Conservation Lands Management and Restoration

Thinning operations in both plantations and natural stands help create more space, light, and resources for remaining trees, promoting stronger, more diverse and resilient forest ecosystems.

The openings created by thinning also create opportunity to increase tree species diversity through natural regeneration and tree planting. By prioritizing native species and encouraging regeneration through silviculture, we work to strengthen ecosystem integrity and support a wide range of plant and animal life, ensuring forests remain healthy and adaptable over time.

Manual Control

Manual control involves the physical removal of invasive species using hand tools and physical labour. Techniques such as hand-pulling, digging, cutting, mowing, or girdling are selected based on the species present, site conditions, and sensitivity of the surrounding habitat. These control methods are often prioritized in ecologically sensitive areas, such as wetlands, riparian zones and high-quality natural habitats, where minimizing disturbance and avoiding chemical use is especially important.

We apply manual control as part of an integrated, adaptive management approach. Efforts are typically focused on early-stage or smaller infestations where removal can be most effective and sites are revisited to monitor regrowth and ensure long-term success. By combining manual removal with ongoing monitoring and restoration efforts, such as replanting native species, we work to restore ecosystem balance while protecting soil health and native biodiversity.

Biological Control

Biological control is the use of natural enemies such as predators, parasites, pathogens or herbivores to manage populations of invasive species. Instead of relying on chemical or mechanical methods, biological control works by re-establishing ecological relationships that naturally regulate species populations.

These control agents are carefully selected, studied, and tested to ensure they target only the intended species and do not harm native ecosystems, agriculture, or human health. We partner with universities on new biological control options and only uses ones that are registered for release.

Chemical Control

Herbicides are used selectively and carefully in our conservation areas by licensed staff following best practices. Herbicide use is one of many tools used in combination with other restoration practices to support long-term ecological health.

We take safety concerns very seriously when using chemical controls. This includes following current Pest Management Regulatory Agency direction and staying up to date on the safest and most effective techniques and protocols.

Our licensed and trained pesticide operators adhere strictly to federal guidelines, including not spraying above chest height or in windy conditions to minimize drift. We spot-spray specific plants and leave a buffer zone around any standing water.

We also use spray deterrents on trees and shrubs. These sprays are derived from natural ingredients that deter animals, like rabbits, from chewing on newly planted trees and shrubs.

Invasive species are recognized as one of the most significant threats to biodiversity worldwide

The environmental impacts and economic costs of management are significantly lower when resources are invested in invasive species prevention and early detection. Once an invasive species is established, the costs for management are substantially higher and less efficient. More information on the costs of managing invasive species is available on the Invasive Species Centre’s website.

We prioritize monitoring and early detection as critical components of invasive species management. We regularly survey priority forests, grasslands, wetlands, and riparian areas to identify the presence of invasive plants, insects, and diseases at an early stage. This proactive approach allows us to track emerging threats, assess ecosystem vulnerability and detect new infestations before they become widespread

Early detection enables a rapid response, which is essential for effective control. When invasive species are found early, we can work with partners to quickly implement targeted management actions (such as removal or containment) before the species becomes established and is more difficult to manage.

This approach reduces long-term ecological impacts, lowers management costs and increases the likelihood of successful restoration of native habitats. By linking consistent monitoring with timely intervention, we help protect biodiversity and maintain the health and resilience of local ecosystems.

We use a variety of tools to remove and control invasive plants, and most often a combination of techniques over multiple years is used to effectively eradicate or suppress an invasive plant.

Very rarely is it accomplished in less than three years, and more often it is a five to 10-year process requiring adaptive management and significant financial contributions to be successful. Even after eradication, there can be substantial costs to restoring or jump starting the natural regeneration of the impacted area

Controlled burns are carefully set and managed fires to help restore, maintain, and protect prairie and grassland habitat.  We use controlled burns as a grassland management technique to remove unwanted trees, shrubs and non-native plants so a healthy native grassland with diverse species can establish and thrive. Fires are carefully managed by fire experts to burn low to the ground capturing dried grasses and leaves without harming larger trees. Controlled burns are either conducted in the spring or the fall. A spring burn is done to promote growth of the native grasses while a fall burn will promote the growth of the native wildflowers.

Ignition only takes place under ideal site and weather conditions to ensure wind speed and direction are favorable. To prepare for a burn, the fire crew mows the perimeter of the burn area down to bare ground to create “fuel breaks” at least one metre wide. Fuel breaks are pre-wetted before ignition when necessary.

During the burn, the burn boss will ignite and control the pattern of the fire to ensure fire lines are “burning into the black”, meaning the fire is usually burning towards areas already burned so there is no more fuel and the fire self-extinguishes.

The fire is constantly monitored by an experienced fire crew and everyone is in constant radio contact with one another. Water filled backpack suppression units, multiple ATV units outfitted with water tanks and sprayers, as well as a forestry power pump connected to a water source are on site.

Under ideal weather conditions, smoke from a controlled burn will rise without impacting surrounding properties.

Changing weather conditions, however, can lead to smoke temporarily reaching nearby residences. It’s recommended that neighbours close windows and doors as a precaution on the day of the burn. People with sensitivity to smoke, especially young children and older adults, are encouraged to stay indoors

When CVC conducts control burns on our properties, we hire a burn boss who has been trained by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and has extensive experience in prescribed burning. The burn boss, along with their qualified fire crew, are responsible for setting, controlling, and extinguishing the fire.

Wildlife have adaptive behaviours that help them escape from fire. Mammals, for example, can easily out-run ground fires or retreat to burrows or previously burned areas. Reptiles and amphibians may remain in the soil, retreat beneath logs and damp leaves, enter burrows, or escape to water.

CVC chooses a window of time when the site will have very low activity in terms of wildlife use. This includes respecting bird breeding windows. Overall, most animals benefit from the new growth that follows a fire and the open type of habitat it maintains. Some animals such as turkeys and birds of prey will move in to recently burned areas to look for food.

We created a new conservation area on the shores of Lake Ontario. We transformed the area to be more natural, diverse and ecologically functional by naturalizing the shoreline, reestablishing coastal wetlands and restoring streams draining into the lake to provide habitat for fish, migrating birds and wildlife.

Learn more about the Restoration and Management at Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of enhanced restoration for two former aggregate sites in the Town of Caledon – Pinchin Pit and the Capstone parcel, formerly called the Flaherty Pit, which is a part of Charles Sauriol Conservation Area. Our goal is to restore these properties and transform them into future Credit Valley Parks.

Learn more about the Pits to Park Restoration Project.

We’re decommissioning the dam and pond at Monora Park due to the decline of the dam structure and increased public safety risk. The goal of the project is to restore Monora Creek and the surrounding wetlands while considering safety, social, recreational and economic values.

Learn more about the Monora Park Dam Mitigation.l

We continue to maintain the forests, wetlands, and the Lake Ontario shoreline at Rattray Marsh through restoration and adaptive management.

Learn more about our restoration activities at Rattray Marsh Conservation Area.e

We’ve transformed a former farm field overgrown with non-native and invasive plants into a thriving grassland with native plants and grasses. It provides critical habitat for species at-risk such as eastern meadowlark, bobolink and grasshopper sparrow.

Learn more about the Upper Credit CA grassland restoration