Estimation des retombées économiques directes engendrées par le réseau de création de valeur de la filière bois de feuillus durs au Québec

Deciduous hardwood species represent more than 17% of the total fibre used in primary wood processing mills in Quebec. However, economic outcomes from primary and secondary hardwood processing are not well documented. Meanwhile, many questions arise regarding the growing difficulty of good access to the fibre in both quantity and quality. The main objective of this study is to define the hardwood network. To do so, we have to quantify the economic outcomes by developing a method of evaluation of the outcomes induced by the industries of 2 nd and 3 rd transformation, compare that network with the softwood network and then, finally, make a sensitivity analysis of these outcomes when facing variation in the level of exports and the average sale price. The results show that in 2002, the value of production of the hardwood processing industry, all levels combined, was 2.3 billion dollars. The presence of a 2 nd and 3 rd transformation industry can allow an increase of more than double the value of production. Hardwood sawmills generate direct economic outcomes similar to the softwood industry but at a smaller production scale. The sensitivity analysis showed that a decrease of 5% in exports of the 1 st transformation products would generate a growth of 3% of the value of the total deliveries and increase the total number of employees of the 2 nd and 3 rd transformation industry by 9%. Key words: deciduous hardwood, first and second transformation, exports, direct economic outcome, employment