The Orono Crown Lands  a brief history

The
Orono Provincial Forest Station

To give further perspective on the present use of the Orono Crown Lands, it's necessary to delve into the past and give a short accounting of its evolution.

With kind permission from its author Helen Schmid, we include excerpts from her book:
Out of the Mists, A History of Clarke Township. 





Keeping the Hills Green Chapter VI

Excerpts appear in quotation marks.

            “One of the distinguishing characteristics of the counties of Northumberland and Durham is its rolling hills.  This “great pine ridge” undulates from west to east across the two counties and provides much of the scenic splendour so often referred to by first-time visitors.  This ridge of towering hills and river valleys is the result of the last glacial action in Ontario.  Many of the hills slope to the south and were formed as terminal moraines from the slowly melting glacier.  The soil was sandy, the drainage adequate and so it was natural that over the epochs of time the land should become covered with trees.  The climax forest  was predominantly coniferous.  The white pine found the soil, drainage, and climate to its liking and became the giants of the mixed forests.  Oak tress also grew in abundance.  The early pioneers had settled nearer Lake Ontario, but as news filtered back to England of the fine pine timbers growing on the back concessions, interest and a market were created.  If the settler had his own acreage cleared for spring planting, there was extra money to be made by cutting timber on the ridge.”

            “Under the terms of the early crown deeds, the white pine growing on the land was reserved by the Crown.  This option was exercised until about 1850.  This of course did not mean that all the white pine was cut for the Crown.  In fact, it only took the very best trees.”

             As a result of the abundance of White Pine the timber industry thrived. Many White Pine trees were felled for ship masts.  Cobourg provided a ready harbour where vast quantities of pine timber were shipped.

            “As the size of the timber decreased, the timber trade fell off only to be replaced by more local industries.  Sawmill and shingle mills dotted the base of the ridge.  Lumber and shingles were in great demand as the size of the farm buildings increased to house the bountiful crops.  Moreover, fields were now being fenced by cedar and oak rails.  The ridge, bereft of its masts, still had plenty of trees to supply all the needs of farmers both in the township and elsewhere.  The woodsman’s axe kept ringing and inexorably the hills of the ridge were being denuded.”

           

         “Barrel, axe and furniture-making shops also took up a supply of wood.  Besides some 15 sawmills operating in Clarke in 1848, almost every hamlet soon had its own cooperage and cabinet shops.”

            “As the timber receded, some of the later settlers saw land already cleared and ready to put under cultivation.  Soon the plow was biting into the hills on the ridge.  At first the crops grew well, as the humus of the forest floor mingled with the sand.  Rye and potatoes grew well, but what these farmers did not realize was that the rather severe slopes robbed this sandy soil of its nutrients during spring run-off.  The spring freshettes from the melting snow carried away tons of this shallow arable soil to the river valleys below each year.  One by one the farms on the ridge were abandoned as it became more and more evident that the land was sub-marginal at its best.”

Reforestation

            “By the early 1920’s the marks of water and wind erosion were all too evident.  Tens of thousands of acres of abandoned farms had desert-like areas of blowing sand.”

            “By 1920 government officials in the province realized that this area and two other areas in the province were becoming virtual deserts.  The only way the land could be brought back to productivity was to start a new forest.”

            By the autumn of 1922 the province had purchased 175 acres in Orono. The establishment of a reforestation nursery and operation, included  seed bed construction and sowing, transplanting, construction of access roads, pumping facilities, irrigation  and laying of pipes.  In time seedlings grew, were pulled and shipped. 

            “While some of these trees were planted on our own Ganaraska watershed, many more travelled across our province.  Reforestation was popular.  This popularity was increased by exhibits at fall fairs and the creation of experimental plots in neighbouring counties.  Not all of the trees were planted in Canada.  Fifty sugar maples from the Orono station were sent to Mons, Belgium to planted in the Canadian War Memorial Cemetery where they still thrive today”

            “As the Orono Forestry became more established, permanent plantations were set out on acre after acre of the denuded hills in the northern part of the township.  Plantations of red pine, scotch pine and Norway pine have thrived.  Alas, it has never been possible to replace the original stands of white pine on the ridge for which it was once so famous.  The White Pine Blister Rust, introduced from Europe, has thus far prevented any success with white pine plantations.”

            An interesting fact: From its early beginnings in 1922,  7 ¼ million seedlings were shipped in the year 1973 from The Orono Provincial Forest Station.

               “The substitute conifers planted on the hills may never produce masts or high grade lumber again, but they certainly have all but eliminated the erosion and have brought back the water table to some degree.

            The Orono Provincial Forest Station ceased operations in 1996.  It now consists of 256.2 hectares.  The property, operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources has partnered with a community organization called the Orono Crown Lands Trust.   

The Present

        The Orono Crown Lands are located just west of the village of Orono, between Taunton Road and the Fourth Concession. They can be accessed from Taunton Road,  Ochonski Road, or the Firth Concession where there is parking in these areas.  Because the lands are located within the Wilmot Creek Watershed, they offer significant aquatic natural resources.    For more information on the Wilmot Creek Watershed, please open the document included at the end of this article.

        They are a haven for frogs and brown trout. The Lands feature abandoned nursery production beds, natural forested areas, abandoned seed orchards and open fields, along with the remnants of man-made structures. They are an ideal site for hiking and we have developed a number of trails for low impact recreational use.       

        The lands are suitable for a variety of other outdoor activities, including fishing (in season), cycling, cross-country skiing, dog walking (dogs must be leashed and feces picked up), bird-watching, horseback riding, snowshoeing and tobogganing. There is also an outdoor education centre maintained by the Kawartha-Pine Ridge Board of Education; this allows area students to study the land and participate in educational and physical activities.    The Orono Crown Lands Trust operates under a management plan developed jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the community consultative group. For more information, please contact us. 

2. Orono Station.  Retrieved December 19, 2012 from http://visitorono.com/