The Québec sugar bush – a specific example of the inhabited forest...
The sugar maple is a majestic tree indigenous to North America, and certainly the tree most typical of the deciduous forests of southern Québec. As well as being a species that is sought after for its wood, the sap from this tree produces the famous maple syrup known all around the world. Québec produces about 75% of the worldwide production of maple syrup, with the remainder coming from neighbouring Canadian provinces and the US states that border Québec. For all practical purposes, Québec is the exclusive exporter of maple syrup products.
The sugar maple is well established in Québec history and culture. The Amerindians understood the nutritive properties of maple sap. They passed on their knowledge and know-how to the first French colonists, who thus obtained a major local source of pure sugar in the form of maple syrup and maple sugar, known here as “sucre du pays”. Over time, the harvesting and processing techniques of “maple producers” has evolved. The range of maple products continues to grow year by year. There seems to be no limit to the imagination of the producers in promoting this unique flavour to the rest of the world.
Each year, “sugaring off” is topical news. Sugar shacks in the sugar bush are places where families, friends and business groups gather to celebrate the arrival of spring and to indulge their “sweet tooth”. “An outing to the sugar shack” remains a very popular activity, and many now stay open year-round. In addition, a sugar bush is a perfect, easily accessible place to admire the spectacular colours of sugar maple leaves in fall, or perhaps to find some shade and cooler air in the heat of summer.
