West Coast Bonsai
Garden Clippings for October 23, 2021
The largest trees in Ontario pale in size when compared to the largest trees in Canada’s west coast.
That’s not to say Ontario has small trees. Bragging rights for Ontario’s tallest, reaching 47 metres go to a White Pine in the town of Arnprior just west of Ottawa.
Closer to home in Arkona, a Willow weighs in with a girth or diameter of 7.32 metres, just sightly skinnier than a larger Willow in Nova Scotia.
In North York, a Northern Red Oak believed to be around 300 years old is rooted at the centre of a dispute with the City. In 2018 the homeowners agreed to sell the home and lot it sits on, to the City, so the significant tree could be enjoyed by everyone. But the deal hasn’t been closed because of sluggish fundraising efforts. The homeowner now wants to renegotiate. Understandably so.
To see Canada’s largest trees, one needs to drive to Vancouver Island. The most visited big trees are found in Cathedral Grove, about an hour’s drive west of Nanaimo. A popular rest stop, Cathedral Grove has plenty parking, well-worn short foot paths, and is wheelchair friendly. Trees, notably Douglas Fir, are estimated to be 800 years old.
Closer to the vacation hotspots of Tofino and Ucluelet, the Ancient Cedar Loop and Giant Cedar Trail are home to Western Red Cedars, Canadian Hemlock, Douglas Fir and Sitka Spruce. Many boasting birth certificates that are nearly 1000 years old, with girths of 4 metres or more and heights of nearly 100 metres.
It is no small wonder that Vancouver Island is home to Canada’s largest trees. Cooler summers, warmer winters and ample dependable rainfall make for perfect growing conditions.
The challenge facing Canada’s greatest is wind. Tree huggers don’t need reminders to recall the December 2006 windstorm that levelled 14 hectares of forest in Vancouver’s precious Stanley Park. Where wind didn’t topple trees, it cut many more in half.
Where size doesn’t matter, also on the West Coast, near Ucluelet, are some of Canada’s smallest trees. The short, stroller friendly Shorepine Bog Trail, part of the Pacific Rim National Park, has boggy, spongy soil with unusually low pH or acidity levels. The Trail is a boardwalk that floats above the bog, designed to protect the ecosystem below. Here, Shore Pines, one of the few trees that can tolerate the acidity, can be hundreds of years old, yet only a few metres high.
For those not able to visit the West Coast, Sarnia Lambton has an impressive lineup of significant trees. Many of these trees are featured in a Trees of Distinction Bicycle Tour, downloadable by visiting www.bikefriendlylambton.com. The 21 kilometer bike tour featuring trees such as Black Walnut, Redbud, Tulip Tree and Sugar Maple, begins at City Hall and ends at Centennial Park.
