Editor’s note The following text is part of a file written as part of the thematic notebook whose theme is: The changing forestry sector, published in our April edition.
NORMANDIN — To carry out projects in the biomass sector, the general director of AGIR Group Michel Bouchard believes that several steps must be taken before achieving profitability in this energy sphere using forest materials. “There have been a lot of intentions in recent years, but few initiatives have taken the laboratory step towards large-scale production,” he says. Would the transition from long wood to short wood have complicated this quest? Mr. Bouchard believes that there are as many challenges as there are opportunities.
For almost 25 years, Michel Bouchard has worked within the social economy company, the AGIR Group. She specializes in forest management in the territory of the MRC Maria-Chapdelaine. It extracts more than 200,000 cubic meters of wood in the forest management unit (UAF) of the MRC.
Contacted by Informe Business, the latter agreed to provide an overview of the issues surrounding access to by-products allowing the production of forest biomass, a renewable energy Source in the sights of the Quebec government. “The industry made a shift more than twenty years ago to convert from long wood to short wood for different reasons. Sawing lines are now mainly adapted for short wood, a return to wood long wall to wall would be unlikely,” he explains at the outset. “Current operations ensure that branches and cutting residues remain on the felling sites. certain sites where it is better not to always recover the material in order to fertilize the soil.
Residual forest biomass is an approach to valorizing wood residues. It involves the conversion of unexploited residues, such as branches, shavings, and sawdust, into fuels such as chips or pellets. These fuels are then incinerated to produce heat and energy.
In a region where the wood industry is of great importance due to its largest forest cover in Quebec, Michel Bouchard believes that possible initiatives could take off in the coming years. “We are in the largest forest basin in the province, I think the region will position itself well. We have access to a large biomass basin. The processes will adjust. […] The more things go, the more we talk about it. Now we need to put programs in place. “
An emerging sector
The CEO of the AGIR Group recalls that the energy sphere is still in its infancy and that several steps will have to be taken before seeing a large-scale project.
“I’ve been hearing about biomass for 25 years and there aren’t a lot of projects that have come to fruition. Recently, Elkem put one foot on the brakes with its biocarbon plant. The technology and approach are there certainly for something It’s never easy Now, there must be government programs and incentives for the industry to get on board, but above all, Hydro-Québec must review its royalty strategy in this sector. […] It doesn’t matter what form it comes in — biochar, biofuel, etc. —, the more value you give to your product, the greater the recovery will be,” he believes.
“We need a project that will be solid”
Citing as an example the conversion to biomass of the boiler room of the Roberval hospital which ended in failure [l’établissement utilisant désormais le gaz naturel pour sa chaufferie NDLR]the forest management expert recalls that this transition was a failure due to the price of fuel.
“We need a project that will be solid and that will act as a showcase so that it can replicate itself. […] The energy crisis in Europe will have helped them to have a head start in this area. In Quebec, we must now structure projects well and the government must look into support and subsidy programs,” indicates Mr. Bouchard, adding that the lumber and panel sectors are in slumps. due to prices which have fallen, which does not favor R&D in terms of valorization of by-products.
Long or short wood
In forestry, two main methods of cutting wood are distinguished once a tree has been felled: cutting long wood and cutting short wood. The first consists of leaving the trees in large sections or whole until they are moved to the side of the road for treatment, favoring the simplicity of transporting large volumes in a single operation.
In contrast, short timber harvesting is characterized by immediate processing of the trees at the site of their felling, where they are delimbed and cut into more manageable sections. This method facilitates sorting and stacking by category of use, therefore optimizing resource management and transport. Each of these techniques has distinct advantages, directly influencing forest management and timber harvesting.
