The Burnt Lands is an
alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prairie ...
between
Almonte and
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
near Upper Huntley,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It probably obtained its name from one of the forest fires that swept the area during early European settlement.
It is possible that fires assist in creating or maintaining alvars. However, the shallow soil, with alternating drought and flooding, is likely the main factor. The main point is that in a land that is typically covered in forest, alvars provide small area of open prairie-like conditions for plants that require such conditions.
This alvar is one of the best examples of this habitat type in Lanark County and in southern Ontario. It has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. Because of its significance, The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has designated ca of the alvar as an
Area of Natural and Scientific Interest An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (or ANSI) is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario in Canada applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological or ecological features which are si ...
. A smaller parcel of several hundred hectares is protected within the Burnt Lands Provincial Park (Nature Reserve).
It is a popular destination with local naturalists, including bird-watchers and photographers.
Description
Some of the distinctive plants found here include
Cooper's milk vetch and
Ram's-Head Ladyslipper. There are 82 breeding bird species and 48 butterfly species. The alvar is thought to have existed in some form since the end of the last ice age, since it has globally rare snails (''
Vertigo hannai'') and even a kind of
carabid beetle found nowhere else in the world.
Canadian Forces Station Carp, better known as the "Diefenbunker", operated a
radio receiver site in the alvar during the
cold war
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
in support of the
Emergency Government Headquarters
Emergency Government Headquarters is the name given for a system of nuclear fallout shelters built by the Government of Canada in the 1950s and 1960s as part of continuity of government planning at the height of the Cold War. Situated at stra ...
system.
Threats to the alvar include
urban sprawl
Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...
, subdivisions, quarries, illegal dumping of household trash and construction materials, illegal sand quarrying, and all-terrain vehicles.
There is also a problem with jack pine trees, once planted by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, that are now shading out some of the rare plant species; some experts suggest that these trees need to be removed. A fire in 1999 removed some of the encroaching forest and produced open meadows, which, in 2008 had nearly twice the number of plant species as in adjoining unburned areas.
Burnt Lands Provincial Park
The alvar is protected within the Burnt Lands Provincial Park.
The park consists of two non-contiguous parcels of land, totaling of land.
It is a non-operating park without any visitor activities or facilities.
See also
*
Panmure Alvar - nearby similar alvar
References
External links
Ontario Parks official website
{{Ontario parks
Protected areas of Lanark County
Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest
Parks in Ottawa
Alvars (landform)