The woods of Laval | In the heart of the forest… 10 minutes from the metro

The forest is dense, wild, the song of the birds is the ideal soundtrack to observe the rays of the sun which filter through the canopy. You have to pinch yourself to remember that we are in Laval, only 2 km from Highway 13…

Pierre-Marc Durivage
The Press

In the heart of Sainte-Dorothée woods, you can easily imagine yourself in a forest in the Laurentians or the Eastern Townships. Nothing comes to break the tranquility and the change of scenery, not even the distant sound of the highways. With some 460 hectares, the Sainte-Dorothée wood is one of the largest in Laval, and the largest in the west of Île Jésus. It is one of the city’s 20 woods of interest, and one of the 8 managed by Canopée, an organization that has been working since 2017 to conserve Laval’s natural wooded environments.

“Before that, it was granular. Each neighborhood defended its own piece of land,” explains the president of Canopée, Luc Leblanc, during a walk in the Bois de l’Équerre, the most popular forest in the organization’s network. “Since then, we have created an inventory of Laval’s forest environments, they are studied from a biological and environmental point of view, but also from an economic and social angle, because we now know that the woods have health benefits. . »

Canopée therefore ensures that visitors have access to the woods at all times. We invest as much in the greening and restoration of natural environments as in the development of trails and activities that allow you to enjoy these places still unknown to the general public.

“All the woods in Laval are taken by storm and there, the City said to itself: “OK, we must put in interesting infrastructures.” We are therefore in the process of thinking with the municipal authorities to target infrastructures to be put in place, trails to be repaired, enlarged or better developed to support the flow of visitors, which has increased by 50% almost everywhere. »

A project to repair the passage under the railway line in Papineau Woods is currently underway, an investment of $150,000 which will also include the development of nearby trails. Luc Leblanc also told us about an ambitious project for the Bois de l’Équerre, but since the steps are still in progress, it is impossible to know more for the moment.

Impressive diversity

Apart from their accessibility, by car, bicycle or public transport, it is the diversity that characterizes the woods of Laval. Many have wetlands, some have retained sections of old trees, while others have grown on land left fallow.

“Here, where we walk, it is an old agricultural road used at the time, perhaps 75 years ago, says Luc Leblanc. In Bois de l’Équerre, there are so many different ecosystems in a small area because the land has been abandoned over the years. In the other zone, the trees are 50 years old, 75 years old. And you can find all of that within a 30-minute walk, which is rather unusual, because forests are often made up of large areas that have grown at the same time. Here, they cultivated an area, then the rest grew, while around there were also some very mature trees, which is why we find some that will be close to 100 years old. »

“There are also old agricultural ditches that have turned into streams; they are very straight, but they have been there for 75 years, continues Luc Leblanc enthusiastically. We even see low stone walls which were used to delimit the fields at the time, but which are today vestiges in the middle of the forest. You can actually see one at the entrance to Sainte-Dorothée wood, by the rue des Tulipes.

The woods of Laval have recently been entitled to a form of protection under the interim control by-law concerning natural environments, adopted in April by the Metropolitan Community of Montreal.

Nevertheless, although the City of Laval continues to regularly buy sections of land and zoning changes are more difficult to achieve, several hectares still have private owners, which makes the fate of these lands less predictable in the long term. . “The pressure is constant, there is always development going on,” maintains Luc Leblanc.

“I liken it a bit to the punishment of Sisyphus, who has to push a big rock to the top of the mountain; now, if he stops, the rock descends again. Protecting the environment in Laval is the same thing. If we stop working for that, the territory will be invaded. »

Four woodlands to visit

Bois Sainte-Dorothée

Bounded by rue Principale to the west, avenue des Bois to the north, Montée Champagne to the east and boulevard Saint-Martin to the south, the Sainte-Dorothée wood extends over a wild territory of more than 410 hectares in agricultural zone — only a part is partially cultivated, but the trails nevertheless remain accessible. More than 20% of the wood is in a humid environment, with 40 hectares of swamps, linked together by 13 km of streams. Needless to say that it is strongly suggested to bring your mosquito repellent!

Square Wood

Located in the east of the Sainte-Rose district, it is the busiest forest in Laval, it is also the most developed, in particular with trails that can accommodate people with reduced mobility. There is also a section that it is allowed to maintain in a fallow state, so that it can accommodate several scientific analysis projects. It has more than 1,500 plants, as well as nearly 135 species of birds – the Bois de l’Équerre is a site recognized by ornithology enthusiasts.

The wood of Orée-des-Bois

Wedged between the Rivière des Mille-Îles and residential neighborhoods, the Bois de l’Orée-des-Bois was saved thanks to the vigilance of residents during the 1970s and 1980s, until the zoning was definitively modified in 1987. Since then, the place offers a fascinating natural incursion into this exceptional forest ecosystem, one of the 16 so defined in Laval. In particular, it is home to a great diversity of plants, including many precarious species.

Papineau Wood

Hidden at the intersection of highways 19 and 440, the Bois Papineau is one of only two ancient forests in an urban environment in Quebec. It is an exceptional forest ecosystem because it is both a rare, ancient forest and a refuge for certain species at risk. There is indeed a beech grove which dates from before colonization, preserved over time by the fact that it was at the time at the square of the seigniorial lands and that its soil was not suitable for agriculture. .