The Somerville Tract
During the nineteenth century rush to harvest the old-growth white pine, loggers only had muscle power to work with, so they cut selectively, and had little choice but to leave behind fantastic amounts of slash. Once it had a summer to dry, it made great kindling, and fueled enormous conflagrations. The largest local fire, in 1913, tore through 175,840 acres, making it a notable disaster on the national stage, and prompting an official investigation. Locally, it was so smoky that boats could hardly see to cross Sturgeon Lake.
In the aftermath of these fires, the government took an interest in reseeding the cutover (or burntover) lands and rough farmland in the region, initially primarily to maintain a valuable natural resource, pine trees. In 1929 the former farm of Robert Maconachie became part of the Victoria County Forest. The reforestation created a regular array of pines. Since then, many parts of the pinery have naturalized to become a much more diverse ecosystem. Yet the distinctive appearance of having the old pine plantation towering over a mixed forest remains.
The Somerville Tract, also known as the Pinery, offers an ATV or snowmobile trail, plus many less formal trails through the forest. It’s a great place to visit, summer or winter, though the trails are unmarked. There are a lot of little treasures to discover along the way.
The Pinery
As soon as you set out into the Somerville Tract, the regular pine stands are striking, with a more diverse and natural understory beneath. In parts of the pinery, it seems like almost any route might be a path once there is snow on the ground.
Pinery In Summer
In summer, the regular array of pine trees has a very different appearance, with undergrowth covering the forest floor.
Looking Through the Woods
Looking through the woods past a old pine tree in winter.
Beech Leaves
Among the trees in the understory are beeches, which are not as common today as they once were in the Kawarthas. Their leaves turn a brilliant coppery colour in the autumn, and often remain on young trees over the winter making a trip through the Somerville Tract a little more vibrant.
Pines in Winter
An aerial view of the Pinery in winter.
Spruce Cone
A snowy spruce cone.
Pathway
The pathway leading down to Crego’s Creek.
Crego's Creek
Crego’s Creek and the culvert south of the Monck Road.
Trestle
The trestle over Crego’s Creek on the Burnt River
Monck Road
The Monck Road and Crego’s Creek from Above.
Red Pine Cone
A pine cone, reseeding a new generation in Somerville Township’s Pinery.
Aster
For much of the year, asters bloom along the trails.
Slug
A Slug on a Mushroom.
Bird's Eye View
Looking down on the Pinery from directly above
An aerial view of the pinery
A view of the Pinery in winter from across the Monck Road.
Looking Up
Looking up through snowy pine trees
Wintery Woods
A snowy scene in the pinery.
Burl
A striking circular burl on a sapling
Gnarly Tree
This gnarly tree trunk almost looks like a face…
Tree Face
And doesn’t this tree have a decidedly grumpy appearance!
Swirly Snow on Fungi
One of the interesting things in the Somerville Tract is the diversity of fungi. This rotten old elm was just covered with interesting specimens, that had swirly snow cones perched on top.
Moss
Moss up close
Bells
Another tree nearby had brilliant fungi, that look rather like bells…
Side View
A side view of the same tree.
Fungi on a Poplar Tree
Poplar trees rot easily and often have interesting fungal colonies…
Mossy Poplar
And can be equally striking when covered with moss.
Bark, Snow & Fungi
The combination of bark, fungi and snow made this tree trunk a colourful specimen.
Birch Bark
Birch bark can exhibit the most interesting patterns.
Peeking up Through the Snow
A stone, covered with lichen and moss, peeks up through the snow.
Log Dump
Pile of Logs at the Pinery from Ben Hokim’s Logging Operations.
Pine Log
The knotty butt of a pine log, harvested by Ben Hokim’s logging company.