Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

In 2011, Chabot, Pomerleau & associés obtained, from the Rainforest Alliance, the certificate of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), thus becoming the first private firm of consultants in forest management and environment to obtain this prestigious certification in Quebec and only the third in Canada.

The interest of Quebecers in protecting the environment is undeniable. Let’s think about the selective collection of waste (compost, recycling, etc.), tire recycling, the protection of wetlands and laws such as the Sustainable Forest Development Act.

On the other hand, Quebec’s forests have been exploited for too long without considering the impacts on the environment. Responsible planning considers the economic importance of logging, but also integrates respect for other uses and considerations. We then speak of forest certification.

Chabot, Pomerleau & Associés has therefore obtained the highly sought-after environmental recognition, namely the forest certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), for which it is committed to respecting the principles and criteria in the long term.

WHAT IS FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (FSC)

The primary objective of forest certification is to carry out an impartial and voluntary evaluation of sustainable forest management practices. Three forest certification standards exist in Quebec, namely CSA (Canadian) and SFI (American), used for very large forests, and FSC, the National Boreal Standard, a version of which is applicable to small private forests.

The (FSC) is an international non-profit organization, which was established in 1993, to promote the sustainable management of the world’s forests according to principles that are environmentally friendly, socially beneficial and economically viable.

The FSC logo, found on finished products, indicates to consumers that these products come from FSC-certified forests, therefore managed according to FSC (chain of custody) standards.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN FSC-CERTIFIED DEVELOPMENT

    • Eco-friendly. Harvesting of wood and non-wood forest products, as well as other uses, must maintain the biodiversity, productivity and ecological processes of the forest.
    • Socially beneficial. Local authorities and society in general must be able to benefit from long-term benefits. Also, certified management provides significant incentives to local communities to maintain forest resources and adopt long-term management plans.
    • Economically advantageous. Forestry operations and management activities must be profitable, but not to the detriment of the forest resource, the ecosystem and the affected communities. A balance must be maintained between revenue generation and the principles of responsible forest management through efforts to market forest products and other uses of the forest so as to obtain the best value possible.

The FSC also promotes a climate of collaboration and consultation in the development of standards and their implementation which guarantee:

    • honesty, integrity, transparency, fairness and commitment not to allow oneself to be corrupted or to corrupt stakeholders, all in compliance with the code of ethics of the Order of Forestry Engineers of Quebec;
    • honor the principles and rights of workers;
    • promote gender equality in employment practices, access to training, award of contracts, participation processes and activities as well as in management activities;
    • respect and recognition of the legal rights and customary rights of indigenous peoples to own, use and manage their lands, territories and resources and;
    • the economic accessibility of certification for all landowners.For Chabot, Pomerleau & Associés, two principles predominate in terms of forest certification: characterization and precaution.All forested properties can be certified if they comply with the FSC standard. It does not matter whether the owner is a municipality, a private owner, or a non-profit organization, as long as FSC standards are respected.

FSC forest certification is a big step forward in ensuring the sustainability and renaturalization of our forests. However, much remains to be done. Forest certification will likely help increase the market value of properties over the years, in addition to facilitating the sale of products resulting from these responsible developments.

PRINCIPLE 9 – HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE (HCV)

There are six recognized forms of High Conservation Values:

      • HCV 1. Species diversity.Concentrations of biological diversity, including endemic species, and rare, threatened or endangered species that are significant at global, national or regional levels.
      • HCV 2. Landscape level ecosystems and mosaics.Intact Forest Landscapes and large landscape level ecosystems and ecosystem mosaics that are significant at global, national or regional levels, and that contain viable populations of the great majority of the naturally occurring species in natural patterns of distribution and abundance.
      • HCV 3. Ecosystems and habitats,Rare, threatened, or endangered ecosystems, habitats or refugia.
      • HCV 4. Critical ecosystem services.Basic ecosystem services in critical situations, including protection of water catchments and control of erosion of vulnerable soils and slopes.
      • HCV 5. Community needs.Sites and resources fundamental to satisfying the necessities of local communities or Indigenous Peoples (for livelihood, health, nutrition, water, etc.), identified through engagement with these communities or Indigenous Peoples.
      • HCV 6. Cultural values,Sites, resources, habitats and landscapes of global or national cultural, archaeological or historical significance, and/or critical cultural,ecological, economic or religions/sacred importance for the traditional cultures of local communities of Indigenous Peoples, identified through engagement with these local communities or Indigenous Peoples.

We present below two (2) maps concerning the territory of Chabot, Pomerleau & associés for the FSC forest certification, showing the HCV (High Conservation Value) concerned.

Map 1 of 2

      • Protected lands (HCV de category 1)
      • Important bird areas (ZICO) (HCV category 1)
      • Wildlife habitat (HCV category 1)
      • Exceptional forest ecosystems (HCV category 3)

Map 2 of 2

      • Floristic occurrence (HCV category 1)
      • Wildlife occurrence (HCV category 1)
      • Areas with risk of erosion (HCV category 4)
      • Important cultural site for the Indigenous Peoples (HCV category 6)

These two (2) maps are available to the public. If you wish to consult the details of the HCV, we invite you to contact us at (819 791-8668) or by e-mail cpa@chabotpomerleauass.com.