Our Local Ecology The Land - Townshend Woodlot  | The Townshend Woodlot |
| The Townshend Woodlot is a revelation of Prince Edward Island's forestry past. At the outset are cleared fields, next comes a secion which was once farmed, but has since gone back into new growth forest. Then the trees increase in size until the appromate those familiar to the first European settlers in P.E.I. almost 300 years ago. The rear section of the woodlot was chosen for the International Biological Program in 1970, as one of the best old-growth hardwood groves in P.E.I. Comprising 60 hectares of the 106 hectare woodlot, this section is dominated by sugar maple, beech, red maple and yellow birch. | |
All four maples native to P.E.I. are found in the woodlot: the sugar maple which is generally the dominant maple of the Acadian or original forest and the one used on the Canadian flag; the red maple, a familiar component of Island hardwood stands; the striped maple, present in smaller amounts in the woodlot in areas of disturbance and the mountain maple, a shrub found along the small stream at the back of the property.Almost the entire Island was covered densely by forest when the first Europeans arrived. The upland areas of the Island were cloaked in a forest now found in the Woodlot. In 1805, historian John Stewart noted that the beech tree grew in great abundance. At that time, probably better than one-half of the Island was covered with it. In the years that followed early settlement, the original forest came under increasing pressure as the land was cleared for agriculture and the woods were used for lumber, shipbuilding and fuel. Diseases such as beech canker and pine blister rust also caused severe damage to individual species. The Townshend Woodlot was purchased by the province from Edwin Townshend in 1972. Videos of the property, shot on October 25, 2007, may be viewed below:  Copyright
Souris Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife FederationAll pictures appearing on this site or its associated flickr account are the property of the photographers and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.
They may not be copied without permission of the photographer and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.
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