The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) will soon have a new tract of County Forest in South Glengarry.
On July 20, SDG Council authorized the Director of Transportation Services—whose department also oversees forestry, to finalize the acquisition and transfer of a 74.5-acre parcel in the Township of South Glengarry to be used as a County Forest. A series of financial terms are part of the agreement between the counties and property owner Charles McDonald. SDG will pay McDonald $80,000, and a charitable receipt will be issued in the amount of $205,000 based on the appraised value of the land. All costs associated with the sale and transfer of the land will be paid for by SDG Counties. The counties will use grant funding to support the acquisition, but if grant funding is not available, the Forest Reserve Fund will be used to support the acquisition.
South Glengarry Deputy Mayor Martin Lang said most of the land is cleared around Bainsville and Curry Hill, but it is good to see a small amount of forest preserved in that area will be preserved.
North Glengarry Deputy Mayor Carma Williams asked how much is in the Forest Reserve Fund. Director of Transportation Services Cameron Harper said the amount is currently a bit more than $133,000.
According to Harper’s report to Council, SDG Counties has been engaging with Charles McDonald to ensure the protection and transfer of his woodlot. The property is part of the Bainsville Forest candidate Area of Natural and Scientific Importance (ANSI), an Ontario government designation for forest and wetland areas of heightened provincial significance. The McDonald property hosts a remarkable diversity of trees and ecological characteristics. McDonald first contacted the Counties in 2023 regarding the future protection of his woodlot. As a lifelong resident of South Glengarry. McDonald is interested in securing his natural legacy by ensuring it is managed and admired by the community in perpetuity.
McDonald is a member of the local SDG Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association and is extremely dedicated to actively managing the property, which has been in his family for more than 100 years. Tree species on the property include upland hardwoods such as Sugar Maple and Basswood, and lowland hardwood such as Soft Maple and Bur Oak.
Public access to the property will be through an unopened road allowance. McDonald has also provided an easement across his adjacent land to facilitate operational access for SDG staff and forestry contractors. McDonald will also have exclusive hunting rights for 10 years, continued use of the trails for recreation and nature appreciation, and the ability to perform light maintenance duties such as trail maintenance work. Those rights are consistent with similar arrangements where a landowner has contributed forest land to the Counties.
SDG Counties already has more than 9,000 acres of forest in tracts across the region.
