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Field Tours

A variety of one-day post-congress field trips are offered to participants on July 21th, 2022. These field tours will enable to learn and experience agroforestry in various landscapes along the majestic St. Lawrence River and in some of the most beautiful countryside of the province of Québec, all of them at a short distance from Québec City (30-minute to 2-hour drive).

These tours will be a great opportunity to discover, along with farmers, landowners, agroforestry advisors and researchers, innovative field work on diverse agroforestry systems and techniques such as forest farming, intercropping systems, silvopastoral systems, windbreaks and riparian buffers, but also some surprising specificities of the forestry and agriculture practices in Québec, such as maple syrup production!

Be well shod for walking in fields and bring a waterproof coat!

1. Agroforestry for biodiversity – touring three sites on Côte-de-Beaupré

This day will be an opportunity to visit three very different agricultural enterprises, but all of which are committed to improving biodiversity through agroforestry.

The first visit will take place at the Bioferme des Caps farm. Dominique Bouchard uses permaculture principles to grow organic berries and plants to produce kombucha. Since 2016, several windbreaks and biodiversity islands have been established to increase plant and wildlife diversity. These landscapes contain a wide variety of species, many of which are used to produce kombucha. The visit will end with a tasting of this beverage with so many virtues!

The second visit will take place at Les Canardises, where the Klein family raises ducks in outdoor pens. Numerous windbreaks of several rows have been planted to increase biodiversity and to improve the connectivity between the existing wooded lots. The originality of this operation lies in the establishment of about 60 islands of trees and shrubs, inside the pens, which also provide protection to the ducks against bad weather. A tasting of their unique products is planned.

After a meal at the Auberge Baker, one of the best restaurants on the Côte-de-Beaupré, the last visit will take place at the Ferme des Sept Crans, owned by the Fortin Robitaille family. To get there, a 20-minute walk is required. It is a beautiful example of intercropping, consisting of cereal beds placed between hedges made up of nearly 40 different species and spaced at 30-40 meters. The visit will end on a shaded mushroom production site (shiitake, oyster mushroom, hedgehog).

Be well shod for walking in fields and bring a waterproof coat!

Thursday July 21, 2022
VISIT OF AGROFORESTRY SITES ON CÔTE-DE-BEAUPRÉ
minimum 30 maximum 35
$ 125

By the Forestry Education and Research Center, CERFO, Emmanuelle Boulfroy
Visit of 3 sites + 1 restaurant = 4 stops
The visit tour https://goo.gl/maps/anbTYBPMov3HmWoC8
144 km of route
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Dinner at a local restaurant

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Thank you to our partner for organizing the visit :

cerfo logo

3. The cultivation of medicinal plants under planted tree cover and sugar maple products

Medicinal plants, already used by First Nations, have been the object of renewed interest for several years now. Unfortunately, the growing demand for medicinal plants is leading to an increase in harvesting and threatening wild populations. Cultivation under forest cover makes it possible to protect the latter while offering the owners of forest stands or plantations the possibility of enhancing them.

This is the choice made by Jean Arsenault, in 2003, when he planted various species of medicinal plants in his plantation of oaks and sugar maples in Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, on the south shore of Quebec. The site you will discover is an agroforestry system that is unique in Quebec, combining noble hardwoods with medicinal plants such as goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), Canada wild ginger (Asarum canadense), Canadian bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Amrican ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). The owner manages his plantations to produce quality wood while maintaining the shade required by each cultivated undergrowth crop. The intercrops are intended for the processing market by herbalists or for the development of new crops. Some of these products will be presented to you on the site. You will be able to taste Canadian wild ginger Gin or discover medicinal products made from goldenseal grown on the site.

To extend the discovery of products from Quebec forests, we invite you to spend the afternoon on the theme of sugar maple, the emblem tree of Canada. Maple syrup is part of the cultural and gastronomic identity of Quebec, which provides 70% of global harvest. The sugar farm Érablière du Cap, in Lévis, opens its doors to introduce you to the profession of maple syrup producer. After a traditional meal in the sugar shack, the Center for Research, Development and Technology Transfer of Maple Syrup (Centre ACER) will offer a conference on the details of this sector and the results of its research, as well as a tasting of different syrups.

This day of visit will give you an overview of the emerging sector of medicinal plants and the famous maple syrup sector through the eyes of passionate professionals.

Be well shod for walking in fields and bring a waterproof coat!

Thursday July 21, 2022
THE CULTIVATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND MAPLE PRODUCTS
QUEBEC REGION
minimum 35 maximum 44
$ 125

Jean Arsenault and Marie Dromain
1563, chemin Beauséjour, Lévis.
Visit of two sites = 2 stops
The visit tour https://goo.gl/maps/1QcuLyVcfo8HmaVVA
85km of road 2 stops
8:30 am-5:30pm
Dinner in a sugar bush - Érablière du Cap 1925 Ch Lambert, Lévis, Quebec, Canada 418-831-8647

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4.  Agroforestry tour in the Lower St. Lawrence: valorizing bioproducts from agroforestry

The Bas St-Laurent is the cradle of agroforestry in Quebec. Over the past forty years, some one hundred kilometers of hedges have been built to protect crops, waterways, buildings and livestock, as well as road infrastructures. Under the impetus of Biopterre and the Institut de Technologie Agricole de La Pocatière, many projects aiming at valorizing the bioproducts resulting from agroforestry developments have also been implemented.

This tour provides a unique opportunity to visit 6 sites where these projects are being carried out and to see the range of possibilities offered by agroforestry: hazelnut production, non-timber forest products under a maple canopy, small fruit and biomass production in hedgerows, agroforestry intercropping. Lunch will be served along the river in the beautiful village of Kamouraska. At the end of the day, you will be treated to a gin tasting that incorporates juniper (Juniperus sp.) from the test plots of the Centre d'expertise en bioressources (Center of expertise in bioresources) Biopterre. 

Be well shod for walking in fields and bring a waterproof coat!

Thursday July 21, 2022
PROMOTING BIOPRODUCTS FROM AGROFORESTRY DEVELOPMENTS.
minimum 35 maximum 40
MAXIMUM REACHED, WE CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT REGISTRATIONS

Biopterre André Vézina and Maxime Tardif
$ 125

Visit of 5 sites + 1 restaurant = 6 stops
The visit tour https://goo.gl/maps/biTvnxyQeHoTibqc9
468km of road
7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Gin tasting
Dinner at the local restaurant
Snack box ...

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Thank you to our partner for organizing the visit :

bioterre logo

5. Visiting on-farm silvoarable agroforestry trials and a sugarbush in the centre-du-québec region

A first stop will be made at the Bertco farm where two schemes experimenting with intercropping agroforestry systems (50 to 65 trees/ha) will be presented. The systems were established in 2012 and 2021 and cover nearly 15 ha. Hybrid poplars and different hardwood tree species are associated with different crops in rotation (corn, soybean, barley, forage crops). In the older system, various research studies have evaluated tree establishment success, crop yields, soil microbial community structure and diversity, soil carbon stocks and microclimatic conditions. Some results from this research will be presented.

A second stop will be made on a farm located in the floodplain of Lake St. Pierre. Lake Saint-Pierre covers nearly 350 km² and is recognized by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. Several ongoing projects aim to develop crops and agricultural practices adapted to the specific context of the vast cultivated shorelines of Lake Saint-Pierre and which have a positive impact on the quality of this exceptional agroecosystem. Some of these projects will be presented.

A third stop will be made on a farm specialized in maple syrup production. After a traditional meal in the sugar shack, a conference on the production and transformation of maple syrup will be presented. Participants will be invited to taste different syrups. The maple grove and the maple water harvesting and processing facilities of the farm will be open to visitors.

Be well shod for walking in fields and bring a waterproof coat!

Thursday July 21, 2022
VISITING ON-FARM SILVOARABLE AGROFORESTRY TRIALS AND A SUGARBUSH IN THE CENTRE-DU-QUÉBEC REGION
minimum 35 maximum 45
$ 125

David Rivest UQO
QUEBEC Center

Visit of 2 sites and maple grove
The visit tour https://goo.gl/maps/h3SUnU1iuwLk5cgZ7
343km 3h56 drive
7:30 am-6:30pm
http://www.erabliereprince.ca/
Dinner in a maple grove
Snack box ...

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