The Sydenham Field Naturalists got a helping hand recently to plant some trees in the Paw Paw Woods in Wallaceburg.
Dave Smith, president of the Sydenham Field Naturalists, said the planting took place in cooperation with Union Gas and their Helping Hands funding.
“We are extending the bush on the east side of the forest,” Smith said. “There is an area that was a farm land and it’s now going to be going back into its natural habitat of trees and we have also done some tall grass prairie planting in the same area.”
Smith said about eight members and 10 volunteers from Union Gas came out to plant approximately 30 native trees.
“It is just a progression of developing the bush and getting it back to what it use to be,” he said. “With the subdivision, obviously there was areas taken out over the years. It has been kind of misused, so we have tried to
develop a trail through it and try and keep it clean and kick it back to where is should be as a natural area.”
Smith said the biggest quality with this particular bush is in its name.
“There are Paw Paw trees which is a native plant and not found in a lot of areas in southern Ontario,” he said. “There are few areas like up and around Ridgetown area, there are some on the outskirts of Chatham but not very often do you find this Paw Paw tree.”
Smith said it is a fruit bearing tree.
“The thought it that the soldiers and the Indians of the war of 1812 carried the seeds for these trees and that is how they were growing in this area. You would have to know what it is but if you go through the bush and see it, it is a massive plant with a really big umbrella shape leaf,” he said.
Smith said this planting is in addition to 150 trees that were planted a year and a half ago.
Also this past spring, just over one acre of tall grass prairie was planted on the north side of the woods.
The Sydenham Field Naturalists are stewards of this property as well as Sycamore Woods and Peers Wetland in Wallaceburg.
Here are a couple of photos from the planting:
– Submitted photos
