Forest Management Plan
Victoria Park, Charlottetown
Wooded area: 15 ha (37 acres)
Prepared by: Gary Schneider
Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project

INTRODUCTION

Victoria Park, long the jewel in the City of Charlottetown's park system, is located between the Park Roadway and Brighton Road. It is a prestigious property, bordering on Government House and having a virtually uninterrupted view of the harbour. Due to its strategic location and physical beauty, the land has always attracted a lot of interest. After the British colonization of Prince Edward's Island, the area was planned as part of the Charlottetown Common. In 1789 Governor Edmund Fanning appropriated one hundred acres of the land for the residence and use of the Lieutenant Governor of P.E.I. Responding to public pressure to create a park within the city, the provincial government decided in 1873 to use 40 acres of Government Farm in the City of Charlottetown "for the sole purpose of a park, promenade and pleasure ground, for the use of the citizens (of Charlottetown), the inhabitants of this Island, and all Her Majesty's subjects." Victoria Park, and by association the City of Charlottetown, has often found itself in the middle of controversy. While some have always viewed it as an area of great natural beauty, others have looked at it as a place for recreation - everything from a wooden toboggan slide built in 1870 to the more recent skateboard park and multiple ballfields. This plan is meant to focus discussion on how to improve the ecological integrity of Victoria Park, not as a means of revisiting past decisions.

Aerial view of Victoria Park in 2000.

GENERAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

Like many Prince Edward Island woodlands, Victoria Park is a hodge-podge of forest types - including areas of white spruce that have grown up after the abandonment of fields and mixed woods stands made up of a variety of native and non-native species. For the most part, a lot of the older trees are dying and there continues to be a serious reduction in the average size of the trees in the stands. Since parts of the forest were once used for agricultural purposes, there may be nutrient deficiencies and soil compaction. It is also not as complex a forest as it could be. The practice of cleaning out the "brush" generally has no role in maintaining forest health and can cause a serious reduction in biodiversity. There are many areas within the forest that are primarily made up of young trees and in some places there are far too few trees growing up. This is mostly a result of mortality of larger trees resulting from insects or Hurricane Juan.

The young age of the woodlands is a challenge, but at the same time there are excellent opportunities for restoration. Though the winter winds and salt spray are not as punishing as along the north shore of Prince Edward Island, it is a small area of woods close to the water and thus suffers from higher winds than would a larger wooded area away from the water. There is an excess of "edge" habitat, which means that the forest is quite fragmented with no large blocks of woodland. There is also a lack of large wildlife trees in some areas of the property .

As with all forests, the woodland of Victoria Park cleans water and air and stores carbon in both the wood and the organic matter of the soil. It is an excellent place for many species of wildlife, both migratory and non-migratory, and provides welcome relief on hot summer days. It could also play a much more important role in protecting and enhancing biodiversity within the greater Charlotettown area. Many of the province's rarest plants, such as witch hazel and ironwood, would be very suitable for plantings in the park.

THE PRESENT SITUATION

A walk through Victoria Park for someone who loves forests can be a disturbing event. The views of the waterfront are extraordinary and there are many beautiful trees within the park, but it is clear that there has never been a long-term plan in place with the health of the forest as a primary consideration. The few small areas of somewhat natural forest with a high percentage of native plant species are overshadowed by many more areas, especially around the perimeter of the park, dominated by non-native trees. Austrian pine, Scots pine, European linden, Norway maple, Manitoba maple, European mountain ash, Lombardy poplar, English oak, European white birch, flowering hawthorn, wild apples - it is a long list just of the trees.

This is the first consideration when looking at the health of the park. It is not a natural area. Hundreds of years ago the property would have been an old-growth Acadian forest. Today, it is a mix of old farmland with some areas of relatively-natural forest and a great many plantings done on an ad hoc basis. Many of the problems occur because the City of Charlottetown lacks the resources to properly look after a large urban park where individual plantings can be fussed over. A plant that is moisture-stressed or hit by a lawnmower or smothered in grass is an unhealthy plant. Even a brief walk through any of the trails shows evidence of a continuing degradation of the site, primarily from human sources but also through natural processes. The chief human disturbances can be categorized as follows:

The fragmentation of the forest: Small blocks of woodlands have a hard time maintaining ecological integrity. The overabundance of "edge" is beneficial to some generalist species such as blue jays but it can have a detrimental effect on others, especially interior-dwelling forest birds. Wildlife is disturbed by a host of predators (everything from cats to raccoons) that frequent the edges of these woodlands. One mature tree dying in a small woodland exposes a much higher percentage of the forest to increased light and heat than would occur in a larger area. The woodlands of Victoria Park are in essence all edge, overburdened with trails, roadways and clearings. There is nothing that could be considered true forest interior. Every new effort that reduces the amount of trees magnifies the problem.

Vandalism: The park has long been a target of vandals - from broken branches, torn bark and axe blazes to the newer rash of spray painters. In some cases these problems overlap - in several areas birch bark has been torn off to remove offending language spray painted on the tree.

Invasive non-native plant species: There is a large block of Japanese knotweed, as well as at least one other smaller area, that should be seen as an ongoing threat to the health of Victoria Park. Knotweed is so aggressive that it literally smothers out all other plant life. In addition, there are large areas of European buckthorn. As it does in many other Canadian parks and woodlands, buckthorn poses real problems as an understory plant since it can outcompete native regeneration. Wild cucumber has also started to gain a foothold in some of the wooded areas.

Litter: The fact that people throw garbage all over the park or neglect to clean up after their dog without facing any penalties means that somehow it has become acceptable behaviour for too many visitors. If people get a sense that the park is not being looked after, it makes it easier for them to throw their own garbage, spray paint trees or tear off the bark.

Lack of attention to forest health: For a host of reasons, which most likely revolve around a lack of sufficient staffing, there are trees that need more maintenance, ones that have been damaged by machines or some that should be removed altogether. This is not meant to be a criticism, just a recognition that healthy parks take a great deal of maintenance.

As if that wasn't bad enough, nature has been taking some shots at Victoria Park as well. Hurricane Juan knocked over some of the older trees and broke the tops off many others. Insects such as the bronze birch borer and fungi such as the beech bark canker are also having serious impacts on the forest. Global climate change will undoubtably create further stresses on the trees.

Many of the white birches, once the pride of the park, are victims of multiple stressors. The bronze birch borer tends to have greater impact on trees in poorer condition. The adults mainly attack birches that are weakened by drought, soil compaction, old age, insect defoliation or previous stem or root injury. These are conditions that the birches in Victoria Park face. For the most part, the park is a dry site, there has been a lot of compaction from vehicles and trail users, the trees are getting to the end of their natural life span, there have been other insects attacking the trees and there are numerous injuries to the stems. Birches are shallow-rooted trees that are easily injured.

Beech bark disease is an increasing threat to the most common trees in Victoria Park. The disease is a canker caused by a fungal pathogen (Nectria coccinea var. faginata). Fungal spores enter the beech through holes made by the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga Lindinger). The beech scale was introduced to Nova Scotia at the beginning of the 1900's and has since spread through a much larger area. Some of the beech in the park are in quite good shape, but most are riddled with cankers that seriously stress the trees.

SILVICULTURAL TECHNIQUES

The goal of this plan is to see a mix of species and ages in a healthy forest. Ideally, visitors should be able to walk through the woodland trails and see the enhancement work that has been done. That doesn't mean the work should detract from the experience - the focus should still be on the walk itself. People will see trees planted and trees cut, but if they understand why the work is being done, it will be an inspiration rather than a detracting from the overall experience. Tree removal will be based on favouring healthier, better quality, long-lived species and creating planting spaces. The techniques used on the property to carry out the forest restoration will include:

1. Planting: native plants suitable to the site will be used to add beauty, increase biodiversity and improve wildlife habitat. These will include quite rare species, which will allow the City of Charlottetown to participate in maintaining and increasing seed sources for species such as ironwood, witch hazel, hobblebush and even ground flora. Unlike plantations, these plantings will make best use of existing regeneration and rely on strategic placement and species choice rather than large numbers.
2. Patch cuts: small cuts, often removing only a few trees to enlarge an existing opening, that will be followed by planting a small number of trees and shrubs. These patches should be well planned and spaced throughout the woodlands. Care should be taken to ensure that the surrounding vegetation is not damaged during the cutting.
3. Thinning: in some cases excellent young red oak and yellow birch are being crowded by other shorter-lived non-native species. These areas will benefit from thinnings, though unlike the more common "spacing" operations, these will be carried out in an effort to improve quality and enhance both the species and structural diversity within the forest.
4. Removal of invasive species: while this is not part of silvicultural work on most forest lands, if it is not done in Victoria Park the problem will only get worse as these plants spread even further throughout the woodlands. Some of the techniques that will be used include digging, repeated mowing, pulling plants and smothering.
5. Pruning: many of the older trees, plantings and regeneration will greatly benefit from judicious pruning to improve growth and general health. As with all work done in the park, this should be carried out by trained staff or volunteers who recognize the importance of the work. The investment in pruning today will pay off greatly in the future. Many of the multi-stemmed trees have "included bark", a condition that, if left alone, will result in severely damaged trees that break off during future windstorms.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

One option available to all landowners is to do nothing. In a normal woodland, this would allow the trees to get older and larger. Where existing or future seed sources (yellow birch, white pine, red spruce and possibly red oak) are present, more valuable, shade-tolerant trees begin to seed in. Over the long term, more snags develop and larger amounts of woody debris from both branches and stems will be on the ground to act as nurse trees and provide habitat and nutrients.

Unfortunately, that process works a lot better where there is little human intervention. Victoria Park continues to be heavily used and will not improve or even maintain forest health without a great deal of attention. The aim of this restoration plan is to speed up that natural succession towards longer-lived tree species, improve tree health, increase biodiversity and enhance wildlife habitat. This will be done by adding a range of appropriate species and intervening earlier rather than later in some of the conifer stands, as well as improving quality of existing trees. It will also allow some of the most interesting, rare and attractive species to be added, including witch hazel, hobblebush, Eastern hemlock, white ash, sugar maple and ironwood. The interventions will also improve the quality of the woodlands by carefully selecting individual trees to leave and by pruning for high-quality timber. Once sufficient volume, quality and species composition is achieved, future plantings should not be necessary.

The following ideas are intended to improve the health of the woodlands of Victoria Park. It should be noted that this park is much like other urban parks - overused and understaffed. The work will also make the woodlands of the park more beautiful and provide a more positive experience for visitors. The recommendations are ranked in order of priority but they are closely linked to each another:

1. Change the way people view Victoria Park.

This jewel in our capital city's park system needs to have more people who view it that way. The park needs to attract more people with an appreciation for the physical beauty of the park and that can only be accomplished if the park warrants that appreciation. It should be welcoming and well-looked after, a source of pride for all who visit. It should not just be a place to come and play sports, or to walk a dog or to meet with friends, though these are all valid uses of the park. Victoria Park does not necessarily need more users - the sports venues are quite popular already. It needs school children helping with plantings and seeing the park as a place to learn about plants and wildlife. It needs cooperative visits from groups such as the Natural History Society, the Island Nature Trust, the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island and others to look at birds and plants and help to improve habitat. It needs a buy-in from neighbours and all Islanders who have been touched at some time in their life by the beauty of this property.

In essence, for Victoria Park to thrive, it needs an atmosphere where tossing a chip bag is someone littering on "your" property, where a person tearing off bark is killing "your" tree. The only way to do this is to change how people feel about the park.

One way to engage the community would be to host an annual event in the park on Victoria Day related to the restoration work. Such an annual event would become another feature activity within the City of Charlottetown. It should include related educational walks and workshops, such as bird walks and pruning demonstrations; a clean up; and a large planting. It could also be a volunteer recognition day and include music, food and children's activities - a joyous celebration of the park.

2. All work should be of the highest quality.

Every planting should be done correctly or it should not be done at all. That doesn't mean that planners and staff should be hamstrung by a fear of failure, but that you have a well-thought out plan and you stick to it. All pruning cuts and other silvicultural work should be done by qualified staff who understand that they are there to improve the health of the woodlands. It also means that the plants selected should be the right ones for each location.

3. Plant more native plants and explain why you are doing this work.

There are many areas of the park that could be planted. These include the woodland edges where Hurricane Juan blew down trees and areas that have excessive amounts of Norway maple or European buckthorn regeneration. There are also many areas that could be planted to give more connectivity and mass to the existing woodlands. This will result in less lawn maintenance and improved habitat for woodland birds. One of these new areas will be planted to fruit-bearing native shrubs - a mix of highbush cranberry, American mountain ash, hawthorn and wild rose, specifically to attract winter birds such as cedar and bohemian waxwings, robins and pine grosbeaks. It would make sense to use the periphery of the park or already disturbed areas such as the Veteran's plaque to showcase non-native plants. This is the compromise that seems most suited to the park.

4. Renovate the existing trail system and make woodland walks more welcoming.

There are far too many trails for such a small piece of woodland. Start by closing some of the lesser-used ones, using plants as physical barriers. At the same time, the popular trails should be made more inviting. Entryways should be carefully enhanced with extra effort spent on pruning and planting. Trees and shrubs planted in these areas and along the trails will give the best return on investment. Plants along the trails should be well-pruned and the trails themselves should be dry and have a good walking surface.

5. Carry out an intensive removal of the worst of the non-native species.

Japanese knotweed is a difficult plant to get rid of but one that has to be removed. Since it is already a recognized problem in many Island communities, staff could use the larger patch to test a variety of eradication methods. Especially since it is a public park, it is critical that staff avoid chemical herbicides. Digging the knotweed out is a large task but one that won't get any easier in the future. Whatever you ignore will be that much harder to get rid of in the future. Intensive mowing and smothering are two other techniques worth experimenting with. The European buckthorn is such a problem plant that there are eradication programs underway in places such as Toronto's High Park. For the most part they can be pulled or cut off, making sure that they never again get large enough to produce seeds. The wild cucumber is an annual climber that produces lots of seed and can be easily pulled up wherever found until the seed sources are gone. There should be a regular maintenance program set up with staff trained to identify these plants and can routinely keep an eye out for any recurrence.

6. Be friendly to both the forest and its wildlife.

There are dozens of species of birds and small mammals that make use of cavities in trees. Any dead or dying trees that pose a risk of falling on the trails, roadway, power lines or fences should be carefully removed but throughout the woodland leave as many as possible for nesting and denning sites. The stems of wood cut should be left in long pieces wherever possible and allowed to decompose on site. Piles should be made only to provide habitat for wildlife where such habitat does not exist and there should be longer lengths of wood.

7. Use plants instead of fencing wherever possible.

Several areas of the park, including the Brighton Road entryway and around the pond, make use of chain fencing that is difficult to maintain. Plants can accomplish the same result and offer other positive values without looking so forbidding. They will be more attractive, provide food and habitat for wildlife and be easier to maintain over the long run.

THE FOUR STANDS:

Stand #1:

The narrow block of woodland (1.41 acres - .57 ha) that runs East-West along Brighton Road behind the storage building. The main trail runs through the centre of the stand. There is a lot of vandalism on the white birch and also a large amount of litter in the area. The stand is approximately 50% beech, 30% white birch and 10% red oak, with European mountain ash, European linden, choke cherry, Norway maple, English oak, white spruce and pin cherry.

Some of the large beech are fairly canker-free and there are some high-quality wildlife trees. Care should be taken to maintain these features.

Wildlife: black-capped chickadees calling, European starlings, blue jays, crows.

Recommended work:

• 1. Prune the walkway at the Eastern edge of the woodlands and along the other well-used trails.
• 2. Replant the North-South trail to the East of the stand.
• 3. Remove some of the Norway maple understory to allow other plantings of Eastern hemlock, red spruce, sugar maple, striped maple, witch hazel, beaked hazelnut and a mixture of wildflowers and ferns.
• 4. Prune (for structure and health) some of the larger hardwoods and the stump sprouts.
• 5. Within the stand, favour red oak and white birch.
• 6. Take out any dangerous trees near trails, roadway and powerlines.
• 7. Slowly remove the worst of the cankered beech, about 1-2% annually.
• 8. Prune some of the branches reaching too far into Brighton Road.
• 9. The two sugar maples planted at the edge need pruning and mulching.
• 10. Create a new woodland running South along the fence from the Eastern end of the stand, an area about 110m x 2m. At present the fence looks overgrown and the strip of woodland, which could be expanded in the future, would help connect the stands and serve as travel corridors for wildlife. Plant a mix of red oak, red maple, white ash, American elm, eastern larch, white spruce, black spruce, white cedar, highbush cranberry, willow, common elder, red-berried elder, serviceberry, American mountain ash, wild raisin, red osier dogwood, wild rose and bayberry (about 200 plants).

Stand #2:

The narrow block of woodland (4.7 acres - 1.93 ha) that runs East-West along Brighton Road from the Western end of Stand #1. The main trail runs through the centre of the stand. This is the worst area both for vandalism on the trees (hatcheting, spray painting and bark-tearing) and litter. The stand is approximately 40% white birch, 20% beech, 20% red oak and 10% European linden, with a mix of European mountain ash, Norway maple, choke cherry, English oak, white spruce, wild rose, Lombardy poplar, trembling aspen, pin cherry, serviceberry, European white birch, bayberry, highbush cranberry, flowering hawthorn, wild apple and rosa rugosa. This stand also contains a large block of Japanese knotweed.

Some of the large beech are fairly canker-free and there are some excellent young red oak. Extra care should be taken when working around these trees. There are some high-quality wildlife trees and care should be taken to maintain these.

Wildlife: many black-capped chickadees calling, European starlings, blue jays, crows, red-breasted nuthatch calling.

Recommended work:

• 1. The Eastern end of the trail is too wet. Create a new trail closer to the Brighton Road entrance for about 20m and avoid the wet area. Replant the old entryway and trail section with larger plants - Eastern hemlock, sugar maple, witch hazel and highbush cranberry in the front dry area and then white ash, red maple, American elm, wild raisin and serviceberry in the wet area.
• 2. Remove the two Lombardy poplars and possibly the European white birch at the Southeast end of the stand. None of these three look healthy and the European birches tend to attract large numbers of pests.
• 3. Replant the North-South trail at the Eastern of the stand.
• 4. Prune overhanging branches along the next North-South trail
• 5. Remove some of the Norway maple understory to allow other plantings. These openings can just be a few metres wide, enough to allow for a fern or an Eastern hemlock.
• 6. Prune (for structure and health) some of the larger hardwoods and the stump sprouts.
• 7. Favour red oak, white birch and clean beech.
• 8. Take out any dangerous trees near trails, roadway and powerlines.
• 9. Slowly remove worst of cankered beech, at a rate of 1-2% annually.
• 10. Make a small patch cut, about 8m x 8m, in the area of almost pure pin cherry (leaving all other species). Replant with Eastern hemlock, sugar maple, striped maple, wild raisin, witch hazel and some wildflowers.
• 11. There is a great need to plan the traffic in this area. The second North-South trail across from driveway leads to the gate, but there may be a better way to access this area. The third North-South trail that has been replanted needs more plants and also the Scots pine should be removed. The fourth path across from Regiment goes nowhere and could be closed. The Western ending of the trail also peters out and should be redone.
• 12. Prune some of the branches heading too far towards Brighton Road
• 13. Remove all Japanese knotweed (30m x 30m). This will be a difficult task but must be done to ensure that this invasive plant doesn't spread even further throughout the park. The area around the knotweed is quite messy, with too much wood cut up into small pieces.
• 14. Remove pin cherry from the beautiful serviceberry clump East of the knotweed.
• 15. Rescue flowering hawthorn to the Northwest of horseshoe pits.
• 16. Expand the forest at the Western end of the stand. There are some existing trees and others have been cut. The stand could easily be 10-20m longer and be much more attractive. Plant a mix of 50 shade-tolerant trees and shrubs in this area, including sugar maple, striped maple, ironwood, Eastern hemlock, witch hazel, highbush cranberry, wild raisin and hobblebush.

Stand #3:

The largest block of woodland (11.58 acres - 4.69 ha) that occupies the Southwest corner of the property and ends at the road leading from the horseshoe pits to the tennis courts. There is a great deal of vandalism on the white birch and lots of litter. On the Northeast corner of the stand there is a small wetland. The stand made up of 40% beech, 20% white birch, 10% red oak and 10% white spruce. There are also European mountain ash, European linden, Norway maple, English oak, Scots pine, yellow birch, Eastern white cedar, Eastern hemlock, Manitoba maple, Lombardy poplar, pin cherry, choke cherry, alternate-leaf dogwood, speckled alder, wild rose, willow, and red-berried elder. There are wood ferns, sensitive ferns, beech drops, Indian pipe and a mix of woodland wildflowers that includes bunchberry and wild lily-of-the-valley. There are also many invasive species in the stand, including European buckthorn, Japanese knotweed and wild cucumber.

Some of the large beech fairly canker-free and there is more potential for these woodlands with the presence of some excellent quality yellow birch and red oak. There are also some high-quality wildlife trees that should be preserved as long as possible.

Wildlife: black-capped chickadees calling, juncoes calling, hairy woodpecker drumming, song sparrows singing, red-breasted nuthatch calling, mourning doves calling, European starlings, blue jays, crows, American robins.

Recommended work:

• 1. Prune trees along all walkways. Make sure that the entryways of all trails from the outside of the woodland look welcoming and well-looked after. Some of the trails are wider than they need to be and could be narrowed with plantings.
• 2. Plant an area between Stand #2 and Stand #3 to connect the two areas, improve wildlife habitat and reduce maintenance. This would run from the Northeast corner of the stand over to the area with the Japanese knotweed. It is now mowed regularly but doesn't get much use. Leave a trail through the area. The planting area would be about a fifth of a hectare and would need about 300 plants - a mix of Eastern larch, black spruce, Eastern white cedar, red maple, American elm, highbush cranberry, wild raisin, red osier dogwood, willows, false holly, witch hazel, bayberry, American mountain ash, common elder and red-berried elder.
• 3. Plant the wet area at the Northeast corner of the stand, about 30 plants in a mix of white ash, red maple, mountain maple, black spruce, Eastern larch, Eastern white cedar, American elm, wild raisin, false holly, winterberry holly and common elder.
• 4. Remove the Lombardy poplar and wild cucumber from this area.
• 5. Remove the Japanese knotweed from the area between compost piles and Veterans' plaque.
• 6. Remove all European buckthorn from the stand.
• 7. Underplant shade tolerant shrubs and hardwoods in the white spruce areas towards the Western end of the stand - about 50 sugar maple, yellow birch, striped maple, Eastern hemlock, witch hazel, beaked hazelnut, hobblebush, highbush cranberry and wild raisin.
• 8. Take out some of the Norway maple understory to allow other plantings of Eastern hemlock, white pine, red spruce, witch hazel, sugar maple, striped maple, yellow birch, wild raisin and a mix of wildflowers and ferns.
• 9. Prune (for structure and health) some of the larger hardwoods and the stump sprouts.
• 10. Favour red oak, yellow birch and white birch.
• 11. Take out any dangerous trees near trails.
• 12. Slowly remove worst of cankered beech at a rate of 1-2% annually.
• 13. Plant all areas around the outside of the Southern and Western edges of the stand where trees were knocked down by Hurricane Juan. Although they will become part of the forest, they need to be more sun and wind tolerant. Use a mix of red maple, gray birch, American elm, Eastern larch, white spruce, highbush cranberry, wild raisin, red-berried elder and common elder.
• 14. At the edge of the woods to the West of the tennis courts, plant a large area specifically to attract winter birds such as American robins, cedar waxwings, bohemian waxwings, pine grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks and purple finches. In a long strip, plant 300 American mountain ash, highbush cranberry, wild rose, hawthorn and bayberry. Since this is already a recreational area, it may be a place to add non-natives such as flowering crabs and wild apples to the mix. This planting would not only attract birds throughout the year but birders as well.

Stand #4:

A very fragmented block of woodland (9.34 acres - 3.74 ha) that contains Deadman's Pond and a large open recreational area. There are large amounts of vandalism and litter. The stand is made up of approximately 40% beech, 20% white birch, 20% Norway maple and 10% Scots pine, with European mountain ash, European linden, yellow birch, Norway maple, English oak, white spruce, sugar maple, Eastern white pine, Eastern hemlock, wild apple, Eastern white cedar, pin cherry, choke cherry, wild rose, bayberry, willow. This area also has large amounts of European buckthorn.

Some of the large beech in this stand are fairly canker-free and it is the best area in the park for yellow birch. The two Eastern hemlock planted by the pond are magnificent though young. There are also some excellent wildlife trees throughout the stand that are important to many species of wildlife. As with all other stands in Victoria Park, there are too many trails for such a small area of woodland.

Wildlife: black-capped chickadees calling, mourning doves calling, European starlings, blue jays, crows, vireo nest across from Veterans' plaque.

Recommended work:

• 1. Prune all walkways to make them more welcoming. Make sure that the entryways of all trails from the outside of the woodland look welcoming and well-looked after. As with Stand #3, some of the trails are wider than they need to be and could be narrowed with plantings.
• 2. Remove all European buckthorn.
• 3. Plant the triangles of grass across the trails to the West and East of the Veterans' plaque, each with about 25 plants of sugar maple, white pine, ironwood, Eastern hemlock, witch hazel and highbush cranberry.
• 4. Replant the trail running from the pond to the Veterans' plaque, using large plants to act as natural barriers. Eastern hemlock and larger shade-tolerant shrubs such as beaked hazelnut, witch hazel and highbush cranberry would be good choices.
• 5. Remove some of the Norway maple understory to allow other plantings of Eastern hemlock, red oak, white pine, red spruce, white ash, sugar maple, striped maple, witch hazel, hobblebush, wild raisin and mix of wildflowers and ferns.
• 6. Prune (for structure and health) some of the larger hardwoods and the stump sprouts.
• 7. Favour red oak, yellow birch, sugar maple, white birch and clean beech.
• 8. Take out any dangerous trees near trails and powerlines.
• 9. Slowly remove worst of cankered beech at a rate of about 1-2% annually.
• 10. Narrow the trail between the Northern boundary of stand and ballfield and replant where it is too open with a mixture of shade-tolerant species.
• 12. Some parts of the trails are too wet or too rooty and need upgrading.
• 13. Dead Man's Pond is almost impossible to maintain at present. Changing the public attitude towards the park will go a long way to reducing the litter and vandalism. If some form of fencing is mandatory, use hedging plants such as Eastern hemlock, highbush cranberry and witch hazel to create a natural barrier and start making the area more attractive. It also would be prudent to do a clean-up of the pond itself in the fall.
• 14. Add plants to the open area inside the woodlands to the South of the pond. This does get some recreational use but it seems to be an excessively large area of grass. The Southern edge should be thickened up significantly with a mixture of Eastern larch, white spruce, red maple, American elm, highbush cranberry, wild raisin, beaked hazelnut and witch hazel. The same species can be used on the Eastern side of the open area.
• 15. An alternate site for the winter berry planting would be alongside the row of newly planted trees in the field to the East of the Lieutenant-Governor's residence.

Other work:

While outside the actual forest, these actions will help draw public support attention and support for the work within the entire park:

• 1. The area between the Brighton Road parking lot and the clubhouse needs a lot of work. It should be beautiful, but now looks neglected. Add three red oak, three red maple, six witch hazel, six serviceberry, three highbush cranberry and twelve red osier dogwood. Remove some of the worst trees that remain and prune up the rest.
• 2. The strips of woodlands running towards the Lieutenant-Governor's residence should be widened and underplanted with a mixture of appropriate species.
• 3. The topsoil-sand-compost piles could be consolidated to one side and plants used to screen off the area. It is a bit of an eyesore in an area that should look beautiful. If they were all piled to the West of the opening, the Eastern area could be replanted to expand those woodlands.
• 4. Cut trees hanging over ball fences nearest Lieutenant-Governor's residence.
• 5. Rip up asphalt between the Southeast ballfield and the closed-off roadway. This could be planted with shrubs or just grass.
• 6. Clean out trees and shrubs growing up through the ballfield fencing. It is neither good for the plants nor the fencing and again just gives an impression that the park is not being well-maintained.

RESTORATION FORESTRY

The philosophy contained in this management plan can best be described as restoration forestry, concentrating on the creation of a diverse, long-lived Acadian forest that will meet the needs of a wide range of native tree and shrub species. A variety of silvicultural techniques will be used to create or enhance appropriate planting areas. Throughout the process of restoration, we will be encouraging practices that lead to a forest full of long-lived trees and the accompanying plant communities that provide a wide array of values. A critical part of this forest community will include dead wood, both standing and on the ground.

The following "Harvesting Rules for Natural Selection Forestry" have been developed by Orville Camp, author of The Forest Farmer's Handbook and president of the Forest Farm Association. Mr. Camp is a leading proponent of sustainable logging practices and natural selection forest management in Oregon and across the continent.

• 1. Address forest needs first. In so doing, you will address yours.
• 2. Always leave the stronger dominants. Leaving the strong dominant trees will provide the best genetic traits for new stocking in which to best survive environmental extremes. Leaving the strong dominant trees will help maintain the forest health and avoid paying a high ecological price over the long term.
• 3. Harvest only those trees that nature has selected for removal. There are many indicators for determining which individuals nature has selected for removal. One of the best indicators, for example, is when two or more trees of the same age are competing for the same space and the growth rate of one starts tapering off. The one that starts tapering off with respect to the other is usually the one nature has selected out and can be removed. A major benefit in harvesting only naturally selected individuals is in being able to continue addressing the ecological needs of the forest ecosystem. Economically, the costs of using chemicals, slash burning and reforestation can be reduced to zero.
• 4. Maintain suitable climate, soil and water conditions for all normally associated species. These three essentials determine what can live in a given area. Canopy dominants control all three of these conditions below and should not be removed if they will substantially alter the climate below.
• 5. Maintain habitat suitable for providing food, shelter and reproduction needs for all normally associated species. All these needs must continue to be met for each species to survive.
• 6. Maintain the natural selection system of "checks and balances" for keeping the forest ecosystem healthy and productive. There must be adequate populations of all normally associated species for maintaining the best system of checks and balances.
• 7. Remove no more than what the forest is truly capable of producing at any given time. Overharvesting can substantially reduce production and seriously affect forest health or result in its death.
• 8. "Do I feel certain about my decision?" The rule is: "When in doubt, don't!" Get expert advice or evaluate the situation until you are satisfied with what you propose to do. You may never be able to replace what you are removing nor undo the damage caused by what you have removed. If you still can't decide, it's usually best not to do anything.