Why are there so many cones on spruce trees this year?

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

WINSTON CHURCHILL

The Power of the Land by Dr. Duke Redbird

June 21st is National Aboriginal Day. This is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples*

At Fundraising Day 2017, the audience had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Duke Redbird’s original poem, The Power of the Land. We are delighted to share it with you in the spirit of the day:

In every Nation, in every Clan,
The Elders to a person.
Whether woman or a man,
Shared a common truth,
One Truth to understand,
That the spirit of the people
Is equal
To the Power of The Land.

The Mother of us all
The sacred Mother Earth,
Is constant in her giving,
And perpetual in her birth,
In meadows and in fields,
Where weeds and flowers grow,
She conceives the summer showers,
And spawns the winter snows.
In forests and in mountains,
She gives the birds that fly,
Every type of wing,
Then coaxes the wind to join,
In harmony, when they begin to sing.

In brooks and streams,
And rivers as they flow,
She generates the dreams
And makes the fires glow.

And in every creature,
Whether large or small
She buries gems of wisdom
In them all,

And in every grain of sand,
She plants the knowledge,
Of the Power of The Land.

And those that honour,
Her creations,

And acknowledge her grand design,
She gives the templates,
Of the sacred,
And the patterns of the divine.

And then with certain knowledge,
This to understand,
That the spirit of the people,
Is equal,
To the Power of the Land.

About the Dr. Duke Redbird

Dr. Duke Redbird is an Indigenous intellectual, poet, painter, broadcaster, filmmaker and orator. He brings his breadth of cultural knowledge and artistic practice to the benefit of a global audience.

Dr. Redbird is instrumental in the implementation of innovative multimedia technologies, bringing an Indigenous approach to arts education, that is rooted in his pioneering work at OCAD University. His legacy stretches far beyond his work in Canada. His art has been exhibited and his poetry has been published and translated in anthologies around the world.

Duke has been described as a multifaceted artist, practicing across a number of disciplines including literature, painting, theatre, cinema and most recently rap poetry. A well-known broadcaster and television personality, he is in demand as a public speaker in university, community college and elementary school settings. He delivers a unique perspective from his heritage that is both a positive and optimistic alternative to how we view our universe in the 21st century. In 2005, Dr. Redbird was honored by the Indigenous community of Toronto and recognized as an Urban Elder and Wisdom Keeper. In this capacity, Duke’s presentation is a message of inspiration, hope and vision for the future.

Presently, Dr. Redbird is an Advisor to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in the field of Indigenous Art & Culture; and the Curator of an inaugural art exhibition called Debwewin (Truth) of the Museum, Fine Art Collection and Archives of the TDSB. He is also an Advisor for the Board of Director’s of Toronto’s Jumblies Theatre and the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Dr. Duke Redbird is an Elder from the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, on the shores of Lake Huron. A celebrated Indigenous Visionary as well as an established public intellectual, poet, broadcaster, and filmmaker, Dr. Redbird is also a highly sought after keynote speaker. He is an Elder and Advisor to various public and private organizations, and his online presence brings his breadth of cultural knowledge and artistic practice to the benefit of a global audience.

Dr. Redbird is instrumental in the implementation of innovative multimedia, technologies and beyond, bringing an Indigenous approach to art education that was rooted in his pioneering work at OCAD University. A multidisciplinary artist, he brings an Indigenous lens to modern art and design, and has aided in the emergence of a vibrant Indigenous presence on the contemporary cultural scene. Dr. Redbird’s outstanding contribution to culture, literature, human rights, legacy stretches far beyond his work in Canada.

 Why are there so many cones on spruce trees this year? Experts offer answers.

The sun shines through a stand of spruce and fir trees in the Acadia Research Forest. (Jennifer Sweet/CBC - image credit)

If you've recently walked down a street and stopped in your tracks after spotting far more cones than expected on a spruce tree, you're not the only one.

According to Ed Johnson, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary, this year is turning out to be unusual for spruce trees across Calgary and he reckons he hasn't seen such a large number of cones in 40 years.

"Lots of people have looked at them from a distance and said, 'oh my goodness, these trees look like they're dying,'" he said. "And in fact, of course, it's not that, it's just a lot of cones."

Johnson added that spruce trees tend to follow a random pattern that's hard to predict. Producing cones is a "survival strategy" that plants use to protect themselves from seed predators.

"Most years there's very little seeds being produced and the seed predators can't harvest a lot of it," Johnson said. "But randomly they produce large numbers of seeds … which satiates the predators and so consequently more seeds survive."

The most common predators in this scenario are birds, insects and squirrels, according to Johnson.

Gerard Fournier, arborist and founder of For Trees in Alberta said that the cones that we're seeing right now are actually from 2022.

"Trees make their cones in the summertime," he said. "So all the cones that you can see on the tree right now were made in the summer of 2022."

LISTEN | Ed Johnson talks about the massive number of cones on spruce trees:

Fournier added that the hot and dry weather in 2021 "stressed the trees out" and led to a massive number of cones last year.

"You could sort of imagine it as if the trees think that their lives are in danger and they got to put a lot of energy into reproduction," he said.

While Fournier thinks that this year's outlook isn't as dramatic as last year, he acknowledged that the average homeowner should examine their spruce tree to check whether it's "bent over" and is being affected by an unusually large number of cones.

"You should probably call an arborist if you see that happening on your tree," he said.

According to Fournier, trees may get damaged or "even break under the weight of so many cones" and it's a good idea to stay alert and look for signs of damage.

'It slows down the growth rate of the trees'

What does producing so many cones do to trees in the long run? Fournier has the answer.

"It slows down the growth rate of the trees, especially in subsequent years," he said. "And so what also can happen is in subsequent years there's not enough energy for the trees to produce any cones."

Fournier said that in such a scenario, it's not uncommon to see trees taking a break to get some rest. The arborist says there will likely be fewer cones for a bit before things pick up again in 2025.

Johnson finds the entire process rather fascinating and is impressed by nature's survival instinct.

"The thing that sort of staggers … me is the fact that really an individual spruce tree, or any tree for that matter, only has to reproduce itself with a tree that will grow up and produce more cones," he said.

"But to do that it has to literally, over its lifespan, produce millions of seeds in hopes that one of those seeds will eventually make it."

Welcome Summer ! Blessings Friend! Happy Trails.