Five steps to restarting BC’s forestry industry

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Factory closures and restrictions in B.C. last year led to the loss of 5,000 direct jobs in the forestry industry and another 5,000 indirect jobs in supply chains and services supporting the industry. Current conditions in the sector not only negatively impact jobs and business, but also exports, government revenues and provincial investment.

The causes of historic levels of disruption have been well documented. These include insects, fires, markets, and policy changes.

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Ultimately, uncertainty over access to a reliable timber supply is at the heart of most of the problems currently facing British Columbia’s forestry sector. Without access to wood, sawmills cannot operate. Without sawmills, pulp and paper mills, pellet production and value-added facilities cannot be sustained. The effects on jobs, families and the economy are mounting.

But getting the sector back on track to deliver the benefits that communities across British Columbia rely on requires more than just understanding the problem – it requires a willingness to do something about it.

One thing everyone can agree on is that there is no single path forward. Meaningful change requires decision-makers and stakeholders – provincial governments, First Nations, industry, local communities, workers and contractors – to unite around a package of solutions that can be implemented in both the short and long term.

Here are five that would help create a more predictable timber supply in British Columbia, while meeting other important goals for forest health, environmental protection and First Nations reconciliation.

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• Improve current permit development processes to ensure environmentally sustainable and economically viable harvests are consistently achieved. Address delays in the issuance of logging permits, which can take two to three years to process. Before introducing further new policies, it is important to allow some time and space to consider how to implement current policies. Build a two-year supply of standing wood. Review BC’s current timber sales business model to ensure it is evolving to meet changing conditions and priorities.

• Secure agreements with First Nations that accelerate progress on key issues. Adopt new approaches to First Nations consultation, forest ownership, revenue sharing and land-use planning that recognize and respect provincial commitments to reconciliation. First Nations have made clear they want a greater role in forest management, as well as a greater role in investing in the future of forest management and timber production in British Columbia

• Speeding up the creation of new regional tables for forest landscape planning. The provincial government has initiated a more holistic approach to landscape planning and ecosystem management that has broad public support. The credibility of the approach will depend on the ability to demonstrate continuous progress and results for all parties at the table. To make tangible progress on old growth, biodiversity and cultural conservation, new tools such as conservation financing and zone management need to be implemented sooner rather than later.

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• Supporting more innovative forest management. Establish new funding targets and strategies to enhance the role that research and forest management can play in fire resilience, community and biodiversity conservation, and fiber use. This includes silviculture, thinning, cultural and prescribed burning, and salvage of damaged wood.

• Develop a long-term action plan or economic strategy for BC’s forestry sector. To maintain core assets and capacity in the face of constant change, a strong, coherent and consistent message is needed that BC has a vision and plan for the future of its forestry sector. The plan should clearly outline how it will support long-term economic stability and growth. The vision must deliver better outcomes for carbon management, sustainable development, and indigenous-led forest management and conservation.

By every measure, BC has an unrivaled strategic advantage in producing the growing range of sustainable products the world is looking for. The world wants and needs wood products, biomaterials and building systems that can be low-carbon, climate-resilient and affordable.

BC has the trees, infrastructure, skilled workforce, new technologies – and the commitment to environmental protection, sustainable forest management and Indigenous reconciliation – to play a leading role in responding to this demand.

There is a growing consensus on what can be done to restart one of British Columbia’s most important industries. It is time to act on this consensus.

Linda Coady is the president and CEO of the BC Forest Industry Council.

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