Caring for the Land: Preserving the Natural Environment of Our Campus of Care

Our vision for the new Campus of Care extends beyond the buildings and healthcare services that will one day call it home. Equally important is the land itself, and the opportunity to incorporate the natural environment into a welcoming, peaceful, and sustainable setting for patients, residents, staff, and visitors.

The 48-acre property being donated by Jim Curle and his family offers more than just the space needed for a modern hospital and associated healthcare services. Its natural features, including an established woodlot, provide an opportunity to create a campus where green spaces, walking trails, and the surrounding landscape become part of the overall healthcare experience.

Preserving these natural features, however, requires more than simply leaving them untouched. Just like the people who will one day receive care at the new hospital, the land itself also needs attention, maintenance, and a little preventative healthcare to remain healthy for generations to come.

A Health Check-Up for the Woodlot

On October 26, a small group visited the property to conduct a forest health assessment, an important step in understanding the condition of the existing woodlot and identifying how best to preserve it as redevelopment planning moves forward.

Professional forester Dave Pridham, joined by property donor Jim Curle, volunteer forester Doris Krahn, and CMH Board Chair Carrie Hayward, spent time examining the trees and evaluating the overall health of the forest.

The assessment began with a review of the forest's density, examining the number and size of trees within different areas of the woodlot. This helps determine whether trees have sufficient space, sunlight, and resources to grow and thrive.

An important part of this work is looking beyond the immediate condition of the property and considering how the woodlot will evolve over the coming decades. As the surrounding land is developed, thoughtful forest management will help ensure the wooded areas remain a healthy and sustainable part of the landscape, providing a natural setting that can be enjoyed by future generations.

Identifying What Needs Attention

From there, the team turned its attention to the health and condition of individual trees. Much like a medical check-up, the process involved looking for signs of concern, including disease, structural weakness, damage, and other conditions that could affect a tree's long-term health or stability.

An important consideration in this process is understanding how the trees interact with one another and the surrounding environment. A healthy forest depends on more than the condition of any single tree. The balance between younger and more mature trees, access to sunlight, and the availability of nutrients all play a role in determining how well the woodlot can continue to grow and regenerate naturally over time.

Some trees showed signs of cankers or decay, while others were leaning or growing too closely together. In certain cases, removing a struggling tree can give neighbouring trees the room and resources they need to grow stronger and healthier.

A Prescription for a Healthier Forest

The team carefully identified trees requiring attention, considering both the health of the individual tree and its impact on the surrounding forest. The goal is not to remove trees unnecessarily, but to take a thoughtful, selective approach that supports the long-term sustainability of the woodlot.

Once identified, trees requiring attention were marked so they could be easily recognized during the next stage of forest management. This careful process helps ensure that decisions about tree removal are deliberate and focused on improving the overall health of the woodlot.

Following the assessment, a plan was developed for selective tree removal during the upcoming winter months. Trees identified for removal may be repurposed for uses such as firewood, flooring, or cabinetry, allowing the harvested wood to continue serving a useful purpose.

This carefully managed process will help address potentially hazardous trees, reduce competition for growing space, and encourage the continued health of the trees that remain.

By taking these steps now, the project team is helping protect an important natural feature of the property long before construction on the new Campus of Care begins.

Looking Ahead: Nature as Part of the Campus of Care

While this work may seem like a small part of a much larger hospital redevelopment project, it reflects an important principle guiding our planning: the Campus of Care should complement and respect the natural environment around it.

As plans for the new hospital and surrounding services continue to take shape, the existing woodlot presents an opportunity to incorporate walking trails, peaceful outdoor spaces, and connections to nature into the campus. These features have the potential to benefit patients, long-term care residents, families, staff, and the broader community, creating places for walking, reflection, and enjoying the outdoors.

By caring for the woodlot now, we are helping ensure that its natural beauty and environmental value can be preserved and enjoyed well into the future.

After all, building a Campus of Care is about more than creating new facilities. It is about creating a place that supports health and well-being in every sense, including through the natural environment that surrounds us.