Recovering from the storm
of the century
By Greg MacCormack

OTTAWA — The 1998 ice storm is remembered as the worst ice storm on record.

Trees were damaged across Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes as well as the northeastern United States.

Ice storms of this magnitude are rare. The storm was a series of several low-pressure systems. One wave arrived before the previous one had dissipated. More precipitation fell during the ice storm than is normal for all of January.

Accumulated ice caused tree branches to bend and eventually break off. Larger branches near the top of trees crashed into branches below causing them to break with a distinctive snapping sound. Wade Knight from the Ontario Woodlot Association said the ice storm left many trees with a “brush cut”. In some areas, the trunks of smaller trees snapped from the weight of the ice.

Ken Farr, a science advisor for Forestry Canada, said trees that grew in forests grow more vertically than trees in open areas and therefore suffer less damage.

Farr and other scientists agree the ice storm left trees open to long-term damage with resulting infestation and disease.

However, there is cause for hope. Trees are re-growing. The cambium layer, which grows just under the bark, will eventually cover damaged and open areas. Trees are also shooting out new branches.

The Sugar bush industry is returning to normal while Wade Knight says wood lot owners, are still cleaning up seven years later.

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