Earth Day North Bay - Free Tree Seedlings

Celebrate Earth Day!

Get your free Tree Seedling.

Muddy Mark and Forester Moe from Millson Forestry Service, will be in North Bay Wednesday April 21 at North Bay Toyota handing out free white pine tree seedlings as part of Earth Day Celebrations.

We will be there from 10am -4pm. Get your picture taken with Muddy Mark and I will post it here.

Got to love google maps street view. Take a look.

You can also look at the map on how to get there right here.

The Making of Muddy Mark

Mark walks in the forest most days. On one such walk a school group tagged along to learn more about the forest. Mark wears big high rubber boots and enjoys walking through the mud.

The kids would call "wait up Muddy Mark".

When the group returned to safe dry roadside they had seen seedlings, rocks, orchids, birds, squirrels, burls and mud.

A typical little boy who loved to ware his rubber boots as much as possible, camping was the norm for Muddy most summers. This sparked his interest of the forest.

At 10 he joined the Boy Scouts to expand his exposure and knowledge of the forest.

He helped his father fix cages and feed birds at the Roy Ivor Bird Sanctuary and this triggered his love of birds.

Muddy’s family was recycling before the term curbside was ever invented and he participated in the inaugural Pollution Probe litter pick as well as many more that would follow.

His first job was at The Camp of the Woodland Trails as a park warden. The next three summers he spent learning and educating campers. He developed a skill for photography and has had a camera close at hand ever since.

He spent three more summers at Sheridan Tree Nursery, doing everything from trimming, transplanting, digging and transporting seedlings.

He saw some of Canada with Katimavik. He got a much closer look at more of Canada when he hitch-hiked the scenic route from Vancouver British Columbia to Fortune Newfoundland via Dawson City, Yukon and Tok, Alaska.

Eventually he went to school in Sault Ste. Marie and studied forestry.

The Ministry of Natural Resources in Timmins saw his potential while he worked for them as a student. When he was finished school he was hired on to work with the Science and Technical Unit, the Fire Unit, the District office and Ontario Parks.

He bought a house, married a gal who would put up with him and started a family.

He enjoys his free time to be able to put more time into his community endeavors. These included the Timmins Naturalists, the Wintergreen Fund for Conservation, participating in a Local Citizens Committee and the Porcupine Watchful Eye, creating the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees, coaching for the Timmins Soccer Association, Timmins Select Basketball and the Timmins Minor Hockey League, he was a board member for the Timmins Public Library, lead the tree plants for local Scouts Canada and was chairman for the Public Liaison Committee for the Waste Management plan.

He left the MNR and did a two year stint with a mining company in their environmental program and photographed and documented species as he went about his work.

When gold lost it’s shine he went looking for a new employer so he could continue to support his growing family.

His wife told him to get a job and that’s when he met with Sue and Dave Millson to discuss possible employment options. They had worked together on tree plant projects when Muddy Mark was with the MNR. Muddy has been with Millson Forestry Service now for over 10 years.

At Millson Forestry Service it is Earth Day everyday. Muddy has been involved with many different aspects of trees. Seeding the next generation of forests in containers. Growing by watering, weeding and watching the seedlings. Site preparation to prepare a site for tree planting. Tree planting as part of the regeneration of crown forests and the reclamation of mining properties. Forest tending to ensure the health and vitality of the new forest. Road building, harvesting and product transportation completes the forest management cycle.

Muddy enjoys talking to private land owners that want to ensure the best use of their forested land. He is involved with mining companies that want to add trees as part of their progressive reclamation efforts.

He takes pictures, he gets dirty, he loves to walk in the forest with his best dog pal, Roll’n. He always loves to talk about trees!

He likes to GPS his finds and take digital pictures to share on his blog, Oxygen Grows On Trees . Oh and he does get work done too!

What do you remember? Leave a comment.

Earth Day Sudbury - Free Tree Seedlings

Celebrate Earth Day!

Get your free Tree Seedling.

Muddy Mark and Forester Moe from Millson Forestry Service, will be in Sudbury Tuesday April 20 at Rainbow Concrete handing out free white spruce tree seedlings as part of Earth Day Celebrations.

We will be there from 10am -4pm. Get your picture taken with Muddy Mark and I will post it here.

Come get a tree and help with the regreening efforts of Sudbury!

Got to love google maps street view. Take a look.

You can also look at the map on how to get there right here.

Sault Ste Marie Earth Day Event

Millson Forestry Service, CTV and The Country Way partnered to bring Earth Day to Sault Ste Marie on April 13th, 2010. A little early since Earth Day is April 22, but a great event was taking place for us to join.

The Country Way put on the first, hopefully annual event, Green & Healthy Living Expo.

It was held at the Water Tower Inn. It had many great displays, information booths and guest speakers.

Our display centered around the "Making of Muddy Mark" "Plant a Tree NOW" and "Oxygen Grows On Trees". It is wonderful to have pretty booth mates, since everyone gets to see too much of Muddy Marks face and his orange coveralls.

We brought white spruce tree seedlings to hand out to the participants. Everyone that wanted a tree seedling got one, and yes a couple got more then one.

We brought bigger seedlings too. Everyone wanted them. It is important to plant trees, even small trees, because little trees will grow to be big trees. One of the comments on our display "The best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago, the second best time is now". How true that is.

This event is just one event we are attending for Earth day. There are more.

Come see us in Sudbury on April 20th at Rainbow Concrete Industries Ltd.

Come see us in North Bay on April 21st at North Bay Toyota

We will back in Timmins on Earth Day April 22nd at Timmins Honda.

We will be handing out White spruce in Timmins and Sudbury and White pine in North Bay.

Many people talked to us about all the trees they have planted and how wonderful it was to have us and the trees as part of the Healthy Living Expo.

Muddy had some family drop by too.

Brother and sister in-law. My lovely niece and the father in-law.

What is the ediquette for petting a pig.

What is the etiquette for petting a pig.

Driving home from Sault Ste. Marie we made a little detour to look at some beautiful red pine plantations. The Kirkwood Forest. The Kirkwood forest measures about 50,000 acres. The largest White pine in the province use to stand here, but it fell 3 or 4 years ago.

The little detour turned into a very very longcut. 100km and 3 hours later we were back on track. I figured it would come back to the highway, map? ask for directions? not lost, just don't know where I are going.

Back to the pig. This pig was standing along the side of the road just waiting for someone to come by and pay some attention to it. We stopped the truck and got out to pet the little creature.

It snorted and grunted while it wagged its tail.

The nose was covered in - let's say it was - mud!

Where was the pig : map

Where the hell were we : map

Where is the biggest White pine suppose to be? : map

Soil Study in the Kirkwood Forest

Trees are the Answer

From text of a presentation by Patrick Moore on forestry and the environment.

You can read more about Patrick Moore and his environmental and forestry views. Patrick was one of the first people that made up Greenpeace.

He has moved away from Greenpeace and much of the disinformation that comes from them with regards to forestry. You can read more on his website called Greenspirit.

You can find the entire text here.

"I soon discovered that trees are just large plants that have evolved the ability to grow long wooden stems. They didn't do that so we could cut them up into lumber and grind them into pulp; they actually had only one purpose in mind and that was to get their needles or leaves higher up above the other plants where the tree could then monopolize the Sun’s energy for photosynthesis. When foresters create openings or clearcuts when they harvest trees, one of the reasons for doing it is so the new trees growing back can be in full sunlight. Trees are basically plants that want to be in the sun. If trees wanted to be in the shade they would have been shrubs instead, they would not have spent so much time and energy growing long wooden stems."

Poster for Earth Day

Oxygen Grows On Tress !!

Oxygen G.O.T.

Tree Seedlings free.

Earth Day celebrates 40 years.

The best time to plant a tree is 100 years ago.

The second best time to plant a tree is today.

Muddy Mark in the News

Something different for me. Live tv. Someone talks in your ear from Sudbury while I stare into the camera. A very quick interview about Earth Day activities.

Roll'n lay on the carpet watching while the process unfolds.

Come get a tree seedling from me!

Sault Ste Marie - April 13

Sudbury - April 20

North Bay - April 21

Timmins - April 22

Muddy Mark goes a little commercial

Muddy Mark has partnered with CTV and Millson Forestry service to bring trees seedlings to Earth Day.

Over the next couple of weeks the Earth Day events, and activities leading up to Earth Day will be updated here.

For me every day is Earth Day, just some days I do more for the Earth then others.

You can comment here, YouTube or Facebook

Long Weekend Observations

This weekend again finds me on Ste Joe's Island, near Sault Ste Marie. It has been a very warm and wonderful weekend so far.

My first little 12 km walk on Saturday morning I came across these little flowers I figured they were Lilac, but the smell is not right and they were a little way in the bush from any property. The branch looks like willow, it is a woody stock. Correct me if I am wrong. Maybe the strong Lilac smell was not present yet so early in the morning.

This morning I went for a little bit longer walk. I traveled along the snow machine trail. In past years on easter weekend I have walked on the snow on the snow machine trails, but not this year. The snow is long gone from the trials in this area. intersection map

I reached the top part of the loop I was walking and should have turned for home. My side kick Roll'n was not looking tired at all so instead of turning for home we continued toward the sound of the sand hill cranes.

Another km and I knew we were getting very close. The noise was just on the other side of some alder swamp. A little further up and a path opened into a field. Stepping into the open I could clearly see the cranes.

I wondered if Roll'n might want to go chase them, but he was much more interested in the trails of deer and rabbits he had been following. Birds do not interest him any more. Even grouse do not get chased anymore - they just fly away.

These are my first sandhill cranes I see on the ground this year.

I try the video setting on the little camera to see how the sound will come out. Sounds pretty good.

I saw the Ring Necked Pheasant

This pheasant has been on the loose in the Dalton road and Government road area this winter. I hear there is a pair traveling together. Many only see one at a time.

I saw one!!

I saw one on Dalton road but I was not quick enough to get a picture.

I did not get a picture, but Pam did.

This spring is going to be busy!!

Return of the Prodigal computer

My computer has been in the shop for a little while. It is back, so I am back.

Muddy Mark, MR j, and some other things I have been called.

comments always welcomed

Great Hawk Owl picture by Lynn

Lynn has some really great pictures!

Thanks for the great picture of the Hawk owl. You were able to capture what I was seeing in my binoculars.

You can see more pictures by Lynn at the Porcupine Photography Club site.

Hawk Owl likes harvest operations

Hawk Owl has followed operations over the years.

I have heard many stories of these little birds following machines in the bush. One operator has told me that some bird - that looked like the bird I pointed out - would dive under logs that were being lifted by a machine.

I kept my eye on a hawk owl one year during the 3 months of winter operations. This little bird was there watching until the last load of logs was dropped on a trailer.

Watching the bird that year was my introduction.

This year a little hawk owl was hanging around again. It is easy hunting for squirrels when many of the trees are out of the way.

I took a picture with my little camera, I pointed out the tiny bird with an arrow. I also got a picture with my digital binoculars, the camera part is not very good.

eNature

Environment Canada

Ontario Field Ornithologists

Spring is just around the corner

Spring is just around the corner.

I am thinking about all the new life I am going to be seeing very soon. Also thinking of visiting some old friends too, namely the biggest White Pine in the area.

We have some trees on the Timmins Homour Roll of Trees, but we still need you to find us find some giants of other species.

We have

Eastern White Cedar

Eastern White Pine

Red Pine

Jack Pine

Tamarack

White Spruce

Black Ash

Aspen

Yellow Birch

We need examples of

Black Spruce

Balsam Fir

Red Maple

Balsam Poplar

White Birch

A very big Burr Oak was pointed out to me this winter during the Christmas Bird Count. I will get the diameter this spring. A big blue spruce was also pointed out to me on the front lawn of a house.

I will get a picture with the owner of the tree this spring and post it here.

keep on the look out for honour trees, and let me know when you find one!

Timmins Honour Roll of Trees

Timmins Naturalists

Great Links Sunday Afternoon

A lazy Sunday after being on the ice at 7am.

Spent some time online and found some great articles to read. Hope you will find them interesting.

Back to the Tap - shrinking your carbon footprint. This link is good too.

Fake Plastic Trees to Solve Climate Change

Kick Ash Furniture On Display at the Arboretum

Tree Yoga - I have done yoga, but not with a tree. You will see pictures of me doing this, this summer!

Who wants to join me for yoga in the trees?

I think the red pine of the ice chest lake area will do just fine.

Birds enjoy when you are creative with cones

Cones Grow On Trees

The white pine cone comes from the tree that is our arboreal emblem. It has the largest cone of any conifer in Ontario. Timmins Honour of Trees.

The red pine has a smaller cone, when open it makes a perfect ball for many different crafts and activities. The red pine cone is a favorite for wreaths and other crafts.

Lynn, of the Porcupine Photography Club, recently got a bag of cones from me. Cones available here. She took them up to Hersey Lake and added peanut butter and seed before hanging them up. The birds and squirrels found them quickly. map

Side note: while adding the link to the Photography Club I got side tracked and had to look at all the pictures. There are some great pictures there. Thought I would be able to pick a favorite, but I could not.

Lynn captured a red squirrel, a black capped chickadee and a whiskey jack

Moose Antler Freshly Dropped

It is interesting to compare a moose antler freshly dropped to an antler dropped last years and then chewed for a summer.

Last year I found the older antler. Roll'n has enjoyed chewing on it for a year. To him it is a big bone with the taste of moose.

This winter while having a safety discussion at the side the road the dog found something. He would not come out of the bush, he just sat there looking at me. That usually means he needs help with something.

I walk toward him and he starts to bark and "talk" to something. He has found an antler that is too big for him to move. Judging from the tracks and the fresh snow the antler had been dropped (map) that morning, less then 6 hours ago since it had none of the fresh snow on it.

I suspect by the size of the antlers the two different moose were very close in age. The shape is very similar. I am know expert but I would say they came from a bull that was about 6 to 8 years old.

I will not let Roll'n munch on this antler, it is in really nice shape. Wonder what to do with it?

Guess I will give it to Muddy Mark, he will know what to do with it.

Facts

Hinterland Who's Who

Moose Management in Ontario

Art, wow wish I could do that!

Distinct Northern Art

Alaska Antler Works

CBC Bear Den Live Webcam

Today on CBC radio there was an interview about bears and how mis-understood they are.

There is a site you can visit and read all about it.

He also has a live feed of the bear and cubs in the den.

It is worth exploring. I an not so sure I want to reach out and grab the fur of a bear, but I have come pretty close !

Read my black bear story and see pictures

Black Ash Blue Sky Frosty Morning

Black Ash Blue Sky Frosty Morning

February 05, 2010. The sky was so blue, more blue then a ripe blue berry on a sunny forest floor - that is pretty blue!

Everywhere the trees are covered in a coat of frost as the temperature dipped below -20C last night. As the sun comes up the dark conifer melt quickly, while the branches of the hardwood retain the frost.

Two big black ash in the swamp contrast with the sky.

You can take a picture, but you just can not capture the whole frosty setting.

These 2 black ash are very close the the largest black ash on the Timmins Honour Role of Trees.

These 2 are located about 24 km south of the 144 - 101 intersection. Here is a map of the location if you want to go look at them yourself.

Frozen Muddy Mark

Buy your own tree

Biggest Oak Tree in Timmins

During the Christmas Bird Count here in Timmins a very large oak tree was pointed out to me. I will have to go back and measure the tree this summer and add it to the Timmins Honour Role of Trees.

I really did not think an Oak tree would grow this large in the area.

We also came across a smaller Oak tree during the count. It is interesting that once you start looking and others are helping you look you can find all kinds of interesting things.

I think I also found the largest Blue spruce - to be confirmed this summer also.

Large Oak Mapped

Small Oak Mapped

Bonsai comes out of the closet

Today I took my white birch bonsai out of the closet. It has been sitting in the dark in a cool closet waiting for winter to be over.

The the tree winter is over today.

It is important for a tree to have a winter rest, even if it is only a short rest. I have had success with some native trees letting them have a winter only every 2 years. Given the right light and temperature a tree will keep its leaves all winter.

I watered and lightly fertilized the plant to help it get started. I expect the buds to start swelling in a couple of weeks and I should have a full tree before summer gets here.

We will have a little bit of summer in the house soon.

Very soon the greenhouse will be turned up and I will be able to see the greening of the greenhouse. I love to one day walk into the greenhouse to see all the tree seedlings spouting. Suddenly the cool dull huge space becomes a sea of green, with the fresh earth smell in every corner.

Pictures Birds Survival

The Timmins Public Library has let me know that they are posting information on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology photo contest.

All of you with a camera can participate.

Put Timmins on the map by submitting your winning photo.

Survival Challenge - Photo - Video - Art Challenge

How do birds survive winter

Data Entry Christmas Bird Count

I finally got it done!

You can find all the data at the Audubon Christmas Bird Count Page. This years data will be available after the Regional editor confirms the information.

You can look at all the data over time, make a graph by species, make a map of where species were seen and a few more interesting outputs.

Here is the data from both the feeder and field.

02 Ruffed Grouse

51 Rock Pigeons

01 Downy Woodpecker

08 Hairy Woodpeckers

09 Grey Jay

14 Blue Jay

14 American Crow

41 Common Ravan

102 Black-capped Chickadees

02 Boreal Chickadee

05 Red-breasted Nuthatch

27 European Starling

01 Dark-eyed Junco

29 Pine Grosbeaks

06 Evening Grosbeak

Total individuals 332

Total Species 15

Participants 07

Hours 14

Kilometers 150

I see now that I still have to update the Timmins Naturalists CBC page.

You can read about Pam's Christmas Bird Count and see a couple of pictures.

There is also a Facebook Group for the Christmas Bird Count.

Timmins Daily Press covers the Christmas Bird Count

Still working on making sure I did not miss any presents from Santa. I will get the data summarized soon and post it here, as well as enter it in the international data base.

In the mean time you can see an update in the Timmins Daily Press.

You can read the media story of another successful bird count in Timmins.

Read Now

Timmins Naturalists page about the Christmas Bird Count.

Christmas Bird Count 2009 Timmins Ontario

Saturday December 19th, 2009

It was a great day ! !

Will take a couple of free hours to compile all the data and upload it.

Check back here before the new year.

Ring Necked Pheasant

While at the hockey rink the other day one of the Dads commented I would not believe what he had seen in his yard.

A ring necked pheasant! He was surprised to learn I already had a picture of it!

Thanks Pam!

You can see another picture of the bird at Pam's Blog. She is a very talented artist and has some great stories on a crow family she has be-friended.

I have added this observation to the Timmins Naturalist Observations Webpage.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Environment Canada

eNature

A Guidebook to Ontario's old-growth

Ontario's old-growth forests: a guidebook complete with history,ecology, and maps (published by Fitzhenry and Whiteside) is now available in bookstores.

The book includes:
* Overviews of forest history and ecology
* An atlas of 59 old-growth sites throughout the province
* Box essays written by experts
* Over 180 colour photos and 55 colour maps

more details available at www.oldgrowth.ca

front and back covers

The Timmins Honour Roll of Trees is here

Timmins Memorial Trees

Have a tree planted to honour the memory of a loved one.

Your donation will go towards the support of wintergreen's many community conservation projects.

You can purchase a tree that is planted near a walking trail.

Buy a tree in the name of a loved one will last very long time!

Contribute buy a tree

Two many turtles!

More with the turtle theme this year in Timmins, I now have two that moved in.

Kid number one has wanted turtles for many years, but they have not been available here in Timmins. The 101 mall now has a little pet shop and they carry turtles.

These turtles are red eared sliders.

We have had an aquarium in the shed for about 3 years and finally get to use it. Got it from a garage sale back then.

Guess turtles will be around for many years to come. Wonder if they will go to university with the kid.

Wikipedia

Exoticpets

Ehow

Birch Bonsai start of Winter

We now have snow in Timmins. I think it will stay this time.

My little tree has been outside waiting for the cold. The buds look healthy and the stem is green.

The plan is to leave it outside until it is below -20C then bring it into the house and store in a cool dark place for a little while before bringing it into the heat to start the growth cycle over again.

Day 01 entry

Month 05 entry

You can buy your own tree to make your own bonsai at Millson Forestry Service. If you do not see the species you want let them know and maybe they can start what you want.

Water beetle under the ice.

Water beetle swimming under the ice looks like a creature frozen in jade. There was all kinds of life moving under the ice.

I could not resist taking a walk on the thin ice just to see if it would hold me. I did not venture out into the deeper water, but stayed where I could see the bottom was not as far away as my rubber boots were high.

With ice like this you can skip rocks that go forever! Love that sound!!

Map

eNature

Everything about water beetle

Martin watching over the Boreal Forest

Roll'n and I were walking in the bush this past week when he left me. I could here him barking not far off the path I was on.

I wondered over to see what all the noise was about. He usually does not bark unless hes has something very important he needs help with.

He had a martin up a large white spruce.

The martin was not happy. Sounds like an unhappy cat that has been backed into a corner. At the office we have a cat that is not my friend and is often vocal when I walk by. I walk by giving plenty of space, the dam cat has left me wounded before.

Map

eNature

Site Preparation

Forest Management Guidelines

for the Provision of

Marten Habitat

Trees in Space

A Canadian company has been asked to have tree material sent to international space station.

"A study known as APEX-Cambium (Advanced Plant EXperiments on Orbit). Funded by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), APEX-Cambium will help determine the role gravity plays in trees forming different kinds of wood."

Canadian Space Agency

Despite all the money spent on forestry research, relatively little focuses on basic physiology, according to Savidge. "We don't understand how trees make wood."

SpaceRef Canada

Beaver Busy Before Winter

Beaver love aspen trees, more commonly called a poplar. Bark, buds and branches of the aspen tree are favorite.

This very large aspen tree is showing the strength of wood. The top of the tree is very branchy and heavy, yet less then a third of the truck is left.

When the beaver returns it will have to be very careful to move away as the tree falls. It is going to fall right on to a road as another one had done maybe a week before.

Hinterlands Who's Who The beaver

Adopt-A-Pond The beaver

Borealforest.org The Aspen tree

Timmins Honour Roll of Trees Largest Aspen Tree

Birch Bonsai Ready for Winter

Fall is in the air.

We have had some snow and the leaves have fallen from my white birch. Now I have to make sure it is prepared for the winter.

I have given it fertilizer and it is well watered. It will have to dry down a little to ensure it will not have root rot during the winter.

I usually just put the trees beside the house and cover them in snow. The roots will stay insulated and will not freeze to the -40C temperatures we will have.

This little tree had been in the greenhouse for one year and in a pot for 2 years before that. Next year I hope the bark will start to turn white, just like a mature white birch.

I think I have shaped the tree well and will have to continue the shaping next year.

Think I will get a couple more of these going next year. The yellow birch growing in the greenhouse have become too big too fast to make into bonsai, but they are in great shape to be planted out next spring!

You can always get your own trees to bonsai from the green house. Here is a site I found with some more info., but there is loads of info on the net.

Spider Man Slug in the Boreal Forest

Standing, looking at my compass, sighting my direction, I notice a little speck out of the corner of my eye.

Swinging in the wind is a slug. Slowly lowering itself from a tree branch. I have never seen this before. I did not know a slug could web it's way to the ground.

While I watched for 10 minutes the slug descended more then 25cm. It was maybe 1 meter from the ground when it let go it's line and landed on the forest floor. The branch the critter had come from was 3 meters in the air.

What was that slug doing up that high? Climbing down would be a slow process.

I searched the internet but could not find a good resource to link to about slugs. some looked close to this one but not really.

If you know what it is let us know!

map

Blue Spotted Salamander

I started this entry some time ago. I finish it tonight.

My puppy noted by his tail wagging that something of interest was under a large rock. His tail tells me when he thinks he has something cornered for sure.

I come to give him a hand to see what he has. I roll the large boulder to the side and watch a little mouse run away into a pile of slash. The dog does not see it.

I notice a little creature there in the dirt slowly moving away. I pick it up and looked at it carefully. The warmth of my hand makes this little critter a little more active. I take a couple of pictures while it absorbs the sun.

I place him back in a well protected place as it prepares for the winter. map

Nature North

Royal Ontario Museum

Species at Risk

CARCNET

Raccoon comes to Timmins

The other day I came across a raccoon.

The poor little critter had been hit by a car on the airport road. I had been told a month ago that raccoons where in town.

Now I know it is true.

Added to the Timmins Naturalists Observation Page.

Hinterlands Who's Who

Wikipedia