YORK FACTORY NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE OF CANADA ...

Key Actions
• A monitoring system will be
developed, implemented and
maintained to detect changes in
permafrost across the site. Results of
monitoring will be used to evaluate
threats and responses to cultural
resources. Partnering opportunities
for permafrost research and
monitoring will be explored.
• The site’s fire management plan will
be updated with respect to evident
changes in the region’s fire regime.
Setting up of monitoring point for
frost cracks near the riverbank,
involving a metal pin on each side of
the crack and measurement.
(K. Skaftfeld)
4.1.4 Response to Vegetation Encroachment
Willow growth has an impact on commemorative integrity. Root systems can
damage and destroy archaeological features, and encroachment of willows obscures
the cultural landscape of York
Factory.
Historically the entire York Factory
was kept free of trees and bush,
probably in part due to the constant
demand for firewood, as a safety
precaution against fire, as an
environmental control (keeping the
surface water drained and the
mosquitoes at bay), and to keep an
orderly appearance and operation.
Reduced business at York Factory by
the 1940s meant less manpower and
little need to clear brush from the
larger factory site since activities
were limited largely to the Depot.
Willows grew in. By 1957 only a
small area of the original site
remained clear of overgrowth. Since
then Parks Canada staff have cut and
mowed clearings to the front and
south of the Depot, in the cemetery
and along the boardwalks.
Areas about York Factory cleared of
vegetation over the years. (Parks Canada)
York Factory NHSC Management Plan Page 29