L to R: Tom Temple, Dennis Hotte, Brian Balkwill, Doug Routledge, Garry Phenuff, Sharon Smith.

The highlight of the evening was a compelling presentation by Tom Temple, Canfor's Vice-President of International Sales and Panel Marketing. Tom introduced his talk by making the observation that even though you might live in Houston or a similar town in the interior of BC, you are very much affected by markets around the world. The very interested crowd learned about market segmentation and the efforts being made to grow our forest product markets in Asia.

The COFI Bulkley Valley community dinner is rotated amongst Houston, Smithers, and Burns Lake. Folks in the north-east can look forward to COFI's Peace Area dinner occurring in Chetwynd later this fall. COFI North Community Dinners are co-sponsored by Finning (Canada).

For more information contact Steve Kozuki by phone at (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at kozuki@cofi.org or Doug Routledge by phone at (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at routledge@cofi.org.

To introduce more students to career opportunities in the forest industry, a pilot project titled "Intro to Forestry- A Work Study Program" was proposed and organized by Deb Sluggett, forest educational liaison for the Okanagan- Columbia zone, modeled after day camps offered by BCIT in the Lower Mainland. The resulting 2 ½ day event was held in May at Silver Lake Forestry Camp in the Central Okanagan, attended by sixteen high school students from throughout the region, who were taught by volunteer instructors from BCIT and UBC (Vancouver).

Providing an ideal setting for "hands-on" experiences, the forested land around Silver Lake Camp saw students exploring a cross-section of concepts taught in post-secondary forestry/natural resource science programs throughout BC. From mapping and compass work, tree planting, harvesting and road construction, forest inventory and search and rescue to forest health and fire management, a range of topics were covered. Instruction and practical exercises took place both inside the lodge and in the wooded areas surrounding the camp, with many opportunities to use the equipment and to gain some insight into some of the challenges of forest management.

In evaluations done at the conclusion of the event, participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the project. One student commented, "I just wanted to say thank-you for the great experience and I think you should know that I really want to go into forestry. I wasn't sure before and that's what I came here to find out. I'm now almost completely sure that that'swhat I want to do." Another wrote, "I would recommend the program to other students who are interested in forestry and would like to know more about it. It would give them more insight into the aspects of forestry." and finally, "Thank you so much for organizing this and if you do it next year, I would love to come and volunteer to help out."

Building on the success of the original program, a second, very successful "Intro to Forestry" camp was held in early October, with 22 high school students attending from throughout the Okanagan Valley taught by BCIT and Selkirk College forestry professors. A third camp is being held in the Thompson region later in October, hosted by forest educator, Susan Bondar, with instructors from BCIT and Thompson Rivers University.

For more information contact Deb Bazett by phone at (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail at bazett@cofi.org.

During a bustling reception, delegates comprised of municipal government, community and business leaders as well as local college and university students from the forestry, natural resource and business programs were given the opportunity to network and meet forest industry representatives. The formal program began with a welcoming address by Deborah Munoz, Acting Mayor of the City of Prince George. Deborah emphasized the importance of the forest industry in the north and thanked COFI for providing the opportunity for community leaders to learn more about current issues.

Front (L to R) Hon. Michael de Jong; Acting Mayor Deborah Munoz; Chief Dominic Frederick; Tim Sheldan, Assistant Deputy Minister, MoFR; Maria Pope, Chair COFI Back (L to R) John Allan, President & CEO, COFI; Don Cozzetto, President, UNBC; Michael Kerr, President, Prince George Chamber of Commerce; Doug Routledge, VP, COFI Northern Operations

Following dinner Maria Pope introduced the Hon. Michael de Jong, BC's newly appointed Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, the evening's keynote speaker. Minister de Jong began by acknowledging local first nations and community leaders in the audience. He spoke about the significance of the Lheidli T'enneh treaty negotiations and thanked Chief Dominic Frederick for his contributions to what may well become BC's first signed treaty under the decade-old BC Treaty Commission process.

Minister de Jong went on to talk about BC's New Relationship initiative with first nations and captured the audience's attention as he announced that BC is "on the cusp of a historic breakthrough ..... and not only is the rest of the country watching, the rest of the world is also watching". He challenged industry and community leaders to become more aware of the process and increase their involvement in discussions on treaty claims and involvement of first nations in the business of forestry.

The new FrontCounter BC centres simplify the process for small-to-medium-sized natural resource businesses starting up or already operating.

Centres are now open in Kamloops, Nanaimo, Surrey, Prince George, Williams Lake, Cranbrook and Smithers. Additional offices in Victoria and Fort St. John will soon be open.

FrontCounter BC centre staff will:

• Guide clients through required authorizations.
• Help clients complete strong application packages.
• Interpret land information, maps, management plans.
• Follow-up and track the status of applications filed.
• Liaise between ministries, agencies, and governments.
• Begin referral processes with First Nations.
• Help identify and market economic development opportunities.

• Forests and Range
• Agriculture and Lands
• Environment
• Transportation
• Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
• Economic Development
• Tourism, Sport and the Arts
• Labour and Citizens' Services
• Health
• Integrated Land Management Bureau
• Agricultural Land Commission
• Interior Health Authority

An on-line service allows employers to:

• Review and print current seminar offerings.
• Register employees for seminars.
• Send seminar descriptions to staff or colleagues.
• Request specially tailored seminars.

• Accident Investigation
• Claims Appeals
• Claims Management
• Claims/Disability Management
• Disability Management
• Due Diligence for Employers
• Focus on Assessments
• Intro WCB & Employ Standards
• Intro to WCB
• Intro to WCB, ESB, CRA/ARC
• Joint OHS Committee Workshop
• OHS Program Requirements
• Risk Assessment

For more information go to the Employers' Advisers website: www.labour.gov.bc.ca/eao/welcome.htm.

CW Korea Office Opening: (L to R) Wayne Iversen, COFI; Bob Jones, NRCan; John Allan, COFI

CW Korea Office Opening: Paul Newman, COFI

At the press conference, 12 journalists joined the event and CW Korea has gained over CAD 80,000 ad value media coverage through the event. Over 100 guests including representatives from Korea's wood construction building industry, associations, institutions, research organizations and government agencies attended the opening ceremony along with Canadian VIPs including Canadian Ambassador, President and CEO of COFI, General Manager of CMHC, Director of NRCan (CWEP) and many senior representatives from NRC, Industry Canada, Forintek, CMHC and Canadian Embassy.

Under the direction of Mr. Tai Jeong, Technical Director, the Canada Wood Korea Office will actively promote the use of Canadian wood products in South Korea - a country identified by NRCan as "one of the most promising markets in Asia" for wood building materials. The opening of the office will further support the adoption of wood building materials in residential and commercial projects.

For more information contact

Mr. Tai Jeong, Technical Director
Canada Wood Korea Office
4th Fl., Shinhan Bldg.
#128-4 Nonhyun-Dong, Kangnam-Gu
Seoul, Korea 135-010

Tel: 82-2-3445-3834~5
Fax: 82-2-3445-3832
E-mail: jeong@canadawood.or.kr
Web: www.canadawood.or.kr

The group held in depth discussions with Canadian architects, engineers and contractors reviewing design and construction details and materials specifications for the Bear Mountain Resort and Community in Victoria which includes town homes, condominiums and hotels.

The experience included a stay in a 3-storey wood frame structure located on the Bear Mountain site.

While in Vancouver the group toured various 3 & 4 storey construction sites (care facilities, condominiums, townhouses, and hotels) in the lower mainland, to get a broader view of how SPF dimension lumber is used in a variety of multi-family and non-residential wood frame 2x4 structures.

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

Greg Rawling and Alberta Minister David Coutts

Chris Lear, with Alberta Minister David Coutts, briefs Alberta students on the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic in BC.

Part of the Province of Alberta's "Minister for a Day" program the students and their parents were accompanied by David Coutts, Alberta's Minister of Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), Alberta SRD staff and numerous Alberta media. The group stopped in Prince George during a charter flight from Edmonton to BC and back as part of the students' orientation to the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic before giving their recommendations as "Ministers for a Day" on actions to curb the spread of the beetle in Alberta.

Greg Rawling, Prince George District Manager, BC Ministry of Forests and Range briefed the students on the magnitude of the epidemic in BC, the causes of the epidemic, steps being taken jointly by BC and Alberta to address the epidemic's spread and programs to salvage the damaged timber before losing value.

Chris Lear briefed the students on how beetles attack and kill pine trees and the efforts to manufacture and market forest products from the dying, blue-colored but still structurally sound pine wood. The students took particular interest in the samples that Chris passed around of beetles, larvae, bark, tree cookies and lumber made from the beetle attacked trees.

Chris presented the students with the FII/COFI Mountain Pine Beetle Intermediate Teachers' Resource Kit to take back to their respective schools in Alberta.

For more information contact Chris Lear by phone at (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at lear@cofi.org.

"The board views this as a commendable achievement," said board chair Bruce Fraser. "There have been public concerns expressed about the ability to keep up with the increased levels of harvesting, and we are pleased to find that licensees are taking steps to quickly reforest the areas harvested."

The board's special investigation compared reforestation efforts in the Quesnel, Nadina and Vanderhoof forest districts with the other forest districts in the Interior of B.C. It looked at cutblocks that were harvested between April 1, 1995 and March 31, 2004. Along with good reforestation efforts in the three mountain pine beetle districts, the board also reported an increase in mixed species planting, as opposed to pure pine plantations, in these areas. The board is encouraging government to work with licensees to continue to establish a greater diversity of tree species, on specific sites and across the landscape.

Increasing the diversity of trees could help to avoid a similar catastrophic event in future by reducing B.C.'s reliance on a single species of tree. Up to 80 per cent of the Interior's mature lodgepole pine volume is expected to die as a result of the mountain pine beetle epidemic. And lodgepole pine accounts for more than half of the merchantable volume in the Interior of B.C.

"Increasing the diversity of trees growing on individual blocks and across the landscape would be one of many techniques needed to improve the ability of future forests to withstand the impacts of climate change," said Fraser

For more information go to the Forest Practices Board website:www.fpb.gov.bc.ca.

"The EvaluTree project will bring together cutting-edge equipment, world-class expertise and research partnerships to create a national centre for excellence of strategic importance to British Columbia and to Canada," said Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell. "This unique lab will create made-in-Canada opportunities for maximizing our forest resources and leading to the development of new and higher-quality wood products."

UNBC and UVic specialize in Xray and acoustic instrumentation and will lead the research program. Paprican's Vancouver laboratory is the base for spectroscopy and microscopy instrumentation and provides a critical link to industry. Paprican is Canada's national not for profit, research, development and education facility for the pulp and paper industry. This three-way partnership allows the research to benefit from synergies and facilitates the development of an integrated approach to innovation and development in B.C.'s forest industry.

"EvaluTree has the potential to revolutionize B.C.'s forest industry," said Ian Hartley, an EvaluTree research collaborator. "Two issues of critical importance in B.C. are the effects of the mountain pine beetle and the prospects for using timber that has been submerged in water. For addressing both issues, EvaluTree provides the essential capability that allows us to assess fibre quality and its usefulness for various products - even if the tree is still standing in the forest."

"In keeping with this province's position as a global forest products powerhouse, the EvaluTree laboratory collaboration with the universities of Northern British Columbia and Victoria firmly establishes B.C.'s research community at the forefront of advanced wood and fibre analysis worldwide," said David McDonald, vice-president of research and education for Paprican.

"The pine beetle epidemic affects more than just trees. It affects communities, workers and their families," said Shirley Bond, Deputy Premier and MLA for Prince George- Mount Robson. "Bringing the Evalutree laboratory collaboration to Prince George will put our community on the map as a leader in research and innovative solutions that will benefit B.C. communities, as well as the forestry sector."

Forestry remains one of B.C.'s main economic drivers, especially in small and rural communities, employing 150,000 people directly and indirectly. The industry contributes over $1 billion in government revenues, funds used to provide vital public services, such as health care and education. Forest products exports were worth over $14 billion in 2005.

For more information about the Mountain Pine Beetle go to the MOFR website: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle.

"This research will lead to practical solutions to the challenges the pine beetle is creating in our forests," said Coleman. "Scientists are looking at ways we can manage the timber supply so we can maintain forest and mill jobs. Research will also help us conserve forest values such as water quality that are being threatened by the infestation."

More than 25 beetle-related projects are being carried out this year under the forest science program of the Forest Investment Account (FIA). Projects will address priority information needs for mitigating impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic. These include:

• the University of Northern British Columbia examining impacts of beetle attack in young pine stands;
• Thompson Rivers University conducting studies to better understand effects on hydrology when beetle-killed trees are no longer absorbing water from beneath the forest floor;
• the University of British Columbia testing if fertilization increases the ability of mature pine to resist beetle attack in lightly infested areas; and
• the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada evaluating forest road construction techniques to improve access to attacked forests.

For more information about the Mountain Pine Beetle go to the MOFR website: www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle.

For other information please see the following websites:

Government of Canada:
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/eicb/softwood/menu-en.asp
Canada Revenue Agency:
www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/business/topics/swl/menu-e.html
BC Lumber Trade Council:
www.bclumbertrade.com
Government of BC:
www.for.gov.bc.ca/HET/softwood

SAFE Companies--The Stamp of Approval
This fall we will certify our first SAFE Companies - forest sector companies who have met a rigorous, audited standard for worker health and safety.

SAFE Company certification will be available to big and small forest companies all around the province. The SAFE Certified logo will give employees and customers the assurance that a company puts worker safety first.

SAFE Certified companies will also be eligible for a partial rebate of their Workers Compensation assessments, in recognition of the lower injury rate that comes with sustained focus on worker health and safety.

Faller Certification - A Cut Above
More than 3,000 men and women have stepped up for evaluation and certification as hand fallers over the last 18 months. Recognizing the hazards that threaten the safety of a faller and other workers, and knowing how to control those hazards allows the faller to work more efficiently, ensuring everyone returns home safe at the end of the work day.

We are focusing on the future now. We are beginning training courses for new fallers, working hard to safely train new workers for one of the toughest and most satisfying occupations in the harvesting sector.

Forestry TruckSafe - The Road Ahead
Forestry TruckSafe is all about the people who plan, build, use and manage forest roads - whether that's a gravel forest service road or a paved public roadway leading to a mill.

More than one thousand people subscribe to TruckSafe Rumblings, where they share safety news and information. A group of truckers, engineers, government and company representatives has gotten together to make the rules for driving on very steep slopes safer for everyone. Radio frequencies are being coordinated, so that truckers can stay in touch and stay safe as they drive long distances from the bush to the mill.

These are just two of the many ways that TruckSafe is tapping into the knowledge and energy of the men and women who drive to and from every forestry business in this province.

BC Safe Silviculture--Growing for the Future
The silviculture business is changing, and the Safe Silviculture project is working to make sure a focus on safety is a part of that change.

New young workers enter the silvicultural workforce every year. Our focus is on making them aware of the hazards they encounter on the job every day. Simple things like eating and drinking right to prepare for the exhausting physical work they face planting seedlings, tending plantations and fighting wildfires. Unfamiliar things like driving safely to and from remote camps and worksites on unpaved roads and trails.

BC Safe Silviculture is focused on knowledge and training for workers. Giving them the power to understand the hazards they face in their work and tools to avoid or remove them is the best way to keep them safe for the season, and many more.

For more information about the Council, to subscribe to Forestry TruckSafe Rumblings, the SAFE Companies Newsletter or Safety Alerts go the Council website:www.bcforestsafe.org.