Sandbanks Draft Veg Mgmt Plan - Ontario Parks

sector receive much heavier visitation and are zoned accordingly in the park
management plan. These communities are less diverse than those in West Lake Dunes
sector.
Value to wildlife: The varied vegetation composition of the beach and dune
environments provide valuable habitat for a diverse community of birds, especially
during migration. It also provides cover for small mammals and their predators,
especially in the West Lake Dunes sector. Their contiguous, undisturbed nature benefits
wildlife. Interestingly, huge congregations of several species of dragonfly have been
noted in the cedar trees on the West Lake Dunes in the fall (Catling and Brownell 1998).
2.2. Forest Communities
A variety of deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forest communities are found in the park
on the dunes and in the intervening landscape. Coniferous plantations are described in
section 2.4, Cultural Landscapes.
Deciduous Forest Ecosites
At Sandbanks, these ecosites are mainly small (< 10 ha) patches of shadetolerant
forest remnants, some of which have very old (>150 years) trees. These
forests are found where soils are more developed, especially around the
Woodlands Campground, along County Road 12 and MacDonald Lane, and in
the upland portion at the east end of the Outlet sector. The canopies of these
forest patches are dominated by Sugar Maple, Red Oak, and White Ash, with
associated Black Cherry, American Beech, Basswood, and Black Maple. The
subcanopies and understories are generally sparse (< 25% cover), with
occasional Ironwood, elms, and hickories. The ground layer, while diverse in
some areas, also tends to be sparse. Forest vegetation types include Dry-Fresh
Oak-Hardwood Deciduous Forest Type (FOD2-4), Dry-Fresh Sugar Maple
(FOD5-1), Sugar Maple – Oak (FOD5-3), and Sugar Maple – White Ash
(FOD5-8) Deciduous Forest vegetation types.
Mixed Forest Ecosites
The naturally forested dunes of Outlet Sector are composed of this forest type,
which is dominated by White Cedar, along with scattered patches of White Birch,
American Elm, White Ash, and Red Oak. The subcanopy and understorey are
relatively dense and include a variety of shrub species: Chokecherry, White
Spruce, White Pine, Hemlock, Riverbank Grape, serviceberries, buckthorns*, and
honeysuckles*. Some smaller sections of mixed forest are found in the
Woodlands/Agricultural Sector near West Point and the Dunes Day Use area.
These communities can be generally described as Dry-Fresh White Cedar
Mixed Forest Ecosite (FOM4) ecosites.
History & Successional Processes: For the most part, the mature deciduous and
mixed forests that remain in the park have been present since the early 1900s or earlier.
Mature deciduous woodlots in the Woodlands/Agricultural Sector have been used
sporadically for maple syrup production or fuelwood harvesting since that time. Small
patches of younger deciduous forest exist in a few locations – these are either sites that
are succeeding naturally from a nearby seed source, or are naturalized plantations.
Aerial photography indicates that the mixed forest community along the back of the
Outlet Sector has been relatively intact throughout the last century.
Sandbanks Vegetation Management Plan 7 of 28
Ontario Parks, SE Zone
2009