Description

This upland forest on the clay valleys south of the Niagara Escarpment represents a unique site type that contains many rare species (Eagles & Beechey, 1985).

Sassafras Woods supports a secondary growth hardwood forest overstoried with mature White Pine on a gentle south-facing slope. This is One of the few remaining sizeable woodlots typical of the woodland that once covered most of the Region south of the Escarpment [W. Crins, pers. comm. 1976]. Five small valley systems extend into the area along a north-south axis producing a profile of plateaus alternating with shallow depressions. Soils are deep red clay. The forests of the plateau are quite immature but become more mature in the depressions. Sugar maple is dominant with shagbark hickory, witch hazel, American hornbeam and red oak well represented. This relatively large woodlot is transected by three hydro lines (Region of Halton, 1978 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985).

Vegetation

The long growing season and the immaturity of sections of Sassafras Woods provide suitable conditions for Carolinian species such as sassafras, eastern flowering dogwood. This woods contains the largest number and best quality of sassafras and flowering dogwood in Halton Region. These Carolinian species are near the northern limit of their range in Ontario. Thus their presence indicates a very unusual habitat for Halton Region (Region of Halton, 1978 in Eagles & Beechey, 1985).

Representation

Landform

References

• Allen, G.M., P.F.J. Eagles and S.D. Price (eds.) 1990. Conserving Carolinian Canada: Conservation Biology in the Deciduous Forest Region. University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo. 346 pp.


• Eagles, P.F.J. and T.J. Beechey (eds.) 1985. Critical Unprotected Natural Areas in the Carolinian Life Zone of Canada. Final Report, Identification Subcommittee, Carolinian Canada. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, The Ontario Heritage Foundation and World Wildlife Fund (Canada). 400 pp.


• Regional Municipality of Halton. 1978. Environmentally Sensitive Area Study. Regional Municipality of Halton, Planning Department, Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee, Oakville, Ontario. ix + 261 pp.

© Natural Heritage Information Centre, 1998

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