I never thought there was such thing as a good fire!

Imagine walking through one of your favorite parks/forests and as you come up a hill you smell the after-math of a fire. It's not overwhelming by any means but your instincts tell you that it definitely was not a family BBQ. You get to the top of the hill and pictured below is what you see...



The first few moments I am in a state of confusion. It's blackness about the ground for some distance, lots of ash and burnt foliage (don't know how else to describe it). I don't pay attention to the trees being barely touched by the fire. I also ignore that there is like a path going through the destruction. I've not seen anything like this before... and I don't understand it. I have my camera with me and I start taking pictures. I know as soon as I get home one of the first things I will be doing is trying to Google what exactly happened here in a very southern part of Lambton Woods. I need to know!



I walk about the grounds, taking in the view and pick my brain on the how's and why's of this. After the shock of it, reality sets in that this was a deliberate and controlled fire but I still had no idea why it was set.

Much to my relief on the way home we pass a notice stating the fire was to be set by the City of Toronto. It is part of the protection and restoration of a Black Oak Savannah... something I have never heard of, and will look into it further, as the posting also states it is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Ontario and one of the last in Toronto.


So yes, I will do some study on this further... always good to learn something new that I have interest in, and see if there is something further I may do, or get myself involved in to help with the restoration and preservation of this part of the Lambton Woods. One of my absolute most favorite places within the city to get away from it all and see lots of wildlife.