STAFF REPORT
January 25, 2000
To: Toronto Community Council
From: Joe Halstead, Commissioner Economic Development, Culture and Tourism
Subject: High Park Vegetation Management - Proposed Prescribed Burn
High Park
Purpose:
High Park contains some of the most significant natural areas in the City of Toronto and the Region of York. The Black
Oak Savannah, in particular, was noted as "the most significant remaining area on the City of Toronto's Iroquois Sand
Plain". With help from the High Park Citizens' Advisory Committee, the City has been developing restoration and
management proposals to preserve and restore the parks terrestrial and aquatic systems, including tests of different
management approaches. Following the completion of two years of prescribed burn management in test plots and the
development of a comprehensive management plan for all areas of natural vegetation in the park, the Forestry Section is
proposing to implement prescribed burn management on 15 ha of parkland in spring 2000, representing approximately
25% of the natural area in the park.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
There are no financial implications resulting from the adoption of this report.
Recommendations:
It is recommended:
(1) That the City Forester of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, Parks and Recreation Division, be authorized
to approve the Operational Prescribed Burn Plan, prepared by the Fire Boss and reviewed by the Ontario Ministry of
Natural Resources Fire Supervisor, and proceed with implementation of a High Park burn in spring 2000.
Background:
The 1970's brought an increasing public concern about the environment along with a growing appreciation of High Park's
natural environment. In 1976, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources conducted an important study that raised a red
flag about the state of the park. The Ministry found that the development of facilities had reduced the size of the rare Oak
savannah and wetland communities, and that park management practices (such as the planting of non-native species and
mowing) were preventing vegetation from regenerating naturally. The park's ponds and streams were polluted from
stormwater, run-off, industrial spills and contaminated sediments. Extensive amounts of natural shoreline and streambank
had been replaced with concrete, causing a reduction in aquatic vegetation. Action was needed to begin to restore the park's
natural systems to health.
At a meeting on March 3, 1993, former Toronto City Council adopted two reports from the Commissioner of Parks and
Recreation, and in so doing, took many actions including:
"1. As a framework for the restoration and management proposals contained in the May 1992 and November 1992
Proposals for High Park, recognized
a) that High Park contains some of the most significant natural areas in the Regions of York and Metropolitan Toronto in
terms of its vegetation communities and its rare flora, namely,
i) a noteworthy concentration of provincially rare and regionally rare plant species;
ii) provincially rare Black Oak savannahs;
iii) regionally rare moist forests of Red Oak and Hemlock;
iv) locally significant examples of lakeshore marsh (e.g. Grenadier Pond), natural bottomlands and dry Red Oak - White
Oak upland forests;
b)…."
"2. Approved in principle the following approach to restoration and management of High Park's natural areas,
a) the retention of the significant features of 125 acres of High Park's natural areas, as identified by the Ministry of Natural
Resources, as the primary objective for future management of High Park, as more particularly described below and detailed
in the May 1992 and November 1992 Proposals, namely,
i) the restoration of 37 acres identified as "critical" for the restoration and management of provincially rare, Black Oak
savannah shown on Figure No. 6 through such management techniques as selective removal of shrubs, saplings and young
trees including those species introduced into the savannah areas through plantings and those species which are not native to
the savannah area; seeding and planting of native species; protection of sensitive areas, and periodic ground fires;
ii) ….."
Following the approval of these reports, staff hired an ecological consultant to prepare the report titled "Analysis of
Historic and Existing Ecological Conditions of Significant Oak Woodlands at High Park, Toronto, Canada". This report
concluded that High Park's oak systems are experiencing serious decline, and in part, recommended that a series of
restoration experiments be established to determine site specific restoration feasibility and to fine-tune various approaches
used elsewhere, including among others, prescribed fire, removal of invasive woody species, transplanting of non-native
smaller caliper trees, etc. Test plots were subsequently established and prescribed burns were successfully implemented on
approximately 0.4 ha of park area in 1997 and again in 1998.
Comments:
Parks and Recreation and Forestry staff, in conjunction with the High Park Citizens' Advisory Committee (HPCAC),
Natural Environment Subcommittee, have been studying some of the recent changes in plant communities in the park.
Through this process, silvicultural management systems have been identified to address problems of invasive species
introduction and restoration of degraded plant communities. Alternatively, invasive species could be controlled by
increased use of herbicides, but this would not be in keeping with an integrated pest (weed) management approach, which
seeks to limit use of herbicides except where there are no alternatives. Revitalization of the native fire dependent plant
community can only be achieved by re-establishing fire disturbance to the ecological system. Studies have shown that the
oldest trees in the Park are approaching 200 years, and that nearly half of these may be dead within 30 years. Failure to take
appropriate management will therefore result in the loss of the significant vegetation for which this park has been
recognized.
Within an overall framework of vegetation management proposed for the park, a Fire Management Plan has been prepared
by Forestry staff, in consultation with HPCAC members and a qualified prescribed burn consultant/fire boss. The Fire Boss
has also prepared an implementation plan, following strict protocols used by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
(OMNR). These protocols ensure that all details are considered, to minimize any risk. The OMNR has reviewed the plan
and approved it in principle, although, since they are not actually conducting the burn, they have no authority to legally
approve the plan (Attachment No. 1).
Trained specialists hired by the Fire Boss will conduct the burn. The Fire Boss, with whom we are working, was
responsible for implementing the burns in High Park in 1997 and 1998, while he was working with the OMNR. He has
also been responsible for preparing and successfully implementing annual burn plans for the City of Windsor, Parks
Department. The OMNR have staff and financial limits that make them unable to conduct further burns in High Park.
Toronto
Parks and Recreation Officials will be responsible for notifying City staff and the public of the burn plan, and will oversee
the implementation of the burn with Toronto Fire Services Division.
A Fire Management Plan has been recommended to restore the fire dependant ecological systems of High Park, which
include oak savannahs and woodlands. A successfully prescribed burn, involving the deliberate initiation of a controlled
fire, will stimulate seed germination and growth of suppressed prairie species and encourage resprouting of declining
shrubs and young trees. The prescribed burn will also reduce density of woody stems and promote suckering of species
such as sassafras, and will help to control some of the invasive species. Some trees will be protected from the burn, given
their heritage value (Japanese Cherries), or given that they do not achieve fire resistance until they are older (White pine).
However, in general, the fire will be permitted to determine what plants survive and which do not.
The 56 ha of natural area in the park have been divided into 22 management units, and prescribed burning has been
scheduled such that between 3 and 5 of these units will be burned in each of the next 8 years, amounting to 10 to 15 ha per
year of burn area. The burn schedule has been planned considering the need to spread out the areas of burn in a given year,
both to address public perception as well as maintenance of wildlife habitat. Weather permitting, burning will be
completed in a one-day period during the spring of each year. Park use will be partly restricted on this day to enable safe
implementation of the prescribed burn operations.
As before, City staff will prepare fact sheets and associated communications literature to explain the plan to use controlled
fire management to preserve and restore the unique and threatened oak woodlands. Additional signage will be installed at
locations where burning is proposed in spring 2000, at least one month in advance of the proposed date of burn. A media
release will be issued to inform community newspapers about the event. A public flyer will be delivered to residences
directly surrounding the park, providing basic information about the oak savannah, the burn and approximate timing of the
burn.
A public meeting was held on December 7th at Swansea Town Hall to outline the proposal for prescribed burn vegetation
management. No objections to the proposal were raised, and, with the support of the HPCAC, we are planning to proceed
with a plan to burn 15 ha in late April 2000.
Conclusions:
This report has been reviewed and approved in principle by the Fire Chief, Fire Services Division of Works and
Emergency Services.
It is recommended that with the support of City Council, the City Forester be authorized to review and approve the
Operational Prescribed Burn for High Park in the year 2000. City Council will be advised, on an annual basis, of issues
relating to the success of the prescribed burn management, and of plans to proceed with burns in future years.
Contact:
Richard Ubbens
City Forester
Telephone: 392-1894
Fax: 392-1915
E-mail: rubbens@toronto.ca
Joe Halstead
Commissioner Economic Development, Culture and Tourism
List of Attachments:
Attachment No. 1 - Letter from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Fire Management Supervisor
