The Guelph area has a surprising diversity of tree species, and the Arboretum at the University of Guelph has just the thing to help schoolchildren identify them.

The Arboretum is producing hundreds of “Native Tree Leaves” sheets for distribution to more than 3,000 local Grade 6 students, and is working with the Upper Grand District School Board and the Wellington Catholic District School Board on ways to incorporate the resource into everyday learning.

In an effort to receive advanced warning of destructive pests that could wreak havoc on native plantings, researchers from Europe, the United States and China are growing "sentinel trees" in strategic locations around the world.

Faced with deforestation, climate change, invasive pests, and new diseases, many trees are in trouble. Foresters and conservationists are scrambling to save them, but can’t protect every stand of woods. And prioritizing which places—and even which individual trees—warrant preservation has been a challenge. For example, “You want a lot of genetic diversity in a conservation area. … The higher the diversity, the more the chances that the population will survive,” says F. A. (Phil) Aravanopoulos, a forest geneticist at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Societal Impact Statement

A Cultural Landscape Foundation report lists the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland among 10 U.S. landscapes threatened by climate change.

The Foundation recently released Landslide, its annual report on the topic. Sites range from the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to Death Valley Scotty Historic District.