During his visit to the Montreal Wood Convention, Québec’s Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Laurent Lessard, announced that a Wood Innovation Forum will be held in Rivière-du-Loup on October 31, 2016. He invited all the forest products industry’s actors to attend this unique event.

“The year 2016 is a transitional year for the forest industry”, said Minister Lessard. “It is vital that innovation should be used as a means of reviving the forest sector, for the development of Québec as a whole and to ensure the future of many regional communities. Québec has a duty to play its role as a leader in the area of innovation. It is for this reason that I want us to work together, at the same table, to talk about the issues. I consider this to be a priority, since it is by innovating, together, that we will be able to guarantee the emergence of a new forest products industry in Québec, because we believe strongly in it, for our companies, our workers and our communities.”

The Forum will highlight the potential ways in which Québec’s entire forestry sector could be transformed and modernized through the use of innovation, research and development.

Five major workshops
Between now and the Forum, the Government will set up five major workshop groups tasked with identifying the problems and finding solutions and methods that will help the forest products industry to move forward.

The workshop groups will focus on the five sectors of activity and will be chaired by well-known experts:

  • Sawmills
  • Pulp, paper and bioproducts
  • Boards
  • Wood construction
  • Bioenergy

The workshop chairs will present their findings at the Forum.