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Today, the majestic forests of red pine are sparser in Charlevoix.  Spruce, maple, birch, fir, larch, aspen and pine are part of the landscape along with walnut, cherry tree, mountain ash, dogwood, hawthorn and juniper trees. They give us beauty, protection, goods and services.  The boreal forest of Charlevoix was the subject of the second best-selling novel following the success of Maria Chapdelaine by Louis Hémon : Menaud maître-draveur written by Bishop Félix-Antoine Savard, first pastor of Clermont.  He waxed lyrical on the beautiful forests of Charlevoix.  Menaud the hero, castigated traitors who sold this treasure to mercantile foreigners. He died almost despairing of the future but still hoped for better days.  The Acropole des Draveurs (Drovers’ Acropolis) has been named in his honour.  Mirrored in the Eaux Mortes of the Malbaie River, the high wall of the Acropolis faces the mountain across that was named for Menaud’s creator:  Félix-Antoine-Savard.

Apart from a small quantity of cultivated land, Charlevoix is entirely covered with forests.  Charlevoix still serves well those who have the talent and the desire to live here.  Past abuses are still visible but we are now entering a renaissance period parallel with a general awakening for the need of protecting the environment.  The entire territory was put to the axe at least once.

Léo Cauchon Ltd., a subsidiary company of Donohue, has a procurement and forestry management contract covering an area of 4,000 square kilometres and containing 4% of lakes and rivers.  They are two such contracts in Charlevoix and 272 throughout Quebec.  They are in fact forest concessions revamped by polyvalence and silviculture.   Parks are excluded from the contract but not outfitters, ZEC (controlled zones) and wildlife reserves.  These cover 75% of the allocated territory.  The Cauchon company has to take into account the needs of five ZECS, three salmon rivers, fourteen outfitters, one wildlife reserve, three parks and more than 300 vacation leases.

The allocated territory has an annual capacity set at 263,000 cubic meters.  24,000 cubic meters of birch and poplar trees serve to feed the Saint-Hilarion and Petit-Saguenay sawmills.  Another 20 years will be needed to repair the damage that was done. However, commercial thinning and afforestation must continue and the use of lighter and more flexible machinery is recommended.  To have an idea of Quebec’s actual productivity, forest areas allocated to industry, excluding lakes and rivers, are composed of 36 hardwood trees.  In 1997, Quebec numbered 63 plants making pulp, paper and cardboard, 1,230 sawmills and 1,100 other plants working in wood transformation.

Source: Charlevoix International