New forests are rising on old farm fields in Mapleton Township in an effort to improve water quality in streams feeding the Conestogo Lake reservoir.
About 70,000 trees are being planted this year and next on two parcels of land totalling 40 hectares (100 acres) on the north side of the reservoir.
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is planting a variety of species that are native to the area, including spruce, tamarack, white pine, bur oak, silver maple and cottonwood.
In addition to the new forests, the GRCA will also do some reshaping of the landscape to create some seasonal wetlands that will also help improve water quality and provide additional habitat.
As the trees grow, the areas will quickly become home to a variety of animals, such as deer and wild turkeys.
Later, as the forests mature, it’s expected that several bird species including scarlet tanagers, ovenbirds and great horned owls will take up residence.
A 12-hectare parcel near Wellington Road 10 and Concession 5 has been planted this year. The second parcel of 28 hectares is near Concession 5 and Sideroad 15.
About 18 hectares have been planted this year. The land was acquired by the GRCA when it built the reservoir in the 1950s. It has been leased to farmers since then.
The northwestern part of the Grand River watershed contains some of the best farmland in Ontario.
As a result, the forest cover is some of the lowest in the watershed. Forest cover is estimated at 15 per cent or less. A healthy watershed should have forest cover of about 30%.
Trees help raise water quality in several ways. They soak up nutrients in the soil, so reduce the volume that runs off the surface into a watercourse. Trees along a stream shade it, keeping it cooler in summer which is good for some coldwater fish species.
The total cost of the project is about $150,000. About $50,000 was contributed by the Grand River Conservation Foundation. It is also supported by the Trees Ontario Foundation which is contributing $65,000.
Tree facts:
– across the entire watershed, the GRCA will plant about 400,000 trees this year, including 95,000 on its own land and 300,000 in partnership with private land owners;
– the GRCA operates a nursery near Burford, in Brant County, where it grows more than 150,000 trees a years from 60 different species;
– since it was created in 1934, the GRCA has planted more than 27 million trees on both private land and its own land;
– the Grand River watershed was 85 per cent forest 200 years ago. However, tree cover dropped to just five per cent by 1900 as land was cleared for farming and urban areas. Today, the tree cover has rebounded to about 19 per cent. Environment Canada suggests a healthy watershed needs a tree cover of about 30 per cent.
To learn more about the GRCA’s tree planting program, go to the Tree Planting section of the GRCA website at www.grandriver.ca. The GRCA will help private landowners develop planting plans, plant the trees and find grants to offset costs.
Submitted by Dave Schultz, GRCA communications officer
