ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE TREES ON YOUR PROPERTY?
Friends of the Muskoka Watershed- Wood Ash Recovery Program
New Citizen Science Program
KAPOA has learned of an opportunity for property owners to participate in a study to measure the benefit of wood ash application. If you are interested in this citizens science program, please contact: Katie Paroschy, Citizen Science Coordinator, katie@fotmw.org 705 646 0111
Friends of the Muskoka Watershed: https://fotmw.org/
The Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FMW) is a Canadian not-for-profit organization incorporated in 2013, whose vision is “healthy watersheds forever.” We address this vision through the goals of identifying the most severe threats to the Muskoka Watershed which are currently not being adequately addressed by others, then we foster the knowledge needed to address the threats and motivate the public and policy mappers to act on that knowledge.
One project which began a number of years ago is the Ash Muskoka program which aims to address the calcium decline in our forests and lakes which has resulted from years of acid rain and logging. The Ash Muskoka project has involved thousands of volunteers from Muskoka, Parry Sound, Simcoe, Haliburton and beyond donating their wood ash at our monthly ash drives. It has been a huge success. Through partnerships with a camp and Trent University numerous scientific studies have been completed (and more are still occurring). Results have suggested that through the application of wood ash (which is 30% calcium by weight) to the forest floor, the trees have “woken up” their vitality (growth and sap production have increased – sap production by as much as 70% for sugar maple trees!!).
Given all this, we are now wishing to expand the project both within Muskoka and beyond to assess the benefits of residential wood ash on a greater variety of native tree species, soil types, etc. and have residents participate in this amazing research. This is the soon to be launched “Citizen Science Program.” Here is the general outline of the program:
- Property owners will have 2+ participating healthy trees of the same species, similar size in a similar setting. 1/2 the trees will be control (no ash) and the other half will be treated with ash
- Homogenized, filtered, chemically analyzed ash will be provided by the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed and spread around 1/2 the trees at 2 tons/ha (this ash should be available for pick up at the ash drives, or during other events)
- Property owners will be provided with in person/video and/or written instructions on how to collect tree height, trunk diameter and canopy cover, take photos of the trees, as well as how to collect soil and leaf samples – this information will be collected 2-3 times per year.
- The soil will likely be collected before, after and ~ 1 year from application. The soil samples will be sent to the Friends of Muskoka Watershed and we will send them to a lab for analysis of ~5 parameters
- Leaf or needle samples will be collected (likely once), sent to the Friends of Muskoka Watershed and we will send them to a lab for analysis of the same ~5 parameters
- Citizen Scientists will be asked to submit their data and photos either through our website, email or hard copy field sheets (which will be provided)
We believe some of the benefits to becoming a citizen scientist include:
- Getting outside and learning about trees and forests
- Helping watersheds by aiding in increasing nutrient concentrations to pre-acid rain levels
- Helping the fight against climate change
- Aiding in the health of your trees, forest, and ecosystem
- Contributing to a local/provincial database of tree and soil information
The main question the citizen science program is looking to answer is “Does ash application help the health of trees in the Muskoka River Watershed and beyond?” At this time, we are welcoming suggestions from the public about what you are interested in regarding tree health, ash application and/or climate change. So please let me know if you have any feedback.
Though we would prefer your involvement in the Citizen Science Program, you can of course add your own clean wood ash to your trees or gardens – which would basically be a light spreading of COLD ash around the base of a tree or on your gardens. It is recommended that this be done in the spring, but really any time of year is fine, as long as there is not a slope leading to surface water.
Q&A from KAPOA:
1. Is there a significant difference between “Homogenized, filtered, chemically analyzed ash” and wood ash from our wood stoves?
Filtered means we have taken the chink (charcoal pieces out), homogenized means we have mixed lots of volunteer provided ash together so it will have a variety of wood species – there is a chemical difference depending on the wood type, and chemically analyzed means we know exactly the chemical (specifically nutrient) components of the ash. Though it is totally okay to put your own ash in your garden or surround forest – as many people do, unfortunately, those trees cannot participate in the Citizen Science Program.
2. Treated ash “will be provided by the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed”. Where would the closest depot be located to those of us in Hastings Highlands.
Right now, we do not have a license to transport large amount of ash, so as of now, the closest pick up will be Bracebridge. Though we hope to have some on-site workshops in various areas where ash will be distributed.
3. If people chose to use their own ash, would you still provide them with the “in person/video and/or written instructions”.
Yes, people can refer to the instructions if they are applying their own ash, but they cannot register as a part of the program as the Friends supplied ash can only be used for the purposes of this program for consistency and scientific comparison. People can run their own experiments and we would be interested to learn about their findings.
4. What exactly is acceptable for the wood ash? Is there a specific wood? Can paper products be part of the ash? (Just thinking of things used to start a fire).
Different tree species produce different chemical/nutrient levels when burned, but any ash from native tree species is acceptable. It is also fine to include paper products, though items with die (i.e., colored cardboard) does contain toxins and should not be used if possible. And obviously no garbage like plastics or metals should be burned nor the ash spread in the forest or in gardens.
