Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Oshawa has partnered with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) to support environmental restoration by repurposing old holiday trees. Collected in January, these trees are now being used by CLOCA to enhance stream banks, reduce erosion, trap sediment, and boost the overall habitat and water quality at the Enniskillen Conservation Area.
This initiative employs bioengineering techniques, where the recycled trees are transformed into structures that help create more complex in-stream habitats for fish and wildlife. These structures also promote floodplain connectivity, leading to healthier river ecosystems and increased resilience.
While post-assisted log structures (PALS) are common in the U.S., they are a relatively new practice in Ontario. These low-tech, process-based methods use local wood and untreated posts to build structures that encourage natural processes, helping streams to self-repair.
CLOCA is implementing PALS techniques in its stream restoration projects, placing these structures strategically in conservation areas to enhance the natural environment.