Kawartha Land Trust’s MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve was established at the end of 2024 thanks to the generous support of the Wolfe Family, KLT donors, and funders. You can read the announcement on our website.

The 304-hectare (751 acres) property is located in Peterborough County, approximately 10 kilometres north of Norwood, and is contiguous on three sides with a 4,800-acre block of the Peterborough County Forest.

The MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve is located within the Crowe River subwatershed. One hundred percent of the property is considered deep habitat or interior forest.

In a time of increased fragmentation of forest ecosystems in Southern Ontario, the protection of interior forest habitat is essential for species that require large, unbroken, tracts of natural land to survive and thrive, including warblers, hawks, and mammals such as Black Bear, Fisher, White-tailed Deer, Moose, and others.

The conservation of this forested property ensures that it is protected against the threat of clear-cutting or fragmentation. Habitat loss is one of the leading causes of population decline for some forest-dwelling species.

Over 280 acres of the property is made up of hardwood forest. The hardwood forest is primarily comprised of Sugar Maple, Red Oak, and Iron wood. Other tree species present include Basswood, White Birch, and Trembling Aspen. This nature preserve also features a Red Oak forest, Cedar forest, and a stand of planted Red Pines.

The property is home to a significant creek that flows into a wetland before continuing south to Beloporine Creek in the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.

Trail cameras that KLT has set up on the property have observed Moose, Black Bear, Flying Squirrel, Great Blue Heron, Coyote, Wood Duck, Fisher, White-tail Deer, while staff have directly observed Wood Frog, Leopard Frog, American Toad, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Woodcock, Ruffed Grouse, Garter Snake, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, and Northern Waterthrush.

–

The MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve was protected though support from the MapleCross Fund.

The MapleCross Fund was established in 2017 by Dr. Jan Oudenes and Dr. Isobel Ralston. Its mission is to protect and restore Canada’s natural environment by supporting organizations engaged in land conservation. To date, MapleCross has assisted 20 land trusts across Canada in securing 75 ecologically sensitive properties, protecting over 18,000 hectares. www.maplecross.ca

The MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve was protected through support from the Echo Foundation.

The MapleCross John Wolfe Forest Preserve was protected through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program — Land Trusts Conservation Fund (NHCP-LTCF) Grant Programs.

The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $500 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than $1 billion in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community leading to the protection and conservation of nearly 840,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.