The Limestone/Quinte News

March 2016

Successful Fall Field Day: Photos by Jane Lovell

Approximately 30 people braved the threatening skies on September 19th to attend the Fall Forest

Field in (formerly) South Fredericksburg Township (now part of Greater Napanee).

The day began at Hickory Heart Farm where owners Cathy and Bill Warwick hosted a tour of their nut

tree plantation and farm.

Starting in 2010, the Warwick’s have been planting

primarily Japanese Walnuts (called Heartnuts) which are

now beginning to show results. Bill explained the work

necessary to grow good trees, including enormous amounts

of water. When he showed us the nut, it became obvious

how it got its name. The Warwick’s hope to have their first

commercial harvest soon.

Waiting wagons then took the group back through the farm

for a tour of their hardwoods and conifer plantations. It

was a great start to the day, particularly since the predicted rains held off.

The next stop was at Shagbark Farm for some chili and another wagon ride to the back of the

property. There, Dave and Lois Sexsmith showed the guests Dafoe’s Wall a drystone enclosure erected

by the first settlers. It impressed and intrigued everyone as they theorized why one would put so

much effort into so remote a location.

Tony Bull, vice president of the OWA, spoke of the importance of cultural elements on the landscape,

pointing out that most woodlots have some evidence of the previous owners and highlighted the

debate around what to do with such a feature. One school of thought is to “restore it”, but the

current philosophy around historic sites now is to “maintain” it; to do what is necessary to keep it

from degrading further.

After debating whether the old tree by Dafoe’s Wall was a

Chestnut Oak or a Chinkapin Oak (no consensus), the wagon

brought the group back to the front of the farm where arborist

Eric Weese gave an informative demonstration of fall tree

planting.

The final stop for the day was at Eric’s nursery where he showed

his methods of growing tree stock, including his technique of

growing in a gravel bed.

All in all, a busy day with lots to see. Everyone went home

satisfied that it was time well spent. One participant remarked

that he hadn’t expected to see two new species of trees. And

we didn’t get rained on!

Upcoming Events:

Mar. 22 Limestone AGM; Cataraqui Conservation Authority

Apr. 15/16: OWA Conference and AGM; Ottawa, ON.

Apr. 23: Limestone and partners Bus Tour; Verona, ON.

May MFTIP workshop and woodlot tour; Verona, ON.

June 04: Special Places “North of 7”; Plevna, ON

TBA: Quinte AGM

TBA: Limestone chainsaw safety (1 hour) intro. Kingston, ON.

TBA: Limestone chainsaw safety (1 day) courses; Bath, and Sharbot Lake, ON.

TBA: Quinte/Limestone Fall Forest Field Day

From the Editor’s Desk:

Since stepping down as Limestone president last year, I’ve been preoccupied with provincial level

activities, but am very pleased to report that life has continued to go on here in our chapter.

Limestone’s new president, Kevin Hansen, has brought energy and ideas to the position and under his

leadership, the board has organized an impressive list of activities for 2016. I hope you will support

the hard work of our board by attending as many of the events as possible.

As I travel around the province in my new job as provincial president, I have the opportunity to meet

other chapters and learn more about our organization. This work has reinforced for me just how lucky

we are here in the Limestone chapter to have such dedicated board members. Without their support,

talent and enthusiasm, we would not have the success we enjoy today.

Quinte chapter next door also has directors with experience and energy and this past year we

combined our resources in support of the Trenton Woodlot Conference and Hastings Plowing Match.

I’m confident we will find opportunities to work together on more regional activities this year.

At the provincial level, the board will soon be putting the finishing touches to our new 5 year strategic

plan. Thanks to the input from the membership through our regional workshops last fall, we have a

lot of information to digest, but I am confident the result will be a clearer “road map” for the OWA

going forward.

One of the priorities will be that of strengthening the chapters and part of that strategy will be better

sharing of ideas and resources. Our two chapters here will be able to contribute to the collective

experience of the organization and, at the same time, draw from the successes of others. In the end,

everyone benefits.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the support received from local professionals and businesses in the past

year. Their contributions, whether it be expert advice or providing material assistance is much

appreciated and we have featured them throughout this issue.

I’m looking forward to being at the various chapter events this year. As well, the provincial AGM and

conference is in Ottawa, probably the closest it will ever be for us. I hope to see you there.

Dave

Photo by D. Sexsmith

Limestone Chainsaw Safety Course:

On October 03, a small group of dedicated souls gathered at the farm of Jane and Christian

Schoenwandt near Bath to learn about chainsaw safety.

Instructor Dave Smallwood spent the morning explaining the importance of the various types of

safety equipment and proper handling of a chainsaw to minimize the chance of accident. He also

went through the sequence of notching, back cutting and use of wedges to control the direction a tree

will fall when cut. In particular, Dave emphasized the importance of the hinge in felling a tree safely.

After lunch, Jon Schoenwandt took us all out for a wagon ride to one of their spruce plantations

where Dave demonstrated the notching techniques he had explained in the morning. The students

then had an opportunity to take turns cutting the perfect notch.

Dave finished up the course by demonstrating now to fell a leaning tree using a plunge cut and how to

buck up a downed tree keeping in mind where the log is in tension and compression.

The students were very attentive and by day’s end, had a greater respect for the chainsaw and went

away with the knowledge needed to operate one safely.

Thanks to the Schoenwandt’s for the use of their shop and woods; we hope to do it again.

Photo by R. Etienne

Intro to Chainsaw Safety:

Last fall, a chance visit to Friendly Fires in Kingston led to a conversation with Brad Leonard about how

we might work together to promote wise use of our forests. The result was two Saturday seminars

held in the Friendly Fires showroom; one an introduction to chainsaw safety and the other a talk on

firewood.

With the loan of the necessary equipment from local Stihl dealer, Battlefield Equipment in Napanee,

the seminars were conducted on two different Saturday mornings. Those who attended were able to

get a basic introduction to the proper use of a chainsaw and safety equipment as well as techniques

for harvesting, drying and using firewood. We recruited new members for the OWA as well as adding

several names for our next full chainsaw safety course.

Our thanks go out to those two businesses who supported our work and we look forward to repeating

these seminars this fall.

Bare Root Trees and the Missouri Gravel Bed System:

Eric Weese, certified arborist

In the spring of 2015 I installed a Missouri Gravel Bed System (MGBS) at my tree nursery near Hayburn, Ontario. My goal with using the MGBS was to provide my clients with a higher quality landscape tree. The system consists of pea stone type gravel placed in a bed to a depth of approximately 45cm (18”). Bed dimensions can vary depending on the needs of the user. The bed requires irrigation at regular timed intervals in order to keep roots moist. In the spring, dormant bare root trees are planted in the bed. Planted trees can range in trunk diameter from 25mm (1”) to 60mm (2.5”). Trees are typically harvested when dormant in the fall after one growing season. The primary function of the MGBS is root development and tree storage. It is not a system in which to grow trees. The advantages of the MGBS over conventional bare root field production include the following:

The moist, pea gravel allows for the development of a fibrous root system. Harvesting trees with a significant percentage of the roots in tact is possible when removing

trees from the pea gravel. Large fibrous root systems limit the amount of transplant shock experienced by the tree when

planted in a landscape. Trees are able to rapidly resume normal levels of growth. Large diameter bare root trees can be planted due to the extensive fibrous root systems. Bare root trees are more affordable than trees grown using other production methods. They

can be purchased at 1/3 to ½ the price of container-grown or wire basket trees. Some growers and scientists claim that MGBS-grown trees can be transplanted in-leaf during

the growing season. I did not test this and feel that there would be a high risk for tree mortality.

I planted 12 species of trees for a total of 50 trees in my MGBS. Tree diameters ranged from 25mm (1”) to 60mm (2.5”). The species selected were common native and introduced landscape trees such as Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), honey locust (Gleditsia triocanthos), Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata), eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) and Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) shown in the photo above. Species which developed the best root systems in the MGBS tended to be species that naturally possess fibrous root systems. Sycamore, honey locust, Japanese tree lilac, eastern white cedar and sugar maple all developed exceptionally large fibrous root systems. Coarser rooting species such as little leaf linden (Tilia cordata), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) and ornamental pear (Pyrus calleryana) developed less fibrous roots. Almost all of the trees were sold from the MGBS to residential and municipal clients. A small number of trees were moved to my field nursery. I’m looking forward to feedback from clients regarding the performance of the MGBS trees in a landscape setting. I will also be monitoring the growth of the trees planted at my nursery. The MGBS seems to be an improved production system for developing root systems on certain species of trees. I plan to continue with the use of the MGBS this season with

some improvements to the process. Despite the minor limitations of the MGBS, it has brought me closer to attaining my goal of producing a higher quality landscape tree.

Eric is a member of the Limestone chapter and a regular presenter at our field events.

Eastern White Cedar with gravel bed behind. Limestone and Friends Spring Tour:

Be sure to reserve April 23rd for a bus tour of wetlands, lakes, and woodlots, sponsored by Limestone chapter, Friends of the Salmon River and Frontenac Stewardship Foundation. At 9am, the bus will depart from Verona and return at approx. 5 pm. The cost is $27 per person, and lunch is extra. The bus will tour into Central and North Frontenac, then head into the upper Salmon

River watershed, and then back to Verona. On-board specialists will provide commentary on Geology, Glacial Features, Ecological Relationships, Trees and Forest Types and their Relationship to Lakes and Wetlands. It will be a great opportunity to see the landscape through the eyes of our guides as they explain the geology, forests and ecology of this diverse region. Seating is limited (obviously) so it would be best to reserve your spot by contacting Dave Sexsmith at 613-373-9334 or by email at owalimestone@gmail.com. A great way to start the spring! Community Day 509; Special Places “North of 7”: On Saturday, June 4th, the Frontenac Stewardship Foundation is arranging an opportunity for people on the forested land north of highway 7 to exchange knowledge and records of those special places and events in the area that are valued for their ecological, cultural and historical qualities. This is an opportunity to learn more about this important part of our area. It is being held in Plevna, at the Clar-Mill Hall, 6598 Buckshot Lake Road, for 9:30 to 3:30. More details to follow.

Eating in the Woods: Join us March 22nd at the Outdoor Centre of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, 1641 Perth Road, Kingston to learn about the edible wild from lifetime forager Barbara Roch. Doors open at 6:30 and Barbara’s presentation begins at 7:00. It will be followed by the Limestone chapter’s annual general meeting. All are welcome. A $5 donation would be appreciated from non-OWA attendees to help cover costs. For more information contact Dave Sexsmith at owalimestone@gmail.com or 613-373-9334. MFTIP Workshop: If you have a wooded property and are not yet registered in the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, you owe it to yourself to attend our MFTIP workshop in May (date to be confirmed) in Verona. This program allows woodlot owners who have a managed forest plan, to be assessed at a tax rate more in line with agricultural land. Experts will be on hand to explain the program and how to prepare a management plan. The afternoon portion of the workshop will be a woods walk where you will learn the basics of data gathering on site. The cost of this workshop in $25, free for OWA members. For more information, please contact Kevin Hansen at owalimestone@gmail.com or 613-385-1099. OWA Annual General Meeting and Conference, Ottawa, April 15 and 16: This year, the provincial OWA annual conference, tour and AGM is being held in Ottawa. On April 15, bus tours have been organized along with a supper and social time in the evening. This will be a great opportunity to meet members from other parts of the province and learn more about this region of Ontario. The following day, the conference will feature presenters on a variety of topics ranging from local history to specific forestry issues such as the butternut recovery program. The AGM will follow the conference and will include presentation of our priorities for the organization going forward. More information will be coming soon, but you may want to set those days aside on your calendar. As the location of this event changes each year, this is probably the closest it will be to us for the next while; take advantage and help make it a great success! Visit our OWA website http://www.ontariowoodlot.com/ for more information and registration.