Parks, Ravines & Trees
Preserving and enhancing our parks, ravines and green spaces by advocating and organizing community cleanup days
North Rosedale benefits from extensive green spaces and features, including two large parks, three parkettes, a broad tree canopy, as well as our wonderful and well-used ravine trail system
The NRRA creates, promotes and administers programs for preserving and enhancing all of these important and valuable aspects of our natural environment.
At Rosedale Park, many of our youngest residents enjoy a fantastic children’s playground. Its refurbishment in 2013 and 2014 was made possible by the vision and support of the NRRA and local residents. In 2019, the NRRA coordinated community volunteers for tree and shrub planting in Chorley Park, in order to re-naturalize the trails connecting the park with the ravine system.
Each spring, the NRRA coordinates volunteers who clean-up of all of our parks and parkettes. Please do join us next year. It’s a great day out, and a great way to meet like-minded residents.
The ravine system in Toronto is vast and unique. No other major city in the world benefits from such a large and accessible green area. We are incredibly fortunate to have it at our doorstep.
In order to advance our residents’ interests, NRRA has joined forces with eight adjoining residents’ associations, in what is known as the Midtown Ravines Group. This group’s advocacy resulted in our ravines becoming one of 10 priority areas for the City’s 10 year, $100 million investment in ravine remediation. This group also brings together local primary schools and expert arborists (thank you U of T) in the Seeds to Saplings Program, among other programs, all of which promote science as a pillar of these efforts.
The natural beauty and inherent value of these green assets should not be taken for granted. All are under increasing pressure of various kinds. We are delighted to be able to work alongside our neighbours in continuing to preserve and enhance our outdoor spaces.
Boxwood Shrubs are Under Attack from the Box Tree Moth
We have detected several infestations of the very invasive moth species—box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis)—that attacks our boxwood shrubs.
How to Recognize the Infestation
Your property may be affected by the box tree moth. It is an invasive species found in Ontario in 2018 and can cause death of boxwoods. They are aggressive feeders on foliage in just weeks.
It has been detected in our neighbourhood. This is the first detection of the box tree moth in North America. The larval stage of this pest feeds on boxwood leaves and can defoliate this evergreen shrub. Box tree moth has the potential of spreading to many other boxwood plants during the season. By finding and controlling any early populations, we may be able to slow or stop the spread and protect your property and surrounding neighborhoods.
How to Manage the Infestation
Boxwood plants will require continual management (every year) to ensure infestation is controlled and to prevent harmful plant damage. Plants should be inspected during the general predicted larval periods for each generation of box tree moths during the following dates: May 15 to June 15 and July 15 to Aug 15.
If larvae are found actively feeding on the plants, an application of BTK (bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki) should be applied. Re-inspect the plants 5-7 days later to ensure the application was effective. If living actively feeding larva are still found, another application should be made. Keep in mind that management will not occur on a calendar date. The presence of actively feeding larva needs to be identified before treatment is applied.
What is the BTK’s mode of action?
The product is a biological insecticide and is applied topically (rests on leaf surface) to the plants by mixing with water (following label instructions). The larva (caterpillars) must INGEST the product to be effective. It is NOT a contact poison which means it isn’t effective against eggs, pupae, or adult life stages and cannot be applied as a preventative measure.
How many times should the boxwood be sprayed?
Applications should be made during each larval stage for effective suppression of the population. The first larval stage is active from mid-May to mid-June, the second mid-July to mid-August. Unfortunately, there isn’t an exact number of sprays or at an exact calendar date, where the treatment will be effective. If you are still seeing larva feeding on the plants after the first application, another one should be made (following label guidelines for the interval between sprays).
How long does BTK last in the environment?
Generally, the product persists for a short amount of time (roughly 3-7 days) and can be affected by environmental conditions. Do not apply if there is rain in the near forecast as the product may be washed away more quickly.
Should all boxwood plants be sprayed? How?
Yes, all boxwood plants on the property should be sprayed. The adults have a dispersal rate of 10 km per year and so if box tree moth larva is found on one plant it’s highly likely it will be on the others. Product should be applied until plants are visibly dripping, ensuring to penetrate the entire canopy of the plants. You can hire a tree service to treat your boxwood’s. Alternatively, BTK can be purchased from your local garden centre and applied yourself.
Proper Disposal of Boxwood Plants and Plant Material
When removing plants (or clippings), first place a black plastic bag over the plant, cut the main stem at ground level and carefully contain the entire plant inside the bag, tying it off securely. Where air temperatures are 20 C or greater, place bagged plant in the sun for two days to kill any box tree moth inside. Dispose of in garbage or yard waste. Avoid transplanting boxwood plants from residential gardens within the GTA. Always plant healthy, pest-free, nursery grown boxwood which will be free of the pest.
Key Resources
- Landscape Ontario box tree moth resource page contains a great webinar and other informational documents.
- CFIA box tree moth factsheet.
The Proposed Don Valley Layover Facility
Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, we learned that Metrolinx, the provincial agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, intends to construct a train layover on the east side of the valley just north of the Prince Edward Viaduct as part of its massive GO Expansion Project. The layover would provide storage for up to three GO Trains, and Metrolinx says it is required to help reduce congestion at Union Station. Construction of the layover would begin as early as 2022. The project cost has not been disclosed.
This will be the first industrial site built in the Don Valley in 100 years. The layover would include facilities for trackside power and crew services, as well as a sanitary storage building, staff parking, retaining wall, fencing and a connection to the main-line track. Trains would be stored on an existing, currently disused stretch of track close to the Don Valley Parkway. Given the growth trajectory of Toronto, we can expect the footprint of this facility to expand.
There is considerable opposition to this project. Floyd Ruskin, a member of the conservation group “Don’t Mess with the Don”, says it is the wrong thing for the Don Valley Park. He believes it will damage the local environment, disrupt wildlife migration, and interfere with residents enjoyment.
Metrolinx acknowledges the project has the potential for negative impacts, including on stormwater management, erosion, and the wetlands. Building the facility will also require cutting down trees and other vegetation and could lead to “potential impacts on the composition and character of the current views along the Lower Don Valley Trail,” according to public consultation documents.
The hard working folks at Don’t Mess with the Don continue to raise awareness and believe that industrial infrastructure belongs in designated industrial locations, not threatening this fragile ecosystem that has taken decades to restore after past industrial pollution.
Sample Letter to Send to Politicians
We wrote a letter that you can use to send to local and provincial government officials.
You can send the letter to any or all of the following politicians:
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Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Member of Parliament, University – Rosedale (Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca)
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Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Jonathan.Wilkinson@parl.gc.ca)
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Premier Doug Ford – Province of Ontario (premier@ontario.ca)
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Mayor John Tory – City of Toronto (mayor_tory@toronto.ca)
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Councillor Mike Layton – City of Toronto (councillor_layton@toronto.ca)
City Hall has joined the fight against the Metrolinx Don Valley Lay-over
On June 9, City Council overwhelmingly voted to support community demand for a Federal Environmental Assessment of the Metrolinx Don Valley Layover site
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