Description

Though small (4 ha), this privately owned site in Euphemia Township, east of Shetland, has one of the most unusual stands of Carolinian forest in Ontario. In the rich, moist bottomland forest, along the banks of Haggerty Creek, the province's largest remaining population of Kentucky Coffee-Tree thrives -- the only known woodland in Canada where this tree is the leading dominant -- here comprising almost half of the canopy. Green Ash is also abundant, with Hackberry, Black Walnut, Bitternut HIckory, and Black Maple. In all there are a surprisingly diverse 18 tree species in this small woods, with a decidedly Carolinian composition.

Unusual southern species in the understory include Moonseed Vine, Wild Yamroot, Wild Leek, and Running Strawberry Bush. The healthy forest prevents erosion along the banks of the creek, an extremely important function given that much of the surrounding land has been cleared for farming. One of the two private landowners of this site has protected more than 91% of Shetland Kentucky Coffee-Tree Woods through a Natural Heritage Stewardship Agreement (taken from the Carolinian Canada Signature Sites Guide by Lorraine Johnson 2005).

Landform

It is a wet mesic bottomland forest occuring along the banks of Haggarty Creek and is subject to periodic inundation and siltation. The soils are silty clays and have a pH between 7.7 and 7.8 (P. Maycock in Eagles & Beechey, 1985).

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.

* Hoffman, D. and L. Lamb (eds.) 1980. Lambton County Preliminary Environmentally Sensitive Areas Study. Prepared by the University of Waterloo Environmentally Sensitive Areas Study Team for the Lambton County Planning Department. Funded by the Lambton County Planning Board and the Ministry of the Environment under Experience '79 and Experience '80. 243 pp.

© Natural Heritage Information Centre, 1998

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