Our history
Arboriculture: a passion for trees
Marc-Olivier Harvey was born in Alma, in the Lac-Saint-Jean region. He holds an undergraduate degree in geography and land-use planning from UQAC. After working for two years as a land-use planner at the MRC de Maskinongé and as a geographer and forecaster in hydrometeorology for a private firm, he decided to pursue what mattered most to him: growing trees.
From an early age, he was passionate about tree identification, tree ecology and forests in general. When he moved to southwestern Mauricie in 2006, he discovered the rich forests of southern Quebec and the opportunity to grow many species that he had been unable to grow in Lac-Saint-Jean.
In 2007, he sowed his first walnut and oak seeds. In 2008, he and his wife planted more than 250 nut trees of various kinds on a woodlot, with the aim of producing nuts and growing trees for quality sawlogs.
In 2009, he joined the board of directors of the Club des producteurs de noix du Québec (CPNCQ), becoming actively involved with fellow enthusiasts. With around a hundred active members, the club promotes reforesting idle land with high-value species such as walnuts, hickories and oaks. These trees, which have become rare in Quebec, are valuable both for their timber and for their edible nuts.
Work to establish Pépinière Casse-Noisette began in 2012, a natural next step. After starting the nursery on a small property in Ste-Ursule, he moved production to a large parcel of good-quality land along Route 138 in Maskinongé.
He became president of the CPNCQ in 2013 and still held the position in 2016. Since 2008, he has started a wide range of tree varieties, including rare species, every spring. Marc-Olivier's knowledge of northern nut trees is grounded in extensive practical experience.
Welcome to Pépinière Casse-Noisette. We hope you make some wonderful discoveries!
Ongoing projects and environmental initiatives
Since 2015, the nursery has had a small greenhouse for growing trees in pots and trays before transplanting them into the field or potting them for sale. In 2016, a large additional greenhouse section was added, bringing the total dimensions to 100 feet by 28 feet.
A multipurpose building is still planned for the time when the nursery's hazelnut and walnut plantings produce good harvests. It would be used, among other things, to introduce visitors to northern nuts and to process nuts. Other uses would include seed stratification, storage, a staff room, a garage and washroom facilities.
An expansion of our nut orchard was planned for 2016 to 2018 at Le Baluchon Éco-villégiature in Saint-Paulin, Mauricie. An orchard of more than 300 hazelnut trees was already in place, with production expected to begin in 2016 or 2017.
At the nursery, an experimental plot has been under development since 2015 to study the hardiness and climate adaptation of certain nut tree and ornamental tree varieties. Another plot is planned exclusively for grafting nut trees.
Most of these projects are underway or planned for the coming years. We intend to expand our range by offering more fruit trees for people who want to grow edible plants. In 2016, our fruit tree selection was already growing.
On the environmental side, the nursery has established at least 600 metres of windbreaks and riparian buffers. As these trees grow, they will reduce wind exposure and trap snow to protect seedlings in winter. The different species in these windbreaks will also produce seeds and provide wildlife habitat.
The nursery also plans to install rainwater collection basins to reduce its use of treated municipal water. It is part of a network of agri-environmental demonstration farms in Mauricie.
