One by one, trees fell to the ground at a Kanata forest slated for development on Monday, even as community groups rallied to try to stop clear-cutting at the South March Highlands.
Big machines downed trees at the property while about half a dozen protesters gathered at the site.
"I'm just disgusted," said Julie Comber.
"It's disgusting that in this day and age we're allowing this to happen. It's a beautiful place. It's a place that a lot of people here in Ottawa love, and this is completely wrong."
The owner of the property, KNL Developments, agreed to delay cutting trees in the area until Monday.
Members of the Algonquin First Nations community believe the land could be the site of ancient Aboriginal artifacts.
The group held a Sacred Fire ceremony at Beaver Pond Forest on Sunday in a final attempt to stop the clear-cutting.
The company had agreed to delay cutting trees in the area until the First Nations group completed an archeological examination of the site.
The report concluded there's a "high potential" that ancient Algonquins once occupied the site and Aboriginal artifacts may exist in the area. The group has asked KNL to delay the development for further archeological surveying.
Environmentalists have also protested development of the site, saying the land has the highest ecological value and biodiversity of any area in the City of Ottawa.
The city has arranged a land swap deal with the developer. While a corridor of trees will survive, the forest will not. The land has been designated for development since the 1980s.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
