Record Staff
Following the unveiling of the National Wood Production Strategy last December by the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP), Quebec maple syrup producers (PPAQ) have been stepping up efforts to limit the impact of the strategy on maple groves on public land and the maple syrup industry.
With the first cuts beginning in the fall of 2021, the PPAQ is urging the government to make changes to the plan to protect maple production.
According to Serge Beaulieu, president of the PPAQ, the MFFP’s strategy not only jeopardizes the development of maple syrup production in Quebec, but also the future of our forests by prioritizing the harvesting of all trees with a diameter greater than 44 cm to provide wood to sawmills. “If silvicultural practices remain unchanged, it will be 40 to 60 years before the tapped maple trees can be harvested,” Beaulieu explained in a press release. “This is why the PPAQ is asking the MFFP to favour intelligent and sustainable management of our forests in order to maintain the maple syrup potential and thus meet the growing demand of a rapidly expanding world market. At present, the government reserves only 30,000 hectares for maple syrup production on public land, a far cry from the 200,000 hectares needed to implement the plan provided for by the PPAQ.”
