Arbour week at Land O' Lakes PS

May 28, 2015

Students in grades JK through six at Land O' Lakes Public School in Mountain Grove were full of questions at a presentation by Hydro One staff celebrating Arbour Week, which took place at the school on May 5.

The presentation was headed up by Hydro One forestry technician Kerry Hinton, who explained the important roles that trees play in our environment by preventing soil erosion, reducing noise pollution, filtering water and cleaning the air of impurities through photosynthesis. He stressed their significance for wildlife as they provide nesting areas for birds, homes for squirrels and raccoons and hiding places from predators, while also offering sources of food such as berries, nuts and leaves. For us humans they not only provide shade in the hot summer months and act as wind breaks, but provide us with building supplies and food as well as pure aesthetic beauty. Hinton explained the various pieces of equipment that he and other staff members use to remove trees, and to trim branches and brush from Hydro lines.

Following the presentation the students went outdoors and watched a Hyrdro One staff member make an emergency descent from one of their bucket trucks, which garnered a generous round of applause. Students were also invited to help plant one large pear tree and one large Crimson King maple tree on the school’s front lawn. Each was also given a small white pine or white spruce sapling to take home to plant. Hinton said Arbour Week is an important way for children to understand the importance of trees in the environment while also learning about the work that Hydro One staff do out in the bush. He said it is a way to give back to communities by offering hundreds of trees to plant.

Willis Deline, who works as a senior foreman in the brushing department at Hydro One, said that he and his crew did a lot of brushing and tree removal in the area last summer and he felt this would be a nice opportunity for the crew to return to the community and show their support to the local school. Arbour Week presentations will take place at 35 different schools across Ontario.