Climate Change | Quebec’s forest management needs to be rethought, says chief forester

Louis Pelletier, the chief forester who faced unprecedented forest fires in Quebec this summer, expressed concern about the future of forests and recommended that the government review forest management practices.

“Tomorrow’s forest will not be like today’s and it will be even more different from the forest of the past. Therefore, I believe that our forest management, which has been carried out for many years in Quebec, must evolve in the face of challenges by adapting our practices in the face of new climate conditions,” he said in a press release on Tuesday.

Climate change is progressing 10 times faster than the adaptive capacity of forests, he said. In a discussion paper presented to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Maite Blanchet Vezina, Louis Pelletier presented various solutions to explore to strengthen forest resilience.

Various actions

Currently, there is a lack of diversity in the way forests are managed, which makes them more vulnerable to climate change, Mr Pelletier stressed in the discussion paper. He first proposed defining a zoning across the province, where each region would have its own adaptation strategies.

He also suggests having better access to forest areas, not only for forest management, but also for fighting fires and protecting timber after disturbances such as fire or insect infestation. Finally, it proposes to plant tree species adapted to the new climatic conditions while increasing the current level of deforestation.

Forest fires that could burn 1.5 million hectares in Quebec by 2023, disrupting wildlife habitats, forest operations and communities, Mr. Pelletier noted, could have ramifications for years.

“Since humans are the source of these climate changes, it is up to us to help the forest become more resilient. It is our responsibility to work towards this. Nature alone cannot sustain the forest as we know it now,” reads the concept paper.