Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project

Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project Helping Islanders discover the importance of forests by setting an example of stewardship and sustainability. PEI | Epekwitk
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Macphail Woods is a unique project. With our assistance, tens of thousands of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns have left our nursery and been planted across the Island, restoring lost seed sources, improving diversity and creating homes for wildlife. We’ve started restoring hundreds of acres of forest and our educational activities continue to grow in popularity. More than ever, people

appreciate the beauty that is around us and the potential of our woodlands to provide wildlife habitat, places of recreation and a wide variety of natural products.

Native Plants of PEI with Kate Macquarrie
06/06/2026

Native Plants of PEI with Kate Macquarrie

Protecting young trees and shrubs from wildlife damage can make a huge difference in their success! Deterrents like cage...
06/05/2026

Protecting young trees and shrubs from wildlife damage can make a huge difference in their success!

Deterrents like cages and plastic tree guards can help protect plants from hares, voles, mice, and other critters.

Different animals cause different types of damage.

+ Small rodents may girdle a tree by chewing away the bark around its base, which can damage the flow of water and nutrients.

+ Snowshoe hares typically leave clean, angled cuts on twigs and stems at about a 45-degree angle.

Be sure to check cages and guards regularly to make sure they remain effective and don't restrict plant growth. As trees and shrubs become established, protective materials should be removed or adjusted as needed.

The goal isn't to exclude wildlife forever, but to give young plants the chance to get established and thrive!

The Medicine Wheel Garden at Mapchail WoodsThis garden, made in collaboration with Mi'kmaq knowledge keeper and herbalis...
06/02/2026

The Medicine Wheel Garden at Mapchail Woods

This garden, made in collaboration with Mi'kmaq knowledge keeper and herbalist Helena Perry, was designed as a learning and reflection tool for passersby at Macphail Woods.

The garden is a circle, designated with cardinal points each with a distinct meaning, teaching and medicinal plant representation. A medicine wheel is a tool that can be changed based on the intention of its users and the context of natural surroundings. This medicine wheel intends to bring people closer to our native medicinal plants and to encourage reflection on the interconnections of animals (including humans!) plants and abiotic factors in our environments.

North represents intellect, air, winter, and the color white. The medicinal plants in this direction include our native northern bayberry, white paper birch, and wildflowers such as common boneset and yarrow.

East represents emotion, fire, spring, and the color yellow. Medicinal plants include American witch hazel, yellow birch, yellow violet, and St. John's wort.

South represents the spiritual, water, summer and the color red. Medicinal plants include our native wild rose, hawthorn, joe-pye w**d and swamp milkw**d.

West represents the physical, earth, autumn and the color black. Medicinal plants include cedar, common elderberry, heal-all, blue flag iris and blue vervain.

Tomorrow! Come plant with us! Our team will be out at Red Point Provincial Park planting coastal species as part of our ...
05/29/2026

Tomorrow! Come plant with us!

Our team will be out at Red Point Provincial Park planting coastal species as part of our Climate Challenge Fund Project

We'll bring the shovels and plants!

Saturday May 30

10-12

đź“Ť249 Red Point Park Rd, Elmira, PE C0A 2B0

A few great things are happening this weekend with us! Community Planting 🪲× Come out again to our planting event! This ...
05/28/2026

A few great things are happening this weekend with us!

Community Planting 🪲

Ă— Come out again to our planting event! This time happening at Red Point Provincial Park. We'll bring shovels and plants.
Funded by the Climate Challenge Fund

10-12

249 Red Point Park Rd, Elmira, PE C0A 2B0

Group Hike 🦊

Ă— Our spring group hike is this Saturday as well! Come on a guided hike around the Macphail Woods trails. Be prepared to hike 5km

10-12

269 MacPhail Pk Rd, Vernon Bridge, PE C0A 2E0

Plant Nursery Open! 🌞

Ă— Our nursery is open and stocked with beautiful native plants as well as a great group of people here to help support your natural restoration projects. Stop in, buy a plant, walk the grounds, come see the projects weve been working on

8-4

269 MacPhail Pk Rd, Vernon Bridge, PE C0A 2E0

Every native plant added to a yard matters.Restoration doesn’t only happen in large protected areas - It can begin right...
05/27/2026

Every native plant added to a yard matters.

Restoration doesn’t only happen in large protected areas - It can begin right in your yard.

By planting native species in your yard, you help create connections between habitats.

Even a few shrubs, trees, grasses, or wildflowers can provide food, shelter, nesting areas, and safe travel corridors for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife moving between naturally occurring ecosystems.

Native plants are adapted to the conditions here. They help create resilient microclimates that support biodiversity naturally, while requiring less maintenance once established.

When you plant with native species, it becomes more than just a garden. It becomes part of a larger living network by helping bridge fragmented ecosystems.

We grow a lot of our plants directly in the ground instead of keeping them in pots, and there’s a reason for that!When ...
05/22/2026

We grow a lot of our plants directly in the ground instead of keeping them in pots, and there’s a reason for that!

When plants are grown in the ground, they experience real PEI conditions from the start:

wind, salt, heavy rain, dry spells, frost, and everything in between.

That means they aren’t being sheltered or artificially protected as they grow. They have to adapt.

Over time, this produces plants with stronger, more natural root systems and a much better ability to handle the conditions they’ll face once they’re planted out in restoration sites, shorelines, and forests.

It also means we’re selecting and working with local genetics that are already adapted to the Wabanaki-Acadian forest here on PEI, rather than forcing plants to adjust after the fact.

It takes more space, more time, and more labour than container growing, but it aligns with what we’re trying to do:

Restore functioning ecosystems, not just produce plants quickly.

What kinds of work or actions hqve you been doing or supporting to help restore this ecosystem?

Volunteers needed, wanted, encouraged, and appreciated!! Come join our team tomorrow, Saturday May 16 at 10:00AM to be a...
05/15/2026

Volunteers needed, wanted, encouraged, and appreciated!!

Come join our team tomorrow, Saturday May 16 at 10:00AM to be apart of a coastal planting in the Cabot Provincial Park.

We'll bring shovels, water, and plants

Saturday, May 16 – 10:00 AM | Cabot Provincial Park

05/15/2026

14 likes, 1 comment. "PEI's Riparian Forests - Connectors and Protectors"

Black Chokeberry is leafing out and ready to head out on an orderDescription: Simple, alternate, oval, toothed leaves. A...
05/14/2026

Black Chokeberry is leafing out and ready to head out on an order

Description: Simple, alternate, oval, toothed leaves. A small to medium shrub that produces clusters of berries, either red or black depending on variety. Produces sprays of white flowers in June. In the fall its leaves turn a red color.  

Habitat: Often found in wet, wooded sites such as alongside streams and in wetlands, in partially shaded and sunny areas. 

Planting conditions: Great for restorative wetland plantings, as well as for landscaping work in good soil with plenty of mulch.

Address

269 Macphail Park Road
Vernon Bridge, PE
C0A1A0

Telephone

+19026512575

Website

http://www.linktr.ee/macphailwoods, https://www.youtube.com/@macphailwoods8351

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