On hiking through our forests last summer ( August 2018 , various crown land sights ) , I came repeatedly accross the same warning sign regarding pesticide use and warning against walking through these forests.

As it was a hot summer day and my intention had been to walk the trails here to the river with my dog so we could both have a swim , I got out of my car and we walked . At first I couldn't place my finger on what was wrong here , it seemed eerie and unwelcoming. I noticed that despite the fact that I had previously seen blueberries just beginning to fruit at this spot , there was not even one berry on any plant that I could see , and this was prime blueberry season.

Then I realised what was so eerie , there was no sound , no squirrels , no birds , no crickets , just absolute silence. This was very unsettling and I felt a great wrongness within this experience.

There was a number to call on the warning sign and I decided that I would call.

The number put me in touch with Doug Maki , a very kind and dedicated man working in Forestry , who offered to give me a tour to walk me through the process of the chemical sprays implementation and outcome.

There are basically 2 chemicals being sprayed in our forests , with the main intent being to eliminate broad leaf trees to create a sustainable forest floor for the pine seedlings that are to replace the logged pine from the area.

The trees targeted are birch and poplar and if you walk these areas a couple months following the target sprays , you can note the unnatural looking crumpled birch in the area. 

Please note that tent caterpillars , in their yearly rounds , also eliminate the exact same leaves , without killing the trees, although one cannot be sure which area they will target as they operate in wide bands , leaving an on the whole , healthy and sustainable forest behind for animal plant and insect alike . Nature is so wise !

I also found information about the harmful effects to blueberries from this spraying of glyphosate , although it is in reference to personal cultivation of blueberry plants not the mass spraying done in forestry. I have witnessed the stringy growth of blueberry plants , that is a product of glyphosate exposure , as well as huge masses of lands rich with blueberry plants , that flowered but never fruited.

Bears rely on this fruit as a staple of their diet , is it possible that the absence of this fruit is what is forcing more and more bears into our cities and towns to dine on our garbage ?

I am not a scientist , and please dont ask me to represent myself against all the science based studies that prove that these chemicals are harmless. I will fail , there are studies to the contrary , however they are likely not as well funded as the Monsanto/Bayer funded studies no doubt.

39  countries have banned or begun the process to ban the use of glyphosate within their countries .

I just read that Costco just became the first major retailer to take roundup ( glyphosate ) , off of its shelves. (article by sumofus.org )

How much toxicity is too much ?

If your like me and you've witnessed these unnatural occurances in our forests , please sign this petition .

Sudbury District Office of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has already approved the annual work schedule for Sudbury Forests  until March 31st 2030 , with glyphosate as a main player in their forestry regime.