The O'Neill Nature Peserve with its Rotary EcoTrail lives to make life better for both people and its own native inhabitants. Among other benefits, its naturally friendly gestures help us breathe, filter our water and provide tranquil shade when we need it.
Wondering how to return this kindness and foster a healthy long-term relationship with this nature preserve and other natural areas? The answer is easy: honour forest property boundaries.
Respecting boundaries is the single, most effective way to keep an urban forest healthy. Show your respect for the forest boundaries by:
- Becoming aware of a forest's property lines, especially if you are an adjacent landowner
- Gardening and mowing only on your own property, particularly where it borders natural areas
- No dumping of yard waste in natural areas
- Using only marked paths, entranceways and exits
Research shows that . . .
- People who live closest to natural areas can do the most to improve forest health
- Deciduous forests, especially leafy undergrowth and young seedlings, are very sensitive to human activities
- Forest boundary quality is an indicator of health
- Degrading forest boundaries puts a natural areas ecosystem at risk
TAKE THIS PLEDGE AND JOIN OTHERS WHO ARE SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT
IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY DEMONSTRATING YOUR CARE FOR PAXTON'S BUSH, BE SURE TO TELL US HOW AND WHY. YOUR STORY COULD BE PUBLISHED!
Your pledge may help the Endangered Butternut
Butternut tree (Juglans cinerea) is also known as the White Walnut. It is listed as nationally and provincially Endangered. Unfortunately, Butternut is succumbing to a disease called Butternut Canker that can infect even healthy trees. If you are encroaching on a natural area you could be harming young butternut trees or preventing their germination.
McKinney, Michael. 2002. "Urbanization, Biodiversity, and Conservation." BioScience. 52(10). pages 883-890.
McWilliam, Wendy, Paul Eagles, and Robert Brown. 2010. "Assessing the Degradation Effects of Local Residents on Urban Forests in Ontario, Canada."Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 36(6). pages 253-260.
Maintaining a small woodlot within West Carleton
We have recently lost approximately 6 very large mature white pines in the last gale, We also lost several smaller deciduous trees and we are currently cleaning up the downed trees and cutting the wood to lengths we can move. We now have a lot more light in the woods and would like to plant additional trees to fill in the spaces. The remaining trees are mainly young maples in this area of the woodlot. This area of the woods is quite close to an unmade road and is high and dry so we are looking for some good recommendations for replacement planting, once we have cleared the logs away. The pines which came down appear to have been suffering from 'heartwood rot' which may have made them more vulnerable. There are still a number of mature white pines left in this area of the woods. We live between a narrow unmade road and a little local river, which we overlook and monitor for turtles, ducks and other wildlife, and also have a creek running through the property from the nearby farm fields to the river, likely carrying the run-off from tile drainage, this also gives us a very wet low lying area in the lower woods. Any suggestion you can make to assist us in maintaining the woods as well as we can as a natural area and perhaps improve the environment for any wildlife. Here we have observed flying squirrels in the summer, we attract many varieties of birds and insects, we do not have any domestic animals at the moment so are not too concerned re this problem though we do have to chase away local farm cats. I look forward to hearing your suggestions re replanting and any other ideas.
Regards
Pat Nicholson