The Green Plan
Mount Royal's Flora & Fauna
Located in the heart of the historic and natural site of Mount Royal, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is certified as a haven for biodiversity. It has always developed and managed its activities with respect for the environment.
A Richly Diverse Flora
Since 2008, the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery has had a tree and woodland management plan. It contains certain commitments to enhance the value of Mount Royal’s landscape, including:
- Maintaining green spaces by planting at least one replacement tree for each tree felled
- Diversifying planted species
Increasing the total number of trees on the site
The cemetery’s tree park also includes five woodlands: the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Woodland, the Eastern Woodland, the Central Woodland, the Western Woodland and the Northern Woodland. Between the trees that make up these woodlands and the ornamental trees, the cemetery is estimated to have nearly 13,500 trees, many of which are over 100 years old.
The most common species on site are silver maple, Norway maple, horse chestnut and sugar maple. Other species include oak, cherry, ash, spruce, elm, poplar, cedar and weeping willow.
Remarkable Trees
The City of Montréal has made a list of about 60 remarkable trees on Mount Royal, based on several criteria including diameter, estimated age, general condition and rarity of the species in the area. The cemetery site has seven of these remarkable trees, conferring indisputable value to its tree park:
- A 150-year-old silver maple.
- A honey locust tree, a rare species in Canada, which was most likely planted by the family of the deceased person buried there.
- A red ash with an impressive trunk diameter of 115 cm.
- A Japanese yew tree, over 50 years old, probably planted as a memorial.
- A 140-year-old Austrian black pine with a top twice as wide (18 m) as its height (7.5 m).
- A pair of 120- and 150-year-old cottonwoods, well beyond the maximum age usually observed in this native species. They’re over 30 metres high.
The Mount Royal forest is home to a diverse range of wildlife. Nearly 100 species of wildlife — amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals — can be observed at Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery.
Grey squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, raccoons and striped skunks are the most common. White-tailed rabbits and red foxes can also be seen—always welcome visitors in urban areas.
Several species of birds also visit this special environment. At various times of the year, red-winged blackbirds, American goldfinches, American crows, American kestrels, starlings, bobolinks, swallows, American robins, sparrows, black-capped chickadees, mockingbirds, Baltimore orioles, warblers, woodpeckers, killdeer, common grackles, white-breasted nuthatches and Eastern kingbirds can be seen.
Sustainable development and natural heritage go hand in hand at the cemetery. With this in mind, a wildlife management plan was adopted. Its objective is to preserve, develop and enhance the diversity of wildlife that frequents the cemetery while limiting the nuisance that certain animals may cause due to their numbers or behaviour.
Our management plan therefore has three areas of focus to maintain the balance between the cemetery’s role as a space for burial and commemoration activities and a home to wildlife.
Focus 1: Conservation and enhancement of wildlife diversity through respect for wildlife in all cemetery activities.
Focus 2: Enhancement of wildlife by sharing knowledge and related tools with our workers and visitors.
Focus 3: Management of wildlife problems through intervention measures to ensure harmony between wildlife and cemetery activities.
An Active Fauna
Help us preserve wildlife and ensure harmonious cohabitation
Tips
By feeding without human intervention, animals develop appropriate behaviours essential to their survival. Human food is not suitable for them.
Feeding animals contributes to the overabundance of some species. This is detrimental to a natural ecological balance and wildlife diversity.
By losing their natural fear of humans, animals may disturb visitors.
Please observe the ban on feeding animals and follow these two tips:
- Enjoy wildlife from a distance.
- Keep your pet at home.
Green Plan News
Green Plan | Environment
The Green Plan Meet the Needs of Families & Montréal’s Biodiversity Conservation Goals
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is attracting an increased number of families this year. Since January 2022, more than 2,410 families have chosen the cemetery as the burial place for their loved ones, an increase of 11% compared to 2021. In addition, the number of families who have acquired a lot at the Cemetery has increased by 23%, and the total area of lots acquired is up by 48%.
Green Plan | Environment
A Look Back on the First Year of our Green Plan and Next Steps
We try our best to keep our clientele informed about the Green plan as well as present the ongoing challenges the cemetery faces.
Green Plan | Environment
Leave No Trace
We are proud to announce that we are proud partners with the nonprofit Leave No Trace Canada, an organization dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible use of natural areas.
Green Plan | Environment
Remembrance Grove Welcomes Its First Resident
Today, we pay tribute to Mrs. Ana S.L., who was interred yesterday afternoon under the first tree of Remembrance Grove. She thus inaugurates a new chapter at Notre Dame des Neiges, a chapter in her image: in harmony with nature.
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery is a unique place of welcome and remembrance that houses nearly one million deceased on Mount Royal. Its tree park and topography are rich and diverse.
Located on the Mount Royal heritage site, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is governed by various policies aimed at protecting the mountain’s natural and historical heritage. Accordingly, the cemetery has been participating in projects to enhance its natural environment for several years now, such as developing ecological corridors to allow animal species to migrate and disperse throughout the territory, as well as committing to not use any pesticides on its land.
The cemetery wishes to review some of the more traditional landscaping practices that raise concerns about environmental protection and the enhancement of biodiversity, to reduce the environmental footprint of its activities.
Over the past few decades, client values and choices have been changing, as have their environmental expectations. Over the next few years, we will be reviewing our development and maintenance practices, in order to:
- Reduce fossil fuel consumption from our activities
- Reduce the noise pollution created by the use of certain tools
- Improve waste management
- Reduce the consumption of salt and abrasive products
- Decrease water consumption
- Adapt site development and maintenance practices
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Newsletter
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