Chainsaws need not apply

>> Ecologists hope to save the last remaining fragment of old-growth forest in Abitibi-Temiscamingue

by NOEMI LOPINTO

Even logging company executives admit there was a time when they acted as if Quebec's forests were inexhaustible. Now, according to Henri Jacob of the newly formed environmental group Action Boréal, Quebec is reaping the fruits of this folly.

Jacob says the only uncut remnant of the million-year-old boreal forest in the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region--a huge area south of the James Bay region--is a 100-square-kilometre fragment near Vaudray-Johannes known as the Vaudray forest. To the dismay of environmentalists, this last old growth chunk is scheduled to be cut as early as this fall by Norbord Inc., a company owned by Noranda Mines.

The previously sleepy movement against clear-cut logging north of the 48th parallel received a boost last year when popular musician Richard Desjardins made the film Erreur Boréal, which decried clear-cutting in the north. Recently, Desjardins helped form Action Boréal, which represents nearly 400 trappers, residents and environmentalists.

Jacob is a core member and believes the issue of forest destruction is one that matters even to people in Montreal. If tropical forests are the earth's lungs, he says, then the boreal forest is the kidneys.

"It's the largest living ecosystem in the world, cleaning up toxic gases and transforming them into oxygen. Its other important function is as a water purifier," Jacob says.

While the Vaudray forest is only a tiny area, Jacob says it is still important to preserve it for its uniqueness. "The forest industry wants homogenous breeds of tree, only two or three varieties. They re-plant a forest of a lesser quality, because they don't respect the principles of biodiversity, which means every animal, plant and insect has its rightful place."

Action Boréal made a proposal to the Minister of Natural Resources to put off cutting the Vaudray forest until an independent assessment of the environmental cost can be made. The group wants a committee of representatives from government, environmental groups, CEGEP Rouyn-Noranda and Norbord Inc. to explore alternatives to cutting down the 120-year-old trees.

The $63-million question

But Jean Brunet, director of communications at Quebec's Ministry of Natural Resources, is skeptical. "The area is worth at minimum $63-million, not to mention the jobs it provides in the area. People forget that," says Brunet. "This industry is under a lot of pressure from ecologists who only see their little corner of the forest. But a forest does regenerate itself. The forest is an available, natural resource which, if we didn't take advantage of it, the insects would eat or would go up in flames in a fire."

Jacob insists the goal is not to stop logging but to change it to diminish pressure on the forests. And, he adds, "The $63-million he's talking about doesn't take into account the loss of subsistence for trappers and hunters, the loss to tourism and the environmental cost. And the more money forest companies make the more they mechanize the industry; 60 people are going to lose their jobs this year due to mechanization."

Environmentalists and First Nations are also disturbed by the closeness of the relationship between logging companies and the government. The companies have a 25-year guaranteed contract which is re-evaluated every five years. They submit their proposals to residents only after they have been approved by company and government experts, and independent evaluations are rare. Fines for overcutting are even rarer--the first ever in Quebec was given last year.

Last May, a delegation of Cree went down to Atlanta, Georgia to attend the shareholders' meeting of Home Depot Inc. In 1999, the company--which buys $700-million worth of Quebec forest products annually--vowed to buy only ecologically harvested wood. The Cree went to argue that Quebec's practices ruled out this distinction--a message the government quickly denied.

But such large-scale activist tactics may not decide the fate of the tiny Vaudray forest. And while Norbord Inc. vice-president Jean Roy says he'll compromise on clear-cutting the fragment if activists, "can demonstrate to us that this land is unique," Jacob is not counting solely on industry benevolence.

Jacob hopes the committee idea will produce a deal to save the trees. But if not, he warns, "We have a 'Plan B.' And we wouldn't rule out civil disobedience." :

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