#TreesofNDG #CUtrees

Why Inventory Our Urban Trees?

Thanks for visiting! Our urban forest is made up of the trees and associated green spaces in parks, streets, private land and natural areas within the city. A diverse urban forest provides resilience to environmental change (like climate change, or insect outbreaks) while also providing numerous benefits to our communities. Trees within our green spaces reduce hot summer temperatures, improve local air quality, promote mental wellbeing and provide recreational spaces for physical activity. To better measure and understand these benefits, scientists need an inventory of city trees. Our current understanding of urban forests has been largely limited to trees located on public land. However, half of all city trees are growing on private land – and the characteristics of these trees are not well understood. Understanding how tree species differ between public and private green spaces is crucial to understanding the full scope of urban forest diversity and the numerous benefits it provides our communities. Our research hopes to build on our current knowledge of the urban forest through a pilot project using local resident participation in a tree inventory of private yards within Notre-Dame de Grace. This information will improve our understanding of urban forest diversity, resilience, and benefits in Montreal. 

Why Participate?
@Kaïa Etezadi
In order to sustain our urban forest in a way that maintains biodiversity and improves not only the numerous benefits to our community (temperature regulation, air quality improvement, recreational space), but also the wildlife that we share it with, we need a better understanding of the trees that are present and their distribution across our neighbourhoods. Tree cover in Montreal has been declining over the past two decades, and tree diversity may be highly influenced or improved by individual residents like you. Ever been curious about the diversity in your own backyard? Conducting your own backyard tree survey is the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the wellbeing boost of exploring your own local nature. Or, get the family together and invest a few minutes in outdoor education using our "Tree Detective Worksheet". By participating in this project, you are contributing to valuable missing information about our urban trees that can inform management practices and conservation efforts in the future. We look forward to sharing our results with you and the NDG community so that we may continue to enjoy the benefits and services urban trees provide us for many generations to come.

We need your help! 

We are interested in surveying your trees! 
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Many of us are adjusting to a new normal in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This means students like me have had to think of new ways to continue our research and ask new questions. While I can no longer go out and survey trees this summer I’m asking for your help to build this tree inventory! This is the perfect opportunity to get outside and learn about our own personal backyard nature. It’s easy! All you need are a few household items, and a bit of curiosity. 

We are launching a pilot project hoping to inventory the private community trees in Notre-Dame-de-Grace. Through your participation, we can identify and improve our understanding of local trees and their characteristics. We believe this is the first step in increasing our knowledge of the urban forest and the benefits it provides our communities.
 Along with your submissions, we'd love to see your photos on social media with the #TreesofNDG #CUtrees

Backyard Tree Inventory Resources 

Step 1: Watch our instructional video below and start your own backyard tree inventory!
Step 2: Download our backyard tree inventory worksheet. We have created a family based worksheet for kids and an adult worksheet below! 
Step 3: Submit your inventory using our google survey. Click below!
If you would rather not login to complete our survey, feel free to send your photos and measurements to our email: montrealprivatetrees@gmail.com or complete our LimeSurvey below

In the Media!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ​

Can I contact you with my Questions?
Yes, you can contact us by email at montrealprivatetrees@gmail.com with any questions. 
I don't live in Notre-Dame-de-Grace. can I still PArticipate?
Unfortunately, we are currently only able to accommodate participants living in NDG. Although we are limiting the project to NDG this year, we are hoping to expand to new communities in the future! 
What If I don't have the Right equipment?​
We can get creative here! No string? How about a ball of wool? Or sewing thread? Even some tied together shoe strings! If you're missing other equipment but still want to participate, please send us an email we'd love to accomodate your participation.
I have a few questions about the overall health of my trees
Although we aren't certified to answer these questions, there are some helpful resources we can recommend. You can contact a certified arborist through the Arbor Day Foundation or, find some useful tree information here: ​www.arborday.org/trees/health/arborist.cfm

Meet Our Team!

Contact us at: montrealprivatetrees@gmail.com
Photos by: @ConcordiaStudio

Dr. Carly
​Ziter

Principal Investigator

Carly is a new professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia University, where she leads the Urban Landscape Ecology lab, and teaches courses about ecology and biodiversity. She loves working with passionate graduate and undergraduate students to learn more about the plant and animal species sharing our great city. She's especially excited about projects (like this one!) that engage community members in science and education.

Emma McLaughlin

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Emma is starting her 3rd year of human environment and sustainability at Concordia. She has made it her mission in life to advocate for climate justice and believes that through environmental education, such as teaching folks about trees, this can happen. She is interested in the preservation of trees and the implementation of municipal programs to encourage residents to invest in trees for our future.

Kayleigh
​Hutt-Taylor

Lead Master's Student

Kayleigh is the lead graduate student working on the NDG community tree inventory. I'm very passionate about studying urban ecology! With this project, I am hoping we can engage local residents to learn more about their own backyard nature while also contributing to our overall understanding of Montreal’s urban forest. By integrating private trees into our research we can move towards an overall improved understanding of the value of urban trees and what they provide our communities.

Maya
​Catterall

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Maya is a 2020 summer research intern, completing her 2020 work term for her CO-OP program. I joined this team because I am interested in studying urban forests and how they impact our well being and local ecology. I will also be looking at tree diversity in cities, using the data we collect, to look at how our preferences for native vs. non-native tree species can have an impact on local biodiversity.