Fall 2008 Forest Maintenance
HRM Urban Forestry staff and forest contractors will be working in the park from October to December to complete Fall 2008 Forest Maintenance Projects. The work focuses on three areas of forest maintenance:
- Coarse woody debris redistribution
- Culling of non-native trees
- Forest thinning
Coarse wood debris redistribution
In October, in areas where fallen logs (coarse woody debris) are numerous, some logs will be moved to nearby areas, or other parts of the park. This work will make it easier and faster for the forest to regenerate.
Culling of non-native trees
In December, nine species of non-native trees will be culled from the Point Pleasant Park forest. Only the listed non-native trees with trunks less than 70 millimetres (about 2.5 inches) in diameter will be cut and layed to ground. This work will be completed according to the Point Pleasant Park Comprehensive Plan and will give Acadian Forest plants an easier environment in which to grow.
The nine tree species to be removed are:
- Norway Maple
- Norway Spruce
- English Oak
- Scots Pine
- Douglas-fir
- Sycamore Maple
- English Walnut
- Horsechestnut
- Black Locust
Forest thinning
In December selected areas of the park forest will be thinned by forest contractors using thinning saws. The work is similar to the thinning fo the Cable Road section of park forest completed in November 2007. Trees and saplings selected according to the park's comprehensive plan will be cut and layed to ground.
Cut trees near park roads and trails will be moved further into the forest. The cut trees will decompose to provide long term nutrients to the remaining trees. This work will allow the remaining trees and newly planted tree seedlings to grow stronger and faster.
This Point Pleasant Park Biodiversity Project is made possible by: