"The Mountain Pine Beetle is a first class presentation" noted Dan Broderick, forestry and social studies teacher at Quesnel Secondary School. "Of particular importance is Mr. Lear's material on the future, which is well supported with pertinent data. There are real and important implications for forestry communities post-beetle. I commend Mr. Lear for presenting these as new opportunities rather than the doomsday approach so common these days. Our communities can and will survive given the energy of our citizens and the continued support of industry and government."

"The Forestry Careers presentation has students from the Sciences, Forestry, Math, Tourism, Social Studies and First Nations classes amazed about the variety of forestry careers available to them" says Chris Mushumanski, forestry teacher at Nechako Lakes Secondary School in Vanderhoof. "Even the teachers who brought their classes could not believe some of the career opportunities there are and will be in the future. This is a great presentation that brings some optimism about forest careers directly to our students."

Chris Lear will be offering presentations to schools across north-central BC through to the end of February 2007.

For more information on these and other school presentations, please contact Chris Lear, COFI Northern Operations Forest Education Manager by phone at: 250-564-5136 or by e-mail: lear@cofi.org.

COFI and the KFS supported Korean Wood Construction Association have been working together on training and promotional initiatives over the past five years. Korea builds 6,000 2X4 houses annually and with the recent relaxation of the multi-storey wood-frame building code, it is expected that Korea will reach 20,000 2X4 starts by 2010. In addition to the Korean builder training program that will take place in February of 2007, COFI is working with the Korean government to remove many of the very restrictive fire and sound code regulations that currently exist.

For more information contact Wayne Iversen by phone at: (604) 891-1216 or by e-mail:iversen@cofi.org.

The Office of the Auditor General will report on the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the January 2004 Final Report of the Forest Safety Task Force. The review will identify barriers to achieving the task force's goal of zero fatalities, and will also consider whether additional actions are required.

The audit will review the activities of public agencies involved in forestry and safety, including the Ministry of Forests and Range, Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services, WorkSafeBC, Ministry of Transportation and ICBC. It will review mechanisms related to inspections, training and qualification, and insurance. A report is to be made available to the public and the Members of the Legislative Assembly in June 2007.

Chris Lear and Grade 5, 6 and 7 students from Chalo First Nation’s Elementary School in Fort Nelson, BC following a recent Wood Magic presentation.

'It's important to get students excited, to get them laughing and to have them participate in hands-on activities so that they are fully engaged in learning', notes Chris. The new 'Wood Magic' presentation does that and more. As students learn about different cell structures by blowing bubbles through solid wooden dowels and how heat can be generated from wood pellets by submerging them in water. By the end of the hour-long presentation the students seem amazed at what they have learned and totally at awe about all the products that we get from trees – it's truly Magical!

The 'Wood Magic' presentation will be offered to all elementary schools across north-central BC in January and February 2007.

For more information on this presentation, please contact Chris Lear, COFI Northern Operations Forest Education Manager by phone at (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail:lear@cofi.org

Entitled "Generating More Wealth from British Columbia's Timber," the report examines the rationale for log exports from private and Crown lands and their effect on harvesting, log markets, workers, communities and the forest products industry. It was prepared by Don Wright and Bill Dumont, who were appointed by the minister in August to conduct a review of log exports.

The nine recommendations contained in the report propose a significant shift in the administration of log exports. The report concludes that log exports are a symptom, not a root cause, of underlying economic challenges affecting the coastal forest industry. The authors advocate a flexible level of log exports tailored to economic circumstances.
The authors state that changes to log export policies should enable fairer cross-border trade with the United States, improve the economics of hemlock and balsam harvest on the Coast, and stimulate new investment in B.C.'s forest industry.

The minister has asked stakeholders for their comments about the recommendations, due back to him by Jan. 31, 2007.

For more information see the Ministry of Forests and Range website: www.for.gov.bc.ca/het.

Mayor Chris Morey (R) with 'Friends of The Forest Award'

Forest Capital Committee Chair Karen Unruh said of Fort Nelson's year as Forest Capital, "One of our goals as Forest Capital was to ensure that the whole community had the opportunity to participate in the celebrations and that everybody learned more about our forests and the forest industry. Without a doubt, the Forest Capital committee and the numerous volunteers that helped throughout the year accomplished this… From the piggy back events to the stand alone and legacy activities - everyone in Fort Nelson and the Northern Rockies area has been exposed to our status as Forest Capital and has had a chance to celebrate our forests and the forest industry this year!"

Chris Lear, Northern Operations Forest Education Manager attended the event bringing congratulations to the town and organizing committee from COFI for their outstanding commitment to the year's many events. In turn, Mayor Moray recognized COFI for its support of the education and awareness component of BC Forest Capital 2006 and for the wonderful "Welcome to Fort Nelson – BC Forest Capital 2006" sandblasted cedar sign now welcoming visitors to Fort Nelson's airport.

Gary Desrosier, Manager, Quality Control and his daughter Taylor with COFI's tree.

For more information contact Diana Gillrie by phone at: (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail at gillrie@cofi.org.