William Marsden
September 23, 2008

Bad forestry practices are destroying the moose population of the Gaspé, according to a study by Nature Quebec and the Quebec Federation of Hunters and Fishermen.

The two organizations are calling on the provincial government to give special protection to nature reserves in Quebec to stop the forestry industry from destroying leafy forests, on which moose rely for food.

"Moose habitat is a mixed natural forest, and in the nature reserve of Matane the forest is in the process of being converted into a monoculture of black spruce, where moose cannot find food," said Louis Bélanger of Nature Quebec, an environmental protection group.

The forestry industry is cutting 80 per cent of the leaf vegetation that moose need to live, Bélanger said. He called the practice "abusive."

Alain Cossette, executive director of the hunters' and fishermen's federation, said the industry is replanting only black spruce because it is "more profitable."

"Monoculture is a ticking time bomb" for the moose population, he said.

Despite their designation, nature reserves do not get special protection from the Quebec government against logging by the forestry industry.

The industry has recently come under attack from conservation groups who argue it is destroying the boreal forest and other vital ecosystems with its clear-cutting practices.

In March, the Quebec government imposed a provincewide 20-per-cent cutback on the amount of softwood the industry could cut because Quebec's forests are being devastated.

wmarsden@thegazette.canwest.com