I deeply appreciate the Seeds to Sapling project. I think it was a ray of sunshine and hope for my students this year. I know the year did not go as planned but the idea of planting something for the future embodies the idea of hope. I love how the activity of cleaning out the garden, and getting the beds ready opens small discussions about trees and red oaks in particular. As a class we walked around looking for acorns and other red oaks. We discussed how they can get to be 1000 years old and that some in Kew Gardens are as old as 300 years. We talked about the food and oxygen they provide. I appreciate the efforts that you personally made to help make it a success . . . I know students thrive around trees and taking part in whatever way they can helps develop the love and appreciation that we all need to have.
— D. Davis, teacher grade 3/4
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What got us started
Seeds to Saplings was started in response to reports which highlighted the deteriorating state of Toronto’s ravines and tree canopy, While in many respects the ravines are superficially green and healthy, in actual fact their state as natural, native forested spaces has become parlous. There are many contributing factors to this deterioration: invasive species are becoming predominant, crowding out native ones; biodiversity is being lost; human incursions are causing damage to forest floor and stream beds; climate crisis is beginning to have its effects. As a result, accelerated erosion is causing tree fall and damage to trails and streams, forest floor plants are disappearing, birds and other small animals can not find adequate food sources. In fact the delicate web of our whole ecosystem is being torn and damaged so that the ravines are becoming less resilient and healthy. Animal and other species are becoming fewer, and the ‘lungs of the city’, are providing fewer of the benefits that we are accustomed to and need.
Most people are simply unaware of this damage. One of the ways to assist in rehabilitation of the ravines would be to plant native tree species, but the supply of such saplings is nowhere near great enough to fill the enormous need if true ravine rehabilitation were to be undertaken. So to increase awareness of the problem, and to contribute to the tree supply we have enlisted school children to grow tree seeds into small trees, with the idea of increasing the city’s tree canopy by having the children plant them wherever they could find space. (The original hope was that eventually the City would allow us to plant them in the ravines, but this has proved not to be possible.) Initially we had the seeds planted in nursery boxes, protected from squirrels, outdoors. But then we realized that having the children able to watch the seeds germinate and grow in their homes or classrooms had even greater value, and switched our emphasis. This also had the effect of making the program more flexible and able to be tailored to individual class or teacher pedagogical requirements.
Click on the images below to explore Toronto's ravines and the threats they face - and how Seeds to Saplings can help.
Most people are simply unaware of this damage. One of the ways to assist in rehabilitation of the ravines would be to plant native tree species, but the supply of such saplings is nowhere near great enough to fill the enormous need if true ravine rehabilitation were to be undertaken. So to increase awareness of the problem, and to contribute to the tree supply we have enlisted school children to grow tree seeds into small trees, with the idea of increasing the city’s tree canopy by having the children plant them wherever they could find space. (The original hope was that eventually the City would allow us to plant them in the ravines, but this has proved not to be possible.) Initially we had the seeds planted in nursery boxes, protected from squirrels, outdoors. But then we realized that having the children able to watch the seeds germinate and grow in their homes or classrooms had even greater value, and switched our emphasis. This also had the effect of making the program more flexible and able to be tailored to individual class or teacher pedagogical requirements.
Click on the images below to explore Toronto's ravines and the threats they face - and how Seeds to Saplings can help.
Resources
- Toronto Ravines Revitalization Study [PDF download]: https://torontoravinesdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/toronto-ravines-study-1977-to-2017-short.pdf
- How a diverse tree canopy helps primary school students: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193254
- Twenty-two benefits of trees: https://www.treepeople.org/22-benefits-of-trees/
- About Toronto’s ravines, and what this and other cities are doing: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-what-torontos-ailing-ravines-show-about-the-unhealthy-future-of/