Kejimkujik campground downed trees concern park user
Campers heading to Nova Scotia's Kejimkujik National Park for the long weekend may notice changes in how the popular Jim Charles campground looks, but the park says it's short-term pain for long-term gain.
Jacqui Grist has been visiting Kejimkujik for 25 years and was recently riding her bicycle through the campground. She told CBC's Information Morning she was startled to see so many downed trees.
"Normally it's such a dark area because of the amount of trees [that] you can't see from site to site very well, but now with the trees gone, it's left everyone exposed to the next camper, and the next camper. It's known for the most wooded area of that campground and now that is gone," she said.
Grist said the condition of the trees and forest was almost like a clear cut had taken place.
"The sites looked very unkempt; there were trees everywhere," she said. "There were so many trees that were cut and left all over the place, it almost looked like a hurricane had gone through."
"I'm not putting down Keji at all for this, because they have done quite a few improvements this year, but if you're making changes, you want to see it evolve in a good way."
Chris McCarthy is the resource conservation manager at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. He says they understand some regular users of the Jim Charles campground may be surprised.
Some trees hauled in
He says some trees were cut down as the campground prepares to bring electricity to some of the camp sites, but many of the trees Grist saw were hauled in from another site, where they were removed as a sewage disposal facility was built.
McCarthy says the downed trees were brought in because sections of the Jim Charles site need soil improvements. Allowing the trees to decompose will help with that. He says it's a one-time opportunity.
He says the trees are being brought in whole so that decomposition will take place in stages and feed the forest floor.
"It's a dynamic ecosystem. Things are changing all the time," he said.
"Parks Canada is a world leader in conservation, restoration, and it's our role to make sure the forests remains healthy for future generations, especially around the campground where they may get extra stressors."
McCarthy says he realizes it may not look great now, but it's for the greater good of the campground.
"As gaps appear, the soil will be ready to push up new species and ensure that the camping experience is improved as well," he said.
