46.1. Where for a particular year the Minister considers that surpluses will be available in sources of supply mentioned in paragraph 2 of section 43, he may, to promote their utilization by agreement holders, to such extent as may be permitted to ensure the sustained yield, take, on or before 1 March of the preceding year, in respect of a species or a group of species he determines, either of the measures set out in the third and fourth paragraphs.
The Minister may, in addition, in September of the year concerned, take either of those measures, or change or terminate any measure taken pursuant to the first paragraph.
If the Minister is of the opinion that the volumes of timber to be harvested under the annual management plans of all the agreement holders concerned foster the optimal use of foreseeable surpluses, he may prescribe that the volume of timber which each of the agreement holders concerned is authorized to harvest is limited to the volume specified in his annual management plan.
If the opinion of the Minister is to the contrary, he may, for the particular year, prescribe that the volume of timber of which the harvest will be authorized under the forest management permits is not to exceed the volumes allocated under the agreements, reduced by a percentage that he shall fix for all the agreement holders concerned.
The fourth paragraph does not apply to agreement holders who hold an operating permit for a wood processing plant with an annual authorized timber consumption of 100 000 cubic metres or less.
1990, c. 17, s. 4; 1993, c. 55, s. 10; 1996, c. 14, s. 3.