Our native trees, 500 years later
Do you ever wonder what the GTA looked like before the Europeans arrived nearly 500 years ago? We do. What grew here? Can we plant the same species today? Why would we?
The word Toronto is a French derivative of the Huron word “Tkaranto.” According to our city’s official history — on the City of Toronto website — the meaning of the word is “where there are trees in water.”
The word Etobicoke, according to the Etobicoke Historical Society, was borrowed from the Mississauga First Nations people. The original word was “wah-do-be-kang,” which means “Place where the alders grow.”
The hardwood forest that once dominated Southern Ontario included some wonderful, native tree species that lend themselves well to the current landscape.
If the forest in 1534 were a bag of Licorice Allsorts, the sugar maple would be the licorice — they were the dominant species. They did not grow the tallest (that job was left to the White Pine, the official tree of Ontario) or live the longest (White pine again, and perhaps native oak).
Today, a sugar maple ( Acer saccharum) creates a canopy of cool shade when it is given adequate space. We recommend at least a 10 metres (30 feet) of room for the top of the tree to grow. It matures at about 20 to 30 metres high (60 to 80 ft.) and will live for up to 180 years.
The native white oak ( Quercus alba) and red oak ( Quercus rubra) are named for the colour of their wood. They, too, were a dominant species in our boreal forests of what is now the GTA.
And they still make impressive specimens, growing up to 36 metres (100 feet) tall and thriving for up to as many as 350 years. The oldest tree in Toronto, a red oak, lives on Coral Gables Dr., in north Etobicoke. At 250 years old it is judged by experts to be in excellent health. Given some TLC, it has the potential to live another 150 years. Currently, there is a campaign to save this tree; more on that in a future column.
The serviceberry ( Amelanchier) tree sometimes grows as a tall shrub. They produce a lovely, simple white flower in early spring, followed by edible red berries in July. The berries make great muffins or preserves.
Or you can do as Mark does, which is nothing, and let the cedar waxwings arrive in a flock and pick the berries while they entertain you. Serviceberry will grow to about 10 metres (30 feet). It tolerates moderate shade and lends itself to pruning. Which is pretty forgiving for a native species tree that, for countless generations, was never pruned.
Alders ( Alnus) are native to Ontario: the green alder ( Alnus viridis) – also called mountain alder — and the speckled alder ( Alnus incana)
We think everyone in Etobicoke who can should grow at least one. Best known in horticultural circles for the unique production of nitrogen bacterium, alders are referred to broadly as a “pioneer species” since they improve the soil as they grow. For this reason, they dominate new forests after a forest fire.
Tolerant of water and drought, alders mature at about 18 metres (59 feet). When you shop for an alder, make sure you are not planting a European species as some are invasive. Alders are in the birch family and therefore not long lived, though they will produce a great landscape specimen for 50 to 60 years.
The native birch ( Betula) is a special species. Not only does the white bark stand out all year long, it grows fast and tolerates both drought and moisture. Like all fast-growing trees, it has a useful life of 40 or 50 years. Note that the bronze birch borer, which devastated so many urban birch trees in the 1970s and ’80s, favours the European species. Avoid these insects’ devastating effects by planting a native birch.
When we focus on the successful forest that grew nearly 500 years ago, we find that many of the species still thrive here. With some help from us, they still can.