New Bur Oak Seed Orchard To Fight Against Climate Change

Tuesday, 24 September 2019 15:49

Photo credit: Steve Sauder, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority

In a partnership with Oxford County and Forest Gene Conservation Association, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority announced the opening of a new Bur Oak Seed Orchard. It is located at the landfill in Salford.

SALFORD - A Bur Oak Seed Orchard has officially opened in Oxford County.

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, Forest Gene Conservation Association and representatives from Oxford County were on hand to make an announcement this morning.

Forester of the UTRCA John Enright says the orchard is built to fight against climate change.

"So the thinking is that over time the Bur Oak from Pennsylvania and in the long term the Bur Oak from Tennessee may be a better bet for the increased temperatures in Ontario for the next 50 years or so."

In a press release the UTRCA say this assisted migration trial uses Bur Oak seeds from Tennessee and Pennsylvania, as well as local Bur Oak from Southern Ontario.

He says they hope to develop and establish more of the assisted migration trials in the future.

"Hopefully, we're going to have seeds probably in the next 10 to 15 years that'll come from this particularly piece of property. Hopefully it'll be better adapted to our warming climate conditions and we'll be able to collect that seed, that seed will then be grown into seedlings and used in reforestation projects across the UTRCA watershed and probably beyond as a viable source of seed that's well adapted to our changing climate."

It is one of two oak seed orchards now located in the region. He adds the trees at the new location were actually planted in 2010.

It is a partnership between the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, Forest Gene Conservation Association and Oxford County.

The FGCA began in 1994 and it has been a non-profit, genetic resource management corporation since 1997. The FGCA has a vision of a healthy, productive, sustainable forest across urban and rural southern Ontario, which includes the full breadth of natural woody plant genetic diversity and contributes to local ecosystem integrity as well as the social and economic welfare of current and future generations of people in Ontario.

Today's announcement marks the second assisted migration trial in the region, located at the Salford landfill.