"If Trees Could Talk"

Posted by Barry Smith 
on May 19, 2016
 
 
Attendance: 12
        (including 2 guests: Warren Carruthers, Arthur’s grandson and guest, and our guest speaker)
 
Anthem: Peter Masson
Grace: David Seemungal
           
Chair: Past President Gord Brown (in Gerd’s absence)
 
Announcements:
 
Al Meredith made an impassioned plea, along with thinly veiled threats, to encourage us all to take the TV Auction back, since we have let our participation and portion of the proceeds slip over the past few years. We need 100% involvement from the entire club this year and hope to make changes, such as taking over a block of time where our club will handle the phones. Everyone should make a list now of potential donors and sponsors. Whoever brings in the least amount of items will be awarded Al’s job next year! LOL!
The Auction will air on Nov. 18th and 19th with pick-up on Nov. 20th, 2016. The final date for items is Oct. 28th, 2016. We are looking for items of a value of at least $50, but will bundle items that are of lesser value.
Alan’s recording:Auction.MP3
 
Dhanni announced the next International Service Group meeting for May 25th, immediately after our noon meeting.
 
Peter Masson announced that the Paul Harris Scholarship Awards will take place on June 7th at Scarborough Golf and Country Club at 6:00 pm. The cost is $30 per person. 7 awards will be presented and all 5 Scarborough Rotary Clubs are participating.
 
Mandy Nwobu conducted the Marbelous Draw which was won by Arthur Retnakaran. Arthur’s grandson drew the winning ticket, so he was a little more than a simple good luck charm.
 
Sgt-at-Arms Al Meredith levied some fines and asked for Happy Bucks:
 
Everyone who hadn’t made their TV Auction list yet had to pay a fine.
 
Arthur threw in a happy buck for his BIG Marbelous Draw win.
 
Emmanuel donated a happy buck while announcing his Mother’s wake which will take place at Victoria Banquet Hall (Finch and Weston).
 
 
 
 
                         
Program:
 
Chair Gordon Brown introduced Edith George, who spoke on the topic “If Trees Could Talk”. Edith has been an advisor to the non-profit Ontario Urban Forest Council, established in 1963, for over ten years. She is also a former director of the Board of the Weston Historical Society.
Edith is an on-line columnist for Metroland Media Group. Her column is entitled “Natural Roots”, and discusses the various significant trees found in the city where she was born and still resides... Toronto!
 
Edith discussed the challenges of having trees designated as heritage trees, so that they can be preserved for future generations. As an illustration, she told the story of her neighbourhood’s great oak tree. The red oak tree in the backyard of 76 Coral Gable Drive in Emery Village has been there since long before there was a Coral Gable Drive, before there was a country called Canada, before there was a city called Toronto, and before the province of Upper Canada was established. It is somewhere between 250 years and 350 years old.  It is said to be the oldest and largest red oak in the city, and possibly in the province. This particular tree, and one other similar one, were markers for the first nations’ trade route in the Toronto area. The history of this tree also ties a lot of historic people together, who were both previous owners of the land where the tree has grown for over two centuries and those related to these owners, from the original settlers to the family who recently sold this property to the current owners.
 
In order to have this tree declared a heritage tree, several factors had to be considered under the headings of rarity, prominence, integrity, appearance and social value. This tree met over 90% of all of the possible factors that are reviewed in the application to designate a tree as a heritage tree.
 
Edith lives close to this massive red oak, which has a trunk circumference of more than 16 feet, and she was concerned when the ice storm hit Toronto in December 2013. The ice brought down many a tree, but not a branch of this massive tree succumbed to the weight of the ice during that freak storm.
 
On April 2015, Toronto Council established a fund to maintain the tree. Edith is now on a quest to have the property upon which the red oak grows to be declared a national historic site.
 
If this tree could talk, it could relate the history of Canada, because it is older than the country itself! 
 
 
 
 
 
Emmanuel thanked Edith for a very interesting and informative talk.
 
The meeting was terminated
 
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