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Celebrate Spring in Canada with Backyard Maple Tapping

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  • 3 min read

A Spring Update from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen One of the quintessentially Canadian sign of spring’s arrival is seeing maple sap dripping into pails or tubing systems across the range of maples in Ontario and eastern Canada. This year syrup producers reported one of the earliest starts on record. Maple trees are usually tapped between mid-February to mid-March, when… READ MORE »Celebrate Spring in Canada with Backyard Maple Tapping

MLF Participates in “Spring Ahead!” Webinar about Tree Seed and Tree Nurseries

Ken Jewett, founder of MLF, and Deb Pella Keen, Executive Director, MLF participated in the Spring Ahead! National Tree Seed Centre and Tree Nursery Technical Update on March 21, 2024. Over 250 participants from around the world discussed how to ensure high-quality seed and stock are available for tree planting efforts across Canada. Deb, as one of the webinar panelists,… READ MORE »MLF Participates in “Spring Ahead!” Webinar about Tree Seed and Tree Nurseries

Ontario Envirothon 2024

Maple Leaves Forever is proud to sponsor Ontario Envirothon, an annual initiative that provides students with hands-on experience with forests, soils, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems. Team-based activities are designed to develop critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, and communication skills. The program challenges students to showcase their environmental knowledge for a chance advance to the provincial competition. The theme of… READ MORE »Ontario Envirothon 2024

Rob Keen honoured with Forests Ontario Award

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  • 2 min read

Congratulations to long-time MLF Board member Rob Keen on receiving the distinguished Forests Ontario Award recognizing his decades of leadership in forest conservation and education! An honour well-deserved. More from Forests Ontario: The Forests Ontario Award | Rob Keen: The Forests Ontario Award is presented to individuals for outstanding achievements in, and contributions to, the field of forestry education in… READ MORE »Rob Keen honoured with Forests Ontario Award

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

Nursery Spotlight: Somerville Nurseries Inc.

Maple Leaves Forever is pleased to welcome Somerville Nurseries to our Nursery Partner Program this month! Somerville Nurseries Inc. was founded in 1950 by John Somerville. By planting trees into harvested timber lands as a side business, John began a simple Christmas tree farm, which has since branched into a three-division company. Christmas trees are still a large part of… READ MORE »Nursery Spotlight: Somerville Nurseries Inc.

Trees for Life interviews MLF Founder Ken Jewett

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  • 2 min read

Trees for Life recently posted an appreciation interview with MLF Founder Ken Jewett who, with MLF, has been a faithful sponsor of the Trees for Life and Highway of Heroes programs.  EXCERPT: Where did your passion for Native Maples originate? I was working on my farm in Brooklin, Ontario probably in my early 20’s when I thought, “I want to… READ MORE »Trees for Life interviews MLF Founder Ken Jewett

Maple Leaves Forever founding sponsor of new Canadian Tree Nursery Association

Exciting news for Canadian tree lovers and growers was announced October 26, 2023. Press Release excerpt : New Canadian Tree Nursery Association Accelerates Forestry Restoration Efforts and National 2 Billion Tree Program [Fredericton, NB., Oct 26, 2023] – The Canadian Tree Nursery Association/AssociationCanadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) launched today, bringing together allmajor growers of tree seedlings dedicated to forest restoration… READ MORE »Maple Leaves Forever founding sponsor of new Canadian Tree Nursery Association

Nursery Spotlight: Triple J Tree Farm, Mulmur, Ontario

Triple J Tree Farm is a family owned and operated nursery and landscape company in Mulmur, Ontario.  MLF: What made you want to be in the nursery/plant growing business? We have been growing trees since the late 1980s when we saw a need in our area for locally grown nursery product. We started growing Christmas trees and expanded in the late… READ MORE »Nursery Spotlight: Triple J Tree Farm, Mulmur, Ontario

Native Maples Show their True Colours in Fall

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  • 2 min read

A Fall Message from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen Driving tours are a great way to spend a fall day appreciating the landscape of Southern Ontario when it is ablaze in magnificent colour.  Different types of Native Maples display varying colours of yellow, red, orange and burgundy colours in the fall. The colour of an individual tree can sometimes vary… READ MORE »Native Maples Show their True Colours in Fall