Chapter 7: Plants

Section 7.2: Plant Growth, page 218

In addition to light, water, temperature, and nutrients, seed producers also have to provide conditions to ensure that flowers are pollinated (pollen transferred from one flower to another). If pollination does not occur, seeds do not form. How do seed producers encourage flower pollination?

Ginseng Production in Ontario
This Ontario Ministry of Agriculture document tells you all you need to know about growing ginseng. You will find the most relevant information under the heading “The Plant.”

Vegetable Seed Production: Tomato
This entire article, produced by the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at Ohio State University, is about growing tomatoes for their seeds. The section about pollination is under the subheading “Reproductive.”

Red Clover Seed Production
The Alberta Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development’s document is very clearly written. You will find the section entitled “Pollination” to be the most relevant to your research.

Chapter 8: Working with Nature

Section 8.1: Gardens Provide Habitats, page 232

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provides an electronic map of Canada’s plant hardiness zones. Which hardiness zone do you line in?

Plant Hardiness Zones
This large map, on the site of the Canadian Forestry Service, takes a while to load so be patient!

Section 8.1: Gardens Provide Habitats, page 236

Organic gardens are gardens in which no human-made chemical products are used. Find the costs and benefits of organic gardening.

What is Organic Gardening?
Scroll down to “Part Two?How It Is Done.” This “question and answer” format addresses many of the questions that “traditional” gardeners have about organic gardening.

Organic Landscape Alliance
Written for owners of landscaping companies that look after people’s gardens, this Toronto-based website gives many reasons why it is better to “go organic”.

Organic Gardening in the Backyard
This site, published by the University of Nebraska, makes it clear that organic gardening requires a bit more thought than gardening with chemicals. There are some useful hints on how to reduce pests, cut down on watering, and produce healthy plants.

Organic Gardening Pros and Cons
More a “how to” guide than a debate over the merits and drawbacks of organic gardening, this article gives practical advice on how to grow plants without pesticides and fertilizers.

Pros and Cons of Spraying
One gardener asks a specific question about controlling black spot on her roses. The answers that she gets on this forum site give a range of opinions about using, or not using, chemicals.

Perennial Pesticide Debate Springs to Life
This article truly tries to give both sides of the argument.

Section 8.1: Gardens Provide Habitats, page 238

Horticulture (growing plants for flowers) is a growing field in more than one sense. Horticulturalists are expected to be in demand for some time to come. Find out what kinds of work are available in your area. What qualifications are needed? Would you like to work in horticulture? Why or why not?

Horticulturist
Kris Nicolaison works at a plant nursery in British Columbia. This short profile explains how she started her job, what she likes about it, and some of the drawbacks.

NOC 8254 Nursery and Greenhouse Operators and Managers
Ontario Job Futures 2000 has information on hundreds of different careers. This page tells you what it takes to operate or manage a flower-growing operation, including the main duties, necessary education, employment prospects, and average annual income.

NOC 8432 Nursery and Greenhouse Workers
This is a page on the federal government’s Human Resources Development Canada website, classifying and describing many different types of jobs. This page clearly explains the work environment, duties, and employment requirements for working in a nursery or a greenhouse.

Agricultural Labour Pool
This is a resource for people looking for work in the agriculture industry. Click on the green “Job Seekers” panel to see if there are any jobs in nurseries or horticulture.

Section 8.3: Forestry?Managing the Ultimate Garden

In 1999, 352 000 people across Canada were directly employed by the forestry industry. What kinds of work are available in this industry? What companies in your province offer employment in the forestry industry?

NOC 8241 Logging Machinery Operators
This is the job that most people think about when they think of forestry in Canada in the twenty-first century. The Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) page outlines what to expect if you decide to enter this career. Click on “Classification Structure 8” at the bottom of the page to also find information on 8421 Chainsaw and Skidder Operators, and 8422 Silviculture and Forestry Workers.

The Treeplanting Web Page
If you really want to know what it’s like to work as a summer treeplanter in Canada, this is where you’ll find out. This site was set up by an experienced treeplanter, and has contributions from lots of other people who have done similar work. There is plenty of no-nonsense advice from the experts.

Forestry Careers and Employment
This website offers mostly high-level jobs, giving you an idea of the variety of careers available in the forest industry. There is also a page for treeplanters: click on “Silviculture Contractors” on the lefts-hand side for a list of companies that hire people to plant trees.

Workopolis?Science
Workopolis is a huge job-search website where you can search for a job in just about any sector you choose. Are there any jobs posted under “Forestry” today? If not, try clicking “Keyword search” and, in the Job Category box, select “Forestry” and click “Search.”

Canada’s Forest Network: Products
Here is a list of just some of the categories of products associated with Canada’s forests. Click on any of the options to see which companies are involved in these products.