Hidden River Little Forest

We had a lot of fun working with residents at Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation (KFHC) 111 Van Order Drive to design, prepare and plant the Hidden River Little Forest. 

About the site

Due to the shallow, rather rocky soil we chose as an Alvar as our reference ecosystem. Despite the constraint, we were still able to plant a wonderful diversity of trees and shrubs including Chinqapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), a Carolinian species with edible acorns.

In total, we planted 870 trees and shrubs.

We had a great turnout for our weekend planting when we planted half of the Forest. The following week, students from J.R. Henderson, Katarokwi Learning Centre, and Calvin Park came to plant the other half!

It was lovely to watch students from Katarokwi Learning Centre, who had learned how to plant the trees earlier in the day, teach students from Calvin Park plant and care for the seedlings when they arrived later that day.

Residents chose Hidden River as the for the forest because of the water that flows underneath the land, now hidden from view. 

Thanks

Our heartfelt thanks to the residents of 111 Van Order who helped design the planting, prepare the forest floor, and plant all of the seedlings. Gratitude as well to staff and students of J.R. Henderson, Katarokwi Learning Centre, and Calvin Park; to Beacon Design Collective and Green Communities Canada for funding this amazing project, and to the City of Kingston for woodchips.