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Our Next Ash Drive is March 25th from 9:30 to 1pm
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Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

Ensuring healthy Muskoka watersheds forever

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Citizen Science

Thank you to our Citizen Scientists

This first year has been amazing with over 50 Citizen Scientists participating. Additional Citizen Scientists will be needed for 2023. Please email Katie at katie@fotmw.org to get your name on the list or have any questions answered.

To view the 2022 lab processes and data, visit here:

Trent Lab Tour

Friends of the Muskoka Watershed along with university, community and government partners and thousands of volunteers have collected and spread over 9.2 tonnes of wood ash in Muskoka forests and the results are in! The application of clean residential wood ash to forests appears to have woken up the trees.

These results suggest that regulated ash application may not only lead to more delicious maple syrup but can cause trees to absorb more carbon and water, assisting in the fight against climate change, and help with flood mitigation.

With these exciting results, the project expanded and residents were given the opportunity to be a part of it by becoming Citizen Scientists (CS). Data collection began in spring 2022 and is half complete. Those interested in becoming a CS in 2023 are asked to contact our office.

Here’s a step by step on how to collect the data.

Here’s the step by step broken up into individual steps:

Measuring Tree Diameter
Measuring Tree Height
Measuring Canopy Cover
Measuring the Health of the Tree
Taking Soil Samples
Taking Foliage Samples
Spreading Ash
Who can help?

Anyone with permission to access a treed area, for example:

Property owners
Municipalities
Camps
Businesses

If you don’t own or have access to a treed area, there are other ways you can help. These include:

Volunteering to assist with FMW plots
Donating wood ash
Becoming a FMW member, a “Friend” of the watershed
How can I help?
  • Step 1
  • Step 2
  • Step 3
  • Step 4
  • Step 5
  • Step 6

Register with Friends of the Muskoka Watershed. Please contact katie@fotmw.org for more information.

Pickup your bucket of mixed, filtered and laboratory tested wood ash and a citizen science package. Ash should be available starting at the April 2022 ash drive, by appointment at our Kimberley Ave office or other various community events.

Review instructions from the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed website. *If you do not have access to a computer, please contact the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed for field sheets.

Select two or more trees of the same species, similar size, and in a similar location. Record the date of application, follow the instructions in the information package/website to collect tree diameter, height, and canopy cover and in some cases, soil, and leaf samples. Once all data is collected, disperse the ash by walking around the tree and gently sprinkling it to the test tree(s) 3 metres from the truck. Use one full bucket of ash per test tree. Ash application should happen in late April or May when there is no snow on the ground.

In the month of July follow the instructions in the information package/ on the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed website to collect data again (diameter, height, canopy cover and in some cases soil and foliage samples). Record all information in the digital and/or hard copy field sheets. Submit your data, including photos to the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed via the Citizen Science webpage on their website or send in your field sheets. If you collected soil and leaf samples, please drop them off or mail them to the Friends of Muskoka Watershed office (postage will be provided if necessary).

In the spring of 2023 collect data again, including tree diameter, height, canopy cover and in some cases soil and foliage samples.

  • Note that a select number of volunteers will be asked to collect and submit soil and leaf samples – you will know if this is you and will be provided with instructions
Citizen Science Program Timeline:
2022 April to May: Get your ash, instructions, and sample kit (if collecting samples)
2022 May: Collect information on the test and control trees: diameter, height, percent canopy cover, and for some Citizen Scientists, soil sample and afterwards spread your ash around test tree(s) in a circle 3 m from the trunk. Be sure to submit data, photos (and soil sample) to Friends on the Muskoka Watershed
2022 July: Collect information on the test and control trees: diameter, height, percent canopy cover, and for some Citizen Scientists, soil, and foliage samples
2023 May: Collect information on the test and control trees: diameter, height, percent canopy cover, and for some Citizen Scientists, soil, and leaf samples
Equipment provided by the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed:
Digital and hard copy instructions
Bucket of ash
Masks
Gloves
For Citizen Scientists who are collecting soil and foliage samples: trowel, measuring tape, Ziplock bags, envelop
Equipment Citizen Scientists are asked to provide:
Metre stick (or any stick that is of known and recorded length)
Snips for collecting foliage
Measuring tape (i.e., tailor measuring tape)
Digital camera or smart phone camera
Access to computer
What are the benefits of becoming a Friends Citizen Scientist?
Getting outside and learning about trees and forests
Helping the watershed 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 and provincial database of tree and soil information

Here are some additional resources:

CS-Tree-Species-Handout-2022-04-11

CS-Instructions-Soil-and-Foliage-2022-04-14

Citizen-Science-Field-Sheet-2022-04-11

Citizen-Science-Instructions-PDF

Thanks to Beeline Creative for their support in the creation of our website!

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Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

Charitable Business No. 815686043 RR 0002

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