winston churchill – 407 northwest - brampton · winston churchill – 407 northwest is an urban...

WINSTON CHURCHILL – 407 NORTHWEST

Date of this Site Summary: August 2013

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Region of Peel NAI Area # 2371 Credit Valley Conservation Authority

City of Brampton Size: 5.19 hectares Watershed: Cre dit River Con 6 W, Lots 14, 15; south of

Hwy. 407 between Winston Churchill Boulevard and

Heritage Road

Ownership: 100% public (Province of Ontario) Subwatershed: Mullett Creek

General Summary Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest is an urban site, consisting of a narrow strip of ditch and riparian vegetation running along the south side of Highway 407 and abutting agricultural fields. There is potential for restoration and connection of this area with the broad east-west hydro transmission corridor that runs along the south side of the agricultural fields, if natural linkages across the fields could be established. This site was constructed as a result of Highway 407 to function in draining runoff away from the highway and agricultural fields. However, the area now presents an opportunity to restore ecological goods and services in the form of stormwater attenuation and quality control before runoff is discharged into Mullett Creek and the Credit River. An Ecological Land Classification vegetation community inventory was conducted over the 88% of this area that the field crew had access to. A thorough inventory of the plant species was conducted in conjunction with the ELC work (Table 1). Part of this site was only able to be viewed from a distance due to fencing along Highway 407. It was observed with binoculars and only species that were large or distinctive enough to positively identify were recorded. Table 1: BNAI Field Visits Date Visited Inventory Type 19 Sept. 2011 ELC Natural Feature Classifications and Planning Areas Physical Features Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest is within the Peel Plain physiographic region (Chapman and Putnam, 1984), characterized by a relatively flat topography which gradually slopes toward Lake Ontario. This plain contains numerous rivers and streams with deeply cut valleys. Red Queenston shale forms the bedrock at this site. Low permeability clayey silt and silt Halton Till deposits cover the bedrock here, laid down by the retreating glaciers. The soils in this area are clay loams of the Chinguacousy series. These soils are slightly stony and have imperfect drainage. A shallow roadside ditch traverses the length of this site, and crosses under the highway flowing northward into a stormwater management pond and then into Mullett Creek. Human History The Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest natural area is situated four kilometres south of Huttonville and three kilometres southwest of Churchville. This area received its first European settlers in the early 1820s, shortly after the land was surveyed (1818-1819). In the early 1800’s, forests were abundant, buildings were made of logs and Winston Churchill Boulevard existed as a plank road (Mair, 2009). In 1830, the population density in the area was only 10-20 people per square mile (Spelt, 1972) settlement and clearing of the original forest was slow. By 1851 the population density had grown to 40-60 people per square mile, although less than a third of the land owned by farmers



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had been cleared and the forest still limited views across the landscape (Spelt, 1972). J.P. Hutton built a saw and turning mill in 1848 along the Credit River, and founded the village of Huttonville. Hutton improved the facility in 1855 (Loverseed, 1987), supporting early settlement, land clearing and the processing of local agricultural products. A woollen mill was added later by J.O. Hutton. The forests were removed almost completely as agricultural use expanded. A photograph of the Hutton woollen mill from the late 1800’s (Hydro One Brampton, 2010) shows a landscape almost bare of trees, especially along the banks and valley wall of the Credit River. The nature of agriculture changed from subsistence farming in the 1830s to commercial farming in response to the wheat boom of the mid 1800s. The Brampton area had good soils for farming and the railroad’s arrival in 1856 provided transportation of production to distant markets, allowing this area to become an important area for agricultural production. Farming boomed and by 1881 most of the good land had been cleared and put into agricultural production (Spelt, 1972). This area was far enough from the urban centres that it remained in agricultural use until relatively recently. The building of the Highway 407 expressway within the Parkway Belt West Plan area has dramatically changed the immediate surroundings of Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest. Agricultural lands were acquired for the highway in the 1960s although the land remained vacant until the highway was built between 1993 and 1997. Highway 407 was opened for traffic in December 1997 in this area. It was built with landscaped embankments for aesthetic purposes, with stormwater management ponds at interchanges and lighting. The Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest natural area is a narrow, naturalizing roadside strip. Currently, the highway is periodically busy, but not as much as Highway 401 and the QEW, that are farther south. A wide hydro transmission corridor lies adjacent to the south. The lands of the hydro corridor are currently in agricultural use, although they are part of the Parkway Belt West corridor. Vegetation Communities This natural area is in the Carolinian Forest Ecoregion (Lake Erie – Lake Ontario Ecoregion; 7E). The general community type present here is cultural meadow (100%). A single vegetation community was mapped over the 88% of the natural area that was inventoried (Table 2). The community at Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest contains patches of vegetation different from the main community type, but too small to map and recognize as separate communities. Although they are small, they still contribute additional habitat diversity and are noted as inclusions. The Exotic Forb Old Field Meadow community (CUM1-c, polygon 1121041) contains two inclusions of the Cattail Graminoid Mineral Meadow Marsh (MAMM1-2) vegetation type. Table 2. ELC vegetation communities surveyed

Polygon ID Size (ha) Community Type Canopy Sub-cano py Understory Ground Layer

Dominant Species at each height layer

1121041 4.55 (87.67%)

Exotic Forb Old Field Meadow

(CUM1-c)

Teasel, Common Burdock,

Sweet Clover species

Multiple Grass species,

Creeping Thistle, Late Goldenrod,

Multiple Aster species

Tufted Vetch, Common Crown-vetch, Birds-foot Trefoil, Butter-

and-eggs

Species Presence Vascular Plants A total of 41 vascular plant species occur in Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest, of which 10 (24%) are native. This proportion of native species in the flora at this site is low in comparison with many



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other sites in Brampton. One of the plant species here is regionally rare (Table 3), although it also occurs as planted specimens in addition to naturally-occurring specimens. At this site there are at least two species that are planted, both of them non-native. Of the non-native plant species found at Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest, 18 are invasive. Four of these invasive species are considered to be transformers which exclude all other species and dominate sites indefinitely, five species are highly invasive which tend to dominate only certain niches or do not spread rapidly from major concentrations, six species are moderately invasive which can become locally dominant given certain conditions and three are minimally invasive species which do not pose an immediate threat to natural areas but compete with more desirable native species. Table 3: Regionally rare species (Kaiser, 2001) Scientific Name Common Name S-Rank G-Rank Vascular Plants Picea glauca White Spruce S5 G5 Site Condition and Disturbances This site has been highly impacted by past (including historical) land use, by more recent disturbance associated with the building of Highway 407 and by ongoing disturbance from the presence of the highway. Tree and shrub cover has been eliminated by past clearing for agriculture. Highway construction would have greatly disturbed the soils during grading for the road and landscaping and ditching to ensure efficient drainage. Non-native species dominate this site and invasive species are abundant. Several problematic, transformer-type invasive species are present, including Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) in the meadow, and Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and Common Reed (Phragmites australis) in the wetter ditch. This site receives runoff water from the highway including pollutants, salts etc. The ditch conducts the runoff eastwards and into Mullett Creek, located east of Heritage Road and south of Highway 407, a short distance away. There are small amounts of garbage throughout the site. Highway noise is intense and pervasive. The highway adjacent to this area is also lit all night. Even though lighting may not be bright or shining directly onto the natural community, it may still disrupt activities of fauna. A few restoration plantings of non-native tree species have been made but tree or shrub cover is still lacking at this site. Ecological Features and Functions Along the south side of Highway 407 across most of Brampton, there is a broad band of natural/successional habitat that provides an east-west corridor for wildlife movement. This band is also important in providing an linkage for gene flow between the generally north-south aligned valley corridors. The band is a mosaic of successional and agricultural lands lying adjacent to the highway and under a hydro transmission corridor. The roads that separate sections of this east-west band range from relatively quiet to busy and pose varying limits to wildlife movement. This natural area supports a regionally rare plant species. Recommendations 1. Enhance Water Quality Control Capacity of Site : Given that the landscape at this site has been designed primarily to collect and direct water off the highway, and given the salt and other pollutants that the runoff contains, it is recommended that the water quality control capacity of the



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vegetation communities at this site be enhanced as much as possible. If highway runoff is allowed to quickly drain into nearby Mullett Creek and the Credit River, water quality in these watercourses will be adversely affected. Instead, establishing diverse and natural aquatic, marsh and riparian communities at the Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest area, would enhance the existing vegetation communities, and assist to retain and treat runoff before it leaves the site. This could be achieved by additional, extensive restoration plantings. 2. Invasive Species Control: This site is highly impacted by invasive species (problematic invasive species present, widespread invasive species). A detailed assessment of invasive species at this site and a control plan is recommended as a high priority, in order to limit the impact and attempt to restore the ecological integrity of this natural area. 3. Riparian Area Improvement: Planting native tree and shrub species along the ditch where riparian vegetation is lacking would improve the water quality and riparian ecosystems. Trees and shrubs provide shade that helps to maintain cooler water temperatures and prevents heating and evaporation. Native Willows (Salix spp.) and Dogwoods (Cornus spp.) are well suited because they are hardy, fast growing and have extensive fibrous root systems which are well suited to stabilize shorelines. The current ditch is straight and designed to carry water away rapidly. However, for riparian areas and marshes to more efficiently treat water, retention is preferable, followed by gradual release, also mitigating flash flooding downstream. If the ditch would be modified with baffles to slow the flow of water, creating a set of small marsh patches, additional ecological goods and services from this area might be achieved. 4. Enhance Area Shape: As a very narrow successional community, any increase in the width of the area with naturalizing vegetation would benefit ecological functions and stability of the area. 5. Establish Connectivity With Other Natural Area s: South of the agricultural fields is the broad, approximately east-west corridor of natural vegetation communities under the hydro transmission towers. Direct linkages with this corridor between agricultural fields would benefit gene flow and naturalization of the Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest area. Wildlife is able to move across the agricultural fields but the fields are much more of a barrier for plant gene flow. Gene flow will allow biodiversity to increase and will strengthen resilience of the Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest area. 6. Restoration Plantings: The proportion of native species in the flora at this site is relatively low, mostly likely due to historical agricultural land use and/or the planting practices following construction of the ditch. Restoration seeding or plantings with native species in the meadow portions of the site may help to improve the ratio of native to non-native species here, thus restoring biodiversity and ecosystem stability and resilience here. Native flora species are best at supporting native fauna and ecosystem functions. Some of the existing restoration plantings here have used non-native species. Future restoration efforts should attempt to utilize only native species if possible. 7. Trash: The garbage found at this site should be done to improve the area ecologically and to make the area more visually appealing to the public. Literature Cited Chapman, L.J. and Putnam, D.F. 1984. The Physiography of Southern Ontario . 3rd ed. Special Volume 2. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Geological Survey, Toronto. Hydro One Brampton, 2010. www.hydroonebrampton.com/history.html Kaiser, Jeff. 2001. The Vascular Plant Flora of the Region of Peel and the Credit River Watershed . Prepared for: Credit Valley Conservation, the Regional Municipality of Peel, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Loverseed, Helga V. 1987. Brampton: An Illustrated History . 1st ed. Windson Publications. Mair, Nicole. 2009 Whaley’s Corners. http://heritagemississauga.com/page/Whaleys-Corners Spelt, J. 1972. Urban Development in South-Central Ontario . McClelland & Stewart Ltd., Toronto.



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Vascular Plant Species at Winston Churchill – 407 N orthwest

R= regionally rare

Invasive Score: 1=Transformer, 2=Highly Invasive, 3=Moderately Invasive, 4=Minimally Invasive, 5=Potentially Invasive

See "CVC Priority Invasive Plants" list for additional information about invasive score

*Planted species have been denoted with an asterisk unless additional natural specimens occur

Native Vascular Plant Species

Scientific Name Common Name

Ambrosia artemisiifolia Common Ragweed Parthenocissus inserta Thicket Creeper Phalaris arundinacea Reed Canary Grass Picea glauca White Spruce R Rubus idaeus Common Red Raspberry Solidago altissima var. altissima Late Goldenrod Symphyotrichum lanceolatum ssp. lanceolatum Panicled Aster subspecies Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England Aster Symphyotrichum puniceum Swamp Aster Vitis riparia Riverbank Grape Non-native Vascular Plant Species Scientific Name Common Name Invasive Score Acer negundo Manitoba Maple 1 Arctium minus ssp. minus Common Burdock Carex sp. Sedge species Chenopodium sp. Goosefoot species Cichorium intybus Chicory Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle 2 Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed 3 Coronilla varia Common Crown-vetch 2 Daucus carota Queen Anne's Lace Dipsacus fullonum ssp. sylvestris Teasel 3 Elaeagnus umbellata Autumn Olive 2 Fraxinus sp.* Ash species Grass spp. Multiple Grass species Inula helenium Elecampane Flower 4 Linaria vulgaris Butter-and-eggs 4 Lotus corniculatus Birds-foot Trefoil 3 Lythrum salicaria Purple Loosestrife 1 Melilotus albus White Sweet Clover 3 Phragmites australis Common Reed 1 Plantago major Common Plantain Prunus sp. Plum species Rhamnus cathartica Common Buckthorn 1 Rumex crispus Curly Dock Solanum dulcamara Climbing Nightshade 3 Sonchus arvensis ssp. arvensis Perennial Sowthistle Taraxacum officinale Brown-seed Dandelion Trifolium pratense Red Clover 4 Typha angustifolia Narrow-leaved Cattail 2



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Ulmus pumila* Siberian Elm 2 Vicia cracca Tufted Vetch 3



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Fauna Species at Winston Churchill – 407 Northwest

Type Common Name Scientific Name

No fauna were observed at this site.



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winston churchill – 407 northwest - brampton · winston churchill – 407 northwest is an urban...

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