Organizations note that the forestry industry still has priority access to public forests.(Photo archives)
Pierre Chapdelaine de Montvalon (View profile)Pierre Chapdelaine de Montvalon
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Several organizations denounce what they consider to be the primacy of forest management over other uses of the public forest. They note that the forestry industry often has priority access, to the detriment of other activities.
The Quebec Federation of Hunters and Fishermen, the Federation of Quebec Outfitters and a Gaspé environmental protection group, Environnement Vert Plus, have noted this.
In Gaspésie, the spokesperson for Environnement Vert Plus, Pascal Bergeron, notes this trend in the 2023-2028 forest management plan for Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, for which the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is holding a public consultation until December 22.
Pascal Bergeron takes the example of the Pin Rouge tourist resort in New Richmond, where cuts are planned in front of the ski slopes.
This is a profound offense to the landscape. It’s an area that people see. It’s in their face all the time when they ski, he laments.
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The ministry plans logging cuts opposite ski slopes of the Pin Rouge Tourist Resort, which appear in white on the map.
For his part, the president of the board of directors of the ski resort and prefect of the MRC of Bonaventure is not worried about such cuts.
Yes, there will be regeneration cutting. But at the same time, I tell myself that forestry is part of our economy, consoles Éric Dubé.
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The spokesperson for Environnement Vert Plus also cites Lake Paradis, a lake located in the hinterland of Carleton-sur-Mer which is frequented in particular by many fishermen, swimmers and revelers.
Not only is it planned to be cut between 2023 and 2028, but it is also planned as an area for intensifying wood production. So, it's a sector of the forest that we specifically dedicate to logging and not for any other use, laments Pascal Bergeron.
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Forest felling planned around Lac Paradis, in the hinterland of Carleton-sur-Mer
The Quebec Federation of Hunters and Fishermen believes that it is time to rethink forestry so that all users of the forest can benefit equitably.
The organization declined our request for an interview, but provided Radio-Canada with a detailed written statement.
The Federation asks Quebec to stop always place tree harvesting as the main economic activity of the forest.
We first offer the forest to the forestry companies then we offer what remains to the other stakeholders in society, says Isabelle Labranche, the organization's communications advisor, in writing.
This model no longer represents the values of society in 2023.
A quote from the Quebec Federation of Hunters and Fishermen< /blockquote>
The organization also participated in a consultation on the revision of the Government Orientations on land use planning (OGAT), held by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in the summer of 2023.
< p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">The Federation denounces one of these orientations entitled Promote the compatibility of uses to contribute to the maintenance of forestry possibilities and sustainable forest management /em>.
According to the organization, this is a sign that other uses of the forest would still be subordinated to logging, while the OGATs must ensure that the exploitation of wildlife, or any other economic, social or recreational activity is no longer devalued to make way for the forestry industry, he indicates in writing.
The Federation proposes, for example, to give the province's wildlife reserves a protective status, noting that these territories do not benefit from any particular conservation measures.
Dominique Dugré, president and CEO of the Fédération des pourvoiries du Québec, which has around ten members in Gaspésie, also notes this primacy of the forestry industry over the activities of outfitters.
He recalls that its members have had to fight for a long time to preserve their territory from logging. He also refers to the conclusions of the Study Commission on the management of Quebec's public forests of 2003, the Coulombe Commission, or even to the documentary L'Erreur boréale, by Richard Desjardins .
We all live off the same resource. It's about managing it better, he believes.
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Outfitters also have to deal with logging. (Archive photo)
According to him, outfitters, particularly in Mauricie, must deal with forest cuts which target up to 70% of their territory.
That makes no sense! Hunting, fishing and more and more activities such as hiking are being developed. How can someone operate in complete peace of mind when there are situations like that?, asks Dominique Dugré.
We've been fighting like hell in holy water for too long.
A quote from Dominique Dugré, CEO of the Fédération des pourvoiries du Québec
The manager says he is aware of the historical importance of the forestry industry in the development of Quebec and the current importance of this industry for the economy of Gaspésie. But according to him, it is time to do forestry differently.
We don't have a big impact on forestry, but forestry has such a huge impact on us. And that needs to change, he says.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests has also launched a series of consultations on the future of the forest from 2024.
The ministry's media relations had not responded to our questions at the time of publishing these lines.
Pierre Chapdelaine de Montvalon (View profile )Pierre Chapdelaine de MontvalonFollow
Natasha Kumar has been a reporter on the news desk since 2018. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times Hub, Natasha Kumar worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my natasha@thetimeshub.in 1-800-268-7116
