Southern Ontario and the Family Farm
September 24th 2008 23:12
Seen from the air during the summer, southern Ontario is a green patchwork of fields and woodlots. Rapid urbanization is eating the family farms. Here we can see a golf course in the centre.
The farms are laid out on a rectangular grid and were historically the property of one family per farm.
This used to be a forest. Newly arrived settlers cleared the land of trees, but left some woodlots in place for firewood and sometimes maple syrup.
The woodlots now provide refuge for some animals and birds, though without connecting corridors their usefulness becomes limited.
Southern Ontario looks like England from the air. It's not a co-incidence. This land had many early settlers from the U.K. who brought English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh traditions with them. Some came directly, others arrived as Loyalists escaping the American Revolution and its aftermath.
This is a typical view seen from a WestJet plane flying into Toronto's Lester Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
Thanks to paulhami for sharing this photo on Flickr.com under a CC Sharealike llicense.
Land Use in Southern Ontario Reflects Cultural History
The farms are laid out on a rectangular grid and were historically the property of one family per farm.
This used to be a forest. Newly arrived settlers cleared the land of trees, but left some woodlots in place for firewood and sometimes maple syrup.
The woodlots now provide refuge for some animals and birds, though without connecting corridors their usefulness becomes limited.
Southern Ontario looks like England from the air. It's not a co-incidence. This land had many early settlers from the U.K. who brought English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh traditions with them. Some came directly, others arrived as Loyalists escaping the American Revolution and its aftermath.
This is a typical view seen from a WestJet plane flying into Toronto's Lester Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
Thanks to paulhami for sharing this photo on Flickr.com under a CC Sharealike llicense.
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