Heritage Forest

I was talking with mom about Deerwood a while back and realized that she (the woodlot owner) and I (the woodlot's forest manager) had some different ideas about forest policy.

Mom wanted to plant some more yellow daffodils. I mentioned that daffodils are not naturally occurring in this neck of the woods. She didn't see what the problem was. Well, my forest management practice strongly discourages the introduction or maintenance of foreign or invasive species in the managed ecosystem. It's unnatural.

"In two hundred years, do you want this forest covered in yellow daffodils?", I asked. A smile lit up her face. Hmmm.

"Daffodils grow from bulbs, so they wouldn't spread. Oh, except for the double-headed mutations! They'll spread."

Sometimes being a forest manager means saying a soft 'no' to your mother. When in doubt on these matters I turn to my new bible, 'The Ontario Tree Marking Guide' published by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). It has many of the answers to practical ecological questions relating not only to trees but many aspects of forest management.

So, I've decided to name my forest management practice 'Heritage Forest' - the forest we leave behind. It's the way I do things as a forest manager. It's firm but fare and based on the latest science made available by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Sorry, daffodils.