Here is a publication I co-authored. I worked on the habitat implications of afforestation over time. This is one of my favourite sections, particularly the quote from Susannah Moodie (as of October 2012 printed copies are now available from trees Ontario newly named Forests Ontario).
Fitting into the Landscape
Susannah Moodie (Roughing it in the bush, 1852)
“A few years afterwards, I looked about for the dreadful cedar-swamp which struck such a chill into my heart, and destroyed the illusion which had possessed my mind of the beauty of the Canadian woods. The trees were gone, the tangled roots were gone, and the cedar-swamp was converted into a fair grassy meadow, as smooth as a bowling-green. About sixteen years after my first visit to this spot, I saw it again, and it was covered with stone and brick houses; and one portion of it was occupied by a large manufactory, five or six stories high, with steam-engines, spinning-jennies, and all the machinery for working up the wool of the country into every description of clothing. This is civilisation! This is freedom!”
In 1852, it was a brave new world for Susannah Moodie (Moodie, S., 1852) (inset), but how times change. Susannah had a vision for her own property which involved a large view of the nearby lake with no trees to intervene.As the pendulum swings back to the desire for a more natural landscape in southern Ontario, managers and owners have a hard time defining exactly what is natural. Owners rely on the knowledge of forest managers to guide them towards a robust natural condition. Painting a picture of the early forest landscape of southern Ontario can help in developing objectives for a small woodlot. For forest managers seeking a vision for their future forest, the use of studies and examples of the pre-settlement forest can be informative, and may help in providing some direction. There are not many explicit descriptions of the southern forests from long ago.
The link to the report at Forests Ontario is here.