Colin Gray's Projects
Old Growth Forests
One forest does not always equal another; old forests have unique features that young ones just can't measure up to. Old giant trees, open vistas and huge fallen deadwood all make old forests irreplaceable habitats for wildlife, including species at risk such as the endangered mainland moose. Since 2006, MTRI has managed several projects to research, conserve and promote old forests in Nova Scotia. Today, less than 1% of the province is old-growth, the gold standard of old forests, and many factors threaten them, but we are determined to continue our work and save our old forests.
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Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is an invasive aphid-like insect that infects and kills hemlock trees. It was discovered in Nova Scotia in 2017 and has spread to 5 of the province’s western counties. Hemlocks are a very important tree species in our province and a substantial player in old growth forests. Our work at MTRI focuses on sharing information on this invasive with the public, working with government to monitor its spread and assist with Nova Scotia’s management plan.
Barn Swallows
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) in partnership with Birds Canada is promoting the monitoring of Barn Swallow nests in Nova Scotia using the Birds Canada Project, Project Nest Watch. We promote stewardship by providing education and increased public awareness of the Barn Swallow in the province. MTRI is encouraging Barn swallow enthusiasts through social media posts to participate by using our online survey form. The objective of our outreach is to increase the number of monitored Barn Swallow nests so that we can better understand overall productivity and populations size. If you are interested in becoming a Barn swallow monitoring volunteer, please see the survey form link below.
Barn Swallow Volunteer Data Form
Questionnaire sur l'hirondell rustique
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