Cottage Life

1 week ago | cottagelife.com | Andrew Cruickshank

After years of political feet dragging and destructive logging, the federal government has released a plan to protect one of Canada’s rarest birds. On June 5, the government published a final recovery strategy for the spotted owl. Native to the old growth forests of southwestern B.C., there’s only one known spotted owl left in the wild in Canada. “The first interview I did on spotted owls was back around 1993,” says Joe Foy, a protected areas campaigner for the Wilderness Committee.

1 week ago | cottagelife.com | Andrew Cruickshank

They’re small, they’re furry, and they can strip a forest of leaves in a matter of weeks. Thousands of forest tent caterpillars are invading Sudbury and other northeastern Ontario areas this summer. The two-inch insect is known for its population outbreaks. Every 10 or so years, forest tent caterpillar populations boom with the critters coating boreal forest trees like wallpaper.

1 week ago | cottagelife.com | Andrew Cruickshank

As our neighbours to the south see visitor numbers declining, Canada is positioning itself as a go-to tourism destination for both locals and foreigners. In a press conference at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa on Monday, Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, launched the Canada Strong Pass, a new tourism initiative intended to make it easier to vacation in Canada this summer.

1 week ago | cottagelife.com | Emily Latimer

It may look pretty, but the emerald ash borer is a killer. These insects kill ash trees by gobbling up their nutrients. First, as larvae, when the bugs hatch and burrow between the inner bark and the sapwood, forming S-shaped lines, and then, as adults, when they eat ash tree leaves. The beetle, which is native to Eastern Asia, has already killed hundreds of millions of trees across North America. Late spring is when the emerald ash borer (EAB) emerges from trees and lays eggs.

1 week ago | cottagelife.com | Jackie Davis

What can I use to rid my composite deck of pine sap? We have a lot of trees and a lot of sap.—Patricia Anderson, via emailThere are plenty of tricks for removing pine sap from materials and surfaces; for spot treatment, we’ve recommended both vegetable oil and hand sanitizer. (See “Talk Dirty to Me,” Spring ’18.) Ideally, you’d ask your decking manufacturer for product-specific advice. But if you can’t, go with the gentlest option: good old (mild, biodegradable) soap and water.