Obabika Old-Growth Forest

Last updated

Obabika old-growth forest is an Eastern White Pine and Red Pine dominated old-growth forest at the north end of Obabika Lake, just west of the Temagami region of Ontario, Canada. At 2,400 hectares (5,900 acres) in size, it is commonly considered to be the largest remaining white pine dominated old-growth forest in the world. [1] [2] It is also sometimes called Chee-Skon Lake old-growth forest, or Wakimika Triangle old-growth forest. This area was slated for logging in 1989 and was protected largely as a result of a blockade on Red Squirrel Road in which 344 protestors were arrested, including future Ontario premier Bob Rae. [3] [1] The oldest trees in the Obabika old-growth forest are confirmed to be at least 375 years old, but a diversity of age classes occur in this forest. [1] Another important feature of the area is the spirit rock, a column of rock on the shore of Chee-Skon Lake that is of spiritual significance to the Teme-Augama Anishnabai people.

The Obabika old-growth forest is protected within the Obabika River Provincial Park.

The forest is accessed by more than 6 km of trails, but the trail-head can only be reached by canoe.

Related Research Articles

Ishpatina Ridge

Ishpatina Ridge is the highest point of land in the Canadian province of Ontario, at an estimated 693 m (2,274 ft) above sea level. Ishpatina Ridge rises approximately 300 m (984 ft) above the immediate area. It was only truly recognized as Ontario's highest point after federal government topographical mapping revealed this fact in the 1970s. Before then, the more popular Maple Mountain was thought to be higher.

Manistee National Forest

The Manistee National Forest is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It has a total area of 540,187 acres (2,190 km2). It was established in 1938, and combined with the Huron National Forest in 1945 for administrative purposes, creating the Huron-Manistee National Forests. However, they are two separate forest units, as they are not connected. The area is popular for hiking, fishing, camping, boating, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and hunting. The North Country Trail passes through it, and connects with the 11-mile Manistee River Trail to form a 23-mile loop. The highest point in the lower peninsula, Briar Hill (1,706 ft), is located here. The Manistee National Forest is not one continuous mass, but is a "mosaic" broken by private property and towns. The headquarters for the forest is in Cadillac, Michigan.

Lake Temagami

Lake Temagami, formerly spelled as Lake Timagami, is a lake in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, situated approximately 80 km north of North Bay. The lake's name comes from Te-mee-ay-gaming, which means "deep water by the shore" in the Ojibwa language.

The Obabika River is located in central Ontario, Canada. It is south of Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park and west of Lake Temagami, within Sudbury District. It flows from Obabika Lake in a south-westerly direction and drains into the Sturgeon River. The Obabika River is remote and surrounded by undeveloped wilderness.

Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park

Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park is a remote wilderness park in northeastern Ontario, Canada, near Lake Temagami. It is one of five provincial parks located in the Temagami area.

Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests

The Appalachian–Blue Ridge forests are an ecoregion in the Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests Biome, in the Eastern United States. The ecoregion is located in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, including the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It covers an area of about 61,500 square miles (159,000 km2) in: northeast Alabama and Georgia, northwest South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and central West Virginia and Pennsylvania; and small extensions into Kentucky, New Jersey, and New York.

Temagami Municipality in Ontario, Canada

Temagami, formerly spelled as Timagami, is a municipality in northeastern Ontario, Canada, in the Nipissing District with Lake Temagami at its heart.

Temagami Island, formerly spelt as Timagami Island, is an island in Lake Temagami in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the largest island within the lake, with Bear Island coming second. The island has many hiking trails that lead into the old-growth forest that is a mix of large white and red pine trees. Temagami Mine, later known as Copperfields Mine, was a copper mine that opened on Temagami Island in 1954. It was considered to be the largest deposit of nearly pure chalcopyrite ever discovered in Canada. The mine closed in 1972.

The White Bear Forest is an old growth forest, located in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. The forest is named after Chief White Bear, who was the last chief of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai before Europeans appeared in the region. In some parts of the White Bear Forest trees commonly reach 200 to 300 years in age, while the oldest tree accurately aged in White Bear Forest was a red pine that was 400 years old in 1999. The White Bear Forest contains one of Canada's oldest portages, dating back some 3,000 years. Today, more than 17 km (11 mi) of trails access the White Bear Forest. A trail guide is available online at http://ancientforest.org/whitebear.html.

Cassels Lake

Cassels Lake is a lake located within the Municipality of Temagami, in the Nipissing District, Ontario, Canada. It contains numerous portages, campsites and is one of three lakes on the eastern edge of the White Bear Forest.

Temagami First Nation Indian reserve in Ontario, Canada

The Temagami First Nation is located on Bear Island in the heart of Lake Temagami. The island is the second largest in Lake Temagami, after Temagami Island. Its community is known as Bear Island 1. Temagami First Nation (TFN) members are status Indians under the Indian Act that live on and off Bear Island.

Red Squirrel Road, also called the Red Squirrel logging road and formerly called the Johns-Manville Road, is a logging road located within the Municipality of Temagami, Nipissing District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It runs from Whitefish Bay on Lake Temagami to Ontario Highway 11 at the community of Owaissa.

Snake Island Lake

Snake Island Lake is a lake in the Ottawa River drainage basin in Strathy Township, Municipality of Temagami, Nipissing District of Northeastern Ontario, Canada.

Tertiary Highway 805, commonly referred to as Highway 805, is a provincially maintained access road, located within the Nipissing District. A northerly extension of Highway 539A, the road extends for approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) to Obabika Lake, providing road access to the Chiniguchi Waterway, Obabika River and Sturgeon River provincial parks.

Poison Pond

Poison Pond is a small freshwater lake in the Temagami region of Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located near Pecours Bay of Snake Island Lake. Poison Pond is in the White Bear Forest and is typically approached from the Peregrine Trail, which adjoins the Red Fox Trail to the west. Its eastern portion adjoins the Otter Trail.

Eastern forest–boreal transition

The eastern forest–boreal transition is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of North America, mostly in eastern Canada. It is a transitional zone or region between the predominantly coniferous Boreal Forest and the mostly deciduous broadleaf forest region further south.

Foot Hills State Forest

The Foot Hills State Forest is a state forest located in Cass, and Hubbard counties, Minnesota. The forest is a popular recreation spot due to its proximity to the greater Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area.

Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park

The Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park consists of 9,368 ha (36.17 sq mi) of protected wilderness along the Chiniguchi River, Maskinonge Lake, Kukagami Lake, Wolf Lake and Matagamasi Lake in the Sudbury District of Ontario, that includes 336 hectares of Forest Reserve. The park is one of the several provincial parks located in the Sudbury area. It is managed by Ontario Parks. It contains the largest stand of old growth Red Pines.

Western Great Lakes forests

The Western Great Lakes forests is a terrestrial ecoregion as defined by the World Wildlife Fund. It is within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome of North America. It is found in northern areas of the United States' states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and southern areas of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.

Garden Mountain Wilderness

Garden Mountain Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It is a small wilderness area in western Virginia, consisting of an area of 3,331 acres (13.48 km2) and bordering the Beartown and Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness. It was designated as wilderness area in 2009 by Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The wilderness area also borders a portion of the Appalachian Trail.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Henry, Michael (2010). Ontario's old-growth forests. Fitzhenry and Whiteside. pp. 135–136, 202. ISBN   978-1-55041-580-3.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. Quinby, Peter (1993). "Old-growth eastern white pine forest: An endangered ecosystem" (PDF). Ancient Forest Exploration & Research. Ancient Forest Exploration & Research. Retrieved October 19, 2015.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. "Wakimika Triangle: World's largest old growth red and white pine stand". Ottertooth.com. Retrieved 8 July 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

Coordinates: 47°08′30″N80°17′00″W / 47.14167°N 80.28333°W / 47.14167; -80.28333