Oct. 11, 2019 – One of Manitoba's wettest Septembers on record has produced a bumper crop of urban mushrooms. Fungi in large numbers has been springing up in droves on lawns and parks in Virden and other areas this fall.

Now that I’ve passed the midway point of my middle age years – what is that anyway, 55 or thereabouts? – I no longer get my haircut by a stylist and have reverted back to a good, old-fashioned barber.

Hazards can exist under desks, on the plant floor, in the air and pretty much any place people work. Inspecting the workplace regularly for hazards is an essential part of a health and safety program.

While conducting my interview with the founder of the Western Canadian Snow & Ice Management Summit for this issue’s cover story, I kept reminding myself how grateful I am to be living in southern Ontario.

Oct. 2, 2019 – Most golf courses in Canada are getting ready to be put to bed for the winter, with snow mould applications, irrigation system blowouts and the removal of course accessories taking place at various stages this month.

Oct. 1, 2019 – Kelowna, B.C.'s goal to realize at least a 20 per cent tree cover by 2030 has been achieved and exceeded 11 years ahead of schedule. The city's urban canopy is reported to be about 23 per cent.

Sept. 27, 2019 – Three Canadian golf superintendents have been featured in a Golfworld article that addresses the often swept-under-the-carpet topic of mental health challenges facing golf superintendents. Jason Haines, superintendent at the Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club near Vancouver, Paul MacCormack, superintendent at Fox Meadows Golf Course on Prince Edward Island, and Miranda Robinson, assistant superintendent at Cordova Bay Golf Club on Vancouver Island, have opened up about their own battles with mental health and its association with their chosen professions.

Sept. 25, 2019 – A team from Weed B' Gone has removed 16 dumpsters worth of phragmites grass from a pond at Hamilton's Confederation Park. The invasive species of tall grass chokes out other plants and robs birds of nesting sites. The 12-week removal project wraps up this week.

Sept. 24, 2019 – Tree banding has become big business in Winnipeg in an effort to save trees from cankerworm damage. The service has made Schmidt Tree Banding the largest tree banding company in the city and has proven to be an affordable way to preserve trees from defoliation.

Sept. 24, 2019 – Tee sheets have been fully booked this year at the Kananaskis Country golf courses in Alberta after both the Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd courses reopened for play in 2019 following a devastating flood in 2013 that forced their closure. Golfers like what they're seeing after more than five years without golf on the property.

Sept. 23, 2019 – An Ottawa newspaper editorial suggests that although parks and urban forests are weapons in the battle against climate change, they are being taken for granted or outright dismissed. Ottawa's Carlington Park is one such example.

July 11, 2019 – With upwards of 80 millimetres of rain falling over much of Alberta in June, mushrooms are popping up in large quantities on lawns throughout the province. But a fungal expert is warning people not to eat them.

June 13, 2019 – Medicine Hat is dealing with an extraordinary increase in the number of dandelions growing in city green spaces this summer. The increase is being attributed to the hot, dry conditions the city has experienced the past couple of years.

June 5, 2019 – It's a banner year in Edmonton for dandelions. The city's snowy winter insulated the weeds from the cold, and now they are blooming in droves. The city is stepping up its battle against dandelions with increased mowing on municipal green spaces and treatment with iron chelate herbicide.

As director of the Guelph Turfgrass Institute and a professor with the University of Guelph’s department of plant agriculture, Dr. Eric Lyons says his goal is to move the turf industry towards sustainability.

May 31, 2019 – Residents in the British Columbia region of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are being urged to take immediate action to prevent and control chafer beetle grubs on their lawns. With a ban on cosmetic pesticides in place in those municipalities, natural lawn care techniques are being prescribed.

May 8, 2019 – While spring signifies endless opportunity for many, in the landscape business, many don’t know how to get up to full speed. Many turf managers and lawn care operators wait all winter for the spring green-up, but when it’s “game time,” what’s the best way to get out of the gate strong?

May 17, 2019 – Managing thatch on golf courses is a practice superintendents have engaged in for years and one they must continue to perform if they are to deliver faster, firmer surfaces for their clientele. What has changed over the years is the means by which thatch and organic matter in bentgrass/poa annua systems is managed and controlled.

May 13, 2019 – Not all lawn care businesses march to the beat of the same drummer. Many – probably most – offer their customers programs that include a specific number of annual fertilizer and pesticide product applications. The latter, usually herbicide applications, can vary from region to region, depending on the product’s legality.

Municipal sports turf managers who know how their playing fields are categorized have a better chance to manage them more efficiently based on agronomics. By paying close attention to the root zone, sports turf can be better managed than by simply basing maintenance practices on usage time.

Research at the University of Guelph into the potential of biosolids as a sustainable alternative to conventional fertilizer products has produced data that could be perceived as encouraging.

Managing putting greens can be compared to running in a marathon. Golf superintendents must do as much as possible during the spring to “train” for the marathon that is typically “run” in July and August, and sometimes into September.

Oct. 8, 2019 – The City of Burlington has opened the door for a new bylaw that would prohibit the removal of trees on private land unless a special permit is obtained.

Oct. 8, 2019 – The City of Calgary has already announced the imminent closure of one of its city-owned golf courses and is now deciding what to do about the remaining five municipal courses. One councillor wonders if the city should be in the golf business at all.

Sept. 30, 2019 – Two sports fields – one natural and one artificial – will be moved and rebuilt in new locations in Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The cost of the projects is $4.5 million.

Sept. 26, 2019 – "Deteriorating conditions at Oppenheimer Park" has prompted the Vancouver Park Board to hold a special meeting to discuss the ongoing encampment on the grounds. The board earlier voted not to seek an injunction to remove campers, suggesting it might force them onto the streets or back lanes.

Sept. 10, 2019 – Almost $700,000 has been added to the budget to construct three new baseball fields in Bradford, Ont. due to constraints presented by the local conservation authority. The project at Joe Magani Park was originally budgeted at $1.5 million.

Sept. 6, 2019 – Stage four water restrictions have been implemented in Kelowna on properties south of Mission Creek as the result of a mechanical failure at a local pump station. The restrictions affect parks, sports fields and artificial turf fields.

Sept. 5, 2019 – Eleven trees were cut down this week at Fredericton's Officers' Square in preparation for coming construction, but one tree in particular has sparked outrage among a local theatre troupe and its followers.

Sept. 3, 2019 – A new national park in Montreal, instead of a massive urban green space that would become Canada's largest, is in the city's best interests and would save the municipality hundreds of millions of dollars, a Montreal city councillor claims.

Aug. 28, 2019 – A pilot project in Grande Prairie is seeing a robotic mower maintaining the turf at a ball diamond at South Bear Creek Park. “In a few years, they will make the chore of mowing the lawn a thing of the past,” the city's transportation manager says.

Aug. 27, 2019 – The roots of non-native black locust trees are ripping up driveways, choking pipes and sprouting unsafe roots in a Ladysmith, B.C. neighbourhood, and residents are fed up to the point where they're taking the matter to city hall.

Aug. 26, 2019 – Airdrie, Alta. is getting a new artificial turf sports field – a decision hailed by the community at large.

Sept. 20, 2019 – Foot protection and comfort can be seen as the foundation for a productive work day in the Canadian professional turf and grounds maintenance industry. Tired feet can negate productivity, and protection against unforeseen accidents while operating heavy equipment and materials is essential in avoiding injury.

Sept. 20, 2019 – Husqvarna Canada has released the results of a survey aimed to better understand the adoption of smart home technology as a way of learning Canadians' attitudes towards using smart technology to eliminate chores.

Sept. 20, 2019 – New Holland Construction featured several new snow removal products at the recent Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) symposium in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Sept. 20, 2019 – Superior cutting and longer blade life are being offered through Winter Equipment's Razor® XL carbide insert snowplow cutting edge system.

Aug. 28, 2019 – Caterpillar has released its new Cat D3 Series skid steer loader and compact track loader models. The new machines advance the D and D2 Series’ reputation for quality, comfort, and performance with improvements in operator experience, and track loader stability.

Aug. 6, 2019 – SnowEx has introduced its Power Pusher TE snow pushers for skid steers, wheel loaders, backhoes and tractors. Available in eight and 10-foot-wide models with large carrying capacities, the new snow pushers feature steel trip edges to deliver cleaner scrapes and help operators get down to the pavement.

July 2, 2019 – Those working outdoors during the growing season are prone to developing dry, flaky skin or worse – cuts, nicks, abrasions and bug bites. Natural products are available to help that are free of toxins, artificial fragrances, colourants and synthetic chemicals.

June 11, 2019 – Husqvarna, a division of the world’s largest producer of outdoor power products and lawn care equipment and a world leader in robotic mowing, has announced its Smartest Summer Job campaign. To showcase how easy it is to get a perfectly mowed lawn with Husqvarna’s Automower® robotic lawn mower, Husqvarna will select two summer students to serve as "Managers of Chilling," a role in which they sit in a Muskoka chair at Trillium Park at Ontario Place in Toronto and watch the robotic mower do all the work.

June 11, 2019 – StrackaLine, one of golf’s leading technology companies, has scanned Edmonton Country Club and will provide Alberta’s oldest private course with its best-in-the-game Greens Guides and Hole Location (HoLo) software.

May 8, 2019 – Titan International and Kubota Tractor Corporation/Kubota Canada Limited have entered into an exclusivity agreement for select Kubota compact tractor models to be equipped with Goodyear R14 crossover tires.

May 7, 2019 – Weego, innovators of portable jump starters, has launched the Crankenstein® Jump Starting 12V/24V Power Pack - a powerful, new, combination 12- and 24-volt portable jump starting solution, designed for light and heavy-duty equipment in landscaping. Crankenstein revolutionizes jump starting with industry-first features built into a compact power pack that is just nine pounds – 80 per cent lighter than comparable lead-acid jump starters.