Protecting Neilson Forest, one tree at a time

It was tree planting day, Saturday, at Neilson Woodland in Sainte-Foy. A natural green space of 25 hectares that is defended tooth and nail by the citizen group Les Amis du boisé Neilson.

For years, the group has been fighting both against possible real estate projects in the area and for a protected ecological space.

Planting trees to mobilize the public around the conservation of the green space located in Pointe de Sainte-Foy is one of the objectives of the group, which welcomed about 75 people to its event. Exitsays Daniel Desroches, co-founder of Amis du Boisé Neilson.

Daniel Desroches, co-founder of Amis du Boisé Neilson.

The group now aims to mobilize the public around the conservation of the green space located in Pointe-de-Sainte-Foy.

It is a fight won from the citizen’s point of view. says Desroches.

Recently, a donation allowed Quebec City to acquire half of the forested area, which reassures the man.

From the point of view of Quebec City, there are still things to fix, there are still threads to tie, there are still agreements to carry out the project of a conservation park, a natural park.

By-elections are approaching

Although the Neilson forest is located in the province of Louis-Hébert, six of the ten candidates competing for the October 2 by-election in Jean-Talon – a neighboring county – took the opportunity to plant a tree and welcome the initiative of the group together and be heard.

By Marie-Anik Shoiry, candidate of the Coalition Avenir Québec, what we must remember is really the protection of our green spaces. We need green spaces in urban areas, so I think we must always be very vigilant. keep insisting that we must take this into account.

For his part, Olivier Bolduc, candidate for Québec solidaire, believes that If the government intervened very rigidly in relation to cities, I think it would be by attacking (their) flower beds..

(They) are capable of doing things on their own he adds.

The Parti Quebecois candidate, Pascal Paradis, on the other hand, questions whether the current legislative framework is sufficient to protect green spaces like the Neilson Forest.

Do we have everything we need in the toolbox for Quebec City? he wonders. Does Québec provide all the tools the city needs?

It was tree planting day, Saturday, at Neilson Woodland in Sainte-Foy.

Questioned about the issue of zoning that still allows real estate development on several parcels of the Neilson Forest, Élise Avard Bernier, candidate for the Quebec Liberal Party, I think we need to bring the discussion.

It is true that we must preserve the greenery, the trees, but we must also have real estate since we also lack places.is dropped.

According to Jesse Robitaille, who wears the colors of the Quebec Conservative Party, the initiative was launched on Saturday. inspires René Lévesque and the inhabitants of Laval University (on the boulevard) to oppose the megatram project.

Martine Ouellet, president of Climat Québec and Jean-Talon’s candidate for the party, agrees with the conservative candidate and judge super important to preserve forests adding that This is one of the reasons (…) why we oppose the tram project that will destroy two, even three, forested areas.

Quebec City owns 49% of the forest. The rest corresponds to parceled land, according to zoning that still allows the construction of real estate projects.

Industrial Alliance is one of four private landowners who own a parcel of Neilson Forest. According to a company spokesperson, talks are still ongoing with Quebec City about the future of the land.