A second cohort of non-timber forest product pickers trained in Lanaudière

Participants, partners and trainers at the Lanaudière NTFP identification and harvesting training course
Participants, partners and trainers at the Lanaudière NTFP identification and harvesting training course

The final course in the Lanaudière region's training program on the identification and harvesting of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) was held on June 14. Now in its second year, the course has reached some thirty participants over the course of the year. A second cohort of professional NTFP harvesters has now been trained, helping to raise awareness of the products of our forests and promote the development of this market. The Société d'aide au développement de la collectivité SADC Matawinie and the Association forestière de Lanaudière (AFL) are proud of the success achieved and the influence of the training on a provincial scale.

The final course on gourmet NTFPs, held on June 14, featured an end-of-year banquet to mark the participants' commitment and to celebrate! For the occasion, Jean-François Lévêque from Jardins de l'écoumène, Benoit Michaud from Ressources forestières biotiques and Yoann Duroy from the Société des Chefs, Cuisiniers et Pâtissiers du Québec, took part in the evening, expressing their interest in forest products and their desire to see this sector develop.

A network of pickers is consolidating in the region, and we're happy to contribute to it by providing training. We invite anyone interested in the world of NTFPs to visit the Réseau de cueilleurs de PFNL - Lanaudière Facebook page, which is packed with articles on the subject, training courses and events. The course returns in August, and registration is now open. We invite you to contact Emmanuelle Lefebvre for further information: elefebvre@matawinie.qc.ca or 450 883-0717, ext. 222.

Such training would not have been possible without the collaboration of partners who believed in the potential of these emerging products and helped us lay the foundations of this new economy for our region, namely agroforestry. Our special thanks go to the Service aux entreprises et à la communauté, of the Centre multiservice des Samares, who made this project possible, as well as all our financial partners: the CLD Matawinie, the SADC de d'Autray-Joliette, the deputy of Joliette Mme Véronique Hivon, the municipality of Saint-Félix-de-Valois where the theoretical training took place, as well as all the private woodlot owners who graciously gave us access to their land for the field trips.

About training This 294-hour training course comprises four (4) modules spread over a year to take advantage of the potential offered by the different seasons. Several topics are covered to provide a varied knowledge base and explore a maximum number of products with commercial potential. Course topics include: mycology, Lanaudière forest ecosystems, northern nuts, medicinal plants, forest orientation, inventory techniques, NTFP potential before and after logging, forest vegetables, business start-up, plants, shrubs and berries, and many others.

Click HERE to find out more about the course!

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