After almost a week of dire weather forecasts, June 12th defied the experts and started and stayed warm, sunny and breezy enough to keep the bugs at bay. The organizers modestly refused to take any credit for this miraculous turn of events. FHO Tour 2026 was a record turnout with just over 40 keen forest history buffs filling the yellow school bus. Starting at 9:30 and wrapping at 4:30PM we were treated to a fascinating sampling of important historical sites in a driving loop of just under 70 kms including visits to Angus, Midhurst, Fort Willow…to name a few. All participants were provided, ahead of time, with a meticulously researched and drafted 30 page ‘tour guide’ generously laden with references, pictures, quotes and graphics. Led by FHO Board member and keen historian Terry Schwan, the team of expert guides included Graeme Davis, Simcoe County Forest Manager, Ken Reese, former Midhurst Nursery Superintendent and well-known southern Ontario forester Ed Borczon (who was unable to attend).

Simcoe County, in the early 1800’s, was the site of large swaths of huge white pine growing on sandy soils which became an industrial mecca for timber operators with over 200 sawmills operating there at its peak. Not surprising that the pine was essentially gone by the late 1800s leaving behind badly disturbed soils and struggling farms. Two early Ontario forest visionaries and forest management pioneers Edmund Zavitz and E.C. Drury witnessed this devastation firsthand and spearheaded a restoration program in the 1900s resulting in the Simcoe County Forest being Ontario’s first Agreement Forest in 1922. In 1937 a plaque was erected at the Hendrie Forest Tract to mark the first ceremonial tree planting there in 1922. A second plaque was added in 1982 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the forest and in 1996 Simcoe County assumed full responsibility from the Ministry of Natural Resources for the growing forest estate that today totals just under 14,000 hectares.
A key part of the Simcoe County success story was the Midhurst Forestry Station that supplied most of the planting stock for this forest and many others across the province. We were very fortunate to have firsthand accounts of the nurseries day-to-day operations, back in the day, from Ken Reese, former Nursery Superintendent. At its peak, the nursery produced 12 million trees in 1980 to feed a provincial commitment to expand regeneration and forest management on Crown land more generally. Interestingly, this was just after Ontario overhauled its forest tenure system creating Forest Management Agreements with forest companies across the province and dramatically increasing annual tree planting programs. The nursery started production in 1924 and closed in 1992 after the provincial government decided to allow the private sector to produce planting stock to meet Ontario’s needs. Ken regaled us with stories and images that included the early days when these nursery grounds included an impressive house for the superintendent and his family surrounded by carefully manicured gardens, grounds and trees….a true showpiece and practice that has long passed.
There followed a walking tour through a small portion of the original 1,000-acre Hendrie Forest established in 1922. Graeme Davis led a tour through several forest compartments explaining past operations, many indecipherable to the untrained eye, but illustrating the subtleties of forest management.

After enjoying the gracious hospitality of Simcoe County who provided lunch at the Forest Museum Tract, Graeme, again, led us on a short walk to the Red Pine House which is part of the Museum’s interpretive program. The real attraction though was the elusive and rare Kirtland’s Warbler Red Pine House - Simcoe County Museum. The story starts with a purchase of 300 acres from CP Rail in 1999 which included a heavily used and abandoned gravel/sand pit that was the source of rail bed material for their lines across Ontario. With plans to rehabilitate this site a unique opportunity arose in 2017 to work with researchers and bird enthusiasts from far and wide to establish suitable habitat for the very picky Kirtland’s Warbler, which is early successional jack pine-oak…not an easy forest to establish well out of the natural range of jack pine. Graeme advised that 2 males had been seen/heard in the area that spring and to our collective astonishment and delight we not only heard the calls but some of us actually got to see a Warbler…putting the tour behind schedule, but for a good cause.

The ‘tour guide’ that will be posted in Forestory in the near future and available on our website, provides a very thorough description of stops mentioned above and those visited in the afternoon including the now closed Angus Tree Seed Plant, Fort Willow Conservation Area (a treasure trove of War of 1812 history and archeology) and the Huron Lookout (Wiidookdaadiwin) which is a key marker and scenic lookout over the area and the 9 Mile Portage.
By all accounts, there was unanimous agreement that this tour was excellent and while it took a big team to make this event happen, Terry Schwan merits special recognition and thanks for his visionary leadership in organizing and leading the 6th FHO tour whose origins pre-date the pandemic. Graeme Davis at Simcoe County was particularly outstanding in providing caffeination to the group before the tour and hosting an excellent lunch ‘al fresco’ as well as providing expert history, knowledge and insights throughout the day and inviting many of his staff to join the group which provided many young, energetic and enthusiastic faces to the tour group.
Many thanks too to all who attended as well. It was a very good day

Jim Farrell June 17/26