Upcoming online platform to help people choose the right plants in northern Ontario
CBC
The Great Lakes Forest Centre is working on a new online platform to help people and communities pick the best plants for certain situations.
If, for example, your goal is to provide shade, which would help cool outside temperatures in certain neighbourhoods, it would recommend larger trees with a wide canopy that are native to the area.
But if the goal is to prevent land erosion, it might recommend something like a willow, with an extensive root network.
"Some species are better than others to provide specific benefits," said Isabelle Aubin, a research scientist with the Great Lakes Forest Centre, which is based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Aubin said the PlantR platform uses mathematical models to look at different situations and determine the appropriate plants, or combinations of plants, to meet specific needs.
She said the platform is still in the testing phase, and only available by special request for now.
To perfect the system, they are testing it in Sudbury, and have information on about 120 plant species that are native to the city and surrounding areas.
Aubin said the research team chose Sudbury as a testing ground due to the city's history of environmental remediation and strong research ties with Laurentian University.
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"To see the way that the regreening of Sudbury has progressed during those 20 years is absolutely amazing," she said.
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