Activity 5: The forest territory of Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Activity 5: The forest territory of Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Robin Dubois passe l’été en Abitibi!
Mike Forrest is spending the summer in Abitibi!
Mike has just finished his first semester of CEGEP. He’s happy because he’s found himself
an unusual job for the summer: he’s leaving soon to plant trees in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, a
region with a large logging industry as well as vast tracts of land that need to be replanted.
Mike has been hired by a large forestry company that provides its employees with a
temporary camp, meals and thousands of tree seedlings to be planted every day.
Mike has always wanted to visit Abitibi because he has family there. To prepare for his trip,
he’s asked one of his uncles to email him photos of the region. Unfortunately, the photos
arrived in a jumble and Mike would like to understand what they represent. Can you help
him sort them out?
First read the following encyclopedia entry for Abitibi-Témiscamingue:
Encyclopedia
Abitibi-Témiscamingue (08)
Source: Ville de Rouyn-Noranda
Population: 145,000 people (2006)
(about 2% of the population of Québec)
Area: 57,700 km2
Density: 2.5 people/km2
Boundaries:
North: Nord-du-Québec (10)
East: Mauricie (04)
South: Outaouais (07)
West: Ontario
Main municipalities:
Amos, Val-d’Or, Rouyn-Noranda, La Sarre, Ville-Marie
Number of Algonquin communities: 7
(Information updated Nov. 2007 from Statistics Canada)
Geography
Abitibi-Témiscamingue is the fourth largest region of Québec and is divided into two areas.
In the south, Témiscamingue is a hilly area covered by mixed forest; the main economic
activities are livestock farming and agriculture. Abitibi, in the north, is a much flatter area
covered by boreal forest; mining is one of the main economic activities of this area. In total,
more than 80% of this region is covered by forest.
Source: Martin Guérin, Le Québec en images
Abitibi-Témiscamingue has abundant water resources, including thousands of lakes and
hundreds of rivers that flow towards James Bay or the St. Lawrence River.
Source: Daniel Bédard, Le Québec en images
History
Abitibi-Témiscamingue was the last region of Québec to be settled: its colonization only
started in the 1920s. The rate of colonization accelerated in the early 1930s, when the
government of Québec wanted to help working-class urban dwellers hit hard by the Great
Depression. Wooded lots were offered to families who were given the task of clearing and
planting the land under challenging conditions.
Source: Le Québec en images
Economy
Villages and then towns sprang up, and the proximity of a labour force soon attracted forestry
companies. Forestry was thus the first industry of the region. Later, the discovery of mineral
deposits also greatly contributed to the economic development of this region.
[Val d'or] Source: Martin Guérin, Le Québec en images
Today, Abitibi-Témiscamingue is considered a resource region. Its economy is mainly based
on mining activities (copper, gold, zinc) and forest resources. These two sectors provide
thousands of jobs to local residents.
[Société minière La Noranda] Source: François Ruph, Le Québec en images
[Woodpile , Domtar] Source: François Ruph, Le Québec en images
[Donohue Paper Mill] Source: Martin Guérin, Le Québec en images
Source: Martin Guérin, Le Québec en images
Portail régional de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue,
http://www.mrnfp.gouv.qc.ca/abitibi-temiscamingue/index.jsp
Association Aux Arbres Citoyens,
http://www.auxarbrescitoyens.com/
Understanding the organization of Abitibi
Now that you know a bit more about Abitibiti-Témiscamingue, you can explore the region
virtually and help Mike sort the photos he received from his uncle. The following are four
landscapes you will find in Abitibi. Select one to explore.
Agricultural territory
Read the following text and examine the satellite image below before continuing.
During the 1920s, thousands of Québec families migrated to the United States in search of
better jobs in the textile plants of New England. To counter this phenomenon, the
government of Québec and the Catholic Church encouraged the colonization of Abitibi. The
rate of colonization accelerated after 1929, following the economic crisis known as the Great
Depression, which began in the United States. Since plants were closing and the
unemployment rate had reached 30%, choosing to settle on agricultural land became an
interesting viable alternative. However, for the land to be cultivated, it first had to be cleared
under difficult climatic conditions. To make matters worse, after a few years, it became clear
that the land was not very fertile. The harsh living conditions got the better of many
colonists. This is how some of the land was eventually cleared and the forest began to be
exploited.
Exploited forest territory
Read the following text and examine the satellite image below before continuing.
The forests of Abitibi-Témiscamingue have been exploited for over 150 years. Multinationals
have built plants in this region to meet the growing needs of consumers, especially those
south of the border. The goal of forestry companies has always been to cut as many trees as
possible, as quickly as possible, to maximize their profits. People believed that the forests
were so vast they were endless. Today, we know that this resource is not infinite, and people
are starting to want to exploit it in a sustainable fashion. In addition, numerous examples
from the rest of the world have led us to consider the importance of combining exploitation
with conservation.
.
Protected forest territory
Read the following text and examine the satellite image below before continuing.
Thanks to technological advances and the growing needs of consumers, it is now possible to
clear-cut an entire forest very rapidly. However, it is important to preserve areas where the
forest remains in its natural state. To this end, wildlife reserves, national parks and other
protected areas have been created to protect forests for recreational use. Today, thousands of
tourists from Québec and around the world visit these natural areas in Abitibi and other
regions to commune with nature. We now understand that biodiversity is part of our natural
heritage and that it has educational as well as economic value.
Urban territory
Read the following text and examine the satellite image below before continuing.
The main economic activities in Abitibi are related to the exploitation of natural resources:
mines and forests. For the last 150 years, as Canadian and American companies have moved
in to exploit the forests of this region, urban centres have grown up around wood-processing
industries (pulp and paper, lumber, etc.). Employees have settled around the plants, while
businesses and services flourished nearby. Many of the workers are thus employed by these
companies, most of which are not local. This is how towns such as Amos, Val-d’Or and
Rouyn-Noranda came into being.
Of all the images Mike received from his uncle, select the five that illustrate the type of
landscape you chose:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
Answer the following questions about this type of territory:
What feelings does this type of territory evoke for you?
What is the significance of human actions in this territory? How do humans organize this
territory?
Has the regional territory of Abitibi been subject to external economic or political
influences?
Compare your landscape with those of students who chose a different type of territory.