Last summer I wrote about my project concerning the Emerald Ash Borers in Sandy Hill- mostly how Jon pimped me out to a prof and his student to look into the situation (because of my mapping expertise). I spent some time hitting the pavement, plotting out where the ash trees were, and locating spaces to plant new trees to replace the canopy cover that would be eliminated by this pesky invasive species. After identifying the areas, we went door to door and spoke to residents about planting a tree on their property with the help of a City grant. It went pretty well, I had some neat conversations with residents, I was able to breathe some fresh air, and I had a change of scenery from the office. It was great to be done with that project, knowing that the Action Sandy Hill community group had my finalized map in their hands. Effectively they could go about informing more residents and even inoculating trees that were significant to the community and had shown no signs of infection. Ino...

Photo credit: unknown Today is the second day of summer and as you head out with your family and friends to go camping this season it’s important to remember that when you roast your marshmallows over that campfire to start it with local wood. Your parents may be the stingy type, saving dimes and dollars by clipping newspapers for coupons, and they might think bringing wood they’ve chopped themselves is a great money saving tip. Personally, I can think of a few neighbours back home that would not think twice about the environmental consequences of such actions. The outcome is catastrophic to say the least; this is not an overexcited exaggeration. If you are from Ottawa, you may have noticed the ash trees in your neighbourhood die over the past few years. If you reside somewhere other than Ottawa, Dutch elm disease or Asian Longhorn Beetle may ring a bell. Needless to say, some time ago people thought it would be a good idea to move wood from an infested area to Sandy Hill and sinc...