A month on from a pair of incidents that left two local women fearing for their safety, and with investigations still ongoing, Haliburton Highlands OPP is reminding people to be vigilant while out in the community.

Mike Melnychuk, a constable with the Highlands detachment, shared some safety tips with media recently in response to situations where women were followed or approached by unknown males in broad daylight.

On April 25, at around 4 p.m., a woman driving from Haliburton to Minden believed she was being followed by a gold-coloured cube van. The driver changed course and went to the OPP detachment on Hwy. 35, at which point the van fled the area.

Then, on May 9, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a white pickup truck followed a pedestrian in Haliburton village.

Melnychuk said in both cases the women did the right thing staving off their assailants.

“Do not drive directly to your residence if you think you are being followed. Consider driving to a well-lit business location that is open, [such as] a gas station, convenience store or restaurant, or a police station, to wait for police,” Melnychuk said.

He recommended people keep their vehicles fueled to prevent breakdowns that may leave them isolated. Always communicate travel plans and consider allowing a trusted family member or friend to track your phone location to monitor travel.

If you have had any suspicious incidents in the past, Melnychuk said it’s important to document dates, times, and locations to help police with any investigation.

Speaking to The Highlander, the woman involved in the incident in Haliburton village said while she’s trying to put the exchange to the back of her mind, she wanted to come forward to warn other women. Granted anonymity to protect her identity, the woman said she brushed off the initial exchange as, “just one of those things women have to put up with.”

Walking alone down Maple Avenue, the woman said she was accosted by a man as she turned onto York Street.

“I thought it was cat calling initially, so I ignored him. Then the yelling grew louder and before I knew it, the guy was standing right behind me,” the woman said. “He just kept asking ‘do you want to make some money’, and telling me to get in his truck, or meet him in the park. I knew enough to say I wasn’t going anywhere with him.”

Panicking, the woman spotted a friend who chased the man away.

“It all happened so quickly, probably about a minute in total, but my heart was pounding. It was a very aggressive encounter. I could just tell the guy’s intentions weren’t good,” she said. “It made me think of those stories and reports out of the city about women being trafficked.”

John Hagarty, executive director of Kawartha/Haliburton Victim Services, said there have been no complaints of trafficking activity in the region since Jan. 1, 2022, though noted that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, only that it’s not being reported.

The same can’t be said in nearby Simcoe County, where Kim Kneeshaw, executive director of North Simcoe Victim Services, said human trafficking is rife.

“We see more instances of labour trafficking (forced to work) than we do sex trafficking,” she told The Highlander.

In March, OPP charged a 59-year-old Orillia man with 11 counts of human trafficking after abusing 15 victims, ranging in age from 21 to 54.

“There can be a lot of shame and embarrassment for victims… that’s why a lot of times women who have been trafficked don’t come forward,” Kneeshaw said.

The Haliburton woman said she wasn’t going to report the May 9 incident before friends and family encouraged her to do so. She noted the experience reminded her of the need to be cautious while out and about.

“It’s scary for things like this to be happening here. I’ve lived in Haliburton my whole life, but this is something new,” she said. “I want to make sure other women know about the dangers out there. Hopefully by talking, we can raise awareness and make sure women know what they should do if they’re ever approached.”

Highlands residents have been put on alert after Environment Canada updated its air quality health index June 6, with conditions County-wide deemed to be high-risk.

Smoke plumes from forest fires in Algonquin Park, east of Bancroft, and Quebec have resulted in deteriorated air quality across much of southern Ontario this week, with the federal agency marking conditions in the Dorset area eight out of 10 in a special air quality statement released Wednesday. It’s expected to reach nine by Thursday evening.

“High levels of air pollution are possible… wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone’s health even at low concentrations,” the statement reads.

Richard Ovcharovich, manager of environmental health with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) district health unit, recommended seniors, children, and people with heart and lung conditions avoid strenuous activities outdoors while bad conditions persist.

“Stay inside if you have breathing difficulties. Find an indoor place that’s cool and ventilated. Using an air conditioner that cools and filters air may help,” he said. “If your home isn’t air conditioned, consider going to a public place like a library or recreation centre. Keep your indoor air clean by keeping doors and windows closed.

“For the general population, if you experience irritation of eyes, nose or throat, shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms while outdoors, you should take action to reduce your exposure to outdoor air pollution,” he added.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s (MNRF) forest fire info map, as of 3 p.m. June 7 there are two active fires raging in Algonquin Park, totalling approximately 32 hectares, and a 50-hectare blaze burning roughly 40-kilometres east of Bancroft.

Environment Canada, in its air quality statement, noted, “people respond differently to smoke. Mild irritation and discomfort are common, and usually disappear when the smoke clears. Drinking lots of water can help your body cope with the smoke.”

The agency said running fans and HEPA filters at home can help air quality indoors, recommending against vacuuming, frying foods, or burning candles.

A complete fire ban remains in place across Haliburton County, after being implemented June 1. Forest fire danger ratings for the County, as determined by MNRF, are high, with some parts of Highlands East marked extreme.

Campfires, bonfires, fireworks, charcoal BBQs, outdoor candles and lanterns, tiki torches, propane fire pits, chimineas and the burning of leaves or brush are all prohibited County wide. Burn permits assigned prior to June 1 have also been suspended.

The Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC) is using the ageold mantra ‘if you build it, they will come’ while preparing to move to a new location that executive director, Patti Tallman, says will bring several services together under one roof.

‘The Link’ will be a “go-to place for new and existing entrepreneurs to find the resources they need to start, sustain, relocate, and grow,” Tallman noted.

The space, located beside Haliburton Timber Mart on County Road 21 in Haliburton, will house all HCDC operations, including its business incubator, the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the Arts Council, the County’s economic development and tourism staff, and services from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

“We’ve really seen this concept work elsewhere in Ontario, some of our [Community Futures Ontario] colleagues in Belleville and Kawartha Lakes have launched new spaces with big partnerships, and we really see the benefits,” Tallman said. “This is about creating greater awareness in the community of who we are and what we do.”

Since 1985, HCDC has approved more than $88 million in loans to support hundreds of business and non-profit endeavours, and a further $9.7 million in local community economic development initiatives. Staff provide free guidance to start-ups, assist with developing a business plan, financial projections, expansion and more, Tallman said.

Through its incubator, located beside Dysart town hall on Mountain Street, the organization has nurtured 10 startups and assisted more than 15 other developing businesses and entrepreneurs since its launch in 2010. The co-working space provides access to high-speed internet, personal working spaces, private offices, and a meeting room for operations without a home base of their own.

“There are a lot of people working from home up here, who are looking for opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs in a professional setting to have meetings, or even just for networking. The incubator space has been a great way for us to find out who’s working at the dead ends of all the dirt roads in our County,” said Heather Reid, HCDC program and operations coordinator.

“This move is going to bolster our incubator, allow us to get more people in and connect them with one another,” she added. Reid noted HCDC worked with eight businesses through its incubator in 2022.

Kat Schouten, who oversees operations at the incubator, told The Highlander the move brings several benefits.

“Just the speed of developing ideas – if someone who’s working in a co-working space has an idea, they can go directly to the chamber, they can go upstairs and have a conversation with one of our specialists. There’s an opportunity for us to get things off the ground so much quicker than we can right now,” Schouten said.

ACM Designs and North of Seven Custom Carpentry are leading the redevelopment of the space, which used to house Patient News. Tallman said the ground floor will be home to the incubator, the Chamber’s operations, and County staff. It will boast five rentable office spaces and eight coworking desks. Upstairs will feature offices for HCDC and BDC staff, and a boardroom.

Tallman said renovations should be finished in the fall, with HCDC planning to unveil the space at its annual general meeting Oct. 4.

“We’re thrilled about this expansion. I think it sets up HCDC for years to come,” Tallman noted.

It’s a muggy Friday, the sky threatening rain, as Mel Abberger spots a turtle on a road in Highlands East.

“That’s a Blanding’s,” she says with a tense voice, bringing the Subaru to a stop on the shoulder, and hitting the hazards. She slumps a little towards the steering wheel, as if steeling herself for what is to come.

The Blanding’s is smashed, its shell completely busted and cracked eggs spilling out of its innards. There is a pool of blood beneath it.

“Please don’t be alive,” Abberger says, as despite her love of turtles, she cannot stand the thought of this female being in so much pain.

But Turtle Guardian staffers have a job to do.

Setting emotions aside, Abberger and Emily Smart look for signs of life. They gingerly poke the turtle. What’s left of one back leg slightly twitches. It doesn’t mean she is alive. Turtles die very slowly. Their hearts can beat for more than two days before they succumb.

Abberger calls Turtle Guardian’s founder, Leora Berman, who is also in the field. Berman instructs her to drive the turtle up the road, to where she herself is in the process of bandaging a male Blanding’s that has been hit by a vehicle.

Abberger does the best she can to scrape up the turtle, cautiously trying not to damage any salvageable eggs. The Blanding’s is placed in a plastic bin. The mood in the car is sombre.

The Blanding’s Berman is working on has a chance as no internal organs are spilling out. But looking at the female requires a call to Jeff Hathaway from Scales Nature Park to ask if he thinks she needs to be euthanized.

“I think she’s gone,” Berman says into the phone. “Her front legs are not responding; one egg is hanging out. She’s in about 20 pieces.”

An afternoon with the Turtle Guardians

A decision is made she may have a viable egg, one chance of a new life from her crushed mother, so Berman takes her for a later egg extraction at headquarters on Gelert Road.

Abberger and Smart get back in the car. There is a post-mortem. Not for the turtle, but for them. Covering a large area, they often wonder what would have happened if they hadn’t stopped for the turtle before. Or the turtle before that one. Would they have been in time to save the Blanding’s?

Because the Blanding’s are “super at-risk, it’s somehow worse,” Abberger says. “Could we have prevented that?” But Smart reacts with emotion. “You know who could have prevented that? The people who hit her.”

It’s another wild night in June, as turtles are on the move in Haliburton County.

Turtle road crew

Driving out for a 4 p.m. shift, Abberger said, “I’ve been waiting since last September to handle some more wild turtles.”

Turtles are more comfortable moving in the rain, and slightly cooler temperatures, as they are not as much at risk of dehydration.

They find a Painted and it’s research time. Despite it peeing on them, they take measurements of the carapace (upper shell) and the plastron (under shell) and weigh it. They see if it’s gravid, or has eggs, by poking a finger under the shell. They also note any abnormalities. They record the time, location, air temperature, and weather. When they’re done, they mark it with a code, take a photo, and release it.

Blanding’s, because they have a distinct underbelly shell, get a name for tracking. Smart named her first one, Poppy, on June 1.

On the highway between Minden and Kinmount, the two are just finishing walking the shoulders of a wetland when a Painted turtle is spotted nesting. They quickly retreat about 10 metres so as not to spook her. Smart stays to guard the nest, while Abberger heads back up the road.

She comes upon a badly injured Painted and calls Berman for advice. “If there’s no organs outside, there’s hope there. She can make it. Try and piece her shell together. Dry her up,” Berman says.

Put to work

I’m suddenly no longer an observer. As Abberger triages the turtle, I drive back to check on Smart, who emerges with two more Painted turtles in her hands. I help her to process them. I then leave Smart at the nest, and return to Abberger. She’s done her best to patch the Painted but is now at a nest site digging for eggs.

She jumps in the car to Kinmount to meet up with a turtle taxi to Peterborough’s Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. As she is driving away, she yells back to me and I see a Painted crossing the highway. I quickly run to help it cross the road.

Then, a driver stops to tell me there is a large Snapper at the side of the road. It’s my turn to nest sit. Standing there for the better part of an hour, I feel adrenaline pumping.

Eventually, Abberger returns. We mark the site of the Snapper, who could be laying for hours, and go to get Smart.

“This is a crazy night,” says Abberger, admitting to her stress. “A lot all at once.” On this night, there are only three crews, or six people on the road, including Berman. They are patrolling hundreds of square kilometres.

By now, it’s getting on dusk. We’re all running on adrenaline and scratching numerous bug bites. We stop for other turtles. Live ones, including a big Snapper on the 503 in Highlands East, are processed. Dead turtles are removed from the road so the patrol doesn’t stop for them again. There’s little time to mark these deaths but the mutilated bodies are at least put back to the earth. Nests are checked for eggs. In the fog, Abberger has to brake quickly when a moose walks out in front of the car.

The last call is down a winding cottage road in Highlands East. Someone had called in a nest site. When the crew arrives, it’s pitch black and there is sand everywhere. They grab flashlights and wander but realize they’ll never find the nest. About 11 p.m., it’s time to call it quits.

Though they should be exhausted, from the pace and trying to see in the dark, the two are strangely awake, chalking it up to adrenaline.

Reflecting on the night, Abberger says she can’t help but wonder what could have been done differently but, “I try really hard to focus on the saves because you just can’t be everywhere at once. You have to focus on the good you can do and hope that’s enough.”

ABBERGER AND SMART’S TIPS:

• Brake and stop for turtles – help them cross the road. If worried about Snappers, you can learn how to move them from the Turtle Guardians. Don’t assume a turtle is dead. They can survive traumatic injuries. Eggs can also be harvested. For critical care, call the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre 1-705-741-5000.

• Reconnect with nature – turtles help new plants grow and ecosystems thrive; they bring new seeds and the necessary plant fertilizers across wide expanses as they travel between ecosystems, through their droppings. They also remove parasites from the water.  For more on the Turtle Guardians, see  turtleguardians. com; call 1-705-457-1222 or email info@turtleguardians.com. They are headquartered at 6712 Gelert Rd.

Simon Payn is getting his hands dirty as he creates a garden at the corner of Maple Avenue and Mountain Street in downtown Haliburton.

Passers-by might have seen work progressing at the historic Lucas House, which houses the Corner Gallery, Lebo Law and The Highlander.

Payn said he is creating a garden that not only appeals to him but also serves the interests of nature as a whole.

“I’ve carefully selected plants that will create an ecosystem, benefiting everything from invertebrates to birds,” he said. “I hope it will be beautiful to nature as well as to us.”

Payn said this approach to gardening will reduce maintenance. He has removed the lawn and replaced it with native plants from Haliburton County and the wider area, including little bluestem, pale purple coneflower, and swamp milkweed. These plants are suited to living here, meaning they don’t need much care.

He ordered 1,200 small plants from a nursery and expects in a year or two they will cover the ground and eliminate the need for weeding.

“As the plants are getting established, they need to be watered in hot and dry weather,” he said. “But as time goes on, all it will require is a little tweaking as the plants mature.”

Instead of gardening to please humans, Payn said his landscape considers the environment too.

“It’s a different approach to how we live in the world,” he said. “You do things for the benefit of the wider world – wider biodiversity, wider ecosystems. When they benefit, it benefits us too.”

Payn said his garden shows how people can adopt sustainable practices that go beyond our own needs. He hopes his garden serves as an inspiration to those who are trying to make a positive impact on the world around them.

Payn is co-owner and former publisher of The Highlander.

The Haliburton County Master Gardeners launched a self-guided tour of the Minden Riverwalk May 26. Called ‘stepping into nature’, it can be accessed through a smartphone app called PocketSights.

The Master Gardeners have been working on the project for around six months. Master Gardener Shelly Fellows said they have planted approximately 45 native plants along the riverwalk. Some of these native plants are joe pye weed, sedges, and spruce.

Minden Mayor Bob Carter, County Warden Liz Danielson, U-Links executive director Andrew Gordon, HCDC program and operations coordinator Heather Reid, along with the Master Gardeners, were in attendance to officially kick off the event by cutting ‘the rope’.

Fellows said, “the multi-media walking tour includes photos, detailed descriptions of plants, insect information and gardening tips, along with audio stories.”

When walking beside the Gull River listening to the self-guided media tour, it gives an in-depth description of what people are experiencing. It vividly describes things such as the rainbow bench in honour of Sinclair Russell, who created Minden Pride and passed away in 2020.

There has been a massive population of geese surrounding the Gull River, which can have many health risks to humans, other natural species and water. The Master Gardeners and the township of Minden Hills have worked hard to reduce the population.

They started with letting the grass grow naturally at the edge of the river and not cutting it. This stops the geese from eating the other native plants on the riverwalk. It may take two to three years for this to be effective because geese tend to return to the same nesting locations.

The Master Gardeners gave out a free native plant to everyone, along with free tours. You can access the guided walk anytime by downloading the PocketSights app and scanning one of the QR codes on the multiple signs located along the riverwalk.

When Ian Macnab bought his first car, a beat-up Austin-Healey Sprite, in the late 1960s he had no idea he was planting the first seed for what would become a lifelong passion.

The Haliburton resident looks back fondly on his years as an early adult, where he spent whatever free time he had away from his studies at McMaster University learning how to restore and care for the classic car. Better known in Europe as the MG Midget, the vehicle was among the most popular affordable sportscars on the market right around the time of the moon landing.

“I didn’t really know or appreciate what I had back then, but I was deeply enamoured with the MG brand. It’s fair to say that’s where my passion began,” Macnab recently told The Highlander.

While he would sell his Sprite after graduating, Macnab remained faithful to the Morris Garages brand. Today, he has one of the most impressive MG collections on the continent. The crown jewel is an emeraldcoloured 1970 Midget that Macnab says he’s owned and meticulously maintained for almost 25 years.

He purchased the vehicle from its previous owner in North Carolina in 1999. Back then, it wasn’t much to look at.

“It came up here in boxes. The parts were all painted in grey primer, it was a total rebuild job. But it was exactly what I had been looking for,” Macnab said, noting he paid $500 for it. “I spent the better part of three years working until it was finally ready to hit the road. I haven’t looked back since.”

The car regularly turns heads at shows across North America. It won first place in its class at an MG conference in Niagara Falls in 2015, with other awards earned at events in Louisville, Kentucky, Peterborough, Port Perry and Kingston. The Midget has become a regular feature at the annual Brits in the Park car show that takes place in Lindsay each summer.

The early years

“The older I’ve gotten, the more interested I’ve become in the origins of the MG brand. It’s really quite the success story,” Macnab said.

Founded by Cecil Kimber in the 1920s, MG established its home base in Oxford, England and became known as the manufacturer that made the marque famous. Renowned for its open two-seater sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupes. The company is celebrating its centennial this year.

Since its conception, MG has led the way in sports car development, Macnab claims.

“There are sports cars that are far better cars than MG, faster than MG. But MG was the one that started it all. They were the pioneer.”

The collection

Macnab has dozens of items from those formative years on display in his garage in Haliburton, part of a 300-plus piece collection that he estimates is worth in the region of $25,000. Whether it’s newspaper clippings of old stories or advertisements, framed posters of some of the earliest MG models, branded teapots, or actual pieces of the original factory and assembly line that was decommissioned in 1972, the collector has a little bit of everything.

“I’ve got several pewter models, die cast models. I have a plate that formed part of the engine in an MG T-type – that car is long gone, production stopped in 1950, but I was able to find this online from a seller in the UK,” Macnab said. “I was able to take the information from the plate to find out exactly what car it was from, and when and where it was made.”

The walls inside the garage are filled with various other keepsakes. There’s an enthusiast medal handed out by the British Car Council of Canada in 2017 in honour of Macnab’s collection; the original steering wheel from his 1970 Midget; a one-of-a-kind commemorative plaque MG assigned to Macnab in honour of the company’s centennial – they only made and distributed 100, Macnab has number 59; and a watercolour painting of the emerald green Midget that an admirer in Lindsay put together around 10 years ago

“I don’t know that it’s the most valuable collection in the world, but it’s definitely unique. And it’s been a lot of fun pulling all this stuff together,” Macnab said.

Looking ahead

Macnab said he has some wonderful memories with the car, most notably from his wedding to his second wife, Jane, in 2008. The couple were married in Gravenhurst on an old Muskoka steamship but made sure to bring the Midget along so they could ride off into the sunset.

“Jane insisted – we decorated the car with a ‘just married’ sign, we had it waiting on the pier once we got off the boat. That’s something that will stay with me forever,” he said.

It’s recollections like that which will make it hard for Macnab to let go. He said he’s considering parting with his collection, including the 1970 Midget, but only for the right owner.

“I’d like to think this all can live on in some way,” he said.

Not that he’ll be getting out of the MG business completely – Macnab said he’s long toyed with the idea of purchasing a rare MGB GT hard top if he can find the right deal.

“That’s on the bucket list. Again, it’s not the fastest or most shiny car, but it appeals to me. The whole point of this is to have a little fun, bring some enjoyment into your life and put a smile on your face,” Macnab said. “I’ve had enough smiles and good times out of this thing to last me two [lifetimes].”

Minden resident Bruce Down said having the chance to grow his own produce right in town is a blessing he isn’t taking for granted.

The retired senior was among the first to register for a plot at the new Minden Community Garden, which opened May 18. Located at the Minden fairgrounds, the space boasts 20, four-feet by 12-feet raised beds that locals can use to plant fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

“We live on a lot on South Lake Road and it’s all bedrock, solid stone. I couldn’t plant there even if I wanted to,” Down told The Highlander. “I was born and raised on a farm and know what gardens can do for you. They’re a gift.”

Development of the garden was a joint venture between the Minden Community Food Centre and Minden Rotary Club. Gary Stoner, a volunteer with the food bank, said he’s been working on the concept since August.

The project is designed to provide fresh produce to food bank clients and the general public, many of whom – like Down – do not have the physical space to create a garden on their own property, or who live in rented accommodation.

Work began at the site in early May. Stoner said the wood for the plots was donated by Minden Home Hardware and Canadian Tire, while Carnarvon’s Francis Thomas Contracting supplied the topsoil.

“It’s been a real community effort,” he said, estimating the cost to be around $15,000.

As of press time, there were still seven lots available for rent. Stoner said the cost is $20 per season.

The space was a hive of activity on Victoria Day, with several residents stopping by to tend to their lot. Down was the first, planting onions, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and some flowers.

“There’s nothing quite like growing your own stuff,” he said.

Stoner said fencing designed to keep deer and other wildlife away from the plots will be installed in June, while there are plans to run water to the site and install hose beds next summer. Looking long-term, he said the site could be expanded to include more lots if demand spikes.

Anyone interested in tending to a plot can call 705-286-6838, or email mindencommunityfoodcentre@gmail. com. Stoner said he’s looking for people who would be willing to grow fruits and vegetables to donate to the food bank.

“We have certainly seen an uptick in the need for fresh produce in Minden. None of the lots are specifically designated for the food bank, the challenge we have is finding volunteers to look after that, but we would be really thankful if anyone from the community was interested [in taking that on],” Stoner said

Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve held its first Research Day in more than four years May 13, inviting students and specialists from across Canada to share information and analysis on a range of forestry-related issues.

On the agenda this year were presentations on the impacts of beech bark disease, silviculture efforts at Haliburton Forest, the benefits of biochar technology, and a look at how declining moth populations is threatening birds and other wildlife in Ontario.

Organizer Adam Gorgolewski said there was a lot of good information, with around 40 people attending.

“Each year we try and cover a bit of everything that’s going on in Haliburton Forest. There are usually 20-plus research projects happening at any one time. Because we haven’t held an event for four years, I was able to narrow in on a few important topics that, literally, could change and help shape the way we operate in the future,” he said.

The morning presentations focused on forest management and silviculture. Gorgolewski spoke about how Haliburton Forest is changing the way it identifies trees for harvesting. For years, the business has followed the standard practice of individually studying and marking trees, making sure they were healthy enough to be harvested, which Gorgolewski said is “one of the most labourintensive parts of the way we manage our forest.”

During the pandemic, Forest staff piloted a new system that uses canopies to determine the underlying health of a tree.

“Rather than walking around every tree and scanning for every single defect and then doing the math to figure out when it’s likely to die, you can just look at the canopy and if it has 20 per cent or more die-back (decline), it’s quite likely to die over the next 20 years, or at least decline in quality,” he said.

Haliburton Forest produces approximately 110,000 fbm (board foot) of lumber each day across its four sawmill operations.

A species on the decline

Gorgolewski said beech bark disease is the “biggest, most significant problem” Haliburton Forest is currently facing. First identified on-site in 2010, the disease is spread through fungus that lives inside insects that feed off a beech tree’s sap. Once a tree is infected, it’s a death sentence, Gorgolewski noted, saying he expects the species will be wiped out completely by 2033.

“Beech trees represent around 15 per cent of all trees in Haliburton Forest… so that’s a massive decrease in the number of trees we will have,” he said.

There is a silver lining, though – he said staff will plant a variety of tree species in place of the fallen beeches, which will create a more resilient forest eco-system. That’s important, he said, at a time that invasive species are running roughshod on various tree populations.

“Probably a more present and imminent problem than climate change… invasive species are one thing that could make or break our forestry operations,” he said. “We weren’t prepared for [beech bark disease] when it appeared – if we had something similar come in and hit all of our maple trees, which makes up around 50 per cent of our tree population, then you’re looking at the majority of our trees being wiped out.”

An immediate concern is the increased presence of hemlock woolly adelgid – an aphid-like insect that attacks and kills hemlock trees – in the GTA.

“Our whole eco log business is based off lumber that comes from hemlock trees, so if that gets here, it’s going to have huge implications on how we operate,” Gorgolewski said.

The future

Biochar is a big part of Haliburton Forest’s future operations, Gorgolewski said. The company invested $10 million expanding its work in the field in 2022.

“There are hundreds of different uses of biochar. Most of the research we’ve done has focused on soil amendment and rejuvenation, but the possibilities are endless,” he said.

In her presentation, Lutchmee Sujeeun, a PhD student from the University of Toronto, indicated biochar has proven to positively affect the growth of certain tree species, particularly sugar maple and hemlock.

Biochar is a carbon-rich, charcoal-like substance produced by burning forest material in a zero-oxygen environment to create oil and gas by-products that can be used as fuel.

In a release last year touting the expansion, Haliburton Forest managing director Malcolm Cockwell said biochar produced on-site can be used to displace various fossil fuel products, resulting in a net reduction of 4,200 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions per year.

“We’re just getting started with biochar, and we hope to have another exciting announcement later this year,” Gorgolewski said.