A delicious pancake breakfast was held to celebrate the public opening of the once private sugar bush, as Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua spoke to the importance of the site as a way to enrich the health and happiness of residents. Following the Mayor, speakers from the Richmond Hill Naturalists, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), local MPP Greg Sorbare, and councillors added layers to the story as they thanked the many contributors; a joint project of the City of Vaughan, TRCA and The Regional Municipality of York (with additional funding for purchase from the Province of Ontario).
After the ribbon was cut citizens were free to explore the trails of the 31 hectare (76 acre) old-growth forest. Found at the northwest corner of Bathurst Street and Highway 7 (just north of Highway 407), Baker’s Woods is one of the only remaining forests of its size in the City of Vaughan. It is also one of the most mature with 85 maple trees over 100 years old - the oldest of which is approximately 250 years old.
Historically, the area would have been covered by a sugar maple, beech and basswood forest. However, Baker's Woods is now an upland hardwood forest of mostly sugar maple with a small proportion of beech and white ash, and a few individuals of other species such as basswood, oak, hickory, elm, ironwood, pine, hemlock and spruce. The woodlot's historical management as a sugar bush naturally favored the sugar maple, which decreased the abundance of the other tree species. Now there stands a wide diversity of plants on the forest floor, including trillium, wild leek, trout lily, yellow violet, blue cohosh, and the less showy but equally important meadow rue, Virginia waterleaf, Jack-in-the-pulpit and sedges.
Baker's Woods features 11 hectares of interior habitat that is at least 100 metres away from any forest edge. Forest interior is an increasingly rare but vital habitat for certain bird and wildlife species that cannot survive along forest edges.
I would encourage local residents and Torontonians looking for a very close get away to explore the new trail system this fall to see the magnificent sugar maple as they change colours. The site is located at 91 Thornhill Woods Drive and has both automobile and bicycle parking, and accessible washrooms. A hearty congratulation to all those involved in making this project a reality -- it’s a sweet victory to the area’s urban forest.
Written by Mark Sherman with notes from the Toronto Region Conservation.
