The Timber Supply and Management Agreement
Quebec’s forest system advocates a type of management that reflects the principle of sustained yield and respects the multiple uses of the forest environment. In short, Quebecers wish to preserve the potential of their forests to perpetuity through enlightened planning and appropriate silvicultural practices.
The government guarantees long-term supplies to the industry but, in return, it requires the latter to manage forests so as to maintain and even increase, their potential.
Reciprocal commitments between government and industry are outlined in Timber Supply and Forest Management Agreements (TSFMA), which are essential management tools.
Through the ministère des Ressources naturelles (MRN), the government of Quebec requires TSFMA holders to submit general, five-year and annual management plans for its approval. These plans must outline the activities they intend to carry out on the areas where they have obtained the right to harvest wood. These general and five-year plans are available for public consultation. The TSFMA is valid for 25 years and is extended every five years if the holder fulfils stated obligations.
A FOREST MANAGEMENT TOOL
The TSFMA has become the single most important tool in the management of Quebec’s forests. It is a contractual agreement between the government and the holder of a permit for a wood processing plant, authorizing the latter to manage a forest area from which a certain volume of timber may be harvested to supply its mill. This volume, which may include different species or a single specie intended for different uses, may not exceed the area's allowable annual cut on a sustained yield basis; that is, the volume of wood that can be cut in perpetuity on a given site without reducing its production capacity. As a result, several TSFMA holders may harvest timber on the same "common" area from which other forest users are not excluded.
In return for a guaranteed volume of wood, the agreement holder must manage the forest so as to obtain the yield set out in the contract. Any management work must also comply with the Regulation respecting Standards of Forest Management for Forests in the Public Domain, which is aimed at maintaining or replenishing the forest cover after cutting, and at protecting all forest resources.
The Manuel d’aménagement forestier, a forest management manual published by the MRN, is an integral part of the TSFMA. This manual explains the hypotheses underlying forest yield determination, outlines the silvicultural work authorized in the various types of forest and describes the methods used to assess the actual results of these activities. It also sets out the criteria and methods used to evaluate the results of forest management work when each TSFMA comes up for a five-year review.
In addition to being a key tool in forest management, the TSFMA encourages cooperation which is essential if the multiple uses of the forest are to be respected. A given forest area is the concern not only of TSFMA holders, but also of other users such as fishermen, hunters, archaeologists and nature lovers. It is to take the concerns of these other users into account that agreement holders must give the public access to their management plans before they are submitted to the MRN for approval.
The TSFMA is one of Quebec’s most important tools for achieving its forest management objectives. So far, the department has signed more than 260 supply and forest management agreements.
