The sight of heavy smoke in the air north of Barrie panicked many residents in the area, but it was all part of a carefully planned controlled burn by the Simcoe County Forestry Department.
The forestry crews set fire to county property to mimic natural disturbance patterns, like fire.
The forest had become overgrown with non-native tree species like the Scotch pine.
The goal of the burn is to restore the forest with native species to create a preferable nesting habitat for the Kirtland Warbler, an endangered bird.
This project is the first of its kind in Canada.
Four years ago the county conducted a similar controlled burn near Angus. Today, those white pines are well established.
Next year oak, cherry, red, white and Jack pine trees will be planted in the hopes that hawks, wiper willows, and the globally endangered warbler will nest here.
Experts say reintroducing these birds helps the ecosystem, but it takes time.
“It’s going to be five or six years before we see trees at a desirable height, and hopefully we can entice the birds back,” said ornithologist Brian Gibbon. “You know what they say, build it, and they will come.”
The controlled burn experts will extinguish the fire on Wednesday night and will return when weather permits to finish the job.
Once the burn is complete, the County of Simcoe will monitor the property to ensure the fire is out and that the area is safe.
