Summary
Published in Geoderma 29: e00523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geodrs.2022.e00523
The Quebec continental land represents 1,512,000 km2 of forests (59.9%), wetlands (12.5%), water bodies (11.7%), and agricultural land (4.2%) (Delisle, 2020). The rest of the territory (24.2%) is represented by tundra and bare surfaces, much of which within the permafrost zones. Soils are greatly influenced by geology and climate, and the whole province was affected by the last glaciation, so soils are young (<13,000 year-old). Five major soil regions have been mapped in Québec(nomenclature based on Soil Classification Working Group, 1998): 1) St. Lawrence Lowlands mainly with fine-textured Gleysol; 2) Appalachians with loamy Podzols or Brunisols; 3) Laurentians on the Canadian Shield with stony coarse-textured Podzols; 4) Abitibi and James Bay Lowlands with fine-textured soils (mainly Gleysols and Organic soils); and 5) Mistassini Highlands with stony coarse-textured Brunisols or Podzols. Although not mapped in detail, Organic soils and Cryosols are abundant in the Northern part of the province. Typical soil profiles from Québec are presented in Fig. 1. Québec soils are therefore quite variable and represent huge land surfaces. They also present different and significant challenges and priorities in terms of management and protection that are summarized below.
Sector(s):
Forests
Categorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Ecosystems and Environment, Forestry Research, Forests
Departmental author(s):
Author(s)
ANGERS, Denis, Rock OUIMET, Pascale ROY-LÉVEILLÉ and Michelle GARNEAU
Year of publication :
2022
Format :
PDF available upon request
How to get the publication :
Keywords :
écosystème et environnement, ecosystem, boisement, terres agricoles abandonnées, friches, carbone du sol, épinette blanche, Picea glauca, sol argileux, afforestation, abandoned agricultural lands, soil carbon white spruce, clayey soils
