Notice the new sprouts on this close-up of Norway Spruce. Photo: Magnus Rosendahl via Wikimedia Commons

On the corner of Queen Street and Lake Street, you can see a long row of tall coniferous trees. These majestic trees are Norway Spruces. Harry Knapp bought them from St. Williams Nursery, Canada’s first nursery station, and planted them here to protect his chicken farm from strong winds. They have been standing tall for over 90 years!

In Southern Ontario, Norway Spruces were planted near country schoolhouses and farms, but they are disappearing along with that way of life. The Lake Street plantation is the largest in the area.

Local forestry researchers now visit this location to study this magnificent tree. Horned owls and merlins also visit the Spruces.