The ecosystem-based management of boreal forest in Quebec
(june 2010)
The ecosystem-based management concept is relatively recent in Quebec. Its gradual setting-up joins in the renewal of the forest practices to answer more adequately the ecological concerns inherent to the concept of sustainable forest development, which contains legal fondations in the law on forests.
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The certification of the forest surfaces in Canada
(march 2010)
The certification of the forest surfaces appears as a voluntary and transparent process to establish a frame of management in compliance with the principles of sustainable development of forests. The forest certification aims at guaranteeing that forests are managed in the respect for the on a local scale regional and national values.
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The draft of furs (1671 - 1738)
The mouth of rivers as places of concentration of economic activities
At first, they are the big streams ; in occurrence the St-Laurent's river and its tributaries which assured the access to the vast Quebec land and determined territory the dominant modes of occupation. In this model, outposts often localized in mouths of rivers allowed to concentrate certain commercial activities and the transshipment of the goods. The business of furs, excellent commercial activity at the beginning of 1600s, formed itself with the implementation of such outposts.
The agriculture of subsistence on the low lands of St-Laurent's river
On the other hand, in this time and until XXth century the agriculture practised in Québec is one essentially of subsistence. From the beginning, the low lands of St-Laurent turned out fertile enough to support the rural communities in place.
The rural communities outside the fertile territories
However, in territories more in the North and in border of the vast clayey plains, notably in border of the Canadian shield and Appalachians, the rural communities generally had much more difficulty remaining. In this context, the forestry development became not only an alternative allowing to occupy the long winter months but an essential additional activity to the preservation of communities on these hostile territories.
The landed property as an agent of keeping back of communities
The landed property played a major role as agent of keeping back of communities. Formerly, The access to a property was a strong incentive to settle down in New-France. Still it was necessary to cultivate the ground, take out the tree stumps and the stones and often, with rudimentary tools. The ground became more interesting as we cultivated it and a valuable experience to be passed on in inheritance. Families so remained, of generation in generation, by becoming established and by living on the ancestral ground. Later, when the technological headways allowed to loosen surpluses of production, the children of the farmers were able to go to school and to learn a profession. As we try generally to work near there where we live, we can say that the land property plays a role of keeping back of order cultural as it the fact on a social plan.
The forest use
As regards the wood and the forest, in this time, the pratice still limit themselves generally to energy purposes (heater, cooking). We cultivate the forest for an agricultural custom, often by setting fire to it.
The historic portrait and its analysis :
The passage in the industrial eraThe draft of furs (on 1671 - 1738)
The English conquest (on 1730 - 1830)
The colonization (on 1838 - 1939)
The period fordiste (on 1920 - 1970)
PDF document:
Historic glance on the forect sector in Quebec