Volunteer John Hazlitt rests on a bench fashioned from a tree destroyed in the tornado.
HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Even shortly after sunrise, it’s a warm day on a network of trails nestled between the Goderich’s cemetery and the Maitland River.
Everywhere along the sprawling patch of land evidence of the fury with which the tornado ripped through lingers. Instead of a thick 
canopy of trees, the sun shines right through to the ground and there are exposed roots, broken trunks, stacked wood and piled brush left from the thousands of trees destroyed. There are few survivors in what used to be a mature forest.
On the damaged landscape, there are signs of rebirth.
Branches grow straight from tree limbs that jut on an angle from the ground. Three feet of deep green ash leaves poke out from cut stumps. A ginger-coloured patch of tapioca slime, a mold that looks like vomit, bubbles up at the path’s edge. Bees land on a patch of buckwheat. There is lily-of-the-valley, black cherry, jack-in-the-pulpits, St. John’s wort, night shade, poison ivy, trilliums, sensitive fern, sumac and even a patch of sunflowers.
The birds, deer, chipmunks, snakes and rabbits have returned. Piles of bush are intended to entice fox and other small animals to create homes.
“These all indicate the health of this area. Things are growing,” said John Hazlitt, who walks the 25-property every two or three days to
Goat’s beard, a noxious weed in Ontario.
take pictures that document the progress. He intends to publish a book to share with readers the rebirth of the area.
Martin Quinn, who is Goderich’s supervisor of parks and cemeteries, recruited local volunteers to help develop a species list for planting. With the list in hand, he and Hazlitt are working on a long-term plan for an arboretum, with thousands of species of trees, bushes and wildflowers supported by display maps. Plus, he hints there are a few surprises that can’t be revealed yet.
Quinn said Hazlitt is a “tremendous resource,” keeping an eye on the new growth, fashioning benches and signs made from wood salvaged from the storm.
He also keeps track of the groves and their plantings. Home Hardware invested $10,000, planting 70 trees, including evergreens, red oak, tulip trees, silver and sugar maple, birch and hackberry. The Toronto Dominion Bank will plant 900 trees on Sept. 23 and hopes to recruit enough volunteers to complete the work in two hours. Cathy Cove 
and Elizabeth Bundy-Cooper used proceeds from the sale of their book, Not Like Any Other Sunday, to plant a patch of land. The City of Oakville donated 100 white oaks, which lie in a grove below the bluff, each marked by a red ribbon. A hand-made map outlines walking trails through the area, with many portions already dedicated for groves.
Quinn expected the arborarium project would take three or four years to complete, but in its first five months of planning, nearly half of the lands are committed for grove dedications.
“Every week it changes to the good,” he said.
Tree Canada will use its ReLeaf program, established to help areas affected by natural disaster, to raise funds for Goderich.
Hazlitt said the plantings in each grove need to be matched with the soil type, whether it’s gravel along the ridge or topsoil and sand on the riverbed.
The land is included in the County of Huron’s GIS mapping and will appear in the Maitland Trail Association’s guide in the future, Hazlitt said.
2 Comments on "26-acre forest experiencing a rebirth after tornado"
A fantastic project – well worth a visit by contacting John – and maybe even offering some support to bring the aboretum project to final fruition! So pleased to see that John’s expertise is being used. P.
Thank you Heather for the update on the REBIRTH of the Forest of the Maitland Cemetery Blowdown. Yes, one of the greatest of arboretums is growing right here at this site with the help of others. The people most responsible for this great start are the employees of the Town, both Parks and Works, who planted various size trees in some of the toughest conditions. THANK YOU ALL.