By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot
It’s hard to believe the difference from the lush, healthy woodlot we were walking through compared to photos on a poster depicting the broken, barren bush left after the 2011 Goderich tornado.
The bush being explored this day during the Huron Clean Water Project’s 20th anniversary bus tour was the Treble Woodlot, just outside of Benmiller. The bus full of participants learned most of the trees in this formerly maple-dominated woodlot were destroyed by the tornado. Thirteen years later, it’s a whole new scene.
A group photo taken that day reveals the recovered backdrop of trees.
“One hour before the tornado hit, we were in here with my daughter and her friends for her birthday scavenger hunt,” Laurie Treble told the crowd. “One hour later, there were a few surviving maples, otherwise it was flat. We couldn’t even walk around because everything was meshed together.”
Dave Pullen, Huron County’s forest manager, said this woodlot was chosen for the Huron Clean Water Project tour because it's an example of what can be done with tornado restoration. “This woodlot is also a model of restoration of a degraded woodlot,” he said. Emerald Ash Borer had devastated the ash trees in the woodlot before the tornado so replanting efforts included a diverse species of seedlings and saplings to make it more resilient to environmental changes.
Tree varieties include tulip trees, shagbark hickories, Kentucky coffee trees, burr and red oaks, hackberries and sycamores. Since the planting, other native trees have seeded themselves into the woodlot so the forest is even more diverse.
During the tour, Pullen pointed out an Angelica atropupurea (purple angelica) because it's a tall plant that many confuse with giant hogweed. However, angelica is a beneficial native plant with solid purple and green stems, versus blotchy and prickly purple stems of giant hogweed. Also, angelica has a compound leaf versus one giant leaf.
The Huron Clean Water project provided funding for this project and partnered with the Trebles, the Huron Stewardship Council, volunteers and students, such as Trebles’ daughter and her class. “They planted over 1,200 trees and that was really special,” remembers Laurie.
Andy Ross Tree Planting and Naturalization
Next stop on the tour was to the home of Andy Ross whose property is beside the Morris Tract Reserve which Andy noted is the second largest green space on a topographical map in Huron County. The first is the Saratoga Swamp.
Ross used to rent small, irregular-shaped fields on his property to local farmers but he always had “in the back of his mind” a plan to reforest the 15 acres that butted onto the reserve as a retirement project. When a naturalist walked the property and informed him about tree planting funds available from the Huron Clean Water Project and the 50 Million Tree Project (which has since been cancelled) he knew it was time to talk to the farmer renting his land, even though he was stressed he would receive pushback from the farmer.
However, the farmer supported the project suggesting the field was “tired” and he lost significant portions of his crops to wildlife.
“Fifteen acres is a lot to plant in one year so we decided to do three separate projects beginning in 2017 and finishing in 2019,” explained Ross. When it was done, over 9,000 trees were planted, almost for “free” using grants. Money Ross himself had saved up for the project was invested in 1,800 protective tubes that he used to protect the trees from deer and other wildlife.
“I now call them growth tubes because they are like little greenhouses. I think they almost double the first year of growth,” said Ross. Tree varieties that were planted include black cherry, black walnut, sugar maples, varieties of oak, spruce, pine and tamaracks, butternut hickory, shagbark hickory and tulip trees. A cover crop of white clover was planted between the trees. I wanted a carpet to prevent other weeds,” he said.
Part of the funding requirements included signing a contract that Ross could not cut the trees down for 15 years, he had to keep the weeds down and try to stop animals from destroying the trees. He just passed the five-year inspection to learn where most plantations have a 60 per cent survival rate, his 15-acre woodlot has a 90 per cent survival rate. The biggest killer of his trees are rodents. He uses large, metal, live traps to capture several mice at a time then plays a game of “chomp and stomp '' with his dogs to eradicate the mice.
Ross still mows grass from the trees planted in 2019 but will soon quit to protect naturally seeded trees which he says are “hardier and more robust” than the planted trees.
Dam Removal and Wetland Creation, Weth Mushrooms
Moving towards Naftel’s Creek outside of Goderich, the tour stopped at the location of a former dam that was creating stagnant pools and warming water in the creek, known for its high-quality cold water which is home to brook trout.
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority Restoration Specialist, Shannon Miller, explained the dam was about one metre tall and was preventing fish from migrating up the river. “The water was also becoming warm and stagnant from a pond that was fully connected to the creek,” explained Miller. “Brook trout like cool, clean water.”
In 2017, Brian Weth of Weth Mushrooms wanted the area cleaned up. He did not like the algae and mosquitoes in the valley but he needed help as this project required extensive funding, engineering and many permits. The total cost of the project was $120,000.
The dam was removed and a concrete cable spillway was installed instead of a rock spillway as a more permanent solution when water rose. The pond was separated from the creek so that no warm pond water can enter the creek and now works in a “floodplain capacity,” said Miller.
Miller said the project was important to preserve habitat for brook trout as only 16 per cent of the original creek is still intact. Of the remaining, 42 per cent is degraded and 44 per cent has been extirpated. This restoration reconnected four kilometres of upstream habitat which fish and other aquatic animals can now migrate and utilize.
Once the mechanics of the project were completed, the area was seeded to native plants and 50 trees and shrubs were planted.
“It looks bare now but it will start to take off and once the dogwoods get going, they will provide shade to the creek and help keep it cool,” she said.
Carnochan Livestock Access Restriction
The Carnochan family farm experienced bank erosion through their farm as it is located along the headwaters of the Bayfield River, states the agenda material on this last stop on the tour.
Concerned about the erosion, the family considered how they could modify their agricultural operation to protect water quality in the Bayfield River. Project construction began in 2010 with installation of a fence to restrict livestock from the river. Rock riprap was installed along the riverbank and laid down to form an in-channel weir, creating a natural pool-riffle formation.
Once the fence and erosion control was in place, trees and shrubs were planted to further naturalize the site and enhance the riparian conditions.
The Carnochan site was chosen for the tour because it is an example of how protecting water quality requires a dynamic approach, sometimes involving more than one Huron County Clean Water project for site success.
Hullett Marsh
The bus tour ended at the Hullett Marsh for a picnic lunch and talk about where water wells have been decommissioned, trees planted, invasive species controlled and more. The Hullett Marsh is an example of how the Huron Clean Water Project is available to support landowners and partners of all scales, with protecting and improving water quality in the county.
Since 2005, Huron County residents have completed nearly 4,000 stewardship projects with funding from the Clean Water Project, including:
– 113 liquid manure storages decommissioned
– 435 wells upgraded
– 620 wells decommissioned
– 38,000 acres of cover crops
– 1,319 tree planting projects
– 304 erosion control projects ◊