Burnt Lands alvar
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The Burnt Lands occurs between Almonte and Ottawa in Upper Huntley, Ontario, Canada.[1] It probably obtained its name from one of the forest fires that swept the area during early European settlement. The shallow soil, with alternating drought and flooding, is likely the main factor. The main point is that in a land that is typically covered in forest, alvars provide open prairie-like conditions for plants that require such conditions.
Some of the distinctive plants include Cooper’s milk vetch[2] and Ram’s-Head Ladyslipper. There are 12 breeding bird species and 8 butterfly species.
This alvar is one of the best examples of this habitat type in Lanark County, and in southern Ontario. It has been the subject of numerous scientific studies.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Because of its significance, The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has designated ca 1,500 acres of the alvar as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. A smaller parcel of several hundred acres is protected within the Burnt Lands Provincial Park (Nature Reserve
References
- ↑ Keddy, P.A. 2008. Earth, Water, Fire: An Ecological Profile of Lanark County. Motion Creative Printing, Carleton Place, ON. General Store Publishing House, Renfrew, ON. 73 p.
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- ↑ Catling, P.M., J.E. Cruise, K.L. McIntosh and S.M. McKay. 1975. Alvar vegetation in Southern Ontario. Ontario Field Biol. 29(2):1-25.
- ↑ Brunton, D. F. 1986. A life science inventory of the Burnt Lands.Ministry of Natural Resources. 118 pages + 3 maps.
- ↑ Belcher and L. Twolan-Strutt. 1995. Root and shoot competition along a soil depth gradient. Journal of Ecology 83: 673-682.
- ↑ Belcher, J., P.A. Keddy and P.F.C. Catling. 1992. Alvar vegetation in Canada: a multivariate description at two scales. Canadian Journal of Botany 70: 1279-1291.
- ↑ Belcher, J. W. and P. A. Keddy. 1992. Protecting alvar vegetation: will the sum of the parts equal the whole? p.327-331 in J.H. Willison et al. (eds.) Science and the Management of Protected Areas, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
- ↑ Catling, P.M., A. Sinclair, and D. Cuddy. 2002. Plant community composition and relationships of disturbed and undisturbed alvar woodland. Canadian Field-Naturalist 116: 571-579.
