By Marlene Knezevich, Chair LTW, Bd. Member Garden Wilmot, as seen in the Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette
Yellowwood, Shagbark hickory, Spicebush, Hazelnut, and Black oak are a few of the Carolinian species of trees and shrubs Let’s Tree Wilmot will be planting this Saturday in Wilmot’s Mannheim Carolinian corner.
In April, Let’s Tree Wilmot’s first planting here, about 40 community volunteers planted mostly bareroot stock from our seedling bed. This planting will use 1- and 2- gallon potted nursery stock. Easy digging in this sand/gravel of 1.85 hectares (4.6 acres) tucked in the Northwest corner of Mannheim north of Milne Drive.
Dean Peachey, Let’s Tree Wilmot’s project chair, states, “This is going to be a beautiful forest in the years to come, with blooming trees, edible nuts, and distinctive trees.” Wilmot Township will be installing a trail in the future.
LTW has dubbed this project, ‘Mannheim Carolinian Corner’. Southern Ontario has a Carolinian Forest Zone south of an imaginary line that runs approximately from Grand Bend to Toronto. The Carolinian Zone is the most diverse and fragile ecoregion of Canada, the smallest forest region, amounting to just one percent of the country’s landmass. The Carolinian Zone has the highest diversity of wild species and number of species at risk in Canada.
By planting species that are typically south of us, called assisted migration, we are helping nature along. In the natural world, plants would migrate north over time but there are barriers such as cities, towns, agricultural fields and the 401 highway that block the movement of seeds and plants.
The Mannheim Carolinian Corner must have drought tolerant species growing due to the sand and gravel soil. In other Wilmot plantings with moist conditions, we have planted Tulip trees, our native Magnolia or Cucumber tree, Kentucky Coffee Tree and others. In the Corner, we are also planting trees/shrubs familiar to our forests such as White Pine, Red and Sugar Maple, Ninebark, Ironwood, Thorny Honey Locust and others.
The most recent Green Communities Canada grant awarded to Let’s Tree Wilmot (a Garden Wilmot project), for the value of $67,240 covers two years of planting and one year of maintenance. Further tree planting and tree maintenance initiatives are carried out by way of the Enova Reforestation grant the Township generously receives annually; this advances long-term community and environmental sustainability goals. to advance long-term community and environmental sustainability goals.
Join Let’s Tree Wilmot/Garden Wilmot to grow a special habitat for Wilmot Township on Saturday, on May 23rd from 9:00 am to noon. This is the last tree planting event of the spring season. For details and registration go to https://letstreewilmot.ca/events. Bring the whole family. There are snacks and camaraderie!
Volunteers with Let’s Tree Wilmot and community members work to plant trees at the Manheim Carolinian Corner at the site’s first planting event in April. PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZANNE LEAKEY.
