Worldwide, there is a multitude of forest types from the famous rainforests in South America to the dense pine forests of boreal Canada. In southern Ontario, there are two main forest regions: the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest region and the Eastern Deciduous forest region. The Hamilton area is entirely within the Eastern Deciduous forest region and exists near its northern limit.

Carolinian Forest

Because of its location at the southernmost point in Canada, this eastern deciduous forest region has much in common with forests of the north to mid-eastern United States. Characterized by rich and varied flora and fauna, this ecosystem can be found as far south as the Carolinas in the U.S. but occurs nowhere else in Canada, and so is commonly called 'Carolinian' forest and there are some very good examples of it in the Hamilton area. This ecosystem contains the greatest number of plant and animal species of any Canadian ecosystem, but only exists in 1% of Canada's total land area. The presence of this forest type in our locale is in conflict with the most populated area of Canada. There are many local efforts underway to preserve and restore this habitat.

A Carolinian forest in spring. Photo by Alan Ernst.

Within the Carolinian forest region, there are pockets of other forest types that are not as diverse but have species in common with the Carolinian forest around them. These other forests tend to be dominated by either maples or oaks.

Sugar Maple Forest

Autumn Maple Leaves. Photo by Alan Ernst.

Sugar Maple forest, dominated by the tall and stately Acer saccharum and with very few other large trees present, is a familiar sight to those who have grown up in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest regions of Southern Ontario and Quebec. There are pockets of this kind of forest in the Carolinian region as well, particularly where it has been maintained through human intervention. Going to the 'sugar shack' to watch maple syrup being made is a very traditional activity in late winter when the Sugar Maple sap is flowing. This activity is often people's first experience in this kind of forest.

Oak & Oak/Maple Forest

There are some forest pockets in the Carolinian forest region of Ontario which contain a greater number of oaks and maples together than elsewhere. These are referred to as Oak and Oak-Maple forests.

Northern Red Oak. Photo courtesy of the Kansas Forest Service.

While both Oak and Maple trees occur throughout the Carolinian forest, they form the major tree components in these pockets.

Typical species are the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) and Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and oaks such as the Red Oak (Quercus rubra), White Oak (Quercus alba) and the Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).