Trees are, of course, an important part of our ecosystem but there are times when less is more.
At the Napanee Plain Alvar Nature Reserve this week, several volunteers gathered to cut down some small eastern red cedar trees and other shrubs that are crowding out the open habitat.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada calls the Napanee Plain one of North America’s great limestone plain landscapes.
A rich complex of wetlands, forests, lakes, grasslands and alvars, the 178,000-hectare (440,000-acre) area is an important habitat for grassland birds including the whipoorwill and eastern loggerhead shrike.
Jennifer Gagne, NCC’s coordinator, Conservation Biology for Central Ontario East says they cut down some trees in specific areas where they know those species at risk are nesting.
“And the reason that we’re cutting mainly red cedar but also other woody species is because those birds tend to prefer open area as well as shrubland. So we try to limit it to less than 50 per cent of it being treed.”
Thursday’s event also featured some festive cheer.
Volunteers had the option to take a tree they cut down home for a Christmas tree or create a holiday wreath with the extra boughs.
Gagne says more volunteers are always welcome at their events in the area.
Send an email to on.volunteers@natureconservancy.ca to be placed on a mailing list to receive information about other NCC events.
