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FOREST CAPITAL OF
CANADA
NORFOLK COUNTY ~
2008
Forests
have always played an important role
in the daily lives of the residents
of the County of Norfolk . To the
early settlers in the 19 th Century,
forests and trees were an enemy to
be cleared from their land so they
could qualify for their deeds and
grow crops in their fields.
The
deep sandy soils of the county were
very fertile for trees but often could
not support the primitive agriculture
of the times for very long. Soon in
many places, the exposed soils began
to blow away, covering nearby fields
with subsoil, destroying the crops
and the lives of many farm families.
Some
enterprising residents turned to logging
and sawmilling as a source of income
and many prospered. Pine from Norfolk
was in good demand in the United States
. Soon that industry too fell on rough
times as the timber ran out.
One
entrepreneur, Walter McCall of St.
Williams operated a small sawmill
for his furniture factory when he
noted a serious decline in the quantity
and quality of the timber that he
could buy. He decided to do something
about this by starting a small nursery
plot behind his sawmill.
McCall
sought advice from one of the few
professional foresters in the Province
at time: Edmund Zavitz, who had a
cottage near Turkey Point. They Approached
Arthur C. Pratt, Member of Provincial
Parliament for the County. Together
the three men pioneered legislation
through the Provincial Government
to start a tree nursery that would
supply free seedlings to farmers that
wished to reforest their “waste” lands.
The
first tree seed were sown in 1908.
Thus the St. Williams Forest Station
soon became a centre of forest seedling
production, shipping all across Southern
Ontario where many new forests were
started that are now part of our landscape.
The Station also provided much needed
work and became a centre of forest
research activity as well as a place
for family picnics, sports events
and fishing in the irrigation pond.
Eventually,
six additional forest stations were
established by the Provincial Government,
restoring land wherever needed and
in later years producing nursery stock
for replanting cut-overt forest lands
in Northern Ontario . All have now
been turned over to private management
but their legacy will benefit many
more generations of Ontario residents.
Today
Norfolk has 25% forest cover as a
result of years of good forest management,
educating landowners to plant trees
and provision of trees at little or
no cost.
To
mark the Centenary of the St. Williams
Forest Station, of “Forestry Farm”
as it is called locally and to show
case local forest conservation efforts,
the Canadian Forestry Association
has awarded Norfolk County the title
of Forest Capital of Canada for 2008.
Local organizations with an interest
in heritage and trees are joining
in the celebrations and invite others
to enjoy the many benefits of our
beautiful “Carolinian” forests.
For
upcoming events please CLICK
HERE.
For
additional information on what Norfolk
has to offer please visit
Norfolk
Tourism.
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