Watershed Ecology and Geology

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What's on this page
Soils
Forest Type
Wetlands
Fish and Wildlife
Wildlife
Fish

The entire Muskoka River watershed is situated on the Canadian Shield, which dates from the middle to late Precambrian Age. Soils are generally sandy and shallow in depth atop the underlying bedrock. The watershed is mainly forested, with mixed hardwood (i.e. maple, birch and oak) and coniferous (i.e. White and Red pine, spruce, tamarack and hemlock) species.

Muskoka is an area of transition from the northern boreal forest to the mixed forests in the south.

The Muskoka River watershed contains predominantly cool and cold-water fish species. In the upper part of the watershed, several lakes and streams are considered cold water, and support species such as Lake trout and Brook trout.

Importance of Soils within the Muskoka River Watershed

The Muskoka River watershed is located on the Canadian Shield. The shield in characterized by very thin soil with rocky outcroppings. The thin, nutrient poor soils and surrounding environment dictates the vegetation that can grow and limits the amount of nutrients that flow to waterbodies from the watershed.

The North contains mainly conifers -Algonquin dome in Huntsville and Lake of Bays White pine Black spruce White spruce Jack pine Balsam fir

The South contains mainly hardwoods -The barrens in Gravenhurst, Muskoka Lakes and Georgian Bay White Pine Sugar maple Yellow birch Red oak Beech

Vegetation plays a large part in determining soil characteristics. In conifer dominated forests the soil is likely to be acidic and in hardwood forests soils are more likely to be non-acidic. Muskoka contains both of these vegetation communities.

Forest Type

In Ontario, there are four main regions of forest types. They are the Hudson Bay Lowlands, Boreal Forest, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest, and Deciduous Forest. Muskoka is located in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest region .

This region is a transitional zone between the

• Southern deciduous forests
• Northern coniferous boreal forests

In this region, coniferous trees include:

• White pine
• Red pine
• Eastern hemlock
• White cedar

Deciduous broad-leaved species include:

• Yellow birch
• Sugar maple
• Red maple
• Basswood
• Red oak

Some species that are more common in the boreal forest also exist in Muskoka, such as:

• White spruce
• Black spruce
• Jack pine
• Aspen
• White birch

Forest Health Program

The District Municipality of Muskoka has developed a Forest Health Program to promote forest health in Muskoka.

Resources are available to assist landowners who wish to explore management options for their forests, including:

* A Landowner’s Guide to Selling Standing Timber brochure and booklet;
* A Landowner’s Guide to Careful Logging brochure and booklet;
* A Forest Health Technician who is available for no‐cost consultations where the District is notified ahead of any logging operations. This person is also available to discuss forest management options with landowners, upon request. To speak to the Forest Health Technician, please call 705‐645‐9352 or 705‐788‐4905.

The above booklets, produced by the Ontario Woodlot Association, are available free of charge by contacting The District Municipality of Muskoka (705‐645‐2231 x288) or the Muskoka Heritage Foundation (705‐645‐7393).

Wetlands

Wetlands are a crucial part of a watershed. The primary function of wetlands include:

1. Control and storage of surface water and the recharge and discharge of groundwater
2. Maintain and improve water quality
3. Aid in flood control
4. Protect shorelines from erosion
5. Trap sediments which would otherwise fill watercourses
6. Provide wildlife habitat
7. Provide recreational opportunities

Fish and Wildlife

Muskoka features:

• Over 250 species of birds
• Almost 50 kinds of mammals
• 25 types of reptiles and amphibians
• Dozens of different fish

They all play a vital role in the ecology of the Muskoka River watershed. Some of the common wildlife speices you might spot in Muskoka include:

• Moose
• Black bear
• White-tailed deer
• Five-lined skink
• Loon
• Great blue heron
• Osprey
• Lake trout
• Eastern massassaga rattlesnake
• Eastern hognose snake

Wildlife within the Muskoka River Watershed

The life cycle of many Muskoka wildlife species is directly related to the river (including its tributaries and lakes) and the land-water shoreline interface (to provide habitat and food sources).

An example of this complex linkage would be the wetland areas found along the shorelines of rivers and lakes. Some of the animals dependent on these wetlands include:

• Waterfowl for their nesting and staging areas
• Furbearers and mammals for habitat, protection, and feeding areas
• Reptiles and amphibians depend on wetlands for all or parts of their life
• Osprey, eagles and herons benefit from the shallow water feeding opportunities

Fish within the Muskoka River Watershed

In the Muskoka River watershed you are most likely to find cool and cold-water fish species.



In the cold water lakes and streams in the upper part of the watershed you may find

• Lake trout
• Brook trout
• Smallmouth bass

The large lakes in the watershed are fairly deep (50+ m) and cold, and are sustainable for communities of

• Lake trout
• Whitefish
• Rainbow trout
• Brown trout

Much of the lower part of the watershed (with the exclusion of the large lakes) is considered cool-water habitat, sustaining communities of:

• Walleye
• Northern pike
• Muskellunge
• Smallmouth bass
• Yellow perch
• Pan Fish ( Black crappie, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill and Rock bass)

Lake Trout Lakes in Muskoka

Muskoka has many excellent deep cold water lakes that sustain natural Lake trout populations. Many lakes also benefit from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) stocking program. The following lakes in Muskoka are managed as Lake trout lakes by the MNR:

Lake	Area Municipality	Lake	Area Municipality
Bella	Lake of Bays	Lake of Bays	Lake of Bays
Bigwind	Bracebridge	Mary	Huntsville
Blue Chalk	Lake of Bays	Muskoka	Muskoka Lakes
Bonnie	Bracebridge	Oxbow	Lake of Bays
Buck	Lake of Bays	Peninsula	Lake of Bays
Camp	Lake of Bays	Pine	Bracebridge
Cardwell (Long)	Muskoka Lakes	Rebecca	Lake of Bays
Clear	Bracebridge	Red Chalk	Lake of Bays
Clearwater	Gravenhurst	Rosseau	Muskoka Lakes
Dotty	Lake of Bays	Seventeen Mile	Lake of Bays
Fairy	Huntsville	Shoe	Lake of Bays
Eighteen Mile	Lake of Bays	Skeleton	Muskoka Lakes
Fifteen Mile	Lake of Bays	Solitaire	Lake of Bays
Harp	Huntsville	South Tasso	Lake of Bays
Jerry	Lake of Bays	Vernon	Huntsville
Joseph	Muskoka Lakes	Young	Muskoka Lakes