Modernizing Quebec’s Forest Regime: Why Now?

The Coalition Avenir Québec government tabled a new bill on April 23, 2025 to modernize the forest regime.  

We are talking about the collective framework within which the industry operates to harvest our natural forest resource. These are the rules and practices governing harvesting and distribution. It is the guardian of the balance between preservation and exploitation. 

What is driving Minister Blanchette Vézina to act at this particular moment? American tariffs? Without denying that the trade conflict and the risk of additional tariffs have a marked impact on the lumber industry, it would be reductive to think that this modernization is entirely tied to them.  The industry is asking for more predictability and flexibility from Quebec. That is what the Minister is trying to deliver with her reform. 

Declining Forest Harvesting Potential 

In recent years, forest harvesting potential has taken a significant hit. Three major recent phenomena have worsened the situation and created a sense of urgency to reform the forest regime. 

First, the 2023 wildfires were particularly devastating for the industry, and even worse in certain regions. In a single year, 5 million hectares went up in smoke. To put that in perspective, the average for the previous ten years was 15,800 hectares. 

Then there is the epidemic that rarely makes the news in Quebec’s forests: the spruce budworm, commonly known as the « SBW. » This pest is present in virtually every region of Quebec and is killing trees. It causes short-term losses in wood volumes and affects the Chief Forester’s calculations. The government and industry are of course putting measures in place to curb the epidemic, such as spraying and preventive harvesting, but the situation continues to deteriorate. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2024, 14.3 million hectares were affected, compared to 10.4 million hectares in 2023, an increase of 37.5%.  

Finally, as a society, we increasingly want to preserve territory and protect emblematic species by creating large ecological reserves, notably to save the woodland caribou. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of an already constrained forest harvesting potential.  

The status quo was therefore no longer viable according to the Minister, and layering these various constraints on top of one another had become untenable. Furthermore, managing the growing number of uses in the forest is already extremely complex. Hunters, maple syrup producers, ecologists, forestry workers: each occupies the forest in a different way. The current forest regime was no longer suited to today’s reality.  

Lumber Prices and Industry Profitability 

Beyond the factors having a major impact on forest harvesting potential, economic considerations also contributed to the thinking behind the overhaul of the forest regime.  

In this regard, it is worth recalling that several Quebec towns are still single-industry communities and that the lumber industry remains the primary economic driver in many regions.  

The price of lumber and, more broadly, the profitability of the industry are intrinsically linked to the economic vitality of Quebec’s regions. The price per thousand board feet, the industry’s standard price indicator, reached a record high during the pandemic at over US$1,500. However, in January 2024, it had dropped to approximately US$575. These sharp fluctuations, combined with tariffs and the American government’s desire to move away from Canadian lumber, bode poorly for the outlook over the coming months.  

We must also remember that in 2013, the Bureau de mise en marché des bois was established to address American WTO criticisms regarding a lack of competition in price-setting. It was not a great success, and the industry is still subject to 14.5% duties on softwood lumber exports. What was initially conceived as a solution did not deliver the expected results and has even become part of the problem. 

Political Considerations  

The internal pressures faced by members of the Conseil des ministres must also be factored in. The forestry industry is rooted in Gaspésie, on the Côte-Nord, in Nord-du-Québec, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, in the northern parts of Mauricie and the Laurentians, and in Outaouais. All territories represented by CAQ members. In addition to maintaining a degree of cohesion within its caucus, the government must uphold its brand as the government of the regions to compensate for the lack of attention paid to them in the last budget. The establishment of a regional approach to land management, recognition that social acceptability varies from one region to another, and the need to decentralize public policy in this area were all strongly called for by the regions. 

A Necessary Overhaul 

The forest ecosystem is under strain. Companies are calling for more flexibility and predictability. Sawmills and the industry as a whole have watched their business model erode in recent years. The current regime makes it difficult to improve the business environment for the industry and does not allow it to meet the public’s expectations in terms of biodiversity protection. As a society, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to do without this economic sector: we need only think of the housing shortage and construction needs.  

The government is thus opening a new chapter in the management of our forests with the tabling of Bill 97. 

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