College and Biology students present applied research on leaf blowers and native plants

Have you ever wondered if leaf-blowers are a bad idea? Are you interested in knowing more about what to plant in the city? These questions and more were addressed this semester by Concordia student researchers from the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability and the Department of Biology. To kick off the webinar, Lidiya Beida presented her work on the environmental and human health implications of leaf-blower use and Felix Lambert discussed the effects of leaf blowers and leaf removal in general on invertebrate communities. This discussion was followed by a presentation by Kathleen Philp on the importance and representation of native trees on public and private lands in the neighbourhood of NDG. Finally, Taylor Yeung presented the searchable database she is creating of native plants that can be planted under various conditions in Montreal (stay tuned for a link to the database!). Congratulations to all four students for their great work, and a big thank you to their supervisors, Carly Ziter, Emma Despland, and Rebecca Tittler!