Couchepaganiche Ecological Reserve

IUCN Category Ia - Strict Nature Reserve

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The Réserve écologique de Couchepaganiche is furnished on an area of ​​only 37.99 hectares in 1983 protected area in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec, in the county municipality of Lac -Saint -Jean -Est.

It belongs to the municipalities Métabetchouan -Lac -à -la -Croix and Lac -à -la -Croix in the administrative region of Saguenay -Lac -Saint -Jean. It represents and protects the typical for the area forests where the yellow birch predominates, at the same time it serves to preserve the rare occurrence here of red oak (Quercus rubra), referred to here as Chene rouge d' Amérique.

The protected area is typical of the Laurentians upstream erosion areas of the Canadian Shield. The 100 m high cone has a steep slope (30 % slope ), which has a 257 m high level. The surface often consists of granite and pegmatite, on which, during and after the last glacial tillite deposited. Interspersed by rock and rock Podsol circumscribes the bottom of the region, often interspersed with bare rock.

In addition to the yellow birch is found the American aspen (Populus tremuloides ), but also the paper birch. This tree companies, including those of rare species such as the red oak are typical in this region affected by forest fires areas, thus represent a transitional phase as soon as the fires stop.

The name of the area goes back to the Couchepaganiche ( Rivière Couchepaganiche ), a 20 km long stream that flows coming from the southeast in the Lac Saint -Jean.