The La Blanche Forest: A Unique Fairy Tale Land That Almost Wasn’t
Today, the La Blanche Forest, which extends over the villages of Mayo, Mulgrave-et-Derry and Saint-Sixte, is the largest ecological reserve in southern Quebec.
But if it hadn’t been for a handful of dedicated citizens, its landscapes would look very different today.
At about a one-hour drive northeast of Ottawa, the La Blanche Forest is unique in more ways than one. From its grand hemlock forest to its impressive history, it just exudes awesomeness.
Here’s a look at a treasure worth discovering, both on the field and through its founding stories.
An Old, Magical Beauty
The La Blanche Forest is one of those places.
You know, places that restore your sense of belonging to the world as soon as you step into them.
The journey to get there, in itself, instills a readiness for contemplation.
Driving through the bucolic village of Mayo (there’s no public transit), on your way to the Forest, you might feel like you’ve switched dimensions at one, unclear point.
And you kind of have. In a good way.
Here at the end of the road, where highways don’t exist, sits a 2050-hectare (5065-acre) forest unspoiled by trash, noise or traces of urban development.
Six trails (a 15-km hiking distance) allow visitors to experience a wide range of scenic moments. Among them, stumbling upon a breath-taking hemlock forest that looks and feels like it’s from a different time.
That’s because it is. The La Blanche Forest is an old-growth one, meaning it’s been around for centuries.
In other words, this environment has been both protected from modern stressors and maintaining its own ecological balance for a long ass time. Some of its trees are as old as 400 years.
Needless to say, logging, agriculture and urban development have made these a rarity in southeastern Canada.
When you factor in the risks of fires, diseases, windfalls and insect invasions, you start getting some idea of the predicament old-growth forests are in.
Pretty unsettling, especially when you consider how crucial they are. Since they harbour trees at all stages of life, including dead or dying ones, they support a great number of species.
What’s more, they have a lot to teach us about the world we live in, including the intricate ways in which species coexist, and how forests adapt to ever-changing conditions.
Fortunately, the ecological reserve status, which is a provincial designation, protects the La Blanche Forest from human-induced threats.
To appreciate the full weight of this state of things, we have to consider that about 25 years ago, large parts of this environment were nearly scrapped.
And that if it hadn’t been for citizens who just wouldn’t give up on it, this treasure too would have been lost.
Renée Giroux, today a Friends of Forêt-la-Blanche administrator, was one of them.
She agreed to share her story with me.
The Volunteers Who Went the Whole Distance
“We would organize spaghetti dinners to pay the electricity bills.” – Renée Giroux
It’s 1979. The Quebec government officially recognizes the importance of the La Blanche Forest’s pristine character, and its role as a shelter for endangered species.
Thus, the territory is designated as the Forest Education Center for the Outaouais region (CEFO). The Forest Education Centers (CEF) are a province-wide network aimed at promoting knowledge and appreciation of Quebec’s forest ecosystems.
Biologists from the Ministry of Natural Resources conduct research in this rich environment, while citizens enjoy its beautiful trails. These golden years, however, weren’t meant to last.
Trouble started in 1993 when, following a drop in the number of visitors, the government dismantled its CEF network.
The Ministry tried working with local groups to keep the Forest Education Centers up and running. But, owing to the lack of financial resources, many of them were shut down anyway.
After a two-year effort by a local non-profit, the La Blanche Forest ended up suffering the same fate. By 1995, it was abandoned completely.
With no one to care for this government-owned land, the terrifying question of what to do with it remained wide open. The Ministry was looking into many options.
One, designated as a multi-resources plan, proposed using the land for sustainable logging activities. A commendable attempt at building a greener future, perhaps, but which made those aware of the value of old forests, shall we say, unconvinced.
Not to mention, this project might also have included cottage development, as well as all-terrain vehicle trail building.
Taking the measure of it all, about 10 concerned citizens eventually gathered to discuss the situation. A significant first step in what would turn out to be a long-winded effort.
In 1998, they founded the non-profit Friends of CEFO, with Renée as its first president. “A few people asking questions at Council meetings wasn’t enough. There had to be a group, an organization, something official,” reflects Renée.
Their goal: the protection of the entire Forest, including its numerous water bodies. A wish, the Friends hoped, that could become a common one.
They deployed the full communication arsenal to get the word out there. From posting announcements in the local newspaper to organizing press conferences, and even using the budding technique of sending emails, they truly spared no effort.
And their hard work paid off. Renée recalls a meeting where 70 people attended. That’s about 15% of the Mayo population at the time.
The Friends also took to reopen the forest’s interpretation center, as well as its trails. This came at a cost; they had to rent the reception center from the government, renewing their permission every three months.
Luckily, many local volunteers contributed to either reception work or trail maintenance, therefore lessening the workload. Soon, people were visiting again, free to bask in the Forest’s serene atmosphere and admire its majestic lakes.
And the Friends kept on going. Resourcefulness was key for them to be able to fulfill their financial obligations. “We would organize spaghetti dinners to pay the electricity bills,” reveals Renée, smiling.
Yet, after 2 or 3 years of devotion, the remaining volunteers were exhausted. “We ended up having to relay each other endlessly to do the work on the premises. It became very difficult,” Renée admits.
Fortunately, as the busy years had passed, interest in conserving the Forest had grown among both residents and government officials.
In displaying such a deep attachment for this place, the Friends were sending a powerful message, one that was resonating beyond the local community.
In 2000, they were finally able to discuss their vision with the Quebec Ministry of the Environment. Three years later, the La Blanche Forest was officially designated as an ecological reserve.
As for the Friends of CEFO, they became the Friends of Forêt-la-Blanche.
A Delicate Balance Between Activity and Preservation
“Remoteness is both an advantage and a challenge.” – Renée Giroux
Because they’re first and foremost conservation areas, ecological reserves aren’t usually open to the public.
However, thanks to the Friends of Forêt-la-Blanche’s work, the Forest is accessible on payment of a small fee. Visitors can hike, observe wildlife and, in the winter, snowshoe.
Its status means that ecologically damaging activities are forbidden on the land. Not just the obvious ones, but also things like biking, harvesting and bringing along pets (even on a leash).
“Dogs, for example, trample delicate plants, and their excrements also impact the environment,” Renée explains.
In short, this isn’t a place the public is invited to “use”, or think of as a playground. As a counterweight to the way nature is usually treated in our day-to-day lives, here is a place where we strive to truly minimize our impact on it.
Even just hiking harms the environment on some level, as repeated stepping increases soil erosion. Not usually a huge concern at the La Blanche Forest, where hikers don’t abound (on our first trip there, on a mild spring weekend, we came across a grand total of 0 of them).
Although, as it turns out, moderate visitor rates are a double-edged sword. Fewer hikers means less revenue, money the Friends need to maintain the trails and hire employees.
“The remoteness of the Forest,” Renée explains, “is both an advantage and a challenge. It’s the perfect setting for its preservation, because of how far it is from urban activity. But that also makes it less visible to potential visitors.”
The first COVID-19 year, however, saw a surge in visitor levels, which sort of inverted the problem. “2020 was a record year in terms of people coming in. It’s a good thing for our finances, but we’ve noticed the effects of it on the trails. The soil is eroding faster than we’ve seen before,” Renée explains.
So, it seems the future of the La Blanche Forest rests on a very delicate balance. At the crossroads between a viable number of visitors and a thriving future for the Forest, is reverence for the natural world. An outlook and feeling which means we choose, from time to time, to put nature first.
And do things like watch carefully where we put our feet, to avoid crushing insects crossing the path. Stay on the trails to avoid trampling endangered or vulnerable plants, no matter how appealing to our adventurous nature wandering is. Or keep quiet not to distress the frogs trying to attract mates in the spring.
Behaviours we sure can’t practice every time we deal with nature, but which the world could use a little more of.
And the La Blanche Forest is a perfect place to cultivate such an attitude. Here you can feel the tranquil, peaceful passage of time. From its gentle-looking giant trees to its rocky lakeshores, it kind of feels like everything has been slowly, softly settling in its place, like snowflakes in a quiet fall.
Forests are resilient. But, just like us people, they’re beautifully powerful in many ways, and surprisingly fragile in others.
And this very complexity is what we need to preserve.
Interested in visiting the La Blanche Forest? Check out its website for more info!
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5 Comments
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Trevor Myles
Sophie! Thank you for writing about the La Blanche Forest 🌳 it’s encouraging to see young people showing a true interest and writing about the fragile biodiversity of what’s left of the forest around us. Keep it up. Trevor Myles
Sophie Arbour
Thank you Trevor!
Nature needs to be protected in more ways than one. I don’t think we always realize how fragile it is. Even us nature lovers. 🙂
robbie ryan
Thanks very much for the intrest in the Forest and the story. Best of luck in all your endeavors.
Sophie Arbour
Hi Robbie,
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it.