Stephen Smith, an arborist and owner of Urban Forest Associates (UFORA), has been contracted by the Midtown Ravines Group to inventory the Vale of Avoca’s tree and plant communities (both native and invasive) in advance of major restoration work in the ravine to stabilize the streambed and slopes and rebuild the trails, footbridges and access points.
This work will track changes relative to a 2006 vegetation survey, and will include an Ecological Land Classification (ELC) study to inform future remediation activities. An updated inventory of plant populations may provide useful inputs for the City’s management plan for the Vale of Avoca Environmentally Significant Area, while also supporting the creation of a stewardship plan for the Toronto Nature Stewards team working in the south end of the park.
Smith has carried out conservation projects in the Vale of Avoca for decades, and is very familiar with the ravine and the ecological pressures it is facing. Working with forestry graduate students from the University of Toronto, Smith and his team started the current survey in May 2026. They plan to complete their work by August 28. On July 2, Smith led a group of directors of the Midtown Ravines Group on a walk in the Vale of Avoca to discuss their findings to date.
Smith reported that the survey work to date shows that Norway maples are continuing to supplant native oaks in the ravine. Invasive Norway maples are suppressing the native plants creating extensive areas of bare earth at ground level, thus accelerating erosion.
The survey noted an expanding patch of invasive phragmites, a common reed from Europe, located in a wetland on the east side of the trail north of the CPR railway bridge. This invasive crowds out native cattails, and is spreading to the west side of the path towards Yellow Creek.
A team of arborists from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is currently mapping individual trees throughout the ravine. This effort will document the prevalence of native versus invasive varieties, and inform strategies to minimize the impact of future construction activities on the ravine tree populations.
