The Rural Voice, 2004-10, Page 18Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority
Providing financial
and technical
tree planting
support.
Assisting with the
development of
planting plans and
maintenance
guidelines.
Call us at
519 335-3557 for
information and
application forms.
2005 TREE PLANTING
SERVICES
Reforestation
Assistance Service -
Seedlings
This service provides
assistance to land-
owners who are
reforesting marginal
lands or planting field
windbreaks. Our staff
will assist you in
choosing appropriate
species and creating a
planting plan. Plant
your own seedlings or
have us do the
planting for you.
Roadside &
Windbreak Tree
Service
This service offers
larger trees for
planting along
roadsides and in
windbreaks. A variety
of tree species are
available from the*
MVCA based on a 50
tree minimum order.
Call us today for
information on the
application deadlines
for these services.
feb)lv\DVi� Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
` Box 127, Wroxeter, Ont. NOG 2X0
519 335.3557 Fax 519 335.3516
rpr., Working for a Healthy Environment!
.1.1-1'.11i [1 1 ►.[� #��� ► [� �� I:
QUALITY • REPUTATION
HONESTY • VALUE
CSA & UL
APPROVED
kL
CANADA'S
#1 SELLING
STAINLESS STEEL
OUT000R FURNACE
ik GREEN
VALLEY
1-800-261-0531
14 THE RURAL VOICE
diameter specified in their county's
tree bylaw.
"In my opinion, anyone who
would cut healthy trees at minimum
diameter is wasting money and
wasting trees," he says. "To cut a 19 -
inch tree is foolish. It's putting on
dollars in growth (every year),
especially from 19-24 inches (in
diameter). It's going to make you
seven to 10 per cent per year
standing there and all you have to do
is watch." After a tree reaches 24
inches in diameter its growth rate
slows and at that point there's more
argument for cutting it, even if it is
still growing, he says.
He also advises woodlot
owners not to let anyone
harvest their bush in the
spring until at least the end of June or
the damage may be devastating to the
bush. There's a lot of damage to the
floor of the bush when the ground is
soft leaving deep ruts that will
damage tree roots, he says. "I won't
let anyone in (my bush) after
March," he says. "I guess I'm fussy
but that's the way it is.
"The winter is the best time to
harvest, especially if there's a couple
of feet of snow on the ground." The
snow cushions the logging activities
in the bush and the bark is tight on
the trees during the winter,
preventing excessive injuries to
neighbouring trees from felling and
skidding activities.
Everybody who owns a woodlot
should have a plan for it, he urges,
even if its a one -line plan. Take a day
and walk through your woodlot and
see what you have there, he says.
"You want to look 40-50 years
ahead," he says in setting the goal
you will manage toward. If you don't
have any idea about how to manage
your woodlot, join a good
organization.
"Our bush is geared to produce
top quality hardwood timber," he
says of his own plan.
Recent controversial changes
proposed for tree bylaws in various
counties were basically designed to
stimulate more long-term planning.
Initial proposals in Bruce County
called for a minimum basal area to be
left following a cut, a guarantee that
sufficient larger trees would remain
to keep the woodlot healthy. Basal
area calculations are a tool just like
an axe or a saw, he says. "You look