La Macaza Forest Preserve
Name: La Macaza Forest Preserve
Location: La Macaza, Quebec
Project Type: Forest Carbon Offsets and other Ecological Goods and Services
Project Size: 500ac
Ownership: Perimeter Solar Inc
The La Macaza Forest Preserve is a 500 acre tract of forest, riparian habitat, and private lakes located in the heart of the Laurentians of Quebec. Perimeter is developing the property as a forest carbon offset project within the federal/provincial compliance markets. The offset development is awaiting updates from the federal and Quebec governments that will outline offset protocol(s) requirements for generating carbon offsets from improved forest management (IFM) and avoided conversion of forest. The federal IFM protocol is slated for release in Q4 2021.
This property is situated along the spring-fed river, Ruisseau Froid (Cold Stream) with over 1,800m of river frontage. The land’s undulating terrain, rock outcroppings, and prominent river and lake valleys, create spectacular views of the surrounding eastern hardwood and mixed-wood forests. The property hosts impressive biodiversity owing to its location along a major river valley, its proximity to Parc National du Mont-Tremblant, and the private access available to lakes and river frontage on the large swath of provincial crown land to the north. The forest consists of impressive stands of old-growth white pine, south-facing hillsides that offer habitat for red oak, a locally uncommon species, and large stands of balsam fir, American beech, sugar and red maple, birch and poplar species. All these features combine to provide an important wildlife corridor and habitat for the endangered eastern wolf as well as other charismatic fauna such as moose, eastern black bear, and white-tailed deer. The cold waters flowing through the property provide critical habitat for the native brook trout and other lesser-known species, some of which are species at risk.
Perimeter acquired this property to preserve its natural beauty and ecological functions. Perimeter is currently engaged with a major conservation organization to protect this land and ensure that its value to current and future generations of people and wildlife is safeguarded.