International Symposium on Responsible Peatland Management
and Growing Media Production
Québec City, Canada, 13-17 June, 2011
Program \ Scientific and technical excursions
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCURSIONS
A selection of scientific and technical tours of one to three days is offered to delegates. Registrations should be made before May 19, 2011.
1 – Peatland restoration
(organizers: Line Rochefort and Marie-Claire LeBlanc, Université Laval)
Schedule: 2-day tour: departure at 8:00 on Friday, June 17, 2011, arrival at 22:00 on Saturday, June 18.
Description: Restoration of different types of peatlands in Canada will be visited and know-how explained. First, the group will visit the restoration site of a Sphagnum dominated peatland. The Bois-des-Bel whole-ecosystem restoration project is located nearby Cacouna, along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The 11.5 ha site was restored 11 years ago and shows an impressive recovery of bog vegetation. An assessment on the return of several key functions post 10-years restoration was done last years and recent analyses will be presented. Some key features of the site is the direct comparison of natural, restored and non-restored areas as well as a series of created pools enriching fauna and flora diversity. Second, a temporal series of bog restored sites as scaled up by the industry will be visited. Thirdly, vegetation changes of two former block-cut sites restored by a rewetting approach will be presented. On day 2, participants will visit an approach to fen restoration in Eastern Canada with dominant rewetting actions adjacent to the Bic beautiful rocky National Park. A 6 ha section of this peatland has been restored with the moss layer transfer method adapted for fen ecosystem. Other types of interventions including plant community reintroduction, fen species trials, and hydrological work still ongoing will be discussed along the tour. The visit will continue in the natural section of the peatland considered as an exceptional moderate rich fen ecosystem. A look at the donor site and a natural fen nearby will also be part of the day.
Field trip fee: 265 $ CAD. Field trip fee includes transportation from and to Québec City, admission, lodging (one night in Rivière-du-Loup, double occupancy), breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks).
Number of participants: Minimum 20 to maximum 52.
NB: For those willing to continue and participate in the Sphagnum farming workshop, it will be possible to organise transport directly to New Brunswick from Rivière-du-Loup in the morning of Sunday, June 19.
2 – Substrate production and uses in horticulture
(organizers: Andréanne Lafonds-Despins, Fafard et Frères ltée, and Jean Caron, Université Laval)
Schedule: One-day tour: Friday, June 17, 2011: departure at 8:00, arrival at 23:00.
Description: The main objective of this tour is to demonstrate the importance of close collaboration between growing media manufacturers and plant producers. Such collaboration ensures the success of both parties in implementing their respective projects. By visiting Fafard et Frères facilities, you will discover the processing of growing media from the harvest stage to after-sale techniques, through laboratory research and compost production. Finally, two producers will share their experience in their quest for the perfect growing media and a culture management optimizing irrigation, fertilization and energy consumption.
Excursion fee: 95 $ CAD. Excursion fee includes transportation from and to Québec City, admission, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Number of participants: Minimum 25 to maximum 40.
3 – Discover the production cycles of growing media, from harvesting to bagging, including bog restoration and management
(organizer: Chantale Duchesneau, Premier Tech Horticulture)
Schedule: One-day tour: Friday, June 17, 2011: departure at 7:30, arrival at 23:00.
Description: Premier Tech Horticulture has been a strong player in the peat industry for more than 85 years now. Premier Tech Horticulture is constantly seeking innovative ways to be more responsible and efficient when harvesting and utilising the resource, and restoring the ecosystem afterwards. Come and discover why Premier Tech Horticulture is a North American leader of the industry in sustainable development and a class one manufacturer.
Participants will see: 1) the Chemin du Lac restoration site: Premier Tech Horticulture was the first Canadian company to use the rehabilitation techniques on large peat bog surfaces; 2) the St-Laurent plant, a compressed substrate production plant and a state-of-the-art facility which offers a view on tomorrow’s bagging equipment; 3) the PRO-MIX® plant: a mix production plant which offers rapidity and precision under a necessary rigorous production; 4) the Président Ouest peat bog harvesting site, in its natural state or at the beginning of its exploitation, and where harvesting operations have been practiced for fifteen years; 5) the Sphagnum garden regeneration site, where at the beginning of the last century, a traditional block-cutting approach was used. The dried peat blocks were then used as fuel for the steel industry. Discover one of the birthplaces of today’s peat industry, as well as the stages that have led to the rehabilitation of this site.
Excursion fee: 95 $ CAD. Excursion fee includes transportation from and to Québec City, admission, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
Number of participants: Minimum 25 to maximum 40.
8 – Natural peatland on the south shore (Grande plée Bleue)
(organizer: Réal Carpentier, Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec)
Schedule: Tuesday, June 14: departure at 8:00, arrival at 13:00.
Description: This peatland excursion will be hosted by the ministry of environment of the province of Québec as a show-case of the process of establishing an ecological reserve (level of protection 1 under the classification scheme of IUCN). The Grande plée Bleue peatland takes its name Grande from being a 15 km2 peatland and Bleue for harbouring more than 400 natural pools. Historic of the land acquisition process will be presented as well as the current rewetting management actions to restore part of the former hydrological integrity of the peatland. Your assessment about the nomination of this site as a Ramsar site will be appreciated. This half-day tour is related to the Canadian Workshop and will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, in the morning, but general participants to the symposium are welcome.
Field trip fee: 45 $ CAD. Field trip fee includes transportation from and to Québec City, admission, a snack, and a lunch.
Number of participants: minimum 15.