QUEBEC REPORT:
A New Forestry Régime for Quebec
by Audrey Harvey, Communications Coordinator, AETSQ. Translated by David Hayne

Talked about for a long time, the Summit on the Future of the Forestry Sector in Quebec has finally taken place. It was an unprecedented event, because, for the first time, members of civil society, and not the government, decided on their own to meet and to find a solution for their problems. Thus 400 persons concerned about the situation of the forestry industry gathered in Quebec City on December 10-12, 2007 to lay the foundations for a new forestry régime.

Several months ago, in fact, workshops had been set up to attempt to rethink all aspects of our industry. It was time to discover the points on which there was consensus and thus to create a new basis for Quebec forestry.

Although the event began against a background of protests, there was a desire for agreement. All present were united at once in saying that the crisis in which we are involved is not only a current economic one, but is also systemic, hence the need to reexamine our operation in depth. The participants also stressed the importance of restoring a feeling of pride in the forest to the population, a feeling that seems to have eroded over the years.

With respect to forestry management, the target is ambitious: to double the value of forestry products over the next 25 years. Put more clearly, that means a change of paradigm. From now on, we must think in terms of value and quality, and no longer exclusively in terms of volume and cubic metres. The challenge that faces us is that of simultaneously developing the whole range of forestry products and practices. It is evident that there will clearly be choices to be made in order to arrive at a series of alternatives that range from complete protection to intensive forestry management.

It was a sign of the times that this Summit took place amidst a concern for the environment. All the speakers expressed a wish to complete, during the coming year, the network of protected areas totaling 8% of the territory, with a subsequent shortfall study to increase this proportion. Even in its organization, the Summit tried to be a green event by depending on electronic invitations rather than written ones.

Still work to be done
At the structural level, the Summit made it possible to invite the partners to reflect on how wood should be allocated in the future. The present system of tenure doesn’t please everyone, but what should replace it? Those involved will have to concern themselves with this question in the coming months. In order to harmonize human contacts in the province, a working group will have to examine the matter of relations with the First Nations to ascertain their preoccupations and interests.

Stifled by standards, forestry professionals want to move to an administrative system based on objectives and results. That would allow them to choose their methods on the ground, taking account of local peculiarities. To do this, pilot projects will have to be set up to ensure a management system by objectives and results can be in place by 2013.

Aware of its potential and its value, a Quebec emphasizing research and development can not help becoming stronger. The partners agreed that it was necessary to adopt a policy of utilizing timber in the construction of public, institutional, and commercial buildings. Elected municipal officials and even the Minister made repeated mention of this matter during the three-day meeting.

Finally, the Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife, Claude Béchard, took the activities of the Summit under advisement, undertaking to table his Green Paper by January 2008. It will offer a range of proposals that will allow the creation of a new forestry régime. The Minister indicates that his proposals will be very close to those put forward by the Summit.

Whatever the future may bring, the Summit will at least have made possible an unprecedented cooperation between the existing stakeholders and the outlining of a new forestry régime. This provides hope for positive steps in the future, as there was general agreement about continuing these discussions beyond the Summit.