Coordinates: Goodrich-Loomis Conservation Area, Trent Hills, Ontario Timeline: 2022 - 2025

Project Overview:

Over several seasons, the team at EcoStrategyPEC worked with Lower Trent Conservation to perform an extensive restoration effort at one of Ontario’s last vestiges of the native and endangered Tallgrass Prairie Savanna, and oak woodland.

Description and Goals:

  1. develop a strategy to control and eliminate an onslaught of harmful invasive species that were encroaching and propagating on the site.

  2. Make the site wildfire tolerant

  3. Establish new trail infrastructure for controlled burns to occur in the future, per the Ontario provincial regulations.

  4. Re-establish the native ecology through strategic planting.

  5. Build unique, inviting infrastructure for the public; building bridges and contemplative seating.

Invasive Species Management.

Over a 3 year period, we undertook an intensive manual suppression regime for the extremely harmful Dog Strangling Vine (latin: Vincetoxicum rossicum).

Our approach included seedpod collection (which eliminated the ability for the plants to reproduce by natural dispersal), and physical removal of the vine in spring months, to damage and destroy the root systems at their most vulnerable stage after winter stress.

Invasive species typically encroach on sites via human-made vectors: roads, trails, footpaths and clearing.

Results:

By removing the invasive species threat, the predominate natural undestory (in this case, wild raspberry) was allowed to re-establish and thrive. Ongoing season maintainence is required to continually monitor for the invasives re-establishing. This is focused work, with minimal effort.

Building bridges.

All site infrastructure designed sensitively, with local, repurposed materials.

Forest management: oak forest prep for woodland prescribed burning.