Morgan Arboretum
Encyclopedia
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
ed reserve, situated on the McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
Macdonald Campus
Macdonald Campus
The Macdonald Campus of McGill University houses its Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, and the McGill School of Environment.- History :...
in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is a town located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703...
on the western tip of the island of Montreal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
, in Quebec, Canada. McGill University acquired the property in 1945, and through the work of Robert Watson and his son John Watson, the arboretum has remained a managed, mixed use area which is used for the purpose of conservation, academic study, recreation, and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
management. It has also been an important recreational facility for the community. It is supported by both McGill and a charity, the Morgan Arboretum Association. There is an active members organisation, The Friends of the Morgan Arboretum which had 2000 members as of 2010. Visitors are welcomed and are charged a nominal $5.00 admission fee. The arboretum is a mixed use, semi-urban forest with an extensive network of walking and skiing trails totalling some 25 km (15.5 mi). One highly popular activity here is the production of maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
using traditional collection and production methods. The public is invited every spring to a traditional sugaring off.
Conservation and education are primary features of the forest. There are some 180+ species of birds on the checklist of which about a hundred are known to breed within the arboretum.