Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project
269 Macphail Park rd. C0A 1A0 Vernon Bridge, PE, Canada

An incredible honour for Macphail Woods!! A few months ago, I was selected as one of four finalists for the Canadian Museum of Nature's Inspiration Award in the adult category. That was wild enough - there are thousands of people across this country doing such wonderful and inspiring work to protect the planet. Then last night I participated in the Nature Inspiration Awards Virtual Gala and was quite shocked to hear my name called out as the winner. It is amazing that Macp...hail Woods would even be on their radar. The award is truly a reflection of all the great work, support and community that makes up Macphail Woods. We've had such dedicated staff from the day we started in 1991, and they continue to do incredible work in demonstrating sound forest practices and helping the public fall in love with nature. We've also had exceptional support from the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island and the Sir Andrew Macphail Homestead over so many years. Just as important has been the community we have built up around Macphail Woods - including volunteers and participants in all our activities. The provincial government has also been very supportive of our efforts over the years, as has the PEI Watershed Alliance, UPEI and Holland College. So you all deserve a big thank you. It is great to have a national spotlight shining on this small province.

https://macphailwoods.org//w/native-plants-and-watersheds/ Native Plants and Watersheds: A Natural Combination... Another free publication created with support from the PEI Watershed Alliance, Prince Edward Island Government, Environment and Climate Change and the PEI Forested Landscape Priority Place for Species at Risk. This free online booklet is useful for local watershed and environmental groups, land owners and nature enthusiasts. It includes photos and articles on assessing riparian zones, plant identification and invasive species just to name a few. We hope that these publications will encourage and support good stewardship and restoration work throughout Island waterways, rivers and marshes.

Take a look at our newest free publication! Rare Native Plants in Habitat Restoration: A big thank you to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Prince Edward Island Government and the PEI Forested Landscape Priority Place for Species at Risk for funding this initiative.... This publication includes over 15 new nature guides on rare and native flora as well as ecological essays on a variety of topics from biodiversity to propagation to seed collection. Visit our website to download your copy! https://macphailwoods.org//rare-native-plants-in-habitat-/

An owl at home Our great Macphail Woods planting crew was adding a lot of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns along the Orwell River on the neighbouring Lindsay property today. First a fox came along to inspect their work. Then they happened upon a barred owl about 15' above the stream edge. Seems to be a lot of inspectors around checking out the work. The presence of the barred owl is another clear example of the value and importance of older forests.

More on ironwood Several people have asked how to tell ironwood from other native trees. While it is in the birch family, the bark is totally different once it gets to be five or six years old. Its bark starts to peel in vertical strips, and is more like older red maple bark than a birch. The seeds are very distinct, as they form in clusters that look like the papery sacs of hops. During the growing season, it is easy to tell the leaves from its near look-alike, yellow birch. If you don't see them side by side, it can be difficult to tell, but they are really quite different. The yellow birch leaf on the left has regular teeth, while the ironwood on the right has more pointed and irregular teeth. Clear as mud? Hope this helps some people find more of this rare Island tree.

We're way too excited about this planting! It is getting late into the fall, but we're still planting in some protected areas along the Orwell River as part of the restoration of the neighbouring Lindsay property. We've been carrying out small patch cuts and knocking down trees that are hung up so that they touch the ground. In these areas, we will be planting a mixture of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns that are suitable to the site. Our wondrous nursery manag...er Becky Byrne is shown here with some of our larger ironwood saplings. We've been waiting to find perfect spots for the Island's rarest tree, and the Lindsay property is a very worthy recipient. Eventually, these beautiful trees will become seed sources for the surrounding woodlands, and for our own nursery needs. In addition, we'll be planting lots of red oak, yellow birch, sugar maple, witch hazel, hobblebush, Christmas fern, male fern, yellow violets, Jack-in-the-Pulpit and many more species. It is wonderful to be able to add some of our rarest species to this special woodland. We received support from Environment Canada's EcoAction Community Funding Program for work that will take place over the next three years. We'd also like to thank the Macphail Homestead, the provincial Forest Enhancement Program, the Island Community Fund, and the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island for their assistance. We had planned to hold a volunteer planting day, but with all the COVID precautions and protocols we will be leaving that for another time. Please let us know if you're interested in helping out and we'll put you on our list.