Morrell Nature Sanctuary
  • Home
    • About Morrell
    • Board of Directors
    • Who We Are
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer
    • Contact Us
  • Restoration Projects
  • School Programs
    • On-site Programs
    • Seniors Program
  • Summer Day Camps
    • Policies: Summer Day Camp
    • Summer Day Camps FAQs
    • Register
    • Junior Leader Program
  • Resources
    • Community
    • Library
    • Morrell Nature Society Blog
    • News Letters
    • Photos
  • Contact Us
  • Home
    • About Morrell
    • Board of Directors
    • Who We Are
    • Become a Member
    • Volunteer
    • Contact Us
  • Restoration Projects
  • School Programs
    • On-site Programs
    • Seniors Program
  • Summer Day Camps
    • Policies: Summer Day Camp
    • Summer Day Camps FAQs
    • Register
    • Junior Leader Program
  • Resources
    • Community
    • Library
    • Morrell Nature Society Blog
    • News Letters
    • Photos
  • Contact Us

A Forest in Your Back Yard

10/17/2019

0 Comments

 
​Forests don’t have to cover hundreds of hectares. We can create them in our back yards. 
Picture
​The trees we plant prevent soil erosion from heavy rain, and attract biodiversity, especially those flowering species which attract birds who may subsequently build nests. Depending on the size of your property, in BC you can cultivate Douglas firs or Western Red Cedars which will eventually tower several hundred feet. (Some older properties in Vancouver have huge old growth trees which were never felled). Conversely, there’s species such as popular Japanese elms which can be kept trimmed to 20 or 30 feet. 

​When thinking about trees for your yard, local nurseries sell species which thrive in our provincial climatic zones. You may be surprised about what you’re able to grow! 
​Our climate is warming: some parts of Vancouver Island are now classified as “9a” – a zone which previously did not exist in Canada. Updated climatic maps show areas in Northern BC that have moved up to three zones higher. Eastern Canada does not show the same extremes as the west coast. 
If you need some guidance about growing your own forest, see Natural Resources Canada’s (NRC) “My Tree” app which helps you choose the right tree for your backyard. NRC’s website also allows access to their database (Explore Plants in My Area) where you can enter a city and see a list of plants which grow in that locale. 
If a forest is not your first choice, another resource for creating eco-friendly lawns and gardens comes from the UBC Botanical Garden. And yes, they do have an IOS app for “Vancouver Trees” which describes commonly cultivated deciduous and evergreen trees in the Metro Vancouver area. 
​The Morrell Nature Sanctuary is a wonderful place for families to explore forest life. Maybe we can replicate a small part of that experience in our own backyards. 
0 Comments

    Archives

    July 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    April 2016

    Archives

    July 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    April 2016

    Categories

    All
    Ancient Forests
    Education
    Health
    Hiking
    History
    Naturalist
    Nature And Health

    RSS Feed

    MNS:

    Have comments or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you!

The Morrell Nature Sanctuary is owned by the Nature Trust of British Columbia. It is leased and managed by volunteers at the
​ Morrell Sanctuary Society for Environmental Education.