>> Jeyan: HAMILTON HAS A LONG, RICH HISTORY.
BUT SOME OF THAT CITY'S TREES PREDATE ITS FOUNDING BY A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT.
JUSTIN CHANDLER IS HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THAT.
HE'S OUR ONTARIO HUBS JOURNALIST COVERING THE HAMILTON-NIAGARA REGION.
WELCOME >> Justin: HEY, JEYAN.
>> Jeyan: YOU SPOKE TO A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WHO IS DOCUMENTING TREES IN HAMILTON.
HER PROJECT IS CALLED "MONUMENTS."
WALK ME THROUGH THAT IDEA BEHIND THE WHOLE PROJECT.
>> LESIA MOKRYCKE, SHE IS AN ARTIST, SHE IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND, HER PROJECT SHE
IS ATTEMPTING TO FIND AND CATALOGUE ALL THE TREES IN HAMILTON THAT ARE OLDER THAN THE
FOUNDING OF THE CITY, SO OLDER THAN 150 YEARS OLD.
SO THIS HAS INVOLVED CROWD SOURCING, FUNDING THE LOCATIONS OF ABOUT 1200 TREES, AND GOING
AND ACTUALLY MEASURING THEM TO FIGURE OUT THE AGE AND THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE AN ARTS
COMPONENT WITH PHOTOGRAPHY, CREATING A MAP SO THAT PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY KNOW WHERE THEY
ARE.
SO IT'S A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT.
>> Jeyan: I'VE SEEN SOME BIG TREES, BUT THESE ARE SOME PRETTY, PRETTY BIG TREES.
I WANT TO PULL UP A PHOTO.
HERE IS LESIA IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE OLDER TREES IN HAMILTON.
TELL US ABOUT THIS BUR OAK TREE.
>> Justin: SO THIS TREE HERE, 300 YEARS OLD IS THE ESTIMATE.
SO IT'S A BIG HONKER, LESIA SHOWED ME HOW SHE MEASURED IT AND IT INVOLVED SORT OF PINNING
UP THE TAPE ON THE TREE AND WALKING ALL THE WAY AROUND IT, TOOK HER AWHILE.
THIS IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE OLDER TREES, NOT MANY TREES IN THE CITY SEEM TO BE OLDER THAN
300.
THIS TREE IS KIND OF SPECIAL TOO BECAUSE IT'S GOT A FAMILY NEAR BY.
SO THERE'S A COUPLE OTHER BUR OAK TREES THAT ARE SORT OF JUST IN LINE WITH IT, AND THERE IN
THE 150-200 YEAR OLD RANGE.
IF PEOPLE GO TO THE HUNTINGTON PARK RECREATION CENTRE IN HAMILTON, THEY'LL SEE THESE OUT
IN THE FIELD AND THERE'S JUST A REALLY INTERESTING POCKET OF OLD TREES IN A SPACE THAT YOU MIGHT
NOT EXPECT.
>> Jeyan: I WANT TO ACTUALLY PULL UP ANOTHER PHOTO.
THIS WAS A VERY LARGE NORTHERN RED OAK HERE.
AND YOU WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE MEASUREMENTS AND HOW THEY DETERMINE IT.
WHY IS THE WAY THAT SHE DOES IT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I SORT OF UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU SORT OF
DETERMINE THE AGE AS SORT OF LOOKING AT THE RINGS OF THE INSIDE OF THE TREE; CORRECT?
>> Justin: YEAH.
THE SCIENTIFIC WAY TO 100% KNOW THE AGE IS YOU TAKE A CORE SAMPLE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE
RINGS.
SHE IS NOT DOING AN INVASIVE MEASUREMENT.
SO THE WAY THAT SHE DOES IT, SHE TAKES THE TAPE MEASURE, WRAPS IT AROUND THE TREE, AND THEN SHE
FIGURES OUT THE CIRCUMFERENCE, SO SHE DIVIDES THE CIRCUMFERENCE BY PI AND THEN SHE MULTIPLIES
THIS BY THE GROWTH FACTOR, AND THE GROWTH FACTOR IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERY TREE IN DIFFERENT
REGIONS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE BUR OAK, IT WAS SIX.
THAT GIVES YOU THE ESTIMATE FOR THE TREE'S AGE.
IF PEOPLE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT THAT FORMULA, THAT'S IN THE ARTICLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
>> Jeyan: I WAS GOING TO SAY, A LOT OF MATH THERE.
IN YOUR ARTICLE, YOU WROTE: "IF TREES ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY, THAT ALSO MEANS THEIR CONTEXT IS
INHERENTLY INDIGENOUS."
HOW DOES THAT PLAY INTO YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF HAMILTON'S TREES?
>> Justin: SO THIS WAS SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT LESIA WAS TELLING ME.
SHE WORKED WITH PAUL GENERAL, WHO IS THE FORMER ECO CENTRE DIRECTOR AT SIX NATIONS WHILE
SHE WAS WORKING ON THIS, AND THEY SORT OF DISCUSSED THIS IDEA OF MONUMENTS, AND THEY WERE
THINKING ABOUT HOW A LOT OF OUR MONUMENTS TODAY, THEY'RE TO OUR COLONIAL HISTORY.
THESE ARE COMING DOWN.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE DISTANCING THEMSELVES FROM NOW.
BUT TREES ARE SORT OF THIS LIVING MONUMENT THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE TIME BEFORE
EUROPEAN CONTACT IN THE REGION WHEN SOME 80% OF THE LAND WAS COVERED BY FOREST AND NOW WE'RE
DOWN TO SOME 20%.
SO IT'S JUST THIS IDEA THAT THIS IS A MONUMENT TO OUR LIVING HISTORY, IS REALLY WHAT SHE WAS
TRYING TO EXPRESS.
>> Jeyan: NOW, WE KNOW IT'S NOT JUST PLANTING TREES THAT HELP THE ENVIRONMENT BUT IT'S
HOW THEY ARE POSITIONED AND GROUPED.
I FOUND THIS VERY INTERESTING IN YOUR ARTICLE.
WHAT DID LESIA TELL YOU ABOUT THAT?
>> Justin: HER THINKING IS THAT A LOT OF THE TIME WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TREE CANOPY IT'S
LIKE, "OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO PLANT A BUNCH OF TREES ALONG THE BOULEVARD OR WE'RE GOING TO
PLANT THEM ALONG THE SIDE."
HER THEORY IS THAT WE SHOULD BE PLANTING MORE TREES IN THESE POCKETS WHERE WE KNOW THAT
THERE'S REALLY OLD SUCCESSFUL TREES.
SHE IS THINKING IF WE JUST PLANT A TREE ON THE BOULEVARD, WHO IS TO SAY THE SOIL IS VERY GOOD,
WHO'S TO SAY IT'S GOING TO GET A LOT OF WATER.
BUT IF WE LOOK AND SAY THIS AREA OF LAND IS SUSTAINING SEVERAL 200-YEAR-OLD TREES, THIS WOULD
ACTUALLY BE A GREAT PLACE TO PUT MORE.
SO HER FEELING IS THAT WE SHOULD MAYBE TRY AND EMPHASIZE THOSE AREAS MORE IN OUR TREE PLANTING
RATHER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.
>> Jeyan: I ALSO FOUND THIS VERY INTERESTING.
SHE SAID THAT THE TREES TALK.
CORRECT?
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
>> Justin: THERE'S SOME RESEARCH, I CAN'T SAY I'M TOO FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT ABOUT HOW
TREES CAN SHARE NUTRIENTS AND INFORMATION WITH ONE ANOTHER.
SO THAT WHEN TREES ARE TOGETHER, THEY'RE NOT SO MUCH COMPETING FOR LIFE BUT THEY'RE HELPING ONE
ANOTHER.
SO IT'S SORT OF THIS IDEA THAT TREES ARE CONNECTED AND ACTUALLY DO WELL WHEN THEY'RE WITH ONE
ANOTHER.
>> Jeyan: VERY INTERESTING STUFF, JUSTIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> Justin: THANK YOU