Members Directory
Media Centre
If you’ve been searching for press releases, logos, photos or statistics, look no further: this is the section where you ’ll find everything you need.
In addition, the Centre also features the forest profile for each of the regions in which our industry is active, plus the latest news concerning the QFIC. The Media Centre is a genuine clearinghouse of information.
Industry
Quebec’s forest lands
Quebec is impressive in terms not only of its land area but also of the quantity and diversity of its resources. Forests figure prominently among the province’s resources, constituting a source of social wealth. Upwards of 90% of Quebec’s forests are publicly-owned, while private woodlots, located primarily in the south, account for 10% of the province’s forested lands.
Everyone benefits from forest resources—be they in the form of wildlife, plantlife, water, or wood. Aside from the management and harvesting activities associated with lumber processing, the forest is home to a broad range of recreational and educational activities, such as fishing and hunting, as well as bird-and animal-watching.
The forest is one of the main driving forces behind Quebec’s economy. For close to 250 of the province’s municipalities, the forest industry is the main foundation of the local economy, securing direct or indirect employment to upwards of 189 000 people. Each year, it ships products worth a total of $11.2 billion—that is, close to 14.9% of all manufacturing shipments from Quebec. Wildlife-related recreational activities are a source of approximately 15 600 seasonal or full-time jobs. Year after year, nearly 5 million people spent upwards of $3.0 billion in Quebec’s forested areas.
Forest industry activities account for 3% of Quebec's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while capital investments by the sector are in the neighbourhood of $700 million annually. In 2006, total industry exports were valued at $10.3 billion.
The lumber sector
With some 240 mills each processing more than 10 000 m3 of wood annually, the lumber industry is at the heart of the economic and social development of Quebec’s regions. Approximately 17 000 direct jobs are generated by the lumber sector.
Quebec ranks second, after British Columbia, among the Canadian provinces for softwood lumber production. As further proof of its powerhouse status throughout North America, it alone accounts for approximately 20% of Canada’s production.
As for hardwood lumber production, Quebec takes first place among all Canadian provinces. Weighing in at 57% of the country’s output, the province again enjoys pre-eminence on the North American scene.
In 2006, shipments of lumber manufactured in Quebec’s primary processing mills, for all species, totalled 65 000 000 m3. The main supply sources were softwood species harvested on public forest lands, such as fir, spruce, grey pine, and larch.
Quebec’s private woodlots contribute account for about 31% of the total supply requirements of the province’s hardwood lumber and veneer mills. These mills serve the furniture, panel, flooring, cabinet, door, window and palette markets.
Pulp, paper and cardboard sector
It takes quality fibres to produce quality papers! On this score, Quebec is the home of one of the world’s best fibres—that of the black spruce. In 2006, Quebec’s paper manufacturers produced over 9 900 000 tons of market pulp, newsprint, specialty papers, and every variety of cardboard.
Quebec’s mighty rivers are an abundant, renewable source of hydroelectric energy valued by the pulp, paper and cardboard industry. The province’s skilled manpower is another major asset that has enabled this sector to conquer numerous markets both at home and abroad and to play a leading role in Quebec’s economy.
In 2006, shipments of pulp, paper, cardboard, and panels from Quebec mills totalled $10.7 billion—the equivalent of 7.5% of the value of all goods manufactured in the province. Quebec alone produces close to 3% of the entire world’s papers and cardboard and 9% of its newsprint. Quebec is the source of 16.5% of all international sales of newsprint worldwide.
