Historical afforestation attempts

There are no native trees on Sable Island. However, over the years there have been several attempts to develop forests on the island.

No trees or shrubs – 1856

Haliburton (1856) wrote this impression of the terrain on Sable Island:

...In the hollows scooped out by the wind are whortleberry and cranberry bushes, in shallower places is bent grass, and on the shoes wild pears, but there ain’t a tree or a shrub on the whole island…

The great afforestation attempt – 1901

In summer 1901, the Dominion Experimental Farms team and their director, William Saunders, planted tens of thousands of seedlings, seeds, and cuttings on Sable Island. These included conifers, hardwoods, pines, shrubs, evergreens, and willows. Saunders believed these species could adapt well to Sable Island’s climate.

However, by 1913 only 13 of the original plants had survived. Today, the only survivor from this attempt is common heath (Calluna vulgaris), a non-native shrub abundant throughout Sable Island.

Scots pine trees – 1970s

In the 1970s, staff from the island’s meteorological station planted two Scots pine trees in a sheltered spot alongside one of the island’s ponds. Only one of the two trees survived.

Although the dunes provided some shelter, the tree’s size and shape were influenced by high winds. In recent years, the tree has succumbed. Today, it serves as a much-loved scratching post for the wild horses.

References

St. John, Harold. 1921. Sable Island, with a Catalogue of Its Vascular Plants. Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, no. 62, Harvard University Herbaria, pp. 1–103.

United States Office of Experiment Stations. 1903. Experiment Station Record. Washington Government Printing Office, vol .14.