Resource management
Acquisition of knowledge essential to the integrated management of resources on the property of Kenauk
– CERFO – Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherche en Foresterie de Sainte-Foy
Jean Fink, biologist; Mathieu Varin, geomatician, M.Sc.; Philippe Bournival, forestry engineer, M.Sc.; Martin Dupuis, professor, M.Sc., Céjep de Sainte-Foy
The territory of Kenauk is one of the largest and oldest private wildlife reserves in Canada. Covering over 259 km², it is distinguished by its biological richness. Kenauk contains some of the oldest forests of the Ottawa River valley, including rare forest stands (ex. Black Maple trees) as well as abundant and diverse wildlife populations and several species at risk. Kenauk is focused on sustainable forestry, tourism, conservation and the enhancement of wildlife and its habitats. With distinct missions, the owners are faced with ongoing challenges, harmonizing uses to achieve their respective objectives in the context of integrated and sustainable resource management. In the short term, Kenauk Nature wants to diversify its service offering and develop the tourism infrastructure and accessibility to the territory to increase its customer base and extend the length of stay in its facilities. It also aims to improve wildlife habitat and ensure the sustainability of resources for maintenance activities. Zoning Kenauk on a fine scale is foreseen to define the management of the various resources for the territory. Doing this planning based on thorough knowledge of the properties’ characteristics, including wetlands and habitats for species at risk is essential. However, current knowledge is fragmented and insufficient. Conventionally, this picture would be obtained by performing a property inventory and by acquiring aerial photos for analysis. However these methods are time consuming, costly and often inaccurate. A possible solution to acquiring knowledge for integrated management planning is to use innovative remote sensing technology, such as multispectral satellite imaging. This approach would allow better accuracy, a significant reduction in costs and facilitate an updated cartography map. The main objective of this project was to validate these methods for use in acquiring knowledge of a territory for land management planning and conservation.
