Featured Articles

By-laws to Protect Native Vegetation *

May 9, 2023

Before you take any serious site alteration to your property it’s important to consult your township and/or county office for guidance. If you see activity on a neighbouring property that is concerning, you can also contact the County Conservation Bylaw Officer.

Development practices are altering our shorelines such that an important buffer of native vegetation along the shoreline has become fragmented. This fragmentation has a negative effect on water quality and the fish and wildlife that rely on this critical space where water touches land.

To manage what can be built or paved in that important buffer area, and recognizing the equal if not greater importance of the understory species that reinforce the tree layer, the County sought to put additional regulations in place to protect the shorelands and the quality of the water. *

Scientists agree that a 30-metre buffer of trees and underbrush is the minimum to protect water quality. More is better of course, and many waterfront residents do keep their entire properties vegetated with native species.

The new Shoreline Preservation By-law which was passed in April 2023 stipulates a buffer of 20 meters from the shoreline. Bylaws can be amended with improvements in the future. The township of Dysart et el is working on their own Shoreline by-law and it should be in place in 2023.

The County has a Shoreline Tree Preservation By-law that stipulates no cutting of trees with a diameter of 5 cm or within 30 metres of the shoreline.

Another little known by-law is the Haliburton County Forestry Conservation By-law that guides and restricts what landowners can do on properties of 4 hectares (9.88 acres) or more. This is an important bylaw because it applies to all types of properties not just waterfront lots.

Conservation Bylaw Officer
These bylaws are complaint driven so if you see any activity going on that you’re not sure complies with the bylaw call or email the County’s Conservation Bylaw Officer, James Rogers to discuss the situation with him. jrogers@haliburtoncounty.ca Tel. 705 457-6854.

* The vegetative layer beneath the tree canopy, the “brush” can contain 90% of the species in the forest and is vital to forest function. This layer shades tree roots, covers bare soil, influences the growth of tree seedlings, and discourages weeds. Its fallen foliage is higher in nutrients than decaying tree leaves. Shallow roots mat together to anchor the soil and intercept surface runoff. Deeper rooted plants also take up water and excess nutrients at levels just above the bedrock in areas with thin soil. Overhanging plants provide shade and cover for fish and other aquatic life. Native vegetation requires no harmful pesticides or fertilizers to thrive. Herbaceous plants are a source of nectar, pollen and nesting material for pollinating insects and birds. From the Master Gardeners’ Directory of Native Plants for your Property including Shorelines

Deterring Canada Geese*

May 1, 2023

Did you know that the Canada goose is not native to the Haliburton region? Historically their nesting grounds were limited to the Arctic tundra, to the Western Prairies and to the grasslands and wetlands of southwest Ontario. They were nearly extinct 100 years ago because of overhunting and the drainage of wetlands. In the intervening years conservation efforts and government wildlife laws re-established their numbers in the millions.

Canada Geese Human settlement has also rapidly changed the once forested Ontario landscape to one of vast expanses of manicured grass, suburban sprawl and fields of corn and grain. With few predators and abundant food supply the exploding populations of Canada goose are overgrazing and despoiling the land and water. They are also taking over habitats once the preserve of native species of birds.

Geese leave large quantities of molted feathers and droppings, up to 2 kg per bird per day, which have health risks to humans and consequences for other species, the land and water. Competition for feeding and nesting material can also spread diseases such as botulism, cholera, or avian flu among geese. The habitat in our region did not evolve to support such a large bird species with its large brood and insatiable demand for food and space. The fragile ecosystem of the Canadian Shield is being negatively impacted by this large bird with a voracious appetite.

WHAT CAN WE DO?
Most animals are self-regulating and their population numbers will adjust to the habitat available. If you want to reduce the number of geese from the Highlands and restore species balance you need to make your property unattractive to them.The kindest and most effective way to do that is to change the landscape.They like to eat grass and they like wide open spaces so that they can keep an eye on any advancing predators. They are also suspicious of any shrubs that might provide cover for predators.

The first step is to plant a physical and visual barrier of shrubs along the water. A cost effective solution for a large area would be to use Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) and Willow (Salix) cuttings purchased or taken from nearby plants in the very early spring. Ten to twelve inch cuttings can simply be stuck into the ground to a depth of 6”. The abundant rain and flooding of the riverbank will soon have them putting out roots. White Meadowsweet (Spirea alba) is readily available at nurseries and is another quick growing dense shrub to deter geese. For a year or so while your shrubs are maturing you’ll need a line with flags or flashing tape to prevent the geese from coming up out of the water onto your lawn. This barrier will only work for the 6 weeks, during July and August when the geese are molting and lose their flight feathers preventing them from flying. During the rest of the year they will simply fly over any barrier. Vegetation on Shoreline

The second step at this stage is to interrupt the vast expanse of grass with shrubs, trees, and other plants, preferably native. A small grove of Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia), a medium growing shrub with showy spring flowers and an open branch structure would be a good choice for any location. You could incorporate a snaking path to the water if access is required.

It may take 2-3 years to fully vegetate your waterfront to deter the geese. Geese like to return to the same nesting location year after year so you’ll have to be vigilant if you have nesting geese on
your property.
It may take you some time to adjust to the more natural look, but you’ll rejoice when you’ve succeeded at eliminating the Canada Geese who were fouling your property, polluting your water and ousting the smaller native birds.

IN BRIEF
1. Deprive geese of the grass that

they like to eat and obscure their line of sight with plants
2. Design a narrow zig zag shaped walking path to the water
3. Reduce grass, mow less often and add native plants
4. Plant a continuous 30” high band of dense native plants along the shoreline as deep as you can (20-30 feet deep recommended but anything will help). These plantings will provide a physical barrier and with reduced site lines the geese will fear predators and stay away.
5. Erect a temporary barrier of two rows of line or reflective scare tape until the vegetation fills in.
6. Encourage aquatic plants such as bulrushes and cattails that work to deter geese.
7. Plant trees and understory shrubs to obstruct their overhead line of sight.

Carolyn Langdon, Master Gardener 2023

References:
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/migratory-bird-conservation/publications/handbook-managing-cackling-geese-southern/chapter-3.html#_toc070102
https://www.lesslawn.com/articles/article1034.html
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory

Natural Landscaping Solutions*

April 30, 2023

Plants have roots.They have roots that intertwine, roots that mat together, roots that penetrate deeply and anchor around rocks, roots that prevent soil from washing away. Nature has done a pretty good job holding things together since the last ice age 10,000 years ago. Attached to these roots are a variety of remarkable plants, shrubs and trees that have evolved over 10, 000 years with each other and with mammals, insects and avian species to create some pretty extraordinary ecosystems.

More and more landscapers are turning to native plants and methods that mimic natural processes to restore degraded sites along shorelines and in upland areas. If you live on waterfront, you’ll want access to the water to reach a dock or a beach. The ideal is to minimize the amount of native vegetation that you remove to create a path. For level sites a soft path is kindest on the land. For steeper sites, steps or a snaking path may be necessary. A path will act as a water course during heavy rains so top your path with wood mulch to help slow and absorb water. If your slope is very steep and you’re using rock, make it local granite which is available nearby and aesthetically fits in with the surrounding land. Don’t ignore the value of plants when you are putting in hardscapes like steps, patios and retaining walls and wherever practical choose plants over hardscape to solve problems and create esthetic spaces. Place plants close to hard scape features to hold the soil in place and plant them densely.

Picture of Bearberry with red berries.
Bearberry would be a good choice for planting around steps and paths since they are widely available, hardy, low growing, sun loving and thrive in poor sandy soil.

Photo credit Sten Porse CC-BY 3.0plants

Shorelines cloaked in vegetation fare better than properties cleared of shrubs and trees and planted in grass. Steep banks do well planted in Willow shrubs, Speckled Alder, Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) and Red Osier Dogwood, named for its red stems. It is the tenacious plant roots of these shrubs that hold the soil in place. These plants have adapted to extreme conditions and will survive periods of flooding and then long periods of little rain. They are deciduous and can be pruned aggressively to maintain views. There are many other plants that can tolerate a range of conditions that make them ideally suited to shorelines and the vagaries of the weather. For other plant choices please peruse the article on Solutions to Erosion .

Hard surfaces like steps and retaining walls do nothing to slow the flow of water from the top of a slope or prevent the force of a river or wave action from slowly undermining these structures. Engineers have found that rip rap is not always effective in stabilizing the shore but merely armours it for a period of time. Rip rap does a poor job of absorbing the energy of water and merely deflects waves to the edges undermining neighbouring properties. Placing plants in rip rap to accumulate organic debris from roots can help.

Restorationists are now opting to use vegetation and softer organic materials. In serious cases a steep slope may need to be cut back to reduce the angle and then clothed in coco mat to hold the disturbed soil in place until plant roots spread enough to take over this function. Coconut fiber rolls and mats placed along a shoreline can absorb and redirect water and can be planted so that plant roots can eventually take over.

Picture of Rip Rap — Rip Rap has fallen out of favour

Ideally we want to take care of water before it reaches the shore. And to do that we need to assess the state of the landscape from the shoreline back to your property line. We would need to consider how many buildings and parking areas with impervious surfaces, grass vis a vis a many layered woodland are in place. A landscape of different layers allow light to penetrate to all plants – low perennials, understory, upper canopy.

Erosion has a lot to do with upland management. The ideal is to have the ground water from rainfall and runoff be absorbed, filtered and cleaned before it runs down the slope to the water body. Bio swales, raingardens, and undulations in the landscape can all be used to hold water and give it time to absorb into the ground.
Forests filter and regulate the flow of water. Leaves capture and slow the fall of rain to the forest floor. The ground acts like an enormous sponge, absorbing up to 46 centimetres (15 in) of precipitation before gradually releasing it to streams and recharging ground water. On average an untouched forest floor can absorb 2/3rds more rain than a cover of suburban turf.

Well vegetated upland areas can still offer a view. Deciduous shrubs and trees can be thinned, and branches removed with little effect on the vegetation. It’s called ‘vista pruning’ and looks more attractive than a clear-cut swath down to your lake. Use brush and other available organic matter to build soil to reclaim poor soil areas. It may take a few years for twigs and branches to break down in our temperate zone with our short summers and cool evenings, but you’ll eventually be rewarded with rich, moist soil ideal for planting natives. If you can’t wait, you can make a hole in the brush, add soil and plant. Brush piles also act as habitat for wildlife so you may want to have a succession of soil building projects on the go.

Build swales or ditches and then plant them so that plant roots can take up excess water. A bio swale allows surface water to soak into the earth slowly, rather than flooding or shooting down to the lake. Use rocks, logs and any other natural debris to slow down the flow of water and arrest erosion. Place logs perpendicular to a compacted and steep path to direct water to the sides. Use wood chip mulch on the sloped pathways as it is absorbent and is a soil builder. As tempting as it may be, please avoid planting fast growing invasive ground covers like periwinkle (Vinca) and Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria).

Plants, with their varied root systems blanket and protect the soil from drying out and from blowing or eroding away. They also aerate the soil and provide nutrients to the soil from decaying foliage. Organic material has the additional benefit of providing texture and nutrients to your soil as it breaks down.

An effective and affordable solution for any terrain but particularly steep slopes is the use of wattles which are simply bundles of organic material, possibly coco rolls. Live stakes and/or steel rods are used to hold the material in place. The live stakes are cuttings taken from shrubs such as willow and dogwood, that quickly set down roots. The use of live stakes can only be used in early spring and the stakes can be bought or cut from existing vegetation before leaf out. Buttonbush, elderberry, viburnum, willow and dogwood are all sold as live stakes. Buy dormant and plant in April/May.

How to obtain plants:
The nursery trade has a very small inventory of native plants, so you’ll have to be creative.
Celebrate what you have, prune, move and enhance.
Transplant or divide from plants on your property.
Collect seed from friends.
Purchase sustainably grown plants
For a list of local landscapers, arborists and nurseries please visit our Buy Local page

Carolyn Langdon, Master Gardeners, 2023