Forest Structure in Belle Park and Island, Kingston, ON

Forest structure refers to the physical arrangement of all the components of a forest (USDA, 2025). The structure of a forest can be impacted by natural and anthropogenic processes, and thus studying the forest structure of an area can help us better understand the impacts of these processes (USDA, 2025). Belle Park, and it’s adjacent Belle Island, are situated in Kingston, Ontario. Belle Park was built on a wetland, and in 1952 the wetland was converted to a municipal landfill that was in use until 1974. By 1978, the area was converted to a golf course and the land was filled in, and finally in 2017 was turned into the park (BPP, 2024). This study aims to better understand the impacts of these land uses by looking at the forest structure and species in various areas of the park and island that were impacted by different land uses. A point-centered quarter method (PCQM) was used to estimate the number of individuals present in each chosen area (ClintonCC, 2025). Two areas were chosen in the park, and one on the island, and data was collected at 10 equally spaced points along a transect. Based on species, diameter at breast height, and distance from center point, stem density and basal area were calculated using appropriate equations. It is expected to find that there will be differences in the species and the forest structure of each chosen area on Belle Park/Island due to the differences in land uses and human interventions. By understanding the differences in species and forest structure of these different areas, we can aim to better understand the “natural” state of this land in comparison to the disturbed areas, and overall gain a better understand of how this land was impacted by its land uses.