QUEBEC REPORT: The Future of Quebec’s Forests Takes Shape
by Audrey Harvey, Communications Coordinator, AETSQ
Translated by David Hayne

Some readers will recall the announcement, at the end of 2006, of the holding of a summit meeting on the future of forests in Quebec. The event was to take place last spring, but there was general agreement among the participants that it should be put off until fall. The reason was obvious: the lead time was too short for the careful study required to create a new framework for Quebec forestry, which was the ambitious aim of the Summit on the Future of the Forestry Sector in Quebec.

The Summit is now, more than ever, among the major priorities of Quebec’s foresters. Delaying the event certainly created a number of uncertainties, and some observers had begun to believe that it would never take place, since the president of the Summit, Denis Brière, had in the meantime been elected president of Laval University. He has, however, decided to retain his post at the helm of the Summit, and the advantages for the latter have clearly been considerable.

Firstly, we have been able to revise our method of operation. During the activities in the Montmorency Forest, certain ideas had led to agreement, but others were far from a consensus. That is why it was decided to identify the issues most in need of study and to assign them to working groups. There are six issues: administration of objectives; the intensification of forestry management; innovation, consolidation of the industry; integrated management of resources; and protected areas.

Although many were doubtful of the seriousness of the process, the progress of discussion in the working groups has convinced more than one sceptic. Since the middle of the summer, in fact, the members of these panels have had a mandate to reexamine the forestry regime from every angle. Minister Claude Béchard invited the participants to rethink the regime as if it had never been invented, and his message was understood.

On September 13, the six working groups were brought together to take stock of the work accomplished to date. The result was surprising. It was evident that each member had been able to put the interests of the Quebec forest above his own corporate interests, which had the effect of providing extremely interesting leads for future work.

Delaying the Summit was also beneficial because it fostered better dialogue between the various groups. Otherwise time would have run short and all efforts would have been in vain. The media often stresses the strained relations between the environmental community and foresters, but in these discussions, the opposite is true. There is a clear desire to reach agreement and to move ahead together towards a new concept of forestry. The exchanges are highly stimulating and the results that ensue will be promising.
Over the next few months, the working groups will continue to meet. The ultimate objective is to reach agreement. All conclusions will be presented publicly during the Summit from December 10-12 in Quebec City. Some ideas will require further discussion, and the Summit will be the ideal setting for this. The working groups will then develop a program for the implementation of the approved ideas.