Timmins Flora and Fauna

The Mattagami Region Conservation Authority through the Wintergreen Foundation sells an excellent natural history guidebook entitled: An Informational Guide to the Natural History of Timmins. Contact the MRCA in Timmins at 264-5309. See the Contacts and Resources page of this database for more information on their publications.

Another excellent publication on plants of the area, written by authors from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, is entitled Forest Plants of Northeastern Ontario. The publisher is Lone Star Publishing. It can be purchased at the Timmins Museum and Exhibition Centre and in bookstores in Timmins and across Ontario.

Wildlife and plants found in Timmins are typical of the boreal forest ecosystem. There are a wide variety of opportunities for people to observe wildlife firsthand. There is an area close to the Timmins airport where new arrivals sometimes spot a moose on the way into town. It is rare to have moose wander into the built-up area of Timmins, but it does happen. It is not unusual for black bears to be spotted in town.

Timmins residents take pride in their surroundings whether it is their garden at home or the outdoor northern environment. Perhaps the six-month winter period makes people want to encourage growth of plants around their houses and value the many various plants that grow naturally in the area.

The dominant plant species in this area are the poplar, birch, spruce, balsam and pines. Being an area which historically has burned once every hundred years or so, most of the trees are less than a century old. Today the harvesting of trees has for the most part replaced forest fires in limiting the age of trees. Using sustainable forestry practices, lumber companies harvest wood fibre to be used in paper mills, lumber mills chipboard plants and oriented strandboard plants. Harvesting of trees is limited around lakes and rivers to ensure erosion does not pollute the waterways.

Fur bearing mammals are regularly observed near waterways. Beaver are now more common than a few years ago due to the lack of trapping pressure on the species. It is not unusual to see mink, marten and otter when canoeing on local waterways. It is also not unusual to be surprised by the slap of a beaver's tail beside your boat as it warns other beaver of your presence.

Some rare and interesting plant and animal occurrences in Timmins include:
- The Timmins orchid which is found only in Timmins
- Albino moose. Several sightings have been reported near Foleyet, 100 km west of Timmins.
- Yellow Lady's-Slippers only found occasionally in Northern Ontario
- Sandhill Cranes. There is a resident population which is regularly seen in farmer's fields
- River Sturgeon. There are sturgeon as large as 100 pounds living in our northern rivers.