Sunday, February 16th, 2025

The County of Simcoe will be executing a controlled burn on 21 acres of County Forests within the Hogback Tract in Clearview Township, between the communities of Brentwood and New Lowell.

The controlled burn will occur as early as conditions allow however, the exact date cannot be determined at this time as it will be dictated by site and weather conditions.

Once the date of the controlled burn has been confirmed, county officials have said they will make every effort to inform the public. The burn is expected to be complete within a 24-hour period and the site will be closely monitored to make sure the fire is fully extinguished.

A highly experienced company has been retained to plan and conduct the burn. Trained and experienced personnel will be on site until it is completely extinguished, and smoke issues will be minimized by burning under specific wind and atmospheric conditions. The County does not anticipate any road closures or any major impact or disruption on local residents.

The County of Simcoe cleared over-mature scotch pine trees on this site in 2016 due to advancing decline and mortality of these trees. This process has resulted in a large amount of remaining debris on the site as well as poor conditions for natural regeneration. A controlled burn has been determined to be the best option to reduce the fire hazard and prepare the area for re-planting in a controlled, cost-efficient manner.

County council approved the Simcoe County Forests Management Plan in 2011 to guide policies through 2030. The Plan outlines that fire has historically played a primary role by influencing composition, structure and patterns of our forests and will be used as a strategy moving forward. Controlled burns have been conducted previously within the County Forests, the two most recent burns occurred in 2014 within the Brentwood Tract in Clearview Township and in 1995 within the Cedar Point Tract in Tiny Township.

The site will be monitored after the burn for any additional site preparation, which may be needed and planted to appropriate native species in the spring of 2018.

Public inquiries can be directed to the County Forestry Department by calling 1-800-263-3199. More information about the controlled burn can be found online at www.simcoe.ca/dpt/fbl/controlled-burn.

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