Pin-Rigide Ecological Reserve

IUCN Category Ia - Strict Nature Reserve

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The Réserve écologique du Pin - Rigid is furnished on an area of ​​63.1 ha in 1977 protected area in the extreme south of the Canadian province of Quebec in the MRC Le Haut -Saint- Laurent.

It is located 50 km southwest of Montreal in the area of the municipality of Saint -Antoine- Abbé. Its task is to protect an ancient forest, the vast majority of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) is a species of tree that applies in Quebec since 2005 as threatened.

The area is poor in nutrients and the soil acidic, the rocks on three quarters of the surface of the protected area covered only by a very thin layer of humus. The pitch pine is able to adapt to the ground conditions excellent. Where the humus layer is 10 cm or less, it grows low and the distances between the trees to take. The comparatively small stature tree that easily grows only on good soils a certain size. Some of the trees in the conservation area are about 45 years old, 10 to 12 m high, with a trunk diameter of 25 cm.

In addition to the eponymous species of vascular plants and 68 additional 24 other plant species have been recorded. Of them applies the Bartonia virginica (French bartonie de Virginie ), one of three species of the genus Bartonia, as endangered.

In three species, the status is precarious and threatened or endangered species. These are Pseudacris maculata (French rainette faux- grillon ), an amphibian, and the Four-toed salamander and the Seggenzaunkönig. Otherwise, the fauna is rather poor in species.