Long term seed forecasting for oak species in Toronto ravines

The extent and quality of urban forests are facing many serious challenges including deforestation and over-abundance of non-native species, and these challenges would affect not only the forest itself, but also the entire ecological environment around the forest. In this context, forest restoration has emerged as an essential management objective to improve both the extent and health of forests. Many cities in Ontario, including Toronto, are currently working toward a 40% canopy cover. To increase native canopy cover, the first thing to consider is how to obtain seeds from native species. However, there are few studies that provide information on where to obtain seeds from native species in Toronto, and what little information that we have on when to collect these seeds has proved to be inaccurate. In order to obtain data where and when to collect seeds of native species, our team has mapped and seed forecasted big trees of native species of 14 ravines in Toronto since 2016. This report highlights our results for three important native oak species: red oak (Quercus rubra), white oak (Quercus alba), and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Specifically, we present our findings on the individual geographic location, acorn production, and timing of acorn collection. These findings contribute to our understanding of where and when to collect acorns for active restoration management of Toronto’s urban forests. Further, our approach and methods can be used as a framework for studying other native species’ seeds