Hockley Heights Side Trail cuts north from the main Trail, across steep hills and valleys, and turns west to re-join the main Trail. For the hiker looking for a strenuous hike its hills are an obvious attraction. Less obvious is the history of forest management hidden in its pines and maples. The first clue is a Town of Mono sign denoting the area ahead as “Anderson Tract”.
The Anderson Tract, a square 100 acres of land located at the top of the trail, is named for Sheldon J.(Shelly) Anderson. Shelly Anderson was a force in Forest Management within the Town of Mono from 1949 to at least 1968. But the story starts well before him.
Before European settlement the area was treed with maple, beech, basswood and elm with cedar, spruce, balsam and tamarack in the lowlands. Pine was not prevalent. Settlers started the backbreaking work of clearing the land and by 1910 only about 19% of the land was left forested.
Around this time the effect of removing so much tree cover was starting to become apparent. Trees stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. In many areas the soil blew away. Farmers’ fields suffered as well due to farming practices of the time.
By the early 1900’s government and institutions started taking an interest. The Ontario Government supplied trees free of charge and three universities had forestry departments. H.A Dorrance, County of Dufferin’s first Agricultural Representative, was an advocate of reforestation. Some landowners took up the idea and planted pine and spruce over large areas, inspiring others to follow their lead.
In 1924 Mr. Dorrance persuaded Mono Township Council to seriously consider reforestation. In 1926 the council paid $250 for 98 acres of land which became known as Tract 1926. Four more purchases followed, one of which would become known as the Anderson Tract. Plantings occurred on the lands over decades.
In 1949 Shelly Anderson entered the story. He had attended a Committee on Soil Depletion and was moved by a recommendation that “..encouragement and support be given to Boys and Girls’ Forestry Clubs designed to promote reforestation..”. Mr. Anderson saw an opportunity to get trees planted in large numbers by students of the area while at the same time instilling in the children an understanding and love of trees. A program was born which lasted from 1949 to 1968 during which upwards of 85,000 trees were planted. From the purchase of the first tract of land in 1926 to 1968 over 360,000 trees were planted on the acquired lands which now comprise 460 acres of Mono Forest Tracts.
These early reforestation efforts used conifers such as red and white pines. These softwoods tolerate poor soils well, establish quickly and have high survival rates compared to hardwoods. Conifer seedlings were easy to grow in nurseries and could be planted in rows with simple methods, methods school children could follow. And the trees grew fast and the uniform plantations could be harvested efficiently. They are a good “nurse crop” suitable to restore degraded sites.
The goal now is to establish a naturally occurring forest. A monoculture forest is at risk and currently the red pine which dominates many stands is in a state of decline. Regular plantation thinning creates gaps that allow natural light to reach the forest floor encouraging regeneration of hardwood species. Tree seeds are deposited by wind, mammals and birds. This initial thinning has occurred and the process of natural regeneration of hardwood species has begun. Future thinnings are required to continue the work.
We have dramatically changed the forest on the Side Trail in the last 150 years. We have harvested the old growth trees for shelter and barns and fences and to stay warm. We have turned a dense forest into a stubbled field. We have seen the soil blow away. We have seen new trees planted in place of the ones cut down. We have seen efforts to transform the forest back to its primeval state. Maybe, if we keep at it, in 150 years a hiker will climb the hills of Hockley Heights Side Trail in a “green dark forest .. too silent to be real”*.
