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Quebec plan supports transformation of forest industry

The Quebec government has a five-year plan to make the Quebec forest products industry modern, diversified, innovative and adapted to evolving markets.
The 2012-2017 Forest Sector Transformation Strategy is designed to modernize the forest products sector, open new markets for the pulp and paper sector, and encourage investment in the production of bioenergy. It will receive funding of $268 million over its five-year span.
FPInnovations, a not-for-profit scientific organization focused on the forest products sector, has stated its support for the strategy.
“We welcome the fact that the strategy is based on the scientific and technical advances that have been made over the last few years. It also proposes an approach that focuses on developing innovative wood-based products,” says Pierre Lapointe, president and CEO, FPInnovations.
The Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF) has granted FPInnovations $5.5 million this year under its biorefinery and demonstration plant program. The money will be used to set up premanufacturing facilities, which will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of new biomaterials and renewable, ecological bioproducts made from forest fibre.
“Our industrial members are targeting high-value-added products that will give them an edge over the international competition,” says Lapointe. “The new strategy is a serious nudge in the right direction, as it spurs the competitiveness of the traditional forest industry and encourages swifter transformation of the sector through innovation.”
The strategy can be viewed at www.mrnf.gouv.qc.ca/fr/forets/strategie-2012-2017