Beckett Woods Park (
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: Parc du Bois-Beckett) is an old
maple
''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...
grove and
beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
forest in
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...
, a city in southern
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. Covering 70
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s, it is one of only two protected urban forests in the province and is particularly known for its rich variety of flora and fauna. The forest has 30 other tree species in addition to its groves of maple and beech and also contains clumps of
hemlock. Beckett Woods is thought to be about 270 years old and has been recognized by the
Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife as an
old-growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
.
Ornithologist
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...
s from all over Quebec gather for an annual meeting in the park which contains 103 different bird species. With its six kilometres of marked trails the park is also popular with hikers and
cross-country skiers
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
.
History
The forest was originally owned by Major Henry Beckett, who purchased a large tract of land in Sherbrooke in 1834. Much of it was converted to pasture and agricultural use, but the forest, now known as Beckett Woods, was left intact. Its maple groves produced 900 pounds of
maple sugar
Maple sugar is a traditional sweetener in Canada and the northeastern United States, prepared from the sap of the maple tree ("maple sap").
Sources
Three species of maple trees in the genus '' Acer'' are predominantly used to produce maple ...
per year. The forest remained in the Beckett family until 1963, when it was acquired by the City of Sherbrooke to protect it from property developers. The association ''Regroupement du Bois Beckett'' was formed in 1984 to administer the site and ensure its conservation.
[Regroupement du Bois Beckett]
"Historique du Bois Beckett"
Retrieved 16 November 2015 .
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{coord , 45.4186, N, 71.9309, W, display=title
Forests of Quebec