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Peterborough Old Growth Forest Project

In March 2019, AFER launched the Peterborough County Old-Growth Forest Project, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. With assistance from our partners, citizen scientists and property owners, we located, mapped, and described ancient forests and other old-growth stands throughout the County. Critical to this effort was the recruitment, training, and collaborative efforts of volunteer citizen scientists. This new approach to the conservation of old-growth forests will eventually be refined and expanded from Peterborough County and applied to the remainder of Ontario's Temperate Forest Region.

Full Project Description

Publications

Research Sites

The Catchacoma Old-Growth Forest

One of the most significant findings from the Peterborough County Old Growth Forest Project was the discovery of Canada's largest documented stand of old-growth eastern hemlock: an area known as the Catchacoma Old Growth Forest. Despite its national significance, this forest remains unprotected and open to contingency logging. AFER's research in the Catchacoma Forest is therefore tied closely to advocacy aimed at protecting this significant old-growth forest. To undertake these advocacy efforts, AFER has partnered with the Ontario Wilderness Committee and helped to establish and participate in the Catchacoma Forest Stewardship Committee (CFSC). Learn more about research and advocacy in the Catchacoma Forest in the documentary, Conserving Catchacoma:

Learn More About Catchacoma Forest

Accomplishments & Recommendations

Project Accomplishments (2019)

Impact, Feedback and Lessons Learned (2019)

Next Steps and Adaptations (2019)

Research Highlights

Significant findings from AFER's research in Peterborough County include:

AFER identified and characterized Canada’s largest known old-growth eastern hemlock forest located at the north end of Catchacoma Lake, Ontario (1,655 acres), which remains unprotected.

A total of 14 old-growth forest types across 18.1% (34,333 ha) of northern Peterborough County, Ontario were identified and mapped by AFER using digital imagery data (provincial government) including those dominated by balsam fir, black ash, black spruce, eastern hemlock, poplar, red maple, red oak, red pine, sugar maple, tamarack, white birch, white cedar, white pine, and white spruce.

26% of the old-growth area in northern Peterborough County is protected (8,817 ha) and a total of 74% is unprotected.

Ontario’s natural eastern hemlock forests have declined to less than 0.09% of the Managed Forest of Ontario (44 million ha/110 million acres), and if current logging trends continue, these rare, unique, and valuable forest ecosystems could be lost completely by 2075.

To date, AFER has obtained documentation for 656 species that occur in the Catchacoma Forest including 194 animal species, 349 plant species, 106 fungi (including lichens), and 7 slime molds.

AFER has obtained documentation for 14 species-at-risk that are found in the Catchacoma Forest including the endangered black ash and four threatened species including Algonquin wolf, Blanding’s turtle, cerulean warbler, and eastern hog-nosed snake.

Forest Conservation Achievements

Some of the more significant forest conservation gains in the Algonquin Region include:

AFER and the Wilderness Committee-Ontario teamed up with local citizens to form the Catchacoma Forest Stewardship Committee (CFSC), which advocates for the protection and wise management of the Catchacoma Forest.

The CFSC has obtained a moratorium on further logging in the Catchacoma Forest.

AFER has contributed to the development of a field-based protocol being produced by the provincial government to identify the presence of old-growth forests in Ontario.

The Catchacoma Forest has become the most significant old-growth forest component of the Highlands Wildlife Corridor designed by the Haliburton Land Trust.

Using open public meetings, the CFSC has begun the process of bringing together the non-destructive users (e.g., cottagers, hunters, trappers, etc.) to develop management practices that maintain the recreational, educational and scientific values of the Catchacoma Forest.