Our history
Arborist: passion for trees
Marc-Olivier Harvey was born in Alma in Lac Saint-Jean. He holds an undergraduate degree in Geography and spatial planning from UQAC. After having held the position of planner at the MRC of Maskinongé for 2 years and held the position of geographer forecaster in the field of hydrometeorology for a private firm, he decided to embark on what is most dear to him; that is to say, arboriculture. From a young age, he has been passionate about identification, tree ecology and the forest in general. By moving to the extreme southwest of Mauricie in 2006, he discovered the beautiful forests of southern Quebec, their riches and the possibility of growing a number of species previously impossible in Lac Saint-Jean.
In 2007, he started his first sowing of walnuts and oaks. In 2008, with his wife, he planted a plantation of more than 250 nut trees of different varieties on woodland with the aim of producing nuts and having trees for the production of quality logs. In 2009, he became a member of the board of directors of the Club of Walnut Producers of Quebec (CPNCQ) where he was very involved with other enthusiasts like him. The club, with around a hundred active members, aims to promote the reforestation of wasteland with noble species such as walnuts, hickories and oaks. This is good not only for the woody value of these trees which have become rare in Quebec, but also for the commercial value of their edible fruits. In 2012, the establishment of the Nutcracker nursery began, something that was becoming more and more obvious. After starting the nursery in Ste-Ursule on a small plot of land, he decided to move production to Maskinongé on large, good quality land along Route 138.
In 2013 he became president of the CPNCQ and he still holds this position in 2016. Since 2008, he has continued every spring to start a number of varieties of trees, more or less rare from each other. Marc-Olivier's knowledge of Nordic nut trees is structured and supported by solid field experience.
Welcome to the Nutcracker Nursery and above all, make great discoveries
Continuity of short-term projects and beneficial environmental actions
Since 2015, the nursery has had a small greenhouse for the production of trees in pots and boxes which are then transplanted into fields or potted for sale. In 2016, we will install an additional large greenhouse unit to complete the first part. This will allow us to produce a greater number of species. A multifunctional building which will be used, among other things, for the interpretation of Nordic walnuts and for processing walnuts is still planned when the various hazelnut and walnut plantations in the nursery produce good harvests. This building will also serve multiple uses such as seed stratification, storage, employee room, garage, toilet, etc. An expansion of our nut orchard will be made from 2016 to 2018 at the Baluchon Éco-village site in Saint-Paulin in Mauricie. Already, an orchard of more than 300 hazelnut trees is in place and these hazelnut trees will come into production in 2016 or 2017.
On the nursery site, an experimental plot has been established since 2015 to study the hardiness and climate adaptation of certain varieties of nut or ornamental trees. In addition, a plot will also be developed and will be exclusively dedicated to the grafting of nut trees. Most of these projects are in progress or will be carried out in the coming years. We plan to increase our product offering in the coming years by offering more and more fruit trees for people wishing to plant something edible. Moreover, in 2016, we are offering more choice in fruit trees.
On the environmental side, the nursery has installed no less than 600 meters of windbreaks and riparian strips. These trees will serve, when larger, to reduce the effect of the wind and capture the snow which will protect the seedlings during the winter. In addition, in these windbreak hedges, different species will be used to produce seeds and will provide refuge for wildlife. The nursery also plans to install rainwater catchment basins to reduce its consumption of treated municipal water. The nursery is also part of a network of agro-environmental demonstration farms in Mauricie.
