About ECSONG

The Society of Ontario Nut Growers (SONG) was formed in 1972, and its province-wide membership is approximately 600. Its purpose is:

• To promote interest in nut-bearing plants, their products and their culture.
• To promote scientific research in the breeding and culture of nut bearing plants suited to Ontario conditions.
• To encourage planting of improved varieties in gardens and orchards, on farms and public lands.
• To disseminate information on propagation techniques and cultural practices,
• To provide opportunities for closer association among nut growers.

In 1978, Filmore R. Park and Alec C. Jones co-founded the Ottawa Area Chapter of SONG to advance the purpose in Eastern Ontario, which has different growing conditions from the other regions in Ontario. In 1991, the Chapter name was changed to the Eastern Chapter of SONG (ECSONG) to reflect an expanded mandate to serve the larger Eastern Ontario region. Today ECSONG has about 100 members.

ECSONG encourages the establishment of demonstration and research nut groves in collaboration with land-owners. Today, it operates several public nut groves in order to conduct research, and to demonstrate hands-on all aspects of nut growing to the public, government, industry and academia.

ECSONG provides advice, assistance and consultation on nut growing to members and others several ways:

• Outdoor, hands-on Spring and Fall field days are held at each of the Nut Groves, usually on Saturdays in May and September, respectively;
• An indoor Winter Meeting is held on the third Saturday of January in the Conference Room, The Ottawa Citizen Building, 1100 Baxter Road, Ottawa;
• The Annual General Meeting is held on the third Saturday of March, at the McManus Interpretive Centre at the Baxter Conservation Area, just south of Kars, Ontario.
• Through our display booth at various trade shows and exhibitions in the region from time to time;
• Through an annual prize for a student essay on a topic related to nut tree culture;
• Through maintaining a technical library of documents and a photo library of slides, prints and videos;
• Publishing a newsletter, The Nuttery, for members;
• Publishing reference works, to date a nut cookbook and a nut growers manual for eastern Ontario, on the growing, and the uses of the fruits and other parts, of nut bearing trees and shrubs;
• Mapping the location of locally growing nut bearing trees and shrubs to discover species and varieties that grow successfully in the region, and thereby to identify natural seed and stock sources; and
• Through our web site http://www.ecsong.org

ECSONG Vision

As ECSONG prepares for the next century, the original vision of its founders is rapidly maturing. The Eastern Ontario region has the nut groves its founders sought, and the attention of the community at large. Nut trees are being proudly planted everywhere by school children, by citizens and by professionals at all levels of government and industry. Each of the three major nut groves are revisiting their visions and preparing themselves for the new millennium. As we completed our first 20 years in 1998, then-chair Len Collett foresaw the need for ECSONG itself to revisit its vision. He foresees the society continuing to pursue its mandate to promote the wide spread growing of nut trees and shrubs in increasing numbers and of more species, cultivars and varieties, throughout the region. He believes also that the society is now strong enough to broaden its challenge, and to begin promoting the commercialization of nut growing. To this end, Len has stated that, for the next twenty years, ECSONG should lend its considerable weight to helping individuals and small businesses to begin the successful marketing of the wide variety of products that can come from living nut trees and shrubs.
 

Officers of ECSONG Over the Years