The forest activities of Arbec Forest Products are conducted on public lands in the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick. They are made in compliance with laws, regulations and sound land management.

Arbec Forest Products G.P. adapts its work according to the crop stand characteristics encountered. With the objective of increased protection of regeneration and maintenance of landscape quality, it keeps trying to improve the quality of its interventions.

While cutting with protection of regeneration and soils (CPRS) was 100% of the harvest interventions in 2004, the year 2005 marked the beginning of the diversification of the crop in terms of ecosystems. Indeed, for FMUs 024-52 and 094-52, exceptions are currently in place in order to tailor interventions to biological diversity, including plant and wildlife. Forests are irregular and it is important to keep this caracteristic nature of a portion of our forest (Figure 1).

In the case of the two FMUs, the woodland caribou is currently the wildlife whose habitat must be adapted to their needs. Thus, the distribution of cuts is planned according to the species by a specific management plan. In addition, a portion of the forest is harvested to maintain its irregular structure.

The types of cuts are recommended with retention volume. Retention volume preserves, immediately after harvest, a number of trees that favor one side, the conservation of the irregularity of the forest and another, an earliest return of wildlife. In the case of caribou, it needs to keep lateral obstruction, which occur when cutting with retaining trees.

This type of harvest (Figure 2, 3 and 4) includes CPPTM (cutting with protection of small merchantable stems are kept in which stems 10 and 12 cm of diameter), the CPTDV (cutting with protection of variable diameter stems in which are preserved stems of different diameters) and the CRB (cutting with retention of bouquets of leaving intact islets), which now account for 20% of interventions and tend to increase. Regarding the rest of the crop (80%), much of the interventions is now done by multifunctional harvesters, allowing better protection and regeneration practices. Thi method is called CPHRS (cutting with protection of the high regeneration). To succeed this type of cut, it must, of course, that the forest is suitable, means that the forest before cutting get sufficient regeneration, a characteristic that has The Boreal forest.

Arbec Forest Products conducts silvicultural work on all the sectors for which it holds the management rights (CAAF).

Reforestation of forest plants is a silvicultural treatment that consists at planting sectors that do not have sufficient natural regeneration to ensure optimal return from the forest. This situation can be encountered where the sectors have undergone various disturbances such as: the creation of areas of branching and stacking wood generated during operation of wood in length, a wildfire, deforestation of a gravel pit or areas that did not have regeneration while harvested.

Pre-commercial thinning / clearance :

The pre-commercial thinning is a silvicultural treatment that occurs in young forest stands from 10 to 20 years. This activity is performed when it is possible to identify an excessive density of stems.

That means that the better stems will be protected and surrounding trees will be eliminated. The latter will be protected as surrounding trees are cut to allow better growing conditions for the rod retaining future. Some fruit trees are also retained to support wildlife, as well as hardwoods located in the islands. The clearance is the same type of procedure except that it occurs with stands of younger age.

Site preparation is done in areas that have experienced disturbances such as wildfire, insect epidemics or harvest without regeneration. As these sectors are not able to regenerate naturally, we use equipment capable of creating spots suitable for the planting of seedlings.