Crews have begun a massive tree-planting initiative in a sprawling national park in western Newfoundland to aid in the recovery of its forests following a period when the moose population was exceptionally high. Darroch Whitaker, an ecosystems scientist with Parks Canada at Gros Morne National Park, revealed that over 730,000 trees have been planted since 2023 in areas where forests were diminished by extensive grazing by moose. The plan is to continue planting for another three years, aiming to establish 1.25 million trees covering approximately four square kilometers.
The reforestation efforts are not just about replenishing the lost forests but also about strategically selecting tree species that can thrive in warmer climates, thereby creating resilient forests better equipped to withstand the effects of climate change. Whitaker emphasized the importance of choosing tree varieties that can endure for decades to come, considering the evolving climate conditions. The initiative is being carried out with a forward-looking approach to ensure that the planted trees are well-suited to future environmental conditions.
Gros Morne National Park is renowned for its majestic fiords and boreal forests intersected by rivers and waterfalls. The park, spanning 1,805 square kilometers, was established in 1973 in western Newfoundland and stands as the second-largest national park in Atlantic Canada. While moose are abundant throughout Newfoundland, their numbers swelled in Gros Morne due to a historical hunting prohibition that shielded them from human predators, their sole natural threat on the island.
In the 1990s, the park harbored around 6,500 moose, with some areas hosting six or more animals per square kilometer. These high concentrations of moose were unprecedented globally, leading to frequent encounters with the animals throughout the park. The moose, feeding voraciously on young trees, exacerbated issues in regions where tree growth had been stunted, possibly due to infestations like beetles. This resulted in widespread patches of bare land known as “moose meadows” scattered across the park’s woodlands.
To address the overpopulation of moose, hunting permits were introduced in the park in 2011, resulting in a reduction of the moose population to around 2,000 animals, making it more manageable. Subsequently, in 2023, tree planters began reforesting the meadows by introducing two-year-old saplings into the affected areas. These saplings, cultivated at the Rocky Harbour tree nursery, are carefully selected to include a variety of tree species, such as black and white spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch, white pine, and wild cherry, to diversify the forest ecosystem.
By incorporating seeds from the park’s southern regions, the reforestation project aims to introduce tree species already acclimated to anticipated warmer temperatures in the coming decades. Whitaker stressed the importance of aiding tree species in adapting to changing climates, as trees are stationary and cannot relocate as swiftly as environmental conditions shift. This proactive approach ensures that the newly planted trees have the necessary resilience to thrive under future climate scenarios.
