Acadia Research Forest

The Acadia Research Forest  is steeped in both history and natural beauty, and continues to be the primary outdoor research facility for the Canadian Forest Service-Atlantic Forestry Centre.

Station History

Historical events leading up to the establishment of Acadia have been traced back to the early 1600s when King Henry IV of France commissioned the colonization of "La Cadie".

Around 1812, the first rough road was built to connect Acadia with Fredericton and, in 1850, "the Great Road from Richibucto to Fredericton" was completed.

The Acadia Research Forest was officially founded in 1933, when the government of New Brunswick handed over the administration of the parcel of forest land to the Dominion of Canada. One year later, the same block of land was established as the "Burpee Game Refuge". Initially, the property was divided into two parts: half of the exclusive use of the forest service and half under the control of the Department of National Defense.

In 1934, unemployment relief camps were built in the area and the development of Acadia began, using relief worker labor, who were paid 20 cents per day plus board, clothing, and tobacco.

From 1935-38, a variety of service buildings, roads, bridges, a fire tower, bunkhouses, and a superintendent's residence were constructed and sampling of the forest was initiated.

Starting in 1938, short courses in forestry were given to selected young farmers from the Maritime provinces. A year later, a National Forestry Program camp was started on the station that enabled young men, mostly from New Brunswick, to take a three-month forestry course.

With the start of World War II in 1939, the Department of National Defense opened an internment camp at Acadia. The sign that greets visitors as they enter the station was hand-carved by the internees. In mid-1941, the mostly Jewish internees were replaced by German internees, classified as prisoners-of-war. Internee labor was used to plant trees, improve the forest, maintain and construct buildings, and cut fuelwood for the military depot at Fredericton. By February of 1944, the members of No. 7 Labor Company had cut more than 17,000 cubic meters of fuelwood!

On June 18, 1945, most of the prisoners-of-war at the internment camp were released and the camp was closed.

By 1958, a tree improvement program had been formalized and established at the station.

In 1962, the large-scale sale of standing timber had begun. But in October of 1963, Hurricane Ginny caused great damage by breaking and uprooting trees. An estimated 42,500 cubic meters of timber were lost on the whole station. Most of this timber was salvaged during the next three years, supplying most of the allowable cut for the period.

By 1965, the nursery at Acadia was producing about 100,000 trees annually, but the number of staff working at the Station was declining as a result of government restraint programs.

A new office and a headerhouse-greenhouse were built in 1968 and 1969. In early 1970, the area suffered yet another flood and an estimated $60,000 worth of damages was inflicted on the Station's roads and bridges.

On June 14, 1978, four buildings were lost to fire. It was not until 1982 that a fire hall and new mechanical repair shop were built.

In 1985, a computer system was installed to monitor the greenhouse functions and the fires tower was removed. In 1989, the greenhouse component was moved to the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre in Fredericton. This new greenhouse complex is now hailed as a state-of-the-art installation in North America.

Acadia Research Forest Fact Sheet

Research at the Station

Although laboratory, greenhouse, and nursery facilities are now located in Fredericton, Acadia continues to play a vital role in Maritime and national forestry research programs. All forest not committed to research programs is managed for fibre production, producing revenue that supplements the operation of the facilities.

Although the Acadia is a publicly-owned facility, visitors are required to respect certain restrictions. Hunting and trapping are not allowed on the lands and unauthorized cutting and burning are prohibited. During certain wet times of the year, access roads to the property are closed in an effort to reduce road and bridge damage and minimize maintenance costs. These requirements are primarily for the safety and protection of visitors and protection of the research installations on the property.

Acadia Research Forest Statistics