Controlled fires on Gordon Island will save red oak trees: Parks Canada

It may sound strange setting fire to woodland in order to save it but that’s exactly what happened along the St. Lawrence River on Wednesday.

A controlled burn on Gordon Island, northeast of Gananoque will save trees as well as other plant life. Derek Bedford is the Visitor Safety & Fire Operations co-ordinator for the Thousand Islands National Park.

“The purpose of this fire is to remove competing vegetation from the island so that oak has the best chance of survival.”

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The burn was approximately five hectares in size. Gordon Island has been identified as an active management site for the restoration of red oak.

The tree species has been in decline for several years because it needs fire to regenerate. Josh Van Wieren, a Parks Canada official, says the burn was the final of a three-stage regeneration program on the island.

“This is probably a decade-long process now.”

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“The planning process first, recognizing the need and if we don’t do something, we’re going to lose the oak forest all together — planning the three fires, doing a lot of monitoring to understand what’s happening before and after the fires.”

On Thursday, Parks Canada employees were back on the island looking for hot spots. They’ll monitor the site over the next several days.