Farmer spent decades nurturing rare Carolinian forest, then gave it away

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Some people count sheep to help them fall asleep. Paul DeCloet counts trees.

Decades ago, while farming tobacco in Norfolk County, DeCloet went for a walk in the native Carolinian forest near his family farm in Clear Creek “to search for a more fulfilling purpose” and was awakened to his passion for forestry.

“One question led to another, and within a year, my family owned two forest properties,” DeCloet said. “I started counting trees in my sleep.”

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DeCloet spent the next 40 years tending to the mature deciduous and hemlock forests that blanket his 124-acre property in the Clear Creek Valley, where two branches of the creek merge before winding seven kilometres south into Lake Erie.

With the blessing of the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources, he turned poor-quality trees into high-quality timber, creating space for dozens of native species to take root and prosper.

Today, the forest is home to 29 different tree species, including several that are unique to the Carolinian life zone, such as black gum, shagbark hickory, tulip trees and sassafras.

The rolling hills and wetlands within the forest provide habitat for native wildlife like the American badger, red fox, winter wren, long-eared owl and wood thrush.

DeCloet donated his 124-acre wood to Norfolk County in 2021 through the federal government’s Ecological Gifts Program. The area known now as the Paul DeCloet Forest is recognized as a “significant natural site” in Norfolk’s official plan, which DeCloet called “an appreciation far beyond my dreams.”

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More recently, he gave Norfolk $100,000 to establish an endowment to pay for the ongoing care and maintenance of the forest that bears his name, which has walking trails that are open to the public.

Mayor Amy Martin said the DeCloet name “has become synonymous with generosity and environmental stewardship” in Norfolk County.

“This gift fulfilled his vision of preserving a sensitive area close to his heart, ensuring it remains protected for future generations,” the mayor said in a ceremony before the Nov. 19 council meeting.

The endowment will ensure residents “can enjoy this beautiful natural space, without the burden of upkeep costs, for many years,” Martin added.

DeCloet’s passion for the environment did not stop at the edge of his beloved forest. He became a trustee with Trees Ontario, joined the Norfolk Woodlot Owners Association and the Ontario Forestry Association, and chaired the Long Point Region Conservation Authority in the 1990s.

DeCloet, 81, estimates he has planted more than 100,000 trees on his family farms. He also led tree-planting efforts on Nature Conservancy of Canada properties and raised tulip trees he gave away to his neighbours.

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DeCloet called the public recognition “overwhelming.”

“Norfolk County provided us the opportunity to establish a new life,” said DeCloet, whose family – which included nine siblings – landed in Canada from Belgium 71 years ago, when he was 10.

“A wonderful place to raise a family, and the opportunity for all of us, in our own way, to prosper.”

He characterized his conservation work as a continuation of the broader push to turn Norfolk from a dust bowl into the prime farming area it is today.

J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada

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