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Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve

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Explore Green Belt

  • Aerial view of the piedmont from the side of Mont Saint-Hilaire; the forest slowly being taken over by farming plots
  • Thirteen volunteers planting trees, area surrounded by woods, view of the Mont Saint-Hilaire cliffs
  • Five children around a wheelbarrow digging the ground to plant trees; view of the Mont Saint-Hilaire cliffs
  • Prairie surrounded by woods in the summer; view of Mont Rougemont
  • Woods at the base of the mountain in fall; view of the sides of Mont Saint-Hilaire
Bouton fleche gauche Bouton fleche droit

Photo: Gabriel Lemay-Gosselin

Photo: Centre de la Nature

Photo: Centre de la Nature

Photo: Centre de la Nature

Photo: Anke Roth

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Explore GREEN BELT

The mountain’s perimeter, also known as its piedmont or green belt, consists of a forest that surrounds the mountain and protects the core of the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve. It contains several types of forests, including the sugar maple-hickory stand, considered exceptional in Quebec. The area also boasts highly diverse flora and fauna. The mountain’s integrity depends in part on the ecological health of the green belt, which enables important connections with regional forest corridors. Over the past several years, much effort has gone into protecting Mont Saint-Hilaire’s green belt, and returning it to its natural state.