Ontario Nature Blog

On November 2nd at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP26), over 100 world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Nature-based climate solutions, such as protecting and restoring forests, are premised on working with nature to meet our climate and biodiversity targets. Old growth forests ...

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Driving along a rural road in central Ontario, it’s easy to feel immersed in the forests of the Canadian Shield. Surrounded by tall pines, one could forget that you’re on a road, built by humans to get between destinations, winding and connecting our towns across the landscape. Roads are incredibly useful, but as industrial activities ...

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Any birder who’s seen one, will tell you about the excitement of spotting a red-headed woodpecker. With a striking crimson head and a loud, harsh call, this unmistakable woodpecker takes centre stage on the backyard suet or drilling away into a tree. But unfortunately, things are changing quickly for this woodland standout. A May 2021 ...

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Stratford is one of the many communities across Ontario struggling with the unwelcome imposition of a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) to fast-track development. In Stratford’s case, the MZO is to make way for a glass factory on 175 acres of prime farmland at the edge of the city. Issued by the Minister of Municipal Affairs ...

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It’s October 2017. I’m in Vancouver, British Colombia for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International’s General Assembly (GA). One forester colleague had warned me to get lots of sleep, drink water and do yoga in the weeks preceding the assembly. He warned it would be like running a marathon. That was an understatement. FSC holds a ...

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