Hampton Park's old-growth forest becomes a symbol of urban climate resilience

The roar of Highway 417 is never far away in Hampton Park. Cars stream past the forest edge at all hours while dog walkers circle the paths below and children splash in the wading pool nearby. But a few steps beyond the baseball diamonds, the landscape transforms entirely.

The air cools beneath a dense canopy cover. Some trees are older than Confederation itself — towering trunks block out much of the light overhead while layers of shrubs and saplings crowd the forest floor. In the middle of one of Ottawa's most urban neighbourhoods sits what advocates say is the city's only remaining old-growth forest.

Located in the west end, the National Capital Commission — which acquired the land as the Federal District Commission in 1927 for $40,000 — purchased Hampton Park with the intent of preserving green space in a growing Ottawa. The original land package covered 42 acres. Before the sale, it served as both a wood lot and recreational area.

Nearly a century later, the park's remaining 10 hectares contain ball diamonds, a dog park, and community gathering spaces. But it is the forest itself that has become its defining feature.

Sharon Boddy, a researcher, writer, and advocate for urban natural areas, has spent much of her life exploring the woods there. She knows the trails, canopy layers, and ecosystems intimately.

"The definition of an old-growth forest is that it has to have trees over 100 years old, it has to have shrubs and an understory layer. We have 200-year-old trees — so this qualifies," Boddy said.

Walking through the forest reveals a layered ecosystem that helps define old-growth environments. Hemlocks line walking paths along the east side while white spruce, beech, and sugar maple stretch overhead. Below them, dense shrubs and native plants form a rich understory that supports birds, insects, and wildlife.

That layered structure is exactly what volunteers are now trying to strengthen. On May 9, Forêt Capitale Forest, the NCC, and Friends of Hampton Park — a volunteer group Boddy founded in 2019 — planted native, non-invasive species throughout the park to help support the long-term resilience of the forest canopy ahead of the park's centennial anniversary in 2027.

More than 60 volunteers added 100 trees and 100 shrubs, including black maple, white pine, eastern hemlock, elderberry, flowering raspberry, and honeysuckle. Jody Newman, afforestation program manager with Forêt Capitale Forest, said the event was both practical and educational.

"Today we partnered with the National Capital Commission and Friends of Hampton Park to plant 100 trees and 100 shrubs in the park, and we did a planting demonstration for everyone to show them how to plant a tree properly," Newman said.

"A big part of our mission is enhancing biodiversity and tree canopy cover within the national capital region through planting trees with the community. We help take care of the trees for three to five years after they are planted, and we also have our community volunteers help with that. We train them and educate them to be able to do it on their own."

The goal is not simply to add more trees, but to rebuild the multiple forest layers that characterize old-growth environments — work that takes decades but strengthens the park's ability to withstand climate extremes like the intense storms and temperature swings Ottawa has experienced in recent years.