Successful Applicant:
Glenaladale Heritage Trust
Award:
$4,235
Project Title:
Phase I: Woodland Enhancement and Habitat Protection
Project Summary:
Glenaladale Heritage Trust contracted MacPhail Woods Ecological Forestry Project to develop a footpath through the app. 120 ha of Glenaladale Estate's woodland on the east side of the Blooming Point Road in Tracadie Cross (opposite 257 Route 218) and perform patch cuts to improve understory growth. COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a delay in being able to get that work done and in fewer patch cuts than had been planned, but by late summer the work was complete. As a result, any supplemented by restoration of an old woods road by volunteers, there is now approximately 2.8 km of paths running through the woods, including to the headwater of Black Brook.
Glenaladale staff took care of the trees in an onsite nursery over the summer. This in hindsight was a good thing as it ensured their survival during exceptionally dry summer.
Once the path was complete, staff of the Winter River - Tracadie Bay Watershed Association and HMCS Queen Charlotte Outreach team, assisted Trust volunteers, successfully planted 550 trees and shrubs interspersed among the now-accessible inner woods areas along and off the path. Milkweed and Joe Pye weed were also planted on the Estate.
The primary objective of this project was to begin the long-term work involved in transitioning the plantation-style woodland into an ecologically sustainable forest with a much greater diversity of plant life. This will significantly enhance the availability and diversity of sources of food and shelter for the wildlife found in the woodland, as well as encourage additional species to find a home at Glenaladale. Another benefit of this work will be an improvement to the soil health and forest floor. The 520 acre Estate is an important part of two watersheds and as such, needs to be protected and preserved; since 2018 this has been a primary mandate of Glenaladale Heritage Trust.
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