Grassroots Albany is an environmentally-conscious community group based in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood. A previously commissioned tree survey indicated the number of declining canopy trees in the neighbourhood. The Ecological Resource Group (ERG) was brought in to work directly with individual homeowners and provide organisation and expertise. ERG members encouraged the implementation of increased plant community types from ground level to forest canopy. Project goals included increasing:
- urban vegetation / biomass
- the use of native species
- biodiversity
- the number of layers of urban vegetation
- the connections between natural systems
- custodial awareness of natural systems in land owners
- general knowledge of the complexity and importance of our urban ecology
We cannot recreate the forest in an urban residential area. The reality of buildings and hard pavements (road, sidewalk, driveways, parking pads, walks) do not enable that many trees to be that close together as in a forest. A further reality is how many and what kind of plants people are comfortable with on their property. The success of the first year of Over the Fence and the enthusiasm with which it was greeted by participants and would-be participants alike, encouraged Grassroots Albany and ERG to embark on a second year. More than half of the Year 2 participants were “repeat customers”.