Woodlands Advisory Committee Report to Middlesex County Council - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Donald Craig Wes Hodgson June 14, 2011

Woodlands Advisory Committee Report to Middlesex County Council

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• County-owned woodlands consist of 1041 hectares (2516 acres)

within 27 tracts.

• Over 2000 acres are located in the southwest of the County within

"Skunks Misery".

• Woodlands are managed in accordance with a 20-year

Comprehensive Woodlands Management Plan (drafted after public consultation) and five-year operational plans.

• Woodlands Advisory Committee established in 2003, based on the

recommendation of the Woodlands Management Plan.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

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• Committee provides guidance on all aspects of woodlands

management and is comprised of varied stakeholders including environmental, logging industry, land owners, and County Council.

• This presentation will highlight some of the activities from the last

year and point out issues for the upcoming year.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

Vance Blackmore (Chair) Jane Bowles Donald Craig Ken Elliott John Enright Amos Fennell Hank Halliday Paul Hodgins (Vice-Chair) Wes Hodgson Terry Keep Earl Livermore Don Nisbet Pete Read Jim Rule Andy Thompson

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• 2010/11 meetings included walking tours of Robinson / Steel Tracts

and the adjoining Sherwood Forest (Craig Family) woodlot and the Vey / Moore Tracts.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

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• The Committee supported the Fort Alex’s Sundancers Group

request to harvest pine poles from the Ritchie / Miller Tracts.

• Members with technical expertise assist John Trott and make

recommendations about specific aspects of management.

• The Emerald Ash Borer is starting to impact the County (and

private) woodlots.

• Timber prices are currently low, at least partially due to the strong

Canadian dollar.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

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Woodlands Advisory Committee

Vandalism, garbage and motorized vehicle use within the woodlots continues to be an issue. Ongoing maintenance includes replacing signs and wire fence clean-up in Ritchie Tract.

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Woodlands Advisory Committee

Skunks Misery Trails Map sign will be installed this year.

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• The McLaren Tract is included in the 2011 Doors Open program

which is scheduled for September 17th and 18th – to be staffed by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority.

• The existing Five Year Operational Plan will be complete this year –

the Committee recommended that the County proceed to undertake the next Operational Plan with forester and ecologist expertise utilizing the firm of Silv-Econ Ltd.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

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• The Significant Feature Audit: Moore-Vey and McMaster-Bayne

Tracts was completed and endorsed by the Committee.

Woodlands Advisory Committee

• The area contains many

unique and rare species including Species at Risk.

• It may be necessary to have

an ecologist and a forester work together to mark such woodlots for harvesting.

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Woodlands Advisory Committee

• The woodlands are complex / competing species requirements.

– ‘Button Bush Swamps’ may benefit from the removal of trees – Flowering Dogwood, which is a Species at Risk, are naturally crowded-out and therefore would benefit from selective cutting to

• pen the canopy

– Other species would benefit from a complete ‘hands-off’ approach

• The ultimate impact of Species at Risk under the Endangered Species

Act is not clear.

• Are there areas that will not be feasible to harvest?

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Thank You. Questions?

Woodlands Advisory Committee Report to County Council

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