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.
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 th e
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
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.
Forested Land |
8214 ha |
Non-Forested Land |
712 ha |
Water |
69 ha |
Total Land Area |
8995 ha |
Spruce |
41 % |
Red (soft) Maple |
17 % |
Balsam Fir |
19 % |
White Birch |
9 % |
Others |
14 % |
|