The Rural Voice, 1979-07, Page 7Cutting in this woodlot in East Wawanosh shows how
not to cut trees.
The roar of the bulldozer could still be heard when
this photo was taken, and the green shoots of grain
were pushing their way to the light in this newly
cleared swamp in West Wawanosh.
However, Mr. Smith warns the ministry is extending the range
of the black walnut a little further north than its natural habitat,
so it will only thrive on very good soil in sheltered locations in
this part of the country.
Mrs. Smith said in addition to planting woodlots, the ministry
offers three other services to woodlot owners. Staff will go into a
mature woodlot, mark the trees for cutting, estimate the volume
of timber involved and assist in finding a buyer for the mature
trees when a woodlot owner wants to remove some lumber.
Also, when trees are too young for sale as lumber, the ministry
staff will go in to thin the woodlot, using a technique called
"girdling".
The fourth service offered is in older conifer plantations with
white pine or other species, ministry staff w ill assist the woodlot
owner in pruning the trees and getting rid of unnecessary side
branches so the trees can reach maturity better.
Woodlots, like windbreaks, improve- the value of the total
farm. As "The Farm Woodlot , a publication of the Ministry of
Natural Resources points out, "Mesopotamia was the cradle of
European agriculture. Five thousand years ago the valley of the
Tigris and Euphrates was an extraordinarily productive area,
giving rise to the belief that it contained the Garden of Eden.
When multiplied the:, cut off the forests at the headwaters of
these rivers. . . Deprived of moisture, vegetation and topsoil,
most of the area was surrendered to the wind, the sand and the
desert. Before erosion dropped its Long Term Bomb, the valley
supported ten times as many people as it does today."
That's the kind of warning that's hard to ignore.
THE RURAL VOICE/JULY 1979 PO. 5