SOUTH NATION CONSERVATION FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN MARCH 2018 CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 5 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 7 2 PLAN ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................... 7 2.1 PLAN PREPARATION DETAILS ................................................................................. 7 2.2 PLANNING CYCLE ...................................................................................................... 7 2.3 PUBLIC CONSULTATION ........................................................................................... 8 2.4 UNITS OF MEASUREMENT ....................................................................................... 8 3 PROPERTY INFORMATION .............................................................................................. 8 3.1 PROPERTY OWNER INFORMATION ......................................................................... 8 3.2 PLAN AUTHOR INFORMATION .................................................................................. 9 3.3 LOCATION & GENERAL DESCRIPTION .................................................................... 9 3.4 PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION ..................................................................................11 3.5 PROPERTY TAX PROGRAMS ...................................................................................12 3.5.1 MANAGED FOREST TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM ............................................12 3.5.2 CONSERVATION LAND TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM .......................................16 3.6 EASEMENTS ..............................................................................................................16 3.6.1 CONSERVATION EASEMENTS .........................................................................16 3.6.2 ONTARIO WETLAND CARE PROGRAM ............................................................17 3.6.3 UTILITY EASEMENTS ........................................................................................19 3.7 LEGISLATION ............................................................................................................20 4 SNC FOREST POLICY ......................................................................................................21 4.1 LEGISLATIVE COMPLIANCE ....................................................................................21 4.2 SUSTAINABILITY .......................................................................................................21 4.3 FOREST PRACTICES ................................................................................................21 4.4 IMPACT OF FOREST PRACTICES ............................................................................21 4.5 CONSULTATION ........................................................................................................22 4.6 FIRST NATIONS ........................................................................................................22 4.7 FOREST POLICY REVIEW ........................................................................................22 4.8 AUDITS ......................................................................................................................23 4.9 EFFECTIVENESS ......................................................................................................23 4.10 FOREST PROTECTION .............................................................................................23 4.11 FOREST CERTIFICATION .........................................................................................23 4.12 NATIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES ..........................................................23 SOUTH NATION CONSERVATION FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN 2018-2037 1 4.13 HIGH CONSERVATION VALUES ..............................................................................23 4.14 USE OF CHEMICALS .................................................................................................23 5 PHYSICAL FEATURES .....................................................................................................24 5.1 TOPOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................................24 5.2 BEDROCK GEOLOGY ...............................................................................................24 5.3 SURFICIAL GEOLOGY ..............................................................................................24 5.4 PHYSIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................24 5.5 SOILS .........................................................................................................................25 5.6 HYDROLOGY .............................................................................................................25 5.7 CLIMATE ....................................................................................................................27 6 FOREST MANAGEMENT HISTORY .................................................................................28 6.1 HISTORY OF THE SOUTH NATION FOREST ...........................................................28 6.2 ORIGINS OF THE SOUTH NATION FOREST ............................................................28 6.3 MANAGEMENT OF THE SOUTH NATION FOREST .................................................29 7 CURRENT FOREST CONDITION .....................................................................................29 7.1 LANDSCAPE LEVEL SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................29 7.2 ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES ..................................................................................31 7.3 OLD GROWTH ...........................................................................................................33 7.4 FOREST INTERIOR HABITAT ...................................................................................36 7.5 CORE INTERIOR FOREST ........................................................................................36 7.6 FOREST UNITS .........................................................................................................36 7.7 LIST OF SPECIES ......................................................................................................37 8 NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE VALUES ............................................................38 8.1 WETLANDS ................................................................................................................38 8.1.1 PROVINCIALLY SIGNIFICANT WETLANDS .......................................................38 8.1.2 LOCALLY SIGNIFICANT WETLANDS.................................................................41 8.2 AREAS OF NATURAL AND SCIENTIFIC INTEREST .................................................42 8.3 WILDLIFE ...................................................................................................................44 8.3.1 SPECIES .............................................................................................................44 8.3.2 HABITAT .............................................................................................................44 9 CULTURAL HERITAGE .....................................................................................................46 9.1 RECREATION ............................................................................................................46 9.2 SNOWMOBILE ...........................................................................................................47 9.3 HUNTING ...................................................................................................................47 SOUTH NATION CONSERVATION FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN 2018-2037 2 9.4 TRAPPING .................................................................................................................47 9.5 COMMUNITY RELATIONS .........................................................................................47 9.6 FIRST NATION RELATIONS ......................................................................................48 10 REPORT OF ACTIVITIES ..............................................................................................49 11 RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................................54 12 REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................55 13 LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS ............................................................................................56 APPENDIX A……………………………………………………………………………………………. 58 APPENDIX B……………………………………………………………………………………………. 66 APPENDIX C……………………………………………………………………………………………. 71 APPENDIX D: FOREST INVENTORY REPORT………………………………………………….. D-1 LIST OF TABLES TABLE1: SNC PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION……………………………………………………. 11 TABLE 2: MANAGED FOREST TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM ELIGIBLE AREA………………. 12 TABLE 3: CONSERVATION LAND TAX INCENTIVE PROGRAM ELIGIBLE AREAS………… 16 TABLE 4: LANDS SUBJECT TO CONSERVATION EASEMENT AGREEMENTS…………….. 17 TABLE 5: LAND SUBJECT TO ONTARIO WETLAND CARE PROGRAM EASEMENTS……. 18 TABLE 6: LANDS SUBJECT TO UTILITY EASEMENTS…………………………………………. 19 TABLE 7: AREA BY PHYSIOGRAPHIC UNIT………………………………………………………. 24 TABLE 8: SUMMARY OF SNC FOREST SOILS……………………………………………………