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<body><div>Dear forestry friends,<br></div>
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<div>As a citizen activist on this list serve, I wish to to tell you about activities that aim to put tree protection in the urban environment on the agenda during Ottawa's municipal election campaign. <br></div>
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<div>Many of you are aware that <a href="https://www.cif-ifc.org/national-forest-week/">National Forest Week </a>begins Sept. 23 and runs until Sept. 29 this year. In the middle of next week, Tree Canada supports and promotes National Tree Day. This year, it's being celebrated on Weds. Sept. 26. Have you read this touching story about <a href="https://treecanada.ca/blog/september-26-2018-celebrate-national-tree-day-and-royals-legacy/">the man who championed National Tree Day </a>in Canada?<br></div>
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<div>Across Ontario, municipalities are holding elections this fall. Since the spring of this year, a coalition of environmental activist groups in Ottawa has come together to discuss<br></div>
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<div>* our input into amendments to the city's Urban Tree Conservation By-law (2009), a process which city staff have launched as part of the municipality's<a href="https://ottawa.ca/en/residents/water-and-environment/trees-and-community-forests/ottawas-urban-forest-management-plan"> Urban Forest Management Plan </a> (passed June 2017)<br></div>
<div>* ways to increase visibility on the links between green infrastructure (which is negligible compared to the city's support for grey infrastructure) and climate change mitigation at the municipal level<br></div>
<div>* a need for citizens voices to be heard by election candidates so as to engender a greater commitment to tree protection in the urban environment during the next term of council<br></div>
<div>* a desire to link health and well-being of humans and other sentient beings (urban wildlife) to the treescape, by raising concerns about threats to the urban canopy.<br></div>
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<div>I am pleased to say that months of work are coming together and will be rolled out across the city starting Sunday, Sept 23--the first day of National Forest Week. Learn more about<a href="https://ecologyottawa.ca/2018/08/24/this-national-forest-week-make-trees-an-election-issue/"> the initiative </a>at Ecology Ottawa's website. The groups involved in planning and supporting the initiative are:<br></div>
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<ul><li><a href="https://bigtreeskitch.wixsite.com/trees">BIG TREES of Kitchissippi</a><br></li><li><a href="http://treefestottawa.org/">TreeFest Ottawa </a><br></li><li><a href="http://greenspace-alliance.ca/">Greenspace Alliance of Canada's Capital </a><br></li><li><a href="https://www.treeactionnow.net/">Tree Action Now</a><br></li><li><a href="https://ecologyottawa.ca/">Ecology Ottawa</a><br></li><li><a href="http://www.champlainoaks.com/">the Champlain Oaks Project</a></li><li>Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability (no website)<br></li></ul><div><br></div>
<div>In a lovely case of synchronicity, those of us involved in the coalition learned this summer about a website crated by a local photographer. Called <a href="https://losttrees.ca/">Lost Trees in Ottawa</a> it has much in common with the online map that aims to chronicle <a href="https://www.treeactionnow.net/lost-trees">Lost Trees </a>within our city.<br></div>
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<div>As the deciduous trees (and tamaracks) get ready to show us their fall colours, I wish all of you a sublime experience of fall equinox tomorrow and enjoyment of nature's bounty in the months to come. </div>
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<div>Debra Huron</div>
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