With the foliage largely buried under accumulated layers of the winter's snow, hiking through the Strachan Tract off Line 8 North in Oro-Medonte Township can, at times, be more of a trudge.
Its 637 acres just north of Old Barrie Road and west toward Line 7 contains many well-trodden paths. It's where you veer off the beaten path when snowshoes or cross-country skis might be beneficial.
The original parcel that led to the development of the Strachan Tract was acquired by Simcoe County in 1949. That was followed by several additional acquisitions over time, mostly in the 10 years that followed.
"Typical of most (of the Simcoe County forests' acquired property) is a prior history of settlement and farming on the majority of these lands, which were restored to forest cover through planting and subsequent forest management," explained Simcoe County forester Graeme Davis. "The older plantations are now beginning to transition into more of a mixed natural forest type as the natural regeneration takes hold."
And like many of the tracts within the municipal forest system, there are now a number of user groups involved in cutting and maintaining and using the trail network.
