2018 SCRCA Stewardship Program Highlights

December 2018 | SCRCA Stewardship Team

 

Stewardship and Forestry

The SCRCA promotes and supports activities that will create healthy watersheds and improve local water quality and soil health. Conservation Authority staff achieve this by providing educational opportunities, technical advice, and financial assistance to local landowners interested in  establishing Best Management Practices (BMPs) and stewardship projects on their properties, such as tree planting and wetland creation. The SCRCA also offers several forestry services to promote sustainable woodlot practices including the development of woodlot management plans and certifying woodlands under the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP).

 

Healthy Watershed Program: Connecting Landowners with Environmental Stewardship Funding

The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority’s Healthy Watersheds Program provides landowners with technical and financial assistance to improve and protect rural water quality and soil health. Our staff actively seek grants that will help support the conservation efforts of private landowners. Projects can include wetland creation/rehabilitation, sediment traps, agricultural erosion control structures, cover crops, buffer strips, riparian/stream bank protection, wildlife habitat creation, windbreaks, and reforestation.

In 2018, our staff secured $214,703 in grants to support 43 projects on private landowner property.

 

43 projects completed in 2018:

• 29 tree planting projects (27.4 ha)
• 7 wetland projects (9.56 ha)
• 4 erosion projects
• 2 fencing projects
• 1 bank stabilization project

 

Tree Planting

In 2018, SCRCA staff planted 54,700 seedlings and 180 large stock trees. In addition, the Authority supplied 6,600 seedlings and 740 large stock trees to local landowners.

 

Tree Seedling Program

The SCRCA offers a tree seedling planting and 3-year maintenance program for large-scale afforestation and windbreak projects. Staff work to secure grants on behalf of the landowners to help offset the cost of these projects.

 

Large Stock Tree Program

Each year, our conservation services staff work with local nurseries to purchase large stock trees in bulk. These trees are supplied to private landowners for plantations and windbreaks and to municipalities for roadside plantings.

 

Collecting Local Tree Seed

Just as it is important to select the correct species for a project’s site conditions, it is also important that trees are sourced from seed produced in the same geographic region. This ensures the trees are genetically adapted to local conditions and able to grow to their fullest potential. Each year, our conservation services staff collect tree seed from native species throughout the watershed. The seed is shipped to wholesale nursery stock growers who plant the seeds and produce trees for future afforestation projects.

In 2018, 2,600 litres of tree seed was collected by Authority staff. In addition, through funding provided by Enbridge, staff also organized a workshop through the Tree Seed Collector Mentorship Program where participants learned how to properly collect and process seed.

 

Providing Woodlot Management Services

Our qualified forestry staff members:

• Provide landowners with technical assistance on woodlot management
• Create Woodlot Management Plans that meet the specific goals of the landowners
• Are certified to prepare and/or approve plans created through the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP)

 

The goal of the MFTIP is to create a fair property tax system by valuing woodlands based on current use. The program is also designed to increase landowner awareness about forest stewardship.

In 2018, our MFTIP certified staff completed:

• 5 new plans, managing 65 hectares of forest
• 3 renewals, managing 32 hectares of forest

 

Lambton County Woodlands Conservation By-Law

The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority has administered the Woodlands Conservation Bylaw on behalf of the County of Lambton since 2011. This partnership not only assists with the regulatory aspect of the bylaw but has expanded local outreach and education related to conserving woodlands.

Interested in undertaking a stewardship project?

If you are interested in undertaking a stewardship project on your property or would simply like to learn more, fill out our Healthy Watersheds Program Survey.

We will add you to our contact list and reach out to you if funding becomes available to support the projects you are interested in implementing on your property.

You can also choose to receive occasional updates about upcoming expert-led and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing events.