Creemore Nature Preserve closing temporarily for forest management
This fall, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) will temporarily close the Creemore Nature Preserve for necessary forest management activities. This work will remove a selection of invasive, non-native Scots pine trees, non-native Norway spruce, and unnaturally dense red pine trees from the tree plantations that were established prior to NCC’s ownership of the Creemore Nature Preserve. Plantation thinning is being undertaken to improve the overall health and biodiversity of the forest.
These activities are part of NCC’s ongoing stewardship and restoration efforts to transition the site’s unnatural, monoculture conifer plantations to a more biologically diverse and healthy deciduous forest, like those otherwise found on the majority of the Creemore Nature Preserve property.
The thinning of a minority of non-native species and monoculture plantations will allow for more native tree seedlings to grow, such as maple and beech trees, thereby ensuring more habitat will be available for rare and at-risk species like the eastern wood peewee and wood thrush.
As plantations age, it is also important to manage the forest to keep everyone safe. Monoculture tree plantations, especially those that contain invasive Scots pine, are less biologically diverse than natural, mixed forests and are more susceptible to disturbance from wind, fire and pests which can result in safety hazards for visitors and communities.
Tree removal is slated to begin towards the end of this November. The nature preserve will be closed to the public for the duration of the work which is expected to last approximately two to four weeks. In preparation for these plantation thinning activities, NCC has previously placed informational signage at the property and has communicated with neighbours.
The Creemore Nature Preserve has been cared for by NCC since the mid-1990s, when it was donated for conservation. Previous plantation thinning took place at the site in the mid-2000s.
NCC works to protect critical landscapes and the species they sustain in perpetuity. All of NCC’s properties are important conservation areas. Once the Creemore Nature Preserve re-opens, NCC asks that visitors respect nature by staying on designated trails, keeping pets on leash, packing out what they pack in, and leaving nature undisturbed by never picking flowers, leaves, mushrooms or decaying trees that continue to provide vital habitat even in their fallen state.
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The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner NCC works with people, communities and government to protect and care for our country’s most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares.
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