The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) will temporarily close sections of its recreational trails at Belwood Lake Conservation Area to complete forestry operations.
Crews will be thinning the forest plantations in the area immediately west of Shand Dam and just south of the Elora Cataract Trail, which crosses the dam.
GRCA communications manager Lisa Stocco said work began on Dec. 7 and is expected to last until January.
“The Elora Cataract Trail remains open, however, we are urging caution as heavy equipment and trucks will be operating along this trail,” she said.
Approximately 20 hectares of forest plantations and sections of the walking trails within the area will be closed for most of December. In addition, heavy equipment and trucks will be accessing the area along the Elora Cataract Trail and the trail that connects it to the Third Line.
While the work is underway, signs will be posted notifying the public, and trail users are asked to obey all signs and use extra caution.
The work is part of the GRCA’s long-term management program to convert conifer plantations to more natural forest lands.
A plantation contractor will be harvesting trees marked for removal in order to improve forest health and create more varied habitats that support a greater mixture of plant, animal and bird species.
Thinning is scheduled at this time of year to avoid disrupting the spring and summer nesting seasons.
The contractor will remove most felled trees from the forests, and trails will be cleared of debris wherever possible. However, some branches and other small pieces will be left on the forest floor to decompose and replenish the soil.
Stocco noted “a lot of rain or wet snow” could postpone the forest thinning.
