The **portrait of forest cover in Québec** is an assembly made from the up-to-date ecoforest map of the inventory of southern Quebec and vegetation maps from the northern ecoforest inventory and Northern Quebec. Administrative divisions, forest boundaries and territories where forest management responsibilities and obligations are under the responsibility of the municipal environment are also added. Then, an update is carried out for areas that have a predominant use other than forest, including the road and rail network, energy transmission lines, cultivated land and built environments. The portrait makes it easy to calculate the rate of land use by forests in the territory of a municipality, an unorganized territory, an indigenous territory, an MRC or an administrative region, then to draw up a summary of some main characteristics of the forest.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. The temporary sample plot is a circular sample unit that covers an area of 400 m2. For each tree, we observe and measure the species, diameter, sunlight, and floor in relation to other trees, as well as defoliation and quality for the stems of deciduous trees and certain pines. In addition, the age and height of three trees are determined. Finally, a survey of the station and the vegetation of the undergrowth is carried out, and the characteristics of the soil are noted. Plot data also includes information about the location of the plots and the sampling plan. These data are acquired as part of the **third ecoforest inventory of southern Québec.** They are used in particular to produce forest compilation results used to feed the calculation of forest opportunities in public forests in Quebec. They can also be useful in the development of private forests. The establishment of these plots took place from 1992 to 2005. This database covers almost all of the territory south of the 52nd parallel of Quebec's public and private forest. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. The Directorate of Forest Inventories (DIF) carries out assessments of tree biomass and their carbon content at the scale of ecoforest stands to deepen knowledge on the contribution of forests in the global carbon cycle. This information can be useful in the context of climate change to document the mitigating role played by forests. The resulting product, a database containing a single table entitled “BIOMASSE_CARBONE_PEE_ORI_PROV”, shows the biomass and carbon values of living trees above ground for all productive ecoforest stands 7 m or more in height. The exploitation of the database requires the data from [the original ecoforest map] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/resultats-d-inventaire-et-carte-ecoforestiere) and the establishment of a connection with the information of the polygonal entity class of settlements. The database includes biomass variables converted to carbon stocks, detailing the biomass of wood, bark, branches, and foliage. For a thorough understanding, you can consult the Read Me associated with this product and the publication [“Biomass and carbon forests in southern Quebec - Method and use”] (https://mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/nos-publications/biomasse-carbone-forestiers-quebec-meridional/) (MRNF, 2023) which offers additional methodological information. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The temporary sample plot is a circular sample unit that covers an area of 400 m2. For each tree, we observe and measure the species, diameter, sunlight, and floor in relation to other trees, as well as the defoliation and the quality of the stems of deciduous trees and certain pines. In addition, the age and height of three trees are determined. Finally, a survey of the station and the vegetation of the undergrowth is carried out, and the characteristics of the soil are noted. Plot data also includes information about the location of the plots and the sampling plan. These data are acquired as part of the **fourth ecoforest inventory of southern Québec.** They are used in particular to produce forest compilation results used to feed the calculation of forest opportunities in public forests in Quebec. They can also be useful in the development of private forests. The establishment of these plots took place from 2004 to 2018. This database covers almost all of the territory south of the 52nd parallel of Quebec's public and private forest. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. The **Harvest and other silvicultural interventions** mapping is produced as part of the ecoforestry inventory of southern Quebec in order to maintain an up-to-date portrait of the forest. Several stakeholders related to forest operations participate in maintaining this forest portrait, including the Regional Operations Sector of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MRNF), private forest development agencies and major landowners. This map contains information on forest interventions carried out on the territory (e.g. harvesting, thinning, reforestation) as well as the year of work. The period of work begins at the beginning of the 20th century (when information is available) to the present day. The associated information is presented as a series of overlays of interventions. This map covers the commercial territory of public forests and private forests in Quebec. **The minimum mapping area is 0.1 ha. ** __ ⚠️ Note that__ when there is more than one intervention on the same territory during the same year, priority is given to the one that changes the forest cover in a sustainable way (e.g. planting). To have access to all the interventions for the same year (in public forests only), please consult the technical and financial activity reports (RATF) distributed by the Ministry's Regional Operations Sector on the government website of Data Québec. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

The temporary sample plot is a circular sample unit that covers an area of 400 m2. For each tree, we observe and measure the species, diameter, sunlight, and floor in relation to other trees, as well as the defoliation and the quality of the stems of deciduous trees and certain pines. In addition, the age and height of three trees are determined. Finally, a survey of the station and the vegetation of the undergrowth is carried out, and the characteristics of the soil are noted. Plot data also includes information about the location of the plots and the sampling plan. These data are acquired as part of the **fifth ecoforest inventory of southern Québec**. They are used in particular to produce forest compilation results used to feed the calculation of forest opportunities in public forests in Quebec. They can also be useful in the development of private forests. The establishment of these plots began in 2017. This database covers part of the territory south of the 52nd parallel of Quebec's public and private forest. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. **Surface deposit** is the layer of loose material that covers rock. The deposit may have been established during the retreat of the glacier at the end of the last glaciation or by other processes associated with erosion and sedimentation. The nature of the loose deposit is evaluated based on the shape of the land, its position on the slope, the texture of the soil, or other indicators. Surface deposit maps make it possible to distinguish the main categories of surface deposits and to know their nature, thickness and distribution on Quebec territory. Based on the interpretation of aerial photographs at a scale of 1/40,000 and control points in the field as part of the ecoforest inventory of southern Quebec, this mapping contributes in particular to the development of ecological forest products. __ ⚠️ Notes: __ + This map covers almost the entire territory of Quebec south of the 52nd parallel. It is distributed by **map sheet at a scale of 1/50,000.** Surface deposits have a minimum area of 4 ha. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. **The forest maps in the second inventory** are available at a scale of 1/20,000. They cover almost all of the territory south of the 52nd parallel. Each file covers an area of approximately 250 km2. These digital cards correspond to the black and white paper cards with a dimension of 125 cm X 75 cm that have been scanned. They illustrate forest stands. They were prepared from the photo-interpretation of aerial photos on a scale of 1/15,000. Main components: * outline of forest stands; * sub-groupings of species in all stands; * type of vegetation (forest species, density, height and stage of development, origin); * age class; * disturbances; * nature of the land (peatlands, gravel, etc.); * territorial subdivisions; * hydrography; * transport network and bridges; * topography (level curves); * slope classes; * defoliation class.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

__The link: *Access the data directory* is available in the section*Dataset Description Sheets; Additional Information*__. The layer of **ecological planning units (UPE) ** constitutes the territorial base at the base of the ecoforest inventory process in southern Quebec (IEQM). It was created and then integrated as part of the current inventory (fifth IEQM). It integrates concepts that are both administrative (forest region) and ecological (ecological region). More precisely, the division is done on an ecological basis within each of the forest regions. It is on this basis that the activities of the IEQM are planned. Each of the layers included in the IEQM monitoring datasets reports on what has been achieved as part of the current inventory. We are talking here about aerial photography, mapping, terrestrial sampling of temporary sample plots, and compilation activities. Each year, new territories are added to each layer to reflect the progress of the work. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

[forest certification] (https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/les-forets/amenagement-durable-forets/certification-forestiere/) is a voluntary process by which an accredited and independent registration body recognizes that forest management practices meet pre-established standards for sustainable forest management. Compliance with the requirements of a certification system is assessed by an external auditor. Two forest certification systems are currently used by the forest industry in Quebec: the [Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)] (https://forests.org/fr/) and the [Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)] (https://ca.fsc.org/ca-fr). A management certificate is granted to a forest area and its scope may extend to one or more management units. Forest certification monitoring is limited to public forests managed under the Quebec forest regime. **This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**