  Also affectionately known as helicopters, maple ‘copters, whirlybirds, twisters or whirligigs –  you may have been wondering,  why the huge flurry of activity this fall?  Heavy seed crop years, when most parent trees produce seed, are responsible for most of our healthy, genetically… READ MORE »A “Mast Year” for Sugar Maple Seeds

New Learning Resource from Forests Ontario – Marvelous and Magnificent Maples

With Maple Leaves Forever’s support, Forests Ontario recently developed a special lesson plan for teachers, parents and students to learn about and engage with our National Tree!  Students will learn about the diversity of Canada’s Native Maple trees through observation and art. A perfect home or school activity for the season, as these beautiful trees show off their fall colours! … READ MORE »New Learning Resource from Forests Ontario – Marvelous and Magnificent Maples

Maples herald sweet spring

A Spring message from MLF’s Executive Director Deb Pella Keen, from our Spring E-News. Read and Subscribe to MLF Enews here! Native Maple trees figure prominently in the passage of winter to spring in Ontario and other parts of Canada. It is when the season transitions to cooler nights and warmer days and maple sap starts flowing through sugar bushes… READ MORE »Maples herald sweet spring

Tree Nursery Challenges – Sourcing Native Ontario Tree Seed, Why it’s important and how consumers can make a difference

Written and researched by Caitlin Ayling, MLF Nursery Liaison In early February, I had the privilege to speak at the Landscape Ontario’s annual Nursery Grower’s Short Course, on the topic of Ontario Seed. Although this may seem like a broad subject, I was specifically speaking to the challenges and opportunities surrounding the procurement of native tree seed as it relates… READ MORE »Tree Nursery Challenges – Sourcing Native Ontario Tree Seed, Why it’s important and how consumers can make a difference