Submitted by Kathy Anderson
To commemorate the occasion of Isobel Ganton’s 90th birthday, her family and friends raised funds to support her vision to rejuvenate the forests of the Bruce Peninsula. Donations amounting to $4,355 were gratefully received by the Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association (BPBA).
Elizabeth and Jeremy Thorn of the BPBA worked swiftly to mobilize a tree planting team which included Kevin Predon, Bruce County Forestry Technician, Troy Cameron, Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula Public Works Manager, Jesse Henrich and staff at Lands & Forests Consulting, and Neils Munk, Environmental Geotechnologist with the BPBA, who masterfully managed the entire project during the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A 6.5-acre site on municipal property, bordering West Road just north of Little Pike Bay Road, was selected to receive 5,000 three-year-old seedlings, including white pine, red pine, and cedar. These tiny trees were planted mechanically on May 27th and 28th by a team from Lands & Forests Consulting. The enthusiasm for this project by the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry was underlined by the doubling of the number of trees planted.
Jesse Henrich, from Lands & Forests Consulting, went above and beyond to generate this additional support through the “Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program”. Isobel realizes the importance of reforestation as it combats the devastating effects of climate change. A single, mature tree can absorb as much as 22 kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually.
Isobel Ganton’s intention is to replenish some of the trees harvested by her late grandfather, Charles Pedwell (b. 1875), who followed his father Henry Pedwell’s footsteps in the lumber industry on the Bruce. In the early 1900s, Charles built a powerhouse and sawmill in Lion’s Head. This sizeable operation gave a great boost to the local economy as men were employed to harvest the timber from Wingfield Basin to Hope Bay. The logs were hauled out of the bush by horses, or rafted from the log dumps. Log booms were towed by tugboat to the mill at Lion’s Head harbour.
Charles was community minded and built the first indoor skating rink in Lion’s Head. His granddaughter, Isobel Ganton, has left her legacy for future generations and assorted wildlife to enjoy the forest and benefit from the contribution to the fight against climate change.
Both of Isobel’s parents were born in Lion’s Head and, since 1946, the family continues to cottage in the area. The Ganton-Pedwell family roots on the Bruce run deep.
