Inspired by Owen Clarkin’s presentation, MVFN is launching a hunt for conifers. Owen has agreed to be the resident “expert” on iNaturalist to confirm any observations made in March. And, he has agreed MVFN can share a recording of his presentation.
We are lucky to have at least ten native conifer trees in Lanark. They are easy to find in the winter. So when you are out and about keep your eyes peeled and see if you can find all 10 conifers.
The species are: Eastern White Pine, Red Pine, Jack Pine, White Spruce, Black Spruce, Eastern Hemlock, Easter White Cedar, Tamarack, Balsam Fir and the common Juniper.
When you locate one of the conifers on the list take a few photos of the tree (it’s needles, cones and bark) using your cell phone or a digital camera and upload it to our iNaturalist project. It will also be fun to see where the largest of each species is in the county. When you find one: measure the circumference of the trunk at chest height using a string or cloth measuring tape. Enter your measurement in the note field.
The tallest tree in Ontario is currently a white pine in Arnprior that is 47 meters (154 feet) tall. Can we find one that is close to this?
If you haven’t already joined our iNaturalist project, you can find directions on the website at https://mvfn.ca/inaturalist-instructions/
