The Wonderful World of Trees

The Ottawa Carleton Master Gardeners is hosting a Technical Update on October 4, 2025! Join us at Kitchissippi United Church for an inspiring exploration of our local — and often overlooked — trees. Learn what the City of Ottawa is doing to protect and grow our urban forest, and gain practical tips on how to plant and care for trees in your own garden.

The event will include three keynote speakers in the morning and a guided tour of the Dominion Arboretum in the afternoon. This will be a great opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas and share inspiration with Master Gardeners and other gardening enthusiasts.

Pricing:

$20 for all master gardeners (MGs) and master gardeners in training (MGiTs)

$25 for MG & MGiT partners

$45 for members of the public

Includes refreshments and sandwich lunch

Please register here.

Program

8:45 a.m.: Registration opens with refreshments

9:00 a.m.: Welcome remarks

9:15 a.m – 10 a.m: Owen Clarkin

Trees and Forests of Eastern Ontario: A visual tour of our native trees from the familiar to the obscure, and recent novelties

10:00 a.m. Hydration Break & Raffle opens

10:30 a.m – 11:30 a.m. Martha Copestake & Tracy Schwets

This dynamic duo from the City of Ottawa will delve into the Urban Forest Management Plan, the Tree Planting Strategy, Tree Planting Programs, Maintenance Practices, Tree Planting Guidelines and the new Tree Species List

11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m Networking & Raffle

Opportunity for attendees to engage with speakers and fellow attendees. Raffle continues until 12:45 p.m.

12:00 p.m.: Lunch

12:45 p.m.: Raffle ends & winners are announced

1:15 p.m.: Attendees to make their way to the Arboretum for the afternoon session

2 p.m – 3:00 p.m.: Arboretum guided Tour with Robert Glendinning, (AAFC/AAC)

Robert Glendinning will take us for an expert tour of the Ottawa Arboretum. The tour will highlight tree identification, offer insights into the Tree Trials program, and explore propagation techniques and care practices for select species

3:00 p.m.: Closing remarks

Speaker biographies

Owen Clarkin is a passionate tree advocate who grew up near Russell, Ontario, and has been exploring the trees of Eastern Ontario since childhood. A dedicated amateur naturalist, Owen focuses his efforts on uncommon native species, the restoration of rare trees to local landscapes, and monitoring the spread of invasive species, pests, and emerging diseases.

His keen observations are regularly shared on citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist, contributing to a growing body of knowledge about our regional ecosystems. He also has a strong interest in tree identification techniques, with a special focus on wild-growing elms and rare conifers — particularly the elusive red spruce, a species on which he has conducted independent research.

Owen is the current Vice-President and Chair of the Conservation Committee of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club, where his leadership and knowledge are highly valued. He is frequently invited to speak to horticultural and forestry groups, where he shares his deep enthusiasm for trees and their ecological significance.

Martha Copestake has been an urban forester with the City of Ottawa for 18 years. Her title is Senior Planning Forester, and she works with four other Planning Foresters in the Climate Change and Resiliency Service Area of the Strategic Initiatives Department. The focus of Martha’s work is strategic urban forest management and policy development. Martha is passionate about trees in cities; she managed the City’s Urban Forest Management Plan project, the development of the City’s Tree Protection By-law and is now working on a Tree Planting Strategy for Ottawa. Martha is a Registered Professional Forester; she studied Forest Engineering at the University of New Brunswick and has a Master of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto. In her free time Martha likes to ski, bike, and canoe with her daughters and husband.

Tracey Schwets has worked in Forestry Services with the City of Ottawa for 23 years where she plays a key role in advancing urban forestry initiatives. Tracey holds a Bachelor Science in Biology from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) in Horticulture and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph. She was also ISA Certified Arborist for more than 20 years. Tracey is currently the Program Manager of Forest Management Branch within the Public Works Department and her team is responsible for the City’s tree inventory, tree and forest outreach & education, tree inspections, tree by-law enforcement, and planting programs including nursery and planting operations. Originally from New Brunswick, she spends time each summer in the Maritimes visiting family and kayaking in the Northumberland Straight.

Robert Glendinning’s love for plants runs deep — a passion sparked in childhood by the towering trees that surrounded his family’s cottage. That early connection to nature has remained a guiding force throughout his life. A graduate of Algonquin College’s Horticulture program, Robert has spent the past 20 years honing his craft at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Arboretum in Ottawa.

His work spans everything from pruning and tree removal to data management, but his true expertise — and greatest joy — lies in the propagation of trees and shrubs. From germination through to maturity and natural decline, Robert nurtures each specimen in the Arboretum’s collection with care and dedication.

Beyond his hands-on work, Robert has contributed several articles on horticulture and regularly leads guided tours of the Arboretum, where he shares his deep knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for the natural world.