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The Trees on the Long Point Causeway

A Report by Ron Thayer

Resource Technician, Forests For You

June 15, 2009

Introduction:

The author was commissioned by the Friends of the Causeway Association, (FOCAS), to perform an impartial inventory of the trees along the Long Point causeway, to determine which species are present and the number of each species.  In addition, the author was asked to determine the health of the trees present.  However, the author has extended, (or perhaps overstepped), his commission by offering some additional general observations that may prove useful to those concerned with the future of the Long Point causeway.  Hence, this report is in two parts; the first being the inventory and the second containing the additional observations.

Part A:  An Inventory of the Trees

Method:

On May 28, 2009, the author walked the entire length of the causeway.  The species of each tree was determined by examining details such as the leaves and the bark.  Records were kept of the species and health of each tree.  Where trees grew in a clump, the clump was counted as a single tree for the purposes of this inventory.

Observations:   

Total healthy trees on Long Point causeway ... 224. (of the two core species)

Smaller numbers of other species were found.  These included:

There was no significant disease or infestation seen on any of the trees, however a significant number of them suffer from a lack of routine maintenance.  Such trees are sound and healthy but need to be trimmed.

Conclusion:

The Long Point causeway is lined with a significant number of healthy mature trees of different species.

Part B:  Some anecdotal observations

Because I have 33 years of experience in resource management for both private industry and The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, (and its predecessor, the Department of Lands and Forests), I offer the following personal observations.  These are offered impartially, in the hope that divergent views on the future of the causeway can be consolidated into one initiative in partnership.  They are as follows:

1.  The trees initially planted along the causeway were carefully selected to perform the function of stabilizing the structure beneath the road.  As a result the Long Point causeway is today as secure and as maintenance-free as it ever was and is likely to remain so for as long as the core species exist in their current locations.  I have seen causeways that cross other wetlands, many of which have fallen into disrepair due to a lack of foresight on the part of their designers.  Fortunately, that foresight was present in those people that planned the Long Point causeway.

2.  There is no evidence of erosion of the road bed.  Considering the devastation that the storms and high water levels caused to Hastings Drive, I must attribute a large part of the survival of the causeway road bed to its superior structure afforded by the roots of the trees lining it.

3.  In the light of observations (1) and (2) above, it would seem that, regardless of any eventual changes to the causeway, the continued health and existence of the trees along its length are essential for the well-being of the road itself.  The longevity of those trees and of the road could be significantly extended by instituting a program of regular tree maintenance.

Yours in stewardship,

Ron Thayer

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