| Description: |
6E3; very gently rolling dolostone plain with a wet basin and stream course; typical lowland deciduous and upland mixed forests (2 communities); temperate biota; general light to moderate disturbance from cutting; OMNR-SW. [Falls et al. 1990]
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| Vegetation: |
Vegetation Summary:
1A21: White Elm/White Ash/Silver Maple; Ulmus americana - Fraxinus americana - Acer saccharinum - Onoclea sensibilis - Impatiens biflora - Carex spp.; I2; Bottomland Series, fairly deep soils with few stones; 8.9 ha.
3A1/3A2/3B1/3B2: Trembling Aspen/White Cedar/Balsam Poplar; Populus tremuloides - Thuja occidentalis - Populus balsamifera - Shepherdia canadensis - Prunus virginiana - Pteridium aquilinum - Solidago canadensis - Musci - Lichens; I2; Breypen Soils Series; 60.7. [Waldron 1971]
Vegetation:
On the floodplain large mature trees of American Elm (Ulmus americana), Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum) and White Ash (Fraxinus americana) are found. Because the area has been severely browsed by cattle there is no shrub layer and many of the trees have an open-grown look. The elm are dead and dying and many of the others are doing poorly because of beaver induced high water tables.
The ridged area supports a very young and open community of Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), and White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Interestingly, Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is also a pioneer on these very thin soils. The stumps evidence a heavy burn here in the past. Other disturbances in the community are browsing and bushing of Thuja for florists. [Waldron 1971]
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| Landform: |
General Landscape: A small river occupying a large, flat floodplain with bedrock surfacing on either side. Lines of morainic rubble running northwest-southeast over the bedrock.
Special landscape features: Little moraines. [Waldron 1971]
The river averages over fifteen feet wide and ranges in depth from a few inches to over three feet. The banks and bottom land are soil covered except for a few places where there are sand, pebbles, and bedrock. On either side of the river there is a wide floodplain of moderately deep alluvial soils and muck with ponds and springs. After a few hundred feet, the floodplain grades into a series of low (5-8 foot) ridges of bedrock strewn with pebbles of various sizes including some erratics. These ridges lie in a northwest to southeast direction and are clearly shown on the topographic map. Between the ridges the hollows show temporary ponding and deeper soils with only the tops of a few pebbles showing. [Waldron 1971]
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| Representation: |
Exceptional interest of IBP area: This is only a fair example of marsh and forest vegetation patterns representative of the area; however, it occurs upon one of the very few drumlin hills in the district. [Waldron 1971]
Perhaps the greatest significance of this area is that it is the only extensive drumlin area on the whole of the peninsula. For this reason alone, a suitable form of protection should be applied to the area since it would be subjected to severe excavation pressures by the construction companies, this being the only extensive sources of building stonework in the peninsula. If the area were allowed to resort to its natural state, a unique physiographic situation would be restored: the presence of a deep soiled hilly substrate in an otherwise shallow soiled flat region. As well, the situation of such an area on the peninsula would offer a climatic situation unique in Ontario. [Waldron 1971]
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| Management Agency: |
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