While hard to believe, yes it has been 25 years since the International Society of Arboriculture Canadian Research Trust became official! It was later renamed to what we now know as the Canadian TREE Fund. Back in November 1995, a Trust Agreement was drafted that set out the purpose and operational guidelines, made official by a symbolic $100 donation. These officers and representatives from ISA Ontario were named: President Brad MacDonald, Executive Director Jim Coats, and Directors Ken Lund, Cathy Bentley, Randy Lidkea, Dr. Glen Lumis, Greg Hill, and Mark Graves. Charitable status was initiated by Jack Kimmel and attained in 1996.
Presentation of first Jack Kimmel Grants, 1998: Left to Right- Jack Kimmel, Recipient Len Munt (York Region), Recipient Andy Kenney (UofT), Ken Lund, President
The Canadian TREE Fund consists entirely of volunteers. Acting on the guidelines in the agreement 25 years ago, it has made some remarkable accomplishments, as part of the overall ISA Mission which has always emphasized the need for science based tree research. As of the third quarter of this year, well over $800,000 of donations have been accumulated, which has enabled the organization to fund 93 research and education projects (73 to Canadian researchers and 20 to International researchers), as well as provide Bursaries and Scholarships to over 30 deserving students with aspirations of pursuing careers in Urban Forestry and Horticulture.
As a way to appropriately celebrate this milestone, we have asked numerous people to provide their perspective. They include prominent Urban Foresters, ISA officials, Canadian TREE Fund donors, Grant and Bursary recipients, current and former Trustees.
Canadian TREE Fund Volunteers: Current
John Wilson, Co-Chair and Trustee: For me personally, as the current Co-Chair and Trustee for 20 of the 25 years, I firstly am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish. More importantly, I am hopeful that this milestone will encourage everyone in our industry to:
- Acknowledge all the people who made this possible, namely the donors who provided the funding and volunteers who fulfilled the roles of Canadian TREE Fund Trustee and
- Take the time to seriously reflect on the role research plays in the evolution of our industry. Over my time as an arborist, I have witnessed mostly positive progressions, in terms of professionalism, technical advancements and safety. Not all, but certainly many, of those attributes can be attributed to tree research. Unfortunately, while most of the people in our industry benefit from the research, only a small percentage of them contribute. What the TREE Fund has accomplished varies directly with the funding it generates. While 93 projects funded is an impressive feat, there have been many worthy projects that have been denied. If you are one of those people, this celebration may inspire you to become a donor!
Cathy Bentley, Co-Chair and Trustee; Donor: It is incredibly difficult for me to believe that 25 years have gone by since we started the Canadian TREE Fund!! We have lots of fun brainstorming for improvements and fundraising, collecting items and holding Silent Auction annually, several riders training, fundraising, and riding for Team Canada in Tour des Trees as well as TdT’s EH!, and participating in our events! The journey from the very beginning as a Trustee has been amazing for me, watching an idea become reality and continue to blossom. This has happened because of dedicated individuals- volunteering, donating, and applying for funds. We owe thanks to all of them for our success as a charitable organization.
Let’s show our appreciation by donating today- starting with $25 for 25 years!!
Canadian TREE Fund Volunteers: Past
Ken Lund, past Trustee and Chairman; annual Donor: When John Wilson asked me to contribute some thoughts on the 25th anniversary of the Canadian TREE Fund, my memory took me back to an evening spent with Brad McDonald, pouring over pages and pages of documents that needed to be filled out and submitted, in order to apply for the charitable status we were trying to achieve for the TREE Fund. Upon completion of our work we opened an expensive bottle of scotch to celebrate and my memory of the rest of that evening gets a little fuzzy!
When celebrating this anniversary, we must remember Jack Kimmel who began the process for our charitable status and stuck with it despite the painful process it had become. He never gave up and made sure that when the time came, he had handed the torch to a committed individual. That individual, Brad McDonald, made sure that he enlisted a friend who was crazy enough to spend hours of tedious work alongside him. I can tell you that it was all well worth the effort.
Eventually Brad had to dedicate his time to his post as President of the ISA, Ontario Chapter, and I continued the process until we were granted our charitable status. With charitable status in hand, we put together a team of highly motived people who achieved a tremendous amount in a short period of time. I am very proud of all the fund raising and grants that they established and the contribution of our Team Canada cyclists in the early “Tour des Trees” events was very impressive.
We all had a great time working for an important cause and many lifelong friendships were established. I would urge any of you who are interested in our profession to get involved as a volunteer. I promise you will be surprised at how much you can benefit from time spent helping out the Canadian TREE Fund.
Testimonial from Ken Lund. As President of Four Seasons Tree Care and Service Ltd. since 1983, Ken brings with him expertise in all aspects of tree and shrub care. Ken is a Certified Arborist with International Society of Arboriculture, was 1999 ISA president for Ontario Chapter and served 2 terms on the Board of Directors. He is a founding member of Ontario Commercial Arborists Association and Treasurer for 16 years, completed American Society of Consulting Arborists Academy, and is an ISA qualified Tree Risk Assessor.
Randy Lidkea, past Secretary/Treasurer; annual Donor: Looking back on 25 years to see where we are going in next 25.
My passion for research started during my 1st few months of working for DHO (now MTO), spring of ’67. From finding an herbicide spray drift control to much later leading local experiments with CMA (calcium magnesium acetate) as a more environmentally safe salt substitute for de-icing highways, I was always volunteering our District as a host for this type of work.
In the early 80’s, on a Sat. afternoon in a full Humber College Auditorium, I listened to Dr. Alex Shigo- whose studies of tree decay resulted in many improvements to standard arboricultural practices -expound on his theory of CODIT & ‘compartmentalization’ in trees. He was the first real tree researcher, & I was engrossed. So, 10 years later, when I heard he was presenting a pre-ISA Conference 1-day workshop, Heather & I headed to Bismarck, N. Dakota. Here we watched something called the ‘Tour de Trees’ arrive. Folks had cycled from Winnipeg to Bismarck to raise funds for Tree research! It was only a few years later, as now Executive Director of ISAO & Secretary/Treasurer of the newly formed ISACRT Fund, that ‘Gordo’ Hunter & Greg Hill hatched the idea for a Canadian ride – TdT’s EH! “A new way for our chapter members to raise funds for research!” And so began the earnest raising of funds for tree research in Canada. Our famous annual ‘Silent Auction’, at ISAO Annual Conference, came along shortly after & continues today.
Next progression was 1998 in Birmingham England, attending the ISA International Conf. there. Alastair Fyfe & I from Canada, along with 3 other countries, met with ISA Research Trust execs to set up a liaison for International Research exchange.
I understand we are struggling today to find people & to carry on this legacy. One only needs to look at Dutch Elm Disease, Emerald Ash Borer, Oak Wilt, etc. to know the problems our trees are facing and only RESEARCH can help. I truly hope the arboricultural community, fronted by ISAO, will take up this cause for funding the future health of our trees.
Let’s Keep Jack’s Dream Alive & Growing! $25 in our 25th sounds like a great idea!
Testimonial from Randy Lidkea, past Secretary/Treasurer from beginning in 1995 to 2005; relationship with ISAO for 40 yrs. In ’95 when he retired from MTO, he started helping the office staff & then became Executive Director from 1996-2003. He sat on the International Board 1996-2008, the last 4 on the Executive Committee as a Vice President.
Mark Graves, past Trustee and Chairman: Congratulations on 25 successful years to the Canadian TREE Fund from an original Board Trustee.
Thank you to all of the trustees, volunteers, grant recipients and donors who have worked together to support arboriculture research in Canada. I have watched the growth and contributions provided to the Arboriculture industry through this Fund and I can only imagine what success the next 25 years will bring. If you have not had the opportunity to make a contribution, please consider a donation to assist the Fund with its future growth in supporting the continued advancement of our profession on the road to 50 prosperous years.
Testimonial from Mark Graves, President of Graves Oak Tree Care Inc. Mark is a past President and longtime ISAO member, an original Canadian TREE Fund Trustee and former Chairman, and a former President of Ontario Commercial Arborist Association. Currently, he is Program Co-Ordinator and Instructor for the Humber College Urban Arboriculture and Arboriculture Apprenticeship program.
Urban Foresters:
Groups such as the Canadian TREE Fund are pivotal players in the improvement of the urban forest. Research funding is necessary to address various issues such as salt damage to trees, species selection, genetic research, nursery production, soil types, urban stormwater run off issues, conflicts between trees and urban hardscape elements, and the vast differences in climate across the broad and diverse conditions in Canadian cities.
The Canadian TREE Fund enables rigorous study and evaluation by scientists and universities to find consensus to complex questions that affect urban trees. In addition, the educational component of transferring scientific findings to practitioners and the public is critical to making the results become part of best practices, guiding the design, planting and maintenance of our urban forest.”
Testimonial from James Urban, FASLA, ISA and Trustee of TREE Fund; Author of ‘Up by Roots: Healthy Soils and Trees in the Built Environment’ (2008).
“Throughout our entire continent, especially in its more settled parts, and most of all in its cities, there has never been such widespread interest as is now manifested in trees and tree-planting for shade and ornament. Although this kind of tree-planting has been quite assiduously practised in past generations, and although as a result we are the heirs of stately elms and oaks and maples, the necessity of greater care for this inheritance has only of late been fully realized.”
Bernhard Fernow, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto
These words were written by Bernhard Fernow, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto in 1911 in his book The Care of Trees in Lawn, Street and Park. Perhaps the language gives away the age of the statement, but it’s fair to say that the sentiments are generally as relevant today as they were 109 years ago. The importance of trees in our communities is now well recognized, not just for their “shade and ornament”, but for a long list of interconnected ecological, social and economic values. The impacts of climate change and the role that trees and forests can play in its mitigation has spawned ambitious tree planting programs such as the Canadian government’s plan to plant 2 billion trees. We must assume that a significant portion of this target will be in urban areas. While we recognize that urban trees and forests can play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change, we are also aware that climate change will have significant impact on our urban forests through droughts, floods, ice storms and wind events not to mention the indirect effects on pests and diseases. Planting trees to increase the canopy in our cities and towns is laudable, but it is equally important that efforts to sustain the existing trees well into maturity are also improved and expanded. These various “new” challenges and expectations require that basic and applied research as well as the education of practitioners keep pace. This is where the efforts of the Canadian TREE Fund and the volunteers that keep it going have played such a significant role over the past 25 years. Congratulations and keep up the good work. Your work will be even more important in the 25 years to come.
Testimonial from Andy Kenney, retired from Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto (2012); recipient of Jack Kimmel Grant. While at U of T, he taught urban forestry and did research into urban forest management. Andy and his wife Brenda live on their 100-acre patch of forest in eastern Ontario.
25 Years of the Canadian TREE Fund – Quite an Accomplishment! As a student in the early 80’s, I remember being fascinated with the Journal of Arboriculture which I read with great interest in the forestry library at the University of New Brunswick. At the time, my summer work was in Dutch Elm Disease control – diagnosing and treating the magnificent elms that lined the many parkways of our National Capital. I was fascinated with the various norms established in arboriculture at the time: the use of wound dressings, the correct depth of mulch, the maximum percentage of the crown to prune annually. How did they come up with these standards? Well the answer is simple – research!
Move ahead to 1995 and establishment of the Canadian TREE Fund. What a wonderful legacy of research and education! A legacy that not only tries to answer the many technical questions to make our poor urban trees grow better (and longer) but also funds those initiatives that spread the Trees Are Good message to an increasingly urban Canada. Bravo Canadian TREE Fund on all your important accomplishments! Best of luck in the next 25, as we will increasingly need more trees in our cities as our urban centres continue to grow and densify. Bravo CTF!
Testimonial from Michael Rosen, R.P.F., Certified Arborist, Adjunct Professor, U.B.C., Former President, Tree Canada
ISA Officials:
The Canadian TREE Fund has been a leader for many decades in supporting research in arboriculture and urban forestry. My professional career focused on professional education and I know how crucial it is to teach based on the best science available. Without the support of the Canadian TREE Fund, much of the research that we use today might never have been conducted.
Testimonial from Sharon Lilly, BCMA, past president of ISA, former Chair of ISA Certification Board, 19 years as Director of Educational Goods and Services at ISA, 25+ years’ experience in the commercial sector as a climber and tree service owner, and taught arboriculture at college level. Sharon is author of several books, led development of many ISA programs, and continues to write and develop educational materials for arboriculture.
Over the last thirty-five years, we have had the opportunity to observe and experience great strides forward in the fields of both arboriculture and urban forestry. These improvements include advancements in arboriculture gear and techniques to further understanding the impacts of development on trees growing in an urban environment. The Canadian TREE Fund has contributed to these advancements in promoting research, awareness and providing a forum to support these initiatives.
The International Society of Arboriculture, Ontario Chapter (ISAO.) has also gone through significant growth and development during this period. In the early nineties, I was elected on to the ISAO Board of Directors. Upon my arrival, I would describe the Chapter as being in a fledgling state. During the late eighties and moving forward, numerous programs and strategies were either developed or improved including the Canadian TREE Fund. During this time, the Board identified the need for the Fund to pursue charitable status. A number of individuals worked on this project, but Brad McDonald (Past President) led this work. Brad worked tirelessly on this task, at times carrying out non-glamorous work, completing and pursing applications and gathering and suppling the required documentation. In 1995/96, the Trust was successful in achieving Charitable Status. Yes, numerous individuals were and continue to be involved in this worthy cause, but without Brad’s work, we may not be celebrating this achievement today. Thank you and a job well done Brad McDonald.
Congratulations to the Canadian TREE Fund and its Board and all those that have contributed to its success over the last 25 years.
Jeff Stewart, DPA, (ISAO., Past President); Manager, Community Services Department, City of Richmond Hill; also, in photo is his son Brook, a 2nd generation Arborist
Canadian TREE Fund Donors:
We at Vermeer Canada have considered the Canadian TREE Fund our organization to support for a number of years. We feel that it is important to give back to what supports us. Many of our customers continue to be responsible and caring stewards of our trees, whether that is in the forest industry or in our backyards. We are proud to support the Canadian TREE Fund, we congratulate them on reaching this significant milestone, and are grateful for their contributions to the advancement of our industry.
I am connected obviously with the business we are in, supporting the Arboriculture industry with Vermeer Equipment and other supplies. I also manage my own bush lot. Additionally, my family is very engaged in supporting Arboriculture and Forestry initiatives in Ontario for 100 years. My Great Grandfather, E.C. Drury, as an example, was the Premier of Ontario from 1919 to 1923 and started a lot of reforestation projects in Ontario. Here is a link for your information and an example of the work he did.
Testimonial from Craig Drury, V.P. Operations, Vermeer Canada, Inc.
Canadian TREE Fund Recipients:
Jack Kimmel Grant– (Named to honour Jack Kimmel for his dedication in establishing Canadian TREE Fund and his contributions to arboriculture in Canada)
Canadian TREE Fund, YOU GAVE US WINGS! Through your faith in us and our vision to collect forest biodiversity data with students and their communities using international protocols to raise awareness and enjoy the outdoors. ACER was able to continue a lonely path pursuing understanding of the Importance of measuring changes due to climate impacts on trees and students’ critical role in collecting data and undertaking long-term experiments by planting trees. Congratulations on 25 years of great work!
ACER was privileged to receive the Jack Kimmel Grant award more than once, to help us keep working with students to plant and monitor trees. Debbie Leon, then an ACER volunteer and ISA member, encouraged us to present to Canadian TREE Fund our planned project for experimental one-hectare planting with 6 biodiversity experiments adding research data to the international one-hectare forest biodiversity plot. On average, 14 classes came each year, first to plant in 2002-3, then to measure and mulch until 2008, leading to a second experimental mirrored smaller plot also at the Humber Arboretum. This one has deer fencing! Data is still collected when funds are available. The TREE Fund support of our concept led the GHTA schools (60) currently in ACER Planting for Change program. John Wilson, as editor of Ontario Arborist, was always a great help to us, and from his recommendation, ACER is now presenting on climate change projections and gardening! ACER programs now include the Go Global program (a network of international one-hectare forest sites), Planting for Change (indicator species in schoolyards), and Riparian Rangers (monitoring success rates in restoration tree plantings). ACER trains community volunteers to plant and measure changes in forest biodiversity, while low and high tech ACER programs like Trees in Winter and TreeCaching Trails encourage people to get outdoors and learn while having fun. Being outdoors, working in small teams carrying out real and relevant activities together, brings amazing and difficult to measure unexpected social benefits that build healthy communities that add incredibly to the expected ecobenefits of healthy trees.
The community emphasis around tree planting, maintenance and monitoring for climate change impacts for ACER resulted in winning a competition with a community version – Project Crossroads -Bramalea – training local volunteers in areas of low tree canopy identified as heat islands with high social needs. ACER TreeKeepers will be measuring and reporting annually. Our hope for ACER’s future is to help other communities adopt Project Crossroads especially in Covid times – meeting each other the day of planting for the long term the benefits of trees and for the joy of being outside working together long-term to build happy, healthy and resilient communities.
Thanks again Canadian TREE Fund, Jack Kimmel Grant, ISA and all their volunteers over the many years!
Testimonial from Alice Casselman, founder of ACER (Association for Canadian Educational Resources), and award-winning educator in Ontario. She worked to include outdoor and environmental education in science programs during 35-year high school teaching career. Alice continues to develop ACER programs and related learning materials and resources to support them.
During my many visits to schools and libraries all over North America, I had always wanted to do more to reinforce my messaging about the benefits of urban trees. With that goal, I got to work on developing two age specific workbooks for primary students.
The folks at the Canadian TREE Fund were quick to recognize the intrinsic value in reinforcing a lesson. Their interest and funding became the launching pad for my Junior and Senior workbooks, “all about urban trees” which include quizzes and colourable illustrations by the talented Jenny Duda. A recent addition to the pair of workbooks has been, “True Tree Crimes” aka “10 ways to kill a tree”. This is an “adult” colourable workbook that focuses on some of the harmful practices (crimes) that trees have to endure in an urban setting. Each “crime” comes with information that prescribes best practices for proper tree care techniques specific to the crime.
Without the Canadian TREE Fund’s help, I would have never been able to see these projects through! The workbooks have been distributed to thousands of students at no cost, thanks to the sponsorship of the Canadian TREE Fund.
The Canadian TREE Fund is instrumental in the education of tree enthusiasts, of all ages. Happy 25th! And many more!
Testimonial from Professor Elwood Pricklethorn, ISA Certified Arborist ON-0299
The Canadian TREE Fund plays a crucial role in advancing the arboriculture sector in Canada and has done so for more than 20 years. It is quite unique for one entity to support both cutting edge research AND community education/engagement. The wide range of projects they support is impressive. Our Tree Tenders Volunteer Training program was supported in it’s early stages by the Canadian TREE Fund and has now evolved into one of our most popular and successful education programs! I can’t say enough about the wonderful volunteers who make it all happen! They contribute their expertise and dedicate countless hours to raising funds to support the Grants program. Their commitment to improving the industry is tireless and their love of trees and forests is contagious. To all of those involved – thank you for your dedication!
Testimonial from Janet McKay, Executive Director LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) – Engaging communities in urban forest stewardship through on-the-ground projects
I just wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on 25 years of the Canadian TREE Fund. As an urban forester and researcher, I have come to realize that compared to traditional forestry, peer-reviewed research on urban trees and single trees is sorely lacking. The lack of this research often hampers forward motion on important urban forestry issues. I am happy to say that the Canadian TREE Fund has gone to great lengths to make up some of this shortfall by supporting arboricultural and urban forestry research with a specific focus on Canadian issues and support for Canadian research. I have been fortunate to receive several Jack Kimmel Grants to support various projects over the years and without the TREE Fund, that research would likely never have been completed. I have also had the pleasure of reading and utilizing
many other research results that have been supported by the TREE Fund.
So, with that in mind, I would like to congratulate the Canadian TREE Fund on its many successes over these 25 years. It also must be recognized that the Fund would not and could not exist without the hard work and dedication of so many wonderful CTF Trustees, volunteers and donors that have committed their time, efforts and dedication to ensure that funds are raised and that the funds get out there to support our Canadian colleagues in so many diverse projects over the years. This is a special anniversary indeed and everyone involved in bringing the CTF so far forward should be proud of their hard work and amazing accomplishments. Having established such an excellent track record, I am sure that there will be many more great things to come in the next 25 years.
Thanks for the support and keep up the great work.
Testimonial from Philip van Wassenaer, B.Sc., MFC, Principal Consulting Arborist and Founder of Urban Forest Innovations Inc. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, an American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Registered Consulting Arborist (RCA), Current Board Member of ASCA, Past President and Director of Ontario Urban Forest Council, and 2009 recipient of ISA True Professionals of Arboriculture Award. With 25+ years of experience as an urban forestry consultant, Philip is a leading expert in Conservation Arboriculture, an ecosystem approach to understanding and managing trees.
International Jack Kimmel Grant – (Funds are contributed by Team Canada ‘Tour des Trees’ Riders annually.
Canadian TREE Fund Trustees are included on International Grant Review Committee.)
The International TREE Fund congratulates Canadian TREE Fund on their 25th anniversary!
With Canadian TREE Fund’s support, we have been able to award 22 Jack Kimmel International Grants since 2010 totaling over $200,000. The Jack Kimmel International Grant Program, championed by the Canadian TREE Fund, honors the late Jack Kimmel who was the former Director of Parks for the City of Toronto. Jack Kimmel Grants provide much needed funding to arboriculture and urban forestry researchers all over the world. These grants are available to researchers whose work is primarily outside of the United States.
Several Jack Kimmel Grant awardees have presented their work on TREE Fund webinars which had an attendance rate averaging over 500. These webinars have been archived on the TREE Fund website:
Brandon Winfrey, PhD; Monash University, Australia
Enhancing Tree Health in Water Sensitive Urban Design: Role of Mycorrhizae
Andrew Koeser, PhD; University of Florida, U.S.
Protecting trees from construction impacts
Rachael Antwis, PhD; University of Salford, England
Fighting Microbes with Microbes to Protect Our Native Trees
Camilo Ordonez, PhD and Andrew Millward, PhD; Ryerson University, Canada
The Salt Dilemma: Growing Better Urban Trees in Northern Climates
Wishing Canadian TREE Fund a bright future!
Scientific research and education evoke, from me, a sense of awe. They are how we best discern how best we may live and work, and how we see our place in the intricate beauty and subtlety of life and the passing of the ages. Practical and poetic; serviceable and spiritual. In my awe, I am moved to embrace and encourage the seeking and sharing of science–and the science of trees in particular.
For those who work and live among the trees, science is essential to both safety and success. That fact compels me to stand and applaud, with respect and gratitude, the Canadian TREE Fund on its 25th anniversary. The Canadian TREE Fund and its family of volunteers have been incomparable icons of what is most admirable in our species. I’m celebrating 25 years as a non-profit executive, and that experience allows me to say that what the Canadian TREE Fund volunteers have accomplished isn’t simply vital to the tree care industry and important to all of us who love trees, it’s inspirational. Few are as efficient and effective.
I’m honored to join you in wishing the Canadian TREE Fund a happy 25th anniversary and earnest in asking you to join me in supporting them.
Endorsement from Russell King, President and CEO International TREE Fund
Harold Van Dyke Memorial Bursary – I was honoured to be awarded the Harold Van Dyke Memorial Bursary from the Canadian TREE Fund in early 2020. As a student in the Bachelor of Urban Forestry program at the University of British Columbia, the bursary has allowed me to pursue courses directly related to the fields of urban forest management and arboriculture. Being awarded the bursary has also allowed me to network with industry professionals, a benefit that I consider to be of great importance. It was truly a delight to be awarded the bursary. Looking to the future, I am excited to be involved in the dynamic field of arboriculture. The Canadian TREE Fund is helping Canadian students to reach their full potential and gain professional development in our industry. I applaud their efforts in making education more accessible.
Testimonial from Alex Martin, ISA BCMA, TRAQ (PR-5346B)
Randy Lidkea Scholarship – I was the fortunate recipient of the Randy Lidkea (NPD ’67) Scholarship of $500 in 2013, the year I graduated magna cum laude from Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Now seven lucky years later, I am proud to announce I will be working with Canada’s National Tree Seed Centre full time starting December 2020. This opportunity was made possible from my real-world experience working for the Forest Gene Conservation Association here in Ontario and being involved in a intensive training course at the Millennium Seed Bank in England. There’s still so much to learn but perhaps the most important thing seeds have taught me is patience and that the development of a cohesive solution can take a decade or more, just like the shade we envision when we plant something so small. So, take your time, grow into your niche; there is always a place for you.
Looking at the Canadian TREE Fund website now, I chuckle too that many of the Randy Lidkea award-winners have become excellent seed collectors instead of, or as well as, Certified Arborists, and that this very specialized field of new beginnings has been incubated by that special Seed Exchange project and the Canadian TREE Fund. Thank you so much and please continue to keep the Canadian TREE Fund active; I know it bears fruit!
Testimonial from Melissa Spearing, Niagara Parks School of Horticulture Graduate 2013
The Canadian TREE Fund 25th logo is courtesy of Brandon Gallagher Watson, Tour des Trees rider and Creative Director at Rainbow Tree Care Scientific Advancements. The Canadian TREE Fund thanks Brandon!