Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is one of the most
economically valuable conifers in eastern North America and part
of our ecological heritage. In the province of Quebec, by the
late 1800's, most mature specimens had been selectively logged,
particularly along the St. Lawrence River and its major
tributaries, leaving relic populations that are poorly
representative of its pre-settlement distribution. This study
aims to understand the pre-settlement distribution of white pine
in southern Mauricie in central Quebec, by relating past white
pine presence, as described by primeval land survey records, to
environment variables. Thirteen land survey log-books, dating
from before the major selective cuts took place, and covering
about 7,000 km2, were retained for the analysis, from which
2,614 survey records were extracted and geo-referenced. Each
record provides a list of tree species, ordered by their
abundance. We then randomly surveyed 421 locations of the
primeval surveys (half with and half without white