I remember the first time I hiked the Seaton Trail in Pickering – I was amazed that such a beautiful trail exists so close to the city, and really isn’t that well known. It can be hiked in a day, but the Seaton Trail has a larger-than-life feel, and is only a short drive, or public transit ride, from millions of people. This trail is included in my book Old-Growth Forest Walks: 26 hikes in Ontario’s Greenbelt. The trail follows West Duffins Creek, … Read more
Growing native plants is a source of unmitigated joy. A small urban yard will come to life with countless species of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and birds of all descriptions including hummingbirds. It’s also easy to do, and beautiful. You don’t have to tear up your lawn and turn it into what your neighbours may perceive as a weed patch, if that’s not your jam. In fact each part of your yard can become its own little ecosystem and a … Read more
The White Bear Forest has one of the most interesting histories of any of Temagami’s old-growth areas. Sloan Watters, a 46-year veteran of the logging industry, named the forest in honour of Chief White Bear, who once had a cabin nearby. The story of this forest is interwoven with the story of Sloan Watters. When Sloan started working for Gillies Bros. & Co. Ltd (now Gillies Lumber Inc.) in 1946, there was a mill just across from White Bear Forest, … Read more
Near the field centre where we worked in the 1990’s there was a sandpit at the top of a ravine in the middle of many kilometres of red pine plantation. It was littered with shotgun shells and criss-crossed with ATV tracks; several old cars had been pushed over the brink and rested at the bottom of the escarpment next to the creek, half-filled with stones that had been thrown from above. A hand-painted sign labelled the spot “Devil’s Canyon.” We had spent previous summers studying … Read more
Some of North America’s oldest hardwood trees persist in obscurity, and in peril. Nate Torenvliet describes finding a 580-year-old black gum tree in the Niagara region of Ontario. I first became acquainted with black gums on an outing to Grassie, Ontario with a local tree group, and it was a meeting I would not forget. Black gum, a member of the Tupelo family is one of those trees that doesn’t disappoint at any time of the year. Its Latin epithet, Nyssa sylvatica refers … Read more
In the past I’ve written about the amazing Seaton Trail, the old-growth forests along its route, the crystal clear creek that runs alongside it, and the surrounding farmland and greenspace. Controlled development was being allowed along its east bank while the west shore adjacent to Rouge Park was protected. At the time I wrote “there are two ways to look at the Seaton plan – one is that a large amount of greenspace is being protected in the GTA, including … Read more
Canada must stop importing forest pests that kill our trees One of the most severe and urgent threats to Canadian trees is the accidental importation of insects and tree diseases through international trade. Pests like the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle kill trees in our forests, parks, and neighborhoods. When we lose trees, we lose the many benefits they provide, such as filtering air pollution, reducing flooding, cooling neighborhoods, providing wildlife habitat, and storing carbon that otherwise contributes … Read more
Each year on February 15, Canada celebrates the inauguration of its national flag, which has featured the iconic maple leaf since 1965. But while we honour maple trees as symbols of Canada, we put them at unnecessary risk. Imagine the day that North America’s maple trees start dying like ash trees, that are already being killed by the invasive emerald ash borer (it kills over 99% of ash trees). It would mark the end of fall colours, maple syrup, many … Read more
Submitted to: Joe Yaraskavitch, R.P.FManagement Forester Joe.yaraskavitch@ontario.ca Dear Mr. Yaraskavitch, Please accept my comments on the proposed operations for the 2021-2031 Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the Algonquin Park Forest. Algonquin Park is provincially and internationally significant for its concentration of old-growth forest. Roughly 40% of forest over 140 years old in Ontario’s Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region is located in Algonquin Park, while the Park occupies only 4% of the land in the region. There is no similar park … Read more
Globally, forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide and turn it into wood (in living and dead trees), and soil organic matter. This carbon is safely sequestered away from the atmosphere, where it can’t trap heat and contribute to climate change. Almost a third of the CO2 emitted by humans has been absorbed by the world’s forests over the past few decades, roughly the same amount that was taken up by oceans – this is obviously a very big deal … Read more