In the forestry business, Mother Nature presents many problems. One in particular occupied much of my thinking time during the many years of my career. To grow trees one starts with seed. But nature has a habit of producing those at the top of trees. The problem presented in collecting seed is getting up to the top of the tree or getting the top down to ground level. The chain saw is a very effective seed collection tool and the choice of many forestry workers; climbing, my preferred choice is another alternative.

The latter half of my career was in the forestry research program with the Ministry of Natural Resources at Maple. A major problem involved white spruce seed collection. Collecting seed from around Ontario was an important aspect of evaluating the potential growth of trees relative to their origin, referred to as provenance research.

A second problem was that different trees, or those from different regions of the province, produced seed in different years. An amusing incident encountered was a query by a graduate student and his professor from Guelph. They intended to initiate a study of the occurrence of vegetation along hydro rights-of-way. From observations they noted that there were few if any white spruce seedlings in the mix. Was there some characteristic of the species or sites inhibiting establishment of white spruce? The academic pair were looking for factors affecting the need for clearing out vegetation under the hydro lines. When they explained where their proposed study area was, we informed them that white spruce trees in that area hadn’t produced significant quantities of seed for the past 8 years. Without seed falling on the ground it was hardly surprising that there were no young trees to be cleared.

Some people never grow up. Children like to climb trees. A highlight of my work each year was determining where white spruce cones were produced and then to climb sample trees in that part of the province. Our crew of three, proceeding to collect samples in each selected area, climbed 10 trees using extension ladders to gain access to the crown. Collectors would strap themselves to the trunk of the tree near the top and cut cone-bearing branches which were thrown down to ground level. Accompanying workers would ‘comb’ the cones from the branches onto a tarpaulin using a stick.

Samples were taken to the lab at Maple to extract the seed. This was only a

starting point as seedlings had to be grown in the greenhouse, and experimental plantations established around the province. Before the Maple research staff were transferred to Sault Ste. Marie, they had established 17 experiments from Red Lake to Cochrane in the north and Kemptville to Owen Sound in the south.

Earlier experiments, by federal researchers from Petawawa showed that there were large differences in rate of growth depending on the origin of the parent trees. Of particular interest were two experiments in our area of Ontario, Artemesia and Euphrasia Twps. Trees grown in southern plantations from the more southerly sources, Erin Twp in particular, grow considerably faster.

The irony of forestry development is that decisions are made long before trees mature. Nature doesn’t care. Experimental trees, once established, continue to grow and express their potential. Trees in the 17 experiments, planted in the 80s and 90s, are now up to 30 years old and because leaders in the Ministry of Natural Resources in their ‘wisdom’ cancelled a 100 year study 20 years ago no-one is left who knows the locations of the experiments, let alone the information the trees could provide.

So much for our short term society. Politicians today, or even forestry scientists, have moved on to what is deemed more current studies. Maybe we should be thankful for the many small plantations around the province. These could still provide valuable information to help guide future forestry establishment. Who cares? The government no longer produces or plants trees anyway. And the efforts of the scientists and technicians of former years remain in the memory of those ‘kids’, now retired, who had the fun of climbing to the top of 100 foot trees across the province.