Renfrew County Forest

19/10/2026

🌲RCF Tract Feature: Killaloe🌳

Two photos, one year apart - and a pretty good reminder of how fasts forests change.

The first photo was taken at the Killaloe Tract in 2024, shortly after a small clearcut was completed. At first glance, it can look like a pretty dramatic change: trees are gone, the ground is exposed, and the site looks almost bare. The purpose of this kind of harvest is to emulate what Mother Nature would do - a fire or windstorm creates open conditions where sun-dependant species thrive, like the poplar growing here.

But fast-forward to 2025 and the difference is hard to miss. The opening had filled in with a flush of young poplar growth, along with other vegetation taking advantage of the newly available sunlight.

These kinds of openings are an important part of a healthy, managed forest. Young forest provides food and cover for wildlife that use different habitat than mature forest - and at Killaloe, we know moose and deer have been making good use of the new browse.

The Killaloe Tract is also home to a provincially significant wetland, red pine plantations, mature forest and a mix of other habitats. That variety is one of the things that makes this part of the Renfrew County Forest interesting and home to many species of flora and fauna.

County of Renfrew

13/10/2026

Although some of Kennelly Tract was impacted by the same tornado that hit Black Donald Tract in 2018, it has another feature that sets it apart.

There are butternut trees. A lot of them. And they aren't in bad shape!

Butternut is endangered in Ontario due to butternut canker, a non-native disease that has caused widespread mortality. While evaluating the damage from the 2018 tornado, our staff found some relatively healthy trees in the Kennelly Tract — and even natural regeneration.

We reached out to our friends at the Forest Gene Conservation Association , who collected material from some of these trees for their butternut recovery program. The goal is to identify trees that appear to tolerate the disease and use them to grow the next generation of potentially tolerant butternuts.

We’ve even planted seedlings grown from some of these trees right here in the County Forest. We're keeping an eye on them and hope this area can remain a little stronghold for the survival of butternut trees. 🌱

County of Renfrew Township of Greater Madawaska

05/10/2026

Tract Feature: Ireland (North and South)

there are THREE members of the cervidae (deer) family in Renfrew County Forest? We're all familiar with deer and moose but...

If you’re exploring the Ireland Tracts, keep your eyes and ears open - these forests are part of the landscape used by Ontario’s reintroduced elk population.

Elk were once native to Ontario, but disappeared from the province by the 1800s. In the early 2000s, elk were reintroduced to eastern Ontario, and they’ve since become an occasional sight in the Renfrew County Forest. Our forestry staff have had the pleasure of both seeing elk and hearing them bugle in the Ireland Tracts.

The Ireland Tracts provide a mix of mature forest, young growth and open areas that offer a variety of habitat for wildlife. And elk aren’t the only ones making use of it — deer, black bear and a wide range of birds and other wildlife can also be found here.

Seeing an elk in the County Forest is never guaranteed, but knowing they’re out there adds a little extra excitement to a walk through the Ireland Tracts.

County of Renfrew

28/09/2026

A river runs through it, but that’s not all!

The Indian River Tract borders the beautiful Indian River, which is navigable by canoe at certain times of the year.

We’ve also found plenty of wildlife sign here—moose, deer, bear and wolves all take advantage of the diverse forest and habitat.

Some of the Tract is made up of red pine planted in abandoned fields in the 1970s. In 2013, overmature poplar was harvested, while patches of midstory white pine were retained. Since then, those white pine have grown into the overstory, increasing their representation on the Tract, while the openings have filled in with new growth and browse.

And judging by the curious visitor we encountered below, the local ungulates are taking full advantage of it!

County of Renfrew Township of Laurentian Valley

24/09/2026

23/09/2026

It's ! ❤🌲

We did a little preliminary celebrating last week at County of Renfrew Day, where attendees had the opportunity to brush (branch?) up on their tree ID, dress like a forester for the photo booth and "pin where you've been" on the Renfrew County Forest map.

Tell us what Renfrew County Forest tract is your favourite and why by visiting the interactive map linked in the comments. 👇

21/09/2026

Happy National Forest Week!

Check out Forests Canada's Forest Fun Booklet for ideas of how to celebrate: learn the parts of a tree, play LEAF Bingo, or have a forest scavenger hunt. We're here for all of it! 🌲🌿🔍 (link in the comments)

County of Renfrew

21/09/2026

🌲 Renfrew County Forest Feature: Harrington Tract 🪨

Harrington Tract is a place where the landscape does much of the talking. The elevation change from west to east of this tract is a whopping 140m!

The rugged topography has created a network of beautiful streams that wind their way downhill, cascading over exposed rock outcrops and through the forest.

It’s one of those tracts where a short walk can take you through a surprising variety of terrain—and can turn into a pretty good workout! The sound of running water is never far away and there’s something pretty special about seeing how the shape of the land influences the forest around it.

County of Renfrew Killaloe Hagarty Richards