On Earth Day 2026, lest we all get depressed by the overabundance of bad news swamping the airwaves lately, here is a hopeful message to consider: A stable climate on Planet Earth is largely maintained by living beings. Healthy soils, mature forests, diverse plants, animals, fungi and microbes, all work …
The Ottawa River flows through an ancient rift valley that extends from near North Bay through Ottawa toward Montreal. The area is seismically active, and experiences dozens of minor earthquakes each year. Stronger earthquakes also occur such as the magnitude 5 quake in June 2010 that caused shaking, evacuations and damage in …
I’m currently in Cape Breton for a gathering to inter the ashes of some beloved family members. Along the route to get here, the ongoing drought in Eastern Canada was very apparent. The vegetation was faded and dry. There were big electronic banners across the Trans-Canada Highway through Nova Scotia …
When you hear the words “forest product” what comes to mind? Most of us think of lumber, pulp and paper. If pushed, we might come up with edible forest products like wild mushrooms and maple syrup. But there is another forest product that most of us don’t often think of. …
OPINION I have been captivated recently by a new way of looking at climate change. It’s positive and empowering and it makes scientific and intuitive sense. You could call it the “life cools the planet paradigm.” It is also referred to as the “land use leg of climate theory,” and …
There is a secret power in Nature, in her forests and wild places, that can make us happy and healthy. All we have to do is spend time there on a regular basis. Above: A wild patch of “nearby Nature” in Ottawa (Riverview). Photo Lynn Jones Many people have experienced …
To the untrained eye, wetlands such as swamps, ponds, marshes and bogs, look pretty ordinary. It’s easy to take them for granted or see them as wasted land that could be drained and put to better use. But wetlands are very special places that are teeming with life and they …
When you step into an old-growth forest, you enter a very special place. Some of the trees you encounter may be several hundred years old and tower above the forest floor. These trees have been alive through many human generations. They are connected to one other in an intricate living …
