Community Trees Initiative

An educational component to the Greening Partnership of Chatham-Kent teaching Native Carolinian natural restoration principles

Friday, June 7, 2013

CKSS Environmental Club helped with Spring greenhouse maintenance

The Chatham-Kent Secondary School Environmental Club, led by Gord Williams, helped with regular greenhouse maintenance on April 25th. the 8 club members assisted in removing weeds, repotting, and transferring plants into trays from the seeding bed. The Environmental Club is a great group of enthusiastic, bright, and hard-working students who have been a joy to work with over the past several years. I am glad that the after-school club is back in action this spring to participate in all kinds of environmental projects.

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John McGregor Secondary School preparing trays to plant seeds

WDSS testing Black Cherry seeds to grow in the municipal greenhouse

CKSS Life Skills planting black-eyed susan seeds at the municipal greenhouse

Tecumseh Public School tested Hackberry seed quality and planted American Sycamore seeds

Chatham #4 Scout troop participates in a seeding event at the municipal greenhouse

scouts were educated about the importance of our program, learned how to test seed quality, and planted native tree seeds to help out with the environment

Finished product

The cold-frame boxes are covered in leaf litter to help insulate the seeds from the cold throughout the winter and mimic a natural environment

Riverview Central School collects tallgrass prairie seed at Branton Cundick Park

The students were very excited to be helping nature by collecting seeds that they planted in tray the following week.

Students from Ridgetown High School collect tallgrass prairie seed at Turin Paw Paw

Planting Prairie Plugs at the Merlin Conservation Area with Merlin Area Public School

Big Blue Stem has a characteristic 'turkey foot' seed head

Ursuline College students plant and mulch native White Oak trees.

CKSS Environmental Club tree seed collection at O'Neil's Nature Preserve in Chatham

LKCS Students plant trees at the Dresden Cemetery

Making It Happen Program gives a hand

Ursuline College Students collecting seed under an American Sycamore tree

Earlier

December 2013 (2)
June 2013 (10)
April 2013 (5)
November 2012 (5)
September 2012 (2)
June 2012 (4)
May 2012 (3)
April 2012 (5)
March 2012 (9)
February 2012 (6)
November 2011 (5)
October 2011 (1)
June 2011 (2)
April 2011 (6)
March 2011 (10)
June 2010 (1)
April 2010 (1)
March 2010 (9)
December 2009 (3)
October 2009 (1)
September 2009 (1)
June 2009 (1)
May 2009 (1)
April 2009 (3)
March 2009 (3)
February 2009 (7)

CKSS Environmental Club participants posing with the trays of native tree seeds that they planted.

CKSS Environmental Club participants test Bur Oak using the float test

Seeds that float are typically bad due to an insect, known as the weevil, who lays its eggs inside a maturing seed, the larval stage feeds off of the fleshy part of the seed creating an air pocket.

CKSS Environmental Club participant scarifies seeds

Seed scarification is a natural process to break down a hard seed coat to allow germination. In nature, after an animal ingests a seed, stomach acids work to break down the seed coat. Without this process, some seeds are unable to absob water necessary to begin growing.

Gord Williams, organiser of CKSS Environmental Club, talk to students about American Sycamore seed

CKSS Life Skills repotted seedlings at the greenhouse.

They were a tremendous help to prepare plants for the spring

Cold frame seeding event with Lisa Fox's Science class at Chatham Kent Secondary School

Merlin Area Public School students planting a windbreak to shelter the conservation area

Preparing our tree nursery for the winter

Covered in Desmodium seeds at Turin Paw Paw

CKSS Environmental Club at Turin Paw Paw for prairie seed collection

McNaughton Ave Public School Grade 3 Volunteers

CKSS Envrionmental Club planting American Sycamore and Black Walnut for a restoration project

Picture Courtesy of Gord Williams

Teaching Community Living volunteers how to transplant and care for plants

Ursuline College students plant trees to be used in future projects.

Wallaceburg District Secondary School students prepare soil and test seed quality

Blenheim District High School prepare Honey Locust seeds for stratification

Lambton Kent Composite School plants native seeds

Wallaceburg Secondary Students prepare Honey Locust seeds for a boiling treatment

Community Living Making It Happen Program volunteers test the quality of White Oak seeds

Three classes from Ecole Secondaire de Pain Court take initiative!

Two students from the CKSS Environmental Club plant Red Cedar Seedlings at the municipal greenhouse

CKSS life skills helps with prairie restoration

Cold-frame seeding event with CKSS Environmental Club

Planting prairie plugs at the Diversion Channel

Turin Paw Paw Seed Collection with CKSS Environmental Club

Tree planting at Lion's Park with Ursuline College Students

Greenhouse filled with Community Initiative Trees

Ridgetown District High School Students kept spirits high despite weather during planting event

CKSS Environmental Club and Life Skills class

Tilbury District High School plant American Sycamore and Ninebark

Chatham Community Living

Grade 9 Geography class from Ecole Secondaire de Pain Court learn the importance of native trees

Riverview Day Program help fill the municipal greenhouse

Riverview Day group using the float test to determine seed quality

Students from Ursuline college show the importance of group effort during their seeding event

Students from Lambton-Kent Composite School learn the importance of seed quality tests

Learning new things can be enjoyed at any age.

Youth from Community Living's Children's Respite Home helped fill the Municipal Greenhouse

Chatham Community Living volunteers shows great initiative!

Ursuline College Grade 11 Biology learn valuable environmental skills

Ursuline College - Environmental Workplace students eager to learn proper planting techniques

Lambton Kent Composite School - THESE STUDENTS FROM DRESDEN WENT FOR IT. THEY PLANTED 500 TREES!

Ridgetown District High School - ROYALS IN THE SOILS

École secondaire de Pain Court FUN IN THE SUN

The Ol' CKSS Environmental Club

Sean Haskell and CKSS Life Skills

SECOND YEAR FOR LKCS

U of G Ridgetown Gets involved!

RIDGETOWN DISTRICT HIGHSCHOOL GETS NEW LEADER IN SCIENCE

Pure quality seed after sinking to the bottom

JMSS QUADRUPLES EFFORTS WITH A HARDWORKING CREW

NORTH LAMBTON SS GETS INVOLVED IN THE NAME OF SUSTAINABLILTY

Float testing to ensure viability

CKSS LIFE SKILLS 2010

COMMUNITY TREES INITIATIVE EXHIBIT AT THE 2010 SPORTSMAN SHOW

The pots behind the crew are all the walnuts they planted

Hard Working Crew

Walnuts were a little slimy

Easy husking when they're soft.

Growing Medium

Leaves were placed in the bottom of the seed bed. In a wheel barrow, we mixed peat, sand, and topsoil, then placed it directly on top of the leaves.

Red Cedar Maceration

Red Cedar has germination inhibiting chemicals in the fruit. By macerating the fruit off the seed we increase germination rates. In nature, animals eat the purple berries and they are passed through the digestive system. The maceration technique simulates this.

American Sycamore

Mr. Williams shows students how wind dispersed seeds just need to be broadcast on the soil surface and tamped down for good soil to seed contact.

Outdoor Protected Seed Box Build

CKSS at Turin Paw Paw Woods

This CKSS Environmental Club is very keen. Succession was the topic as we explored this new habitat in Chatham-Kent

Wallaceburg Community Living at Turin Paw Paw Woods

Once again Judy, Cindy, and friends came through with enthusiastic seed collection and enjoyed being out on a beautiful fall day.

ERIEAU VOLUNTEERS

This pickup truck full of plants was tackled by these die hard volunteers and all were planted in good time. Another habitat enhancement milestone. WAY TO GO!

URSULINE LIFE SKILLS CLASS

The Ursuline Life Skills class also participated in lining out 450 trees in the on school grounds plot on June 15, 2009

URSULINE LINE OUT

Chantal Lucarelli (left) and her science class designed a seedling bed for the trees grown in the greenhouse this year.

RDHS Line Out Crew

These guys are die hards!

Ridgetown District Highschool

At Ridgetown, the students removed a strip of sod behind their soccer field about 50m long and 0.5m wide. The soil was sand, and made the planting effortless. 300 trees were installed in the line out trench and watered. The janitor and summer students have volunteered to care for the trees during the hottest periods of the year.

Wallaceburg Community Living

Hard at work making a nice line out trench in light soil for better root growth and stabilization.

Flowerbed Greenhouses

Ron Fysh, owner of Flowerbed Greenhouses on Kent Rd. 15 is pictured here roto-tilling a nice line for the 300 oaks & horse chesnut lined out in by Wallaceburg community living volunteer group.

URSALINE COLLEGE

Amazing success in only a couple of weeks.

URSALINE COLLEGE

Students planted there own trees to take home at the end of the year.

WALLACEBURG COMMUNITY LIVING

Group photo

WALLACEBURG COMMUNITY LIVING

Judy (left), Cindy (right) planted a whole wind row themselves.

WALLACEBURG COMMUNITY LIVING

Perfect soil moisture, and density. These guys really caught on to proper germination conditions in the styro-block trays. Filled loosely and leveled off, then knocked down twice and plant!

CKSS

The CKSS environmental club strikes back by planting more trees this year.

Mr. Williams, and Mr. Gilbert with life skills students

Mr. Gilbert had his Life Skills class in to seed some trays. Something different, fun, and educational for the students

URSALINE COLLEGE

Cut testing, float testing, and fun getting dirty.

RIDGETOWN RED OAK

Good germination and well on their way! Way to go Ridgetown.

The Cut Test

Ensuring quality, viability, and saving time by doing a simple cut test.

Pests

This acorn weevil is the main cause of acorn failure. They eat the seed embryo creating an air cavity causing the acorn to float in water.

Kentucky Coffee Tree

A scarification demonstration was performed with a pair of vice grips and a file. The seed coat was filed off just enough to expose the embryo to allow for moisture uptake. Here the scarified seeds are soaking for 24hrs.

Float Testing

Float testing is one of the major quality tests to ensure viability. Insect damage from acorn weevils creates air pockets where the seed embryo should be causing the acorn to float.

Soil Density and Moisture

Two key elements in germination. Soil should be knocked down a few times to compress the soil just enough to simulate nature. Moisture levels should be moist but not soaking.

CKSS Environmental Club helping with regular greenhouse maintenance

Seed Tamping

~ two seeds per cell for optimum germination rates. Later, the weak ones will be pruned out.

Oak Float Test

~ seeds that sink are viable. seeds that float are generally damaged and will not germinate.

Ridgetown District High School

Mr. Willemse inspecting the irrigation

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Friday, June 7, 2013

CKSS Environmental Club helped with Spring greenhouse maintenance

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John McGregor Secondary School preparing trays to plant seeds

WDSS testing Black Cherry seeds to grow in the municipal greenhouse

CKSS Life Skills planting black-eyed susan seeds at the municipal greenhouse

Tecumseh Public School tested Hackberry seed quality and planted American Sycamore seeds

Chatham #4 Scout troop participates in a seeding event at the municipal greenhouse

Finished product

Riverview Central School collects tallgrass prairie seed at Branton Cundick Park

Students from Ridgetown High School collect tallgrass prairie seed at Turin Paw Paw

Planting Prairie Plugs at the Merlin Conservation Area with Merlin Area Public School

Big Blue Stem has a characteristic 'turkey foot' seed head

Ursuline College students plant and mulch native White Oak trees.

CKSS Environmental Club tree seed collection at O'Neil's Nature Preserve in Chatham

LKCS Students plant trees at the Dresden Cemetery

Making It Happen Program gives a hand

Ursuline College Students collecting seed under an American Sycamore tree