Forest Planning
Under the new forest regime, the forest planning process will fall under the
responsibility of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, beginning on
April 1, 2013. A joint local and regional process will be used to prepare forest plans,
based on the precepts of ecosystem-based management. This new approach will ensure
that four key concerns are addressed, namely the maintenance of forestry certification,
ecosystem-based management, integrated land and resource management, and
regionalization.
The changes introduced
by the new
forest regime
 The Sustainable Forest Development Act will replace the
Forest Act on April 1, 2013, and the new regime will bring
in some major changes, especially with respect to forest planning. For example, general forest management plans and
annual forest management plans will be replaced by integrated
forest development plans, and responsibility for preparing
these plans will be transferred from the industry to the
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF).
Forest management plans prepared by the MRNF with the
resource management panel.
Local integrated land
and resource
management panels
2013-2018
Planning Manual
The new forest regime will help ensure that the interests and
concerns of individuals and organizations with an interest in
forest development activities are taken into account in the
forest management process. To do this, the new Act provides
for the creation of local integrated land and resource management panels. The MRNF will establish a schedule and ensure
that all plans are based on an integrated, regionalized
approach to land and resource management. It will also be
involved in the panels’ work, to ensure that its plans reflect
local sustainable forest development goals.
The 2013-2018 Planning Manual, prepared by the MRNF, will be
used to produce tactical and operational integrated forest
development plans, and to foster an integrated vision for
implementation of the plans. The new Act stipulates that the
MRNF must prepare and make public a manual for the preparation of plans. The manual will serve as a guide for forestry
engineers and panel participants throughout the
planning process.
The Planning Manual is divided into two sections: the tactical
section and the operational section. Each section includes a
series of mandatory activities for the planning process. The
activities are divided into blocks, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Diagram of the forest planning process for 2013-2018
Tactical plans
Block 1
Describe
the MU
territory
Block 3
Describe
the MU
forest
Block 5
Participatory approach
Establish the
based on issues
forest development
and solutions
strategy
Block 2
Public consultations
and Aboriginal community
consultations
Final
tactical
plan
Block 6
Block 4
Operational plan
Block 1
Identify
potential
forest operations
zones
Block 3
Identify
Public consultations
potential
and Aboriginal
forest operations
community
sectors
consultations
Block 2
Block 5
Prepare
silvicultural
prescriptions
Block 4
Produce
an annual
program
of activities
Final
operational
plan
Block 6
Tactical plans
A tactical plan covers a period of five years. Among other things,
it presents the goals for sustainable forest development, as well
as the forest development strategy chosen to ensure achievement of those goals and compliance with the allowable cuts.
The tactical section of the plan describes the land and forests
that make up the management unit, and introduces the concept
of ecosystem-based management by identifying differences
between the natural forest and the existing forest. These findings
are used to establish ecological issues. The local integrated land
and resource management panels are involved in the next step
in the process, which uses an approach based on issues and
solutions. The purpose of this step is to draw up an exhaustive
list of social, economic and environmental concerns, which are
then, in turn, converted into issues. The MRNF’s planner works
with the panels to propose development solutions that address
these issues. The chosen solutions are then used as a basis to
select the best available silvicultural options and set development goals.
Once this has been done, the planner is able to establish a
development strategy for the management unit. As the strategy is prepared, agreement is reached on the choice of silvicultural options agree on the choice of silvicultural for the
different management unit sectors, in order to achieve the
goals as far as possible. Land and forest conditions will
influence the choice of these options, and potential treatments
will depend on site ecology, existing vegetation, and the quality and species of trees to be promoted.
The tactical plan containing the development strategy is then
sent for public consultation, under the responsibility of the
appropriate regional organizations. The MRNF also organizes
consultations with the Aboriginal communities. After the
consultations, the plan may be amended to reflect the
comments received. It is made public as soon as it comes into
force.
A tactical plan presents the goals for
sustainable forest development, as well
as the forest development strategy
chosen to ensure achievement of those
goals.
Operational plan
The operational plan sets out the forest operations zones
in which logging and other development activities (noncommercial silvicultural work and road work) may take place.
The operational plan is dynamic, and is updated periodically
to include new operations zones.
The planner begins by identifying all the areas suitable for
application of the development strategy presented in the
tactical plan. The planner then uses different indicators
(compliance with the development strategy, volume by
species, operational cost, etc.) to select smaller sectors within
the potential forest operations zones, planned on a 10 to
15-year timeframe, and the smaller sectors are planned on a
1 to 3-year timeframe. To support these selections, the planner includes the locations of any roads and infrastructures
required to provide access. The MRNF may involve supply
guarantee holders and members of the local integrated land
and resource development panels if they so wish.
Forest operations zone: An area composed of a group of
ecoforest polygons, in which forest operations may be carried out. The zone is used as a basis for delimiting forest
operations sectors.
Potential forest operations sector: An area located within
a forest operations zone, in which operations sectors are
established.
Forest operations sector: An area in which a single silvicultural treatment is carried out during a given year,
located within a single management unit, covering no
more than 250 hectares and comprising one or more
polygons.
The operational plan sets out the forest
operations zones in which logging and
other development activities may
take place.
Potential forest
operations zones
and indicators
Initial selection – conservative
Qualified forest
operations zones
10 to 15-year period
Priority, balanced
forest operations zones
5-year period
Forest
operations sectors
1 to 3-year period
Forest operations
sectors with
harmonization measures
1 to 3-year period
Final
operations
sectors
1 to 2 years in reserve
Like the tactical plan, the operational plan is submitted for
public consultation and consultations with the Aboriginal
communities.
Once the consultations are complete and the ensuing harmonization measure have been applied to the potential intervention
sectors, the planner works with the timber marketing board to
identify the sectors from which timber will be sold on the free
market. The planner then gathers information (inventory,
photo-interpretation, etc.) with a view to drafting silvicultural
prescriptions for the zones in which forest operations may take
place. To identify the sectors that will be treated during the year, the
planner produces an annual program of forest development
activities designed to generate the anticipated volumes in
compliance with the forest development strategy. As a last
step, the operational plan is made public as soon as it comes
into force.
Special
development plans
Where significant tracts of forest are damaged by natural
disturbances such as forest fires, insect outbreaks or windthrows,
the MRNF must prepare special development plans to ensure
that the timber is salvaged and, where applicable, the damaged
areas are restored to production. The plans do not necessarily
need to comply with the Sustainable Forest Management
Regulation or with the allowable annual cut. When a special plan
comes into force, it automatically replaces any development plan
previously applicable to the area in question, and all contract and
agreement holders in the area must comply with it.
For further information on the forest regime review by the
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, please visit
the following website:
mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/forets