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  Join us in Kelowna, on April 17th and 18th, 2008, at the Grand Okanagan Lakefront Resort, for an opportunity to explore the opportunities to be found amongst the many challenges facing the BC forest industry. COFI's Annual Convention, themed "A Climate for Change: A Future of Opportunity" will provide insights from a number of perspectives including customers, other jurisdictions and industry insiders. Dr. Mark Jaccard, an internationally respected expert in greenhouse gas emission reduction policy, serving with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and more recently as lead author for policy on the World Energy Assessment, and key advisor to the BC Climate Change initiative has just confirmed that he will speak. In addition, Don Roberts, Managing Director, CIBC World Markets and a leading forest & paper sector market analyst, will give us some ideas about what the future may hold. COFI conventions are well known for their panels, speakers and events of interest to a wide range of people: industry CEO's, vice presidents, marketing and production managers, senior representatives from suppliers and equipment firms, law firms, financial institutions, senior federal, provincial and local government officials, chambers of commerce, Mayors, MLA's and MP's, as well as local, regional and national media. This event will bring together key industry, government and customer representatives to identify opportunities, challenges, and strategies for success in the rapidly changing world facing the BC forest industry, our communities and our customers. Just click on the conference logo at the left to get more information. I look forward to seeing you in Kelowna. If ever there was a time to promote some creative thinking it is now! John Allan |
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The visitors very much appreciated the knowledge they gained in BC. At the same time, they were also able to help folks on this side better understand the China market; things like the fact that if a home is to be made from wood, they wish wood to be visible. Thus at least some of the interior and exterior cladding should be wooden. Another insight provided is that China is becoming more energy conscious and perhaps it may be useful to emphasize the energy efficiency of wood buildings. For more information contact Steve Kozuki, General Manager Forestry, by phone at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: kozuki@cofi.org. |
Successful fall "Introduction to Forestry" camps for secondary students were once again held in the Okanagan/Columbia and Thompson zones with almost fifty students taking part in the two camps. Forest educators, Deb Sluggett, Jen Stewart, Kalon Nahachewsky and Susan Bondar hosted these events with instruction provided by BCIT, Selkirk and TRU as well as local forest professionals. Students had a chance to try out equipment used for fire protection, forest inventory and surveying, and search & rescue and visited field sites to learn about topics such as forest ecology, silviculture and harvesting, and forest health. Resource science career events during the fall included Okanagan/Columbia forest educators touring UBC and Selkirk forestry recruiters to make presentations in various Okanagan valley high schools, as well as at Golden and Revelstoke schools. At the Okanagan College Career Fair held recently, Okanagan/ Columbia forest educator, Kalon Nahachewsky, organized and sponsored a career opportunities booth. Forest educators in the Okanagan/Columbia and West Kootenay zones held teacher workshops for the Provincial Pro Day in October, focusing on topics such as forest health, fire management, reforestation and harvesting methods. Over the past year, Okanagan/Columbia forest educators, Deb Sluggett and Jen Stewart, have worked on the review and update of the Grade 3 teacher resource kit, "Community Development, the History of Logging". The reprinting of this resource is now complete and includes a new story booklet titled, "Early Settlers and the Forest" written by Deb Sluggett. In the coming months, Southern Interior teachers will be workshopped by zone forest educators on the Gr. 3 kits and will receive their school's copy of the binder resource. A new forest educator will be starting work in the East Kootenay zone this month, replacing past forest educator, Norma Blissett. The hiring committee in the East Kootenay has just announced that local school trustee and teacher, Jim Jenkinson, is the successful candidate. Forest educators from the Cariboo, Thompson, Okanagan/Columbia and West Kootenay zones, along with COFI –South Forest Education Coordinator, Debbie Bazett, gathered in Vernon early in November for a Southern Interior Educators' Workshop. Educators were introduced to the newly-reprinted Grade 3 teacher resource kit and received copies for distribution in their school districts. As well, participants shared resources and initiatives from their programs and discussed events such as Forestry Week 2008 and the upcoming forest education conference in Kelowna. ForestEDWest III, "Embracing Our Landscape" is a resource education conference that will take place January 24-27/08 in Kelowna and organizers hope to see up to 150 delegates from industry, government, NGO's, education, parks and other areas register to take part in the first ForestEDWest event to be held outside of Alberta. With an impressive roster of panel speakers and a diverse range of workshop presenters, ForestEDWest III promises to be a conference not to be missed!! To read more about this event or to register, see www.forestedwest.ca. For more information on COFI- South Forest Education, please contact Debbie Bazett by phone at : (250) 860-9663 or by email at: bazett@cofi.org. |
Basic Forest Supervisor training provides participants with knowledge of their responsibilities for compliance with WorkSafeBC regulations and practical experience in applying supervisory responsibilities in a forestry setting. The additional three-day faller supervisor endorsement provides participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to comply with the Workers Compensation Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. It also prepares faller supervisors to evaluate certified fallers to the BC Faller Training Standard. The trained faller supervisor is responsible for making sure certified fallers are qualified to fall and buck timber at their worksite. For more information go the BCFSC website: www.bcforestsafe.org. |
 The forest sector's commitment to improving its safety performance is beginning to pay off with significant reductions in injuries and costs. According to statistics released earlier this year, between 2005 and 2006, there was a 21 per cent decrease in total claims in the forest sector, from 1,193 to 936. As a result, the injury rate, or the number of short-term disability claims per 100 person years of WCB-covered employment, dropped and overall claims costs decreased by 39 per cent. The BC Forest Safety Council reports thousands of companies have registered with its SAFE Companies program and hundreds have earned certification by completing the training, demonstrating their commitment to safety and showing their safety programs meet realistic standards. The BC Forest Safety Council is a not-for-profit society dedicated to promoting forest health and safety. It was founded and is supported by all major forestry organizations in BC and works with forestry employers, workers, contractors and the provincial government and agencies to implement changes necessary to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries in the forest sector. To find out more information about the BC Forest Safety Council and its programs visit their web site at www.bcforestsafe.org. |
COFI's Steve Kozuki and Burns Lake Mayor Bernice Magee each expressed appreciation for the presence of the guests and offered welcoming remarks. Following a splendid dinner, Hampton Affiliates Chief Executive Officer Steve Zika provided some insightful and thought provoking observations which, among other topics, compared and contrasted the business of forestry in BC relative to the US Pacific Northwest. The audience was perhaps surprised that we have as much as or more in common than differences. For example, the mills on both sides of the border have the same ranges in modern technology employed. It was Steve's conclusion that success in this highly competitive business therefore rests on the quality of the workforce (a point he expressed as very good in their Babine and Decker sawmills). For further information contact Steve Kozuki by phone at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: kozuki@cofi.org. |
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 Wood WORKS! is an initiative of the Canadian Wood Council. It is our goal to promote the use of wood and wood products in construction projects, and to acknowledge the contribution of wood-use advocates and industry leaders. The Wood WORKS! annual awards gala exists in British Columbia to honour excellence in wood-based projects, and to recognize the people and organizations that are pioneering and presenting the use of wood in British Columbia. The Wood WORKS! Awards Gala brings together people from all sectors to honour leadership and innovation in wood use. The Gala also serves as an excellent opportunity to publicly recognize and encourage continued excellence in the building and design community, and in the forestry industry. This high profile event will showcase the use of wood in design and construction projects commissioned after January 2005, providing politicians, senior dignitaries, architects, engineers and project owners with an opportunity to showcase their projects. Awards Design Rationale Designed to capture both qualities of strength and beauty in wood, the award was created on a base supporting two graceful pillars. These pillars are emblematic of the wings of tree seedlings. They also represent the pleasing aesthetics of architecture along with the expanding boundaries of engineering, both reaching for the height of perfection. Two elliptical shapes in their centres represent the ovules for reproduction, thus reminding us that wood is a renewable resource. We are pleased to invite you to attend the 2008 BC Wood Design Awards Gala being held Monday, February 25. The event is being held in the Ballroom of the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, 900 Canada Place Way, Vancouver. The evening will begin with a reception in the ballroom's private foyer. One of Vancouver's premier trios will be on hand for your listening pleasure. A sumptuous four course dinner including BC wines will be followed by the Award presentations. Reception – 5:30 pm The price for tickets is $100 each or $1000 for a table of 10. Tickets may be purchased by calling event coordinator Lorna Malone at: 1-877-929-9663 ext 4. or by email at: lmalone@wood-works.ca. |
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|  February 26, 2008 Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre A one-day educational event on wood products and construction. Who should attend: The Wood Solutions Fair is for decision makers in the construction industry. This event is intended for the professionals who need to know what wood products are available and how they can be used:
Courses are approved by:
For more information go the CWC Website: www.cwc.ca. |
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