On Nov. 12 it was a sunny autumn morning, when 17 people of various ages gathered on the Elora Cataract Trailway near Fergus.
They were ready to continue the Communitrees native restoration project.
Volunteers were planting more native trees and shrubs and tending to the native trees planted in the last three years.
Knowing the common goal shared, participants were cheerful and enthusiastic.
Near them, on a table set at the trail’s edge, were coffee hot and gingerbread cookies, from the local Red Door Café fresh and delicious.
This volunteer group has worked with the goal of creating a native restoration project along two sections of the Elora Cataract Trailway, from the 2nd Line east of Fergus along to Gartshore St. In planting native trees and shrubs alongside other natives that would be found together in nature, the volunteers hope to assist the growing resilience and biodiversity of this native restoration project.
By the end of Nov. 12 this Communitrees project added 200 trees along the trailway.
In the morning 27 more native trees were carefully planted – some species very highly-rated for wildlife-value like serviceberry and nannyberry.
“Our songbirds will love it,” said Carolyn Crozier the project’s coordinator.
One of the project’s aims is to increase local biodiversity. Communitrees has now added 21 different species of native trees and shrubs to the trailway and they’re thriving, officials state.
Some people may have their well-known favourites and now see them in this project: numerous red oaks, sugar maples, white spruce and white pine. But each year becoming noticeable are: the large basswood, groves of trembling aspen, pagoda dogwood and serviceberry trees.
Communitrees began three and a half years ago with a handful of people and the support of the Elora Cataract Trailway Association as well as the GRCA. Now a growing number of people are showing a commitment to this restoration project.
The local trailway is certainly benefitting. Serena Guenther and her husband Phil, who together own Baum Professional Tree Care and donate time, energy and knowledge to the project.
At the beginning of each organized Communitrees planting day, Serena demonstrates to the group the best practices in planting a tree, giving it improved chances to grow to maturity.
Recently, Kelsye Coulter a local biologist, has taken an interest in plant invasives, since discovering so many of them emerging on her and her husband’s property near Fergus. This autumn Coulter led a ‘Recognize and Remove’ workshop on the trailway through Communitrees to assist the public in learning to recognize the destructive shrub, buckthorn, which is a growing threat to our native trees.
On Nov. 12 the Communitrees group also learned that one of their new volunteers, a fourth year student from U of G, is working on a field study of buckthorn’s effect.
Coulter has now planned an effective and very motivating strategy to get rid of these invasive plants on these two sections trailway.
She’s named it Centre Wellington G.R.I.P. (Get Rid of Invasive Plants). If successful, it could be a model for future invasive removal on other sections of the trailway, as well as other public land. Those interested in the invasive removal project, email Kelsye Coulter at kcoulter@gallusimmunotech.com.
To take part in Communitrees’ activities, contact Carolyn Crozier at 519-843-3030.
