june 11, 2012 6318 hartland street orleans, on

491 Buchanan Crescent, Ottawa, ON K1J 7V2

Tel (613) 748-3753, Fax (613) 748-6376

June 11, 2012

Mr. J. P. Taillefer

Taillefer Estates Incorporated

6318 Hartland Street

Orleans, ON

K1C 3J4

Dear Mr. Taillefer:

RE: 255 Wall Road

Tree Conservation Report

This Tree Conservation Report has been prepared following the Guidelines for City of Ottawa

Tree Conservation Report, found at

http://ottawa.ca/en/env_water/tlg/trees/preservation/guidelines/index.html. The field survey and

this report were completed by Bernie Muncaster, who has a Master’s of Science in Biology and

over twenty-three years of experience in completing natural environment assessments. The

purpose of this Tree Conservation Report is to establish which woody vegetation will be retained

and protected on the site. The owners of the site are Mr. C. Vander Heyden and Ms. S. Crête.

The 2.67 hectare site is on the south side of Wall Road, east of Mer Bleue Road and Monique

Avenue (Map 1) in the Village of Notre Dame des Champs. The municipal address is 255 Wall

Road and the legal description is Part of Lot 6, Concession XI of Cumberland Ward (PIN

145440270). The site is currently forested, with existing residences off Wall Road to the north

and west, and agricultural lands to the east and south.

Proposed Development

Eight lots, with a single detached residence each, are proposed for the site, along with a 0.25

hectare park block in the southwest corner of the site. This park block is adjoining to an existing

park area to the west. Six of the residential lots are approximately 0.2 hectares, with the

remaining two lots 0.40 and 0.44 hectares (Map 2). Access will be provided via a new street off

the south side of Wall Road. The new residences will be serviced with private septic systems

and municipal water supply.

Removal of the woody vegetation not identified in this report for retention is proposed for 2012,

after the breeding bird season.

http://ottawa.ca/en/env_water/tlg/trees/preservation/guidelines/index.html

255 WALL ROAD TREE CONSERVATION REPORT

MUNCASTER ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING INC. 2 JUNE 11, 2012

Site Context

The site is within lands designated Village, with adjacent lands to the east designated General

Rural Area on Schedule A of the City of Ottawa Official Plan. The site is zoned V1E (Village

Residential First Density Zone), with lands zoned Rural to the east of the site. The site is

isolated from an environmental perspective due to existing residential developments along Wall

and Mer Bleue Roads, and active agricultural land to the south and east. The site is

approximately 550 metres east of the east portion of the Navan Road/Page Road Woods Natural

Area, identified as Area 111 in the former Region of Ottawa-Carleton’s Natural Environment

System Strategy and the closest Natural Area to the site. The Natural Area was labelled the

Notre-Dames des Champs Woods in the Urban Natural Area Environmental Evaluation Study.

Both studies gave the Natural Area a moderate rating. The Natural Area is separated from the

site by residences along Wall Road, Mer Bleue Road, Domaine Street and the Notre Dame des

Champs Community Centre. No features are on or immediately adjacent to the site on the

Natural Heritage System mapping (Annex 14 of Official Plan Amendment No. 76). The

northwest portion of a Significant Woodland is mapped in the Natural Heritage System

approximately 150 metres east of the southeast corner of the site.

Colour aerial photography was used to assess the natural environment features on and adjacent to

the site. A field review of the site was conducted on May 11th

, 2012 under sunny skies, a light

breeze and an air temperature of 16° C. Notes were made on wildlife usage and potential for

wildlife habitat.

The topography of the site is nearly level, with a slight drop in elevation towards the northeast.

Groundwater in the test pits completed by Kollard (2012) was between one and two metres

below the existing ground surface. During the May 11th

field survey areas of standing water

were common in the southeast portion of the site and there appeared to be no functional outlet

from the site.

The soils on the site are poorly-drained fine to silty sand over silty clay (Kollard, 2012). A layer

of topsoil, between 15 and 30 cm thick is also present. In test pits completed by Kollard (2012)

the silty clay extended to the base of the test pits, about 3.7 meters below surface.

Existing Conditions

The site is forested, with two main vegetation communities, a fresh-moist poplar-maple

deciduous forest and a red-maple deciduous swamp (Map 1).

The fresh-moist poplar-maple deciduous forest occupies the majority of the site. In addition to

the dominant trembling aspen, red maple, white birch, red ash, sugar maple, white elm,

American beech and black cherry are common. The largest trees are red maples up to 48cm

diameter at breast height (dbh) (Photo 2), but most of the trees are much younger (Photo 1).

Much of the forest appears to have been selectively cut over the years and is scrubby in many

areas with a thick understorey (Photo 3). Regenerating poplar and glossy buckthorn are

dominant in the scrub areas. Other components of the understorey include common buckthorn,

nannyberry, beaked hazel and black currant. The ground flora represents a wide variety of



moisture requirements, including Canada mayflower, common burdock, field horsetail, wild

sarsaparilla, starflower, woodland strawberry, false Solomon’s-seal, clintonia, common

dandelion, blue violet, eastern bracken, sharp-lobed hepatica, partridgeberry, lady fern, Canada

goldenrod, scouring rush, marsh fern, ostrich fern and sensitive fern.

A portion of the forest transitions to a maple swamp in the southeast part of the site (Map 1).

Standing water was extensive in this area on May 11th

. A berm along portions of the east and

south edges of the site appears to be retaining water in this area. Red maples up to 43cm dbh are

common, although most stems are less than 15cm dbh (Photo 4). Trembling aspens up to 42cm

dbh are around the periphery of this community. Glossy buckthorn is dominant in the

understory, with slender willow and narrow-leaved meadowsweet also present. Reed canary

grass, sensitive fern, lake-bank sedge, dwarf raspberry and blue iris are typical ground flora.

The trees appear to be in generally good condition with no extensive signs of insect damage or

other diseases. Wind throw has toppled some of the larger trees and bark and branch damage is

present on some of the older maple trees. A few of the black cherries in the southeast corner of

the site had much lower leaf-out and some trunk decay.

Wildlife observations included red-winged blackbird, European starling, American crow,

American redstart, common yellowthroat, killdeer, American woodcock, rusty blackbird, least

flycatcher, white-throated sparrow, common grackle, downy woodpecker, American goldfinch,

great-crested flycatcher, Cooper’s hawk, northern leopard frog and woodchuck, along with

white-tailed deer tracks.

Species at Risk

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ biodiversity explorer website was reviewed

(http://www.biodiversityexplorer.mnr.gov.on.ca/nhicWEB/main.jsp). This site allows for a

search of threatened and endangered species covered by the 2008 Endangered Species Act, as

well as other species of interest. Searches were conducted on the 10 km square including the

study area and adjacent lands (18VR63). Sixteen species of interest were identified for the

10 km square, including two Species at Risk, lake sturgeon and Henslow’s sparrow. The

threatened lake sturgeon is reported from the Ottawa River, which is approximately 300 metres

north of the North Service Road. The Henslow’s sparrow utilizes unmaintained tall weedy fields

(Ehrlich et al., 1988). This bird was not reported for the 10 km square that includes the study

area in the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas results. Milksnake, a Species of Concern reported from

the overall 10 km square including the study area, is found in a variety of habitats where mice

and other prey are, including farms, rocky slopes and the edges of forests.

The other potential species of interest are provincially rare and are predominantly found in

aquatic and/or wetland habitats, including four dragonflies and damselflies (horned clubtail,

forcipate emerald, arrowhead spiketail and green-striped darner), northern long sedge, cattail

sedge, American waterwort, Greene’s rush, twin-stemmed bladderwort, southern twayblade and

lurking leskea, a moss. Southern twayblade and Greene’s rush are known from Mer Bleue, about

1.3 kilometres to the southwest of the site. The large purple fringed-orchid is found in wetter

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.mnr.gov.on.ca/nhicWEB/main.jsp



portions of deciduous forests where sugar maple and American beech dominate. Woodland

pinedrops is found in upland habitats

The Breeding Bird Atlas results for the 10 km square 18VR63 were reviewed, with the

threatened bobolink, eastern meadowlark, barn swallow and chimney swift reported for the

overall 10km square. Bobolink, eastern meadowlark and barn swallow utilize large grassland

areas including hay fields, while chimney swift nests predominantly in open chimneys and

sometimes in tree hollows. One species of special concern, short-eared owl was also report.

This owl requires open habitats such as pastures and marshes.

The potential Species at Risk in the City of Ottawa were also reviewed, with an emphasis on the

endangered and threatened species historically reported in the overall City, including butternut,

American ginseng, eastern prairie fringed-orchid, flooded jellyskin, wood turtle, spiny softshell,

Blanding’s turtle, snapping turtle, musk turtle, Henslow’s sparrow, loggerhead shrike, bald eagle,

golden eagle, least bittern, whip-poor-will, chimney swift, eastern meadowlark, barn swallow,

bobolink, peregrine falcon, eastern cougar, common gray fox and American eel. The habitat

requirements of these species along with those listed as special concern were reviewed. None of

these Species at Risk were observed during the field surveys, including butternut, an endangered

Species at Risk but relatively common in portions of Ottawa.

Photo 1 – Typical deciduous forest in the northeast portion of the site



Photo 2 – Larger red maple among smaller trees in northwest portion of the site.

View looking north to recent house construction

Photo 3 – Many portions of the forest are a combination of thick understorey in a relatively open

canopy with scattered older deciduous trees



Photo 4 – A few larger maples in the maple swamp in the southeast portion of the site which is

dominated by young trees

Recommendations

The on-site forests are disturbed by selective cutting, dense undergrowth of buckthorn in areas

and isolation from natural areas. The forests are too small to provide interior habitat or habitat

for area sensitive wildlife species. However the trees do provide local wildlife and aesthetic

value and as much of the forest should be retained as possible. With a single residence on each

lot, there is ample room for tree retention at the rear and sides of the lots, particularly on the

extra deep Lots 6 and 7. The zoning permits a maximum lot coverage of fifteen percent.

To maximize tree retention along the rear of the lots the building footprints and associated

disturbances should be as close to the road as possible. It is anticipated that about the rear

twenty percent of the two hectare lots can remain in their existing condition. Map 2 shows the

proposed corridors of tree retention on the site. For the lot number (white numbers) on Map 2

note that Lots 1, 2 and 3 are the already developed lots to the wet of Lots 4 and 5 and north of the

park bock and Lot 6. By retaining a corridor of trees the potential for wind throw impacts on the

retained vegetation is reduced. The areas of tree retention shown include many intermediate-

aged red maples and good examples of regenerating maple and American beech stems.

In terms of planting sensitivities, tree and shrub species that have a high water demand are

generally not recommended due to the silty clay soils. These species include willows, poplars

and elm.



Trees to be retained must be protected with sturdy fencing installed a distance of ten times the

trunk diameter from the trunk of the outer trees. No grading or activities that may cause soil

compaction such as heavy machinery traffic and stockpiling of material are permitted within the

fencing. No machinery maintenance or refuelling, storage of construction materials or

stockpiling of earth is to occur within five metres of the outer edge of the dripline of the trees to

be retained and protected. The existing grade is not to be raised or lowered within the fencing

and no digging is permitted within the fencing. The root system, trunk or branches of the trees to

be retained must not be damaged. Exhaust fumes from all equipment during future construction

will not be directed towards the canopy of the retained trees. If any roots of trees to be retained

are exposed during site alterations, the roots shall be immediately reburied with soil or covered

with filter cloth or woodchips and kept moist until the roots can be buried permanently.

To protect breeding birds, no tree or shrub removal is to occur between April 15th

and July 30th

,

unless a breeding bird survey conducted within five days of the woody vegetation removal

identifies no active nests in the trees or shrubs.

As the site is isolated from a natural environment perspective with no linkage functions or

adjacent or on-site natural areas, the removal of the on-site woody vegetation is not anticipated to

have a detectable impact on the ecological features and functions of the surrounding landscape.

Any local wildlife utilization can continue to occur on the un-developed portions of the site post

development. With mitigation measures such as removal of trees and shrubs outside of the

breeding bird period it is anticipated that the attributes of the existing on-site natural systems to

be disturbed will either relocate to other less disturbed natural areas in the overall regional

landscape or continue within the vegetation remaining on the site post-development.

Schedule of Proposed Works

It is proposed to remove the woody vegetation in 2012, after the breeding bird season ends on

July 30th

. Conclusion

No high quality specimen trees, valued woodlands, rare communities, slopes or valleys were

observed on or adjacent to the site. However the on-site trees do provide local wildlife and

aesthetic values and as many of the trees as possible should be retained as part of the Village

residential development.

Reference

Kollaard Associates. 2012. Terrain Analysis. Proposed Residential Subdivision. Part Lot 6,

Concession 11, Wall Road. Cumberland Ward. Ottawa, Ontario. Report 120161. 7 pp &

Append.



Please call if you have any questions on this Tree Conservation Report.

Yours Sincerely,

MUNCASTER ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING INC.

Bernie Muncaster, MSc.

Principal

\255walltpp

june 11, 2012 6318 hartland street orleans, on

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