More than 354 hectares of ecologically sensitive old-growth forest in southwestern Ontario has been protected, thanks to a $6.1 million gift from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Some of the trees in the area known as Backus Woods are 400 years old, and stand as tall as a 10-storey apartment building.

The announcement means the private foundation has now helped the conservancy protect more than 1,740 hectares of forest, savannah and wetland in Norfolk County, on the shore of Lake Erie.

The area is home to numerous endangered wildlife species, including the prothonotary warbler, American badger, Eastern foxsnake and spotted turtle.

“Backus Woods is a haven for at-risk species that is treasured by the people of Norfolk County,” John Lounds, President and CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, said in a statement.