Ontario’s old-growth forests is a guidebook with detailed trail and canoe information, and maps of old-growth forests throughout the province. The second edition won the 2022 Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science writing.
Old-growth forests are found in all of Ontario’s forest regions, from Carolinian forest in southern Ontario to boreal forest in the north. In this book you’ll discover forests in the heart of Toronto, as well as Algonquin Park, Temagami, and dwarfed trees on the Niagara Escarpment that can reach over 1,300 years in age. You also learn about the history and ecology of old-growth forests in this highly readable book, with guest essays by notable experts in the field.
The second edition includes new sites, particularly in southern Ontario and the GTA, a revised chapter on forest conservation, and improved maps and photos. Buy it at your local independent bookstore, buy at Chapters Indigo, on Amazon or at your local independent bookstore!
- Rondeau Provincial Park
- Clear Creek Forest
- John E. Pearce Provincial Park
- Springwater Conservation Area
- Jackson-Gunn Old-Growth Forest
- Backus Woods
- Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
- Paradise Grove
- Short Hills Provincial Park
- Twenty Valley
- Cootes Paradise
- Cressman Woods
- Rattlesnake Point
- Bronte Creek Provincial Park
- High Park
- Sherwood Park
- West Don Valley
- Kinghurst Forest
- Lion’s Head
- Bruce Peninsula National Park
- Fathom Five National Marine Park
- Awenda Provincial Park
- Wesleyville Ravines
- Peter’s Woods
- Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park
- Jackson Creek
- Clear Lake
- Bon Echo
- Gillies Grove
- Shaw Woods
- Algonquin Park
- God’s Lake Conservation Reserve
- Temagami
- Spanish River
- Bark Lake
- Algoma Highlands
- Nokomis Trail
- Michipicoten
- Little Abitibi Provincial Park
- Missinaibi River
- Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
- Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
- Greenwood Lake
- Quetico Provincial Park
- Lake of the Woods
A printable insert map that can be trimmed and slipped into the book can be viewed / downloaded here. It will be included in future printings of the book.
“This book is absolutely stunning. Both factual and mystical, it is a must-have on every tree-hugger’s shelf, whether you’re a deep thinking ecologist or simply a tree nerd.”
Kevin Callan (a.k.a. The Happy Camper) – author, paddler, and tree hugger
“Michael Henry’s beautiful book reminds us of the richness and fragility of our ecological inheritance. It’s a wake up call on the need for us to protect, renew, and get us to a place where we’re living in balance with nature. Reading this book reminds us how short-sighted we have been – what historian Arthur Lower called the ‘great assault’ on our forests needs to be replaced by a commitment to create a truly sustainable economy. Like Rachel Carson, Michael Henry’s book comes from a place of great love for nature and biodiversity, and a passion for what we need to do.”
Bob Rae, Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, former Premier of Ontario, author
“If you want to learn about old growth — which is not just old trees, but old ecosystems with old trees — this is the book.”
Brian Back, Ottertooth.com
“Before the Europeans began heavy logging, oaks, red and white pines and spruce of herculean proportions towered over central Canada. Delving into the history of these woodlands, Henry and Quinby explain not only what happened to them but also where and why there are still some tracts of majestic old-growth trees. In between detailed descriptions of boreal and Carolinian forests, there are sketches of everything from the types of mushrooms found in Ontario to the life cycle of the blue-spotted salamander, whose larvae are responsible for eating 98 percent of the mosquito larvae in ponds where they live! Although the maps and graphics leave something to be desired, the wealth of information in this book makes up for it — and will make you want to get outside and explore Ontario.”
Emma Lehmberg, Canadian Geographic [review of the first edition]
Some Amazon reviews from the first edition:
Ecology and tree nerds rejoice! This book is a gem for ecology and tree nerds. Complete with maps to find local woodlots and forest tracts. Really engaging read as well: informative and engagingly written by someone who is clearly passionate about this topic.
Highly recommended. An excellent, informative resource – not to mention fantastically illustrated – that covers the major forest zones in Ontario and offers guides for places where you can still find them in their original splendour. I found myself alternately excited to explore and furious with the people who didn’t and still don’t understand the vital need to protect these places. Aside from being a great reference, “Ontario’s Old Growth Forests” offers an infuriating glimpse into the centuries of maltreatment and exploitation that Ontario’s forests have suffered at the hands of European settlers and their descendants. That combined with the loving descriptions of Ontario’s remaining ancient forests and trees, and the psychological and cultural impact they have for many of us, provides a much greater emotional range than I expected in a coffee table book about the woods in Ontario.
It is a very interesting book and the only one … It is a very interesting book and it has a lot more information in it than I thought at first. I would recommend this book to anybody who has any interest in nature or in forestry.
