This article is a follow up to Carl Mansfield, tree consultant for MLF farm visit on September 7, 2019. On June 22, 2020, Deb Pella Keen, Executive Director, MLF visited the MLF farm with Ken Jewett, founder of MLF. We again observed the Lymantria dispar dispar or LDD moth (also known as European Gypsy Moth) larvae feeding on several trees,… READ MORE »Caterpillar and Moth pests – update Summer 2020
Spring is planting season! A message from our Executive Director, Deb Pella Keen First and foremost, I hope you and your families are safe and well. The last few weeks have been unprecedented for all of us as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt closer to home – in the communities in which we live, work and… READ MORE »Spring News – Nurseries, MLF Rebate and COVID-19
Maple Leaves Forever participated in Forests Ontario’s annual conference held on February 14th at the Nottawasaga Inn and Convention Centre in Alliston, Ontario. More than two hundred and fifty forestry professionals, woodlot owners and educators and college students from across Ontario took in the day-long event. Our Executive Director Deb Pella Keen and Arboreal Consultant Carl Mansfield provide information on… READ MORE »Forests Ontario Conference – We the Forest!
In the later fall and winter, when other food sources are scarce, voles, mice and rabbits eat the bark and underlying tissue of young trees. Voles frequently girdle a tree by removing a continuous strip of bark and cambium around the circumference of the tree, usually within 30 cm of the base of the tree. Trees do not recover from… READ MORE »Fall-Winter tree care PSA – protect from animal damage
Newly planted trees (those planted within the past three years) require regular watering and care throughout the annual growing season. The first few years are the most critical to their long term survival and growth. A 200-250 cm sugar maple sapling that was planted as a bare root tree in mid-May 2018. Note the hardwood mulch placed around the base… READ MORE »Watering our young maples – Tree care on the MLF farm Part 2
Carl Mansfield, MLF’s Arboreal Consultant, spent a morning recently with Woodlot Manager Mike Fisher at the MLF farm. Carl writes: We checked out the Comfort Maple saplings that we planted in May, 2018 and later toured the property with Mike to see if other trees might need our attention. Mike has been watering the maple saplings trees regularly (it has… READ MORE »Pruning & Spongy moths (LDD/Gypsy Moths) – Tree care at the Maple Leaves Forever farm Part 1
Recently we had a question come to our mailbox about white spots on their trees’ bark. MLF Tree Expert Carl Mansfield replied: Your tree appears to have lichens growing on the outer bark. Lichens are colourful crusts found growing on trees, rocks and other objects. They are often thought to be a pest or disease of trees and shrubs, but not so.… READ MORE »Q&A – What are those white blotches on my tree?
It’s been almost two years since we planted some 175-200 cm sugar maple saplings on the Farm. An arborist will recommend that you wait at least 2-3 years before attempting any pruning but we knew a few of these trees could use our help. Most deciduous trees and shrubs should be pruned when they are dormant, preferably in the early… READ MORE »Pruning young sugar maples – Tree care at the Maple Leaves Forever farm Part 3
Last summer we visited a landowner who was concerned with the early-fall colour change several of the maples along his laneway displayed. Click here for related story. Closer examination revealed that property maintenance staff had severely damaged the bark and underlying tissue around the trunk at the base of the trees, while using a string trimmer to cut the grass… READ MORE »Lesson Learned – Weed trimmers can kill trees
Maple Leaves Forever visited Winkelmolen Nursery Ltd. recently to introduce our new Executive Director Deb Pella Keen to the staff and to get her boots dirty with a tour of the nursery facilities and production fields. We were shown high quality Native Maple seedlings, saplings and larger trees growing in fertile soils as we travelled throughout the nursery. We were… READ MORE »Visit to Winkelmolen, June 2019
