Windy Pine Woodlot Research and Management

Windy Pine Woodlot Research and Management

Kasia Janik, Charlie Phillips, Greg Stones, Jessica Swan

Tom Whillans, Trent School of the Environment

TP-633

2011

Online

Township of Minden Hills
Haliburton County

Environmental Studies

The Windy Pine property is a very uneven 25 acre plot with two large hills and most plants separated into species communities based on niche partitioning. Management of this forest is thus a challenge because most machines will have trouble on the hills and profitable trees are surrounded by trees of less value. To manage the forest while keeping to the goals of the project, it will be necessary to monitor the land for diseases, invasive plants and trees that may pose a safety hazard to visitors. To do this, the authors of the paper propose to build a trail network in the forest to help researchers keep the forest healthy and allow guests from either the cottages or surrounding areas to explore and learn from the land. We propose that to keep with the goals of the project, the land should be logged only to promote health of the forest and carried out with animals such as horses to minimize impact on soil and plants. Trails would be developed by a summer student technician who would follow the Haliburton Highlands Trails and Tour Network trail making outline. As well, interpretive and informative signs and bird lookout areas can be created to educate visitors about Windy Pine and the way the forest is managed. The report also contains information on identification and removal of invasive species in the Haliburton region.