Forestry
Overview of Forestry in the MRC Pontiac
The MRC Pontiac contains an abundance of natural resources: extensive and substantial blocks of forest, 4 great rivers yielding some 675 km of navigable waters, thousands of lakes, a profusion of fish, game and wildlife habitats, and a road network of several thousand kilometres.
Protected areas in the MRC Pontiac consists of 5 ecological reserves, 6 exceptional forest ecosystems, multiple recognized wildlife habitats, other existing and future protected areas. In the very near future, the protected surface area of the MRC will reach from 8% to 10% of its total surface area.
The productive forest surface area represents 78%, or 1,084,311 hectares, of the entire MRC. This shared productive forest area is designated public (85%), private (15%) and intramunicipal public (< 1%). The following table summarizes the forest potential.
Approximate Forest Potential in the MRC Pontiac
| Territorial Assignment | Public Forest | Private Forest | Intramunicipal Public (TPI) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productive forest surface area (ha) | 915750 | 159968 | 8593 | 1 084 311 ha (78%) |
| MRC Pontiac surface area (ha) | 1 384 260 ha | |||
| Annual Forest Potential (m3/year) | MRNF 2006 | PPMV 2001* | Chief Forester 2007 | Total |
| Pine-spruce-jack pine-tamarack | 303850 | 74200 | 2150 | 380200 m3 |
| White cedar | 64014 | 102100 | 250 | 302027 m3 |
| Hemlock | 21104 | |||
| Pine white-red | 113959 | 600 | ||
| Poplar | 118373 | 93000 | 8850 | 220223 m3 |
| Paper birch | 136167 | 101600 | 5900 | 414478 m3 |
| Yellow birch | 90792 | |||
| Other hardwood | 80019 | |||
| Maple | 263104 | 104600 | 1850 | 369554 m3 |
| Total (cubic metres) | 1191382 | 475500 | 19600 | 1686482 m3 |
Beyond the conventional forest potential, there is also a sizeable quantity of forest biomass for ventures in the forest bio-economic sector (energy, biofuel, etc.). In total, there is a potential of more than 400,000 green metric tonnes of biomass available on the MRC's territory.
Forestry is highly structured with several individuals, organizations and businesses participating in the management and operations of natural resources: 3 controlled activity zones (ZEC), over 15 outfitters, lake and cottage associations, 3,600 private woodlot owners, 1 private woodlot marketing agency, 1 forestry co-op, 1 forest management group, 1 shingle mill, 5 sawmills, private sawmills (<2000 m3), 15 forestry contractors, 1 cabinet making training facility, 1 Quebec Natural Resources and Wildlife management unit, the MRC Pontiac forestry service, 1 training and placement agency (forestry and cabinet making), tourism businesses (accommodation, whitewater, camping, etc.).
Because of its designation as a 'resource MRC' (MRC Ressource) by the Quebec government, tax credits, tax exemptions and other specific programs are available to promoters launching or expanding a business in the MRC Pontiac's forestry sector such as the processing of wood, paper, cardboard and forest residue or the production of energy.
