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  On Tuesday, October 16, 2007, it was my privilege to represent COFI at the announcement by the Honourable Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, of the provincial government's Caribou Recovery Plan. Also joining the Minister were representatives of the environmental community, snow mobile clubs and the heli skiing sector. For the forest industry this was another benchmark issue that more appropriately defines the industry's world class environmental record. BC forest companies practice sustainable forest management through third party certification, and the achievement of high compliance rates with forest legislations and regulations. The BC pulp and paper industry has reduced its Green House Gas emissions by an estimated 62% since 1990. This sector is already a significant producer of electricity using biomass. Finally, it is important to note that less than 1% of BC's forest is logged each year. In the final analysis wood can serve many purposes. It is a "green" building material, sequesters carbon and is certainly, on a life cycle basis, far superior to concrete and steel. Our forests can tell many stories about the role they have played over the centuries but they are in a position today to tell a new positive story about their significant contribution in the challenge to reduce GHG—it's a short story: use wood! For a link to the government's announcement go to www.gov.bc.ca/al. John Allan |
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Fort St. John Mayor, Jim Eglinski graciously provided the opening remarks, including commentary of the value of COFI’s role to communities and the forest industry. The evening’s speaker was the Honourable Richard Neufeld, Minister of Energy Mines & Petroleum Resources and the MLA for Peace River North. Based on the numerous questions at the end of the presentation the audience appreciated hearing more details about BC’s Green Energy Plan and how it will contribute to the Climate Change Strategy and the role that the forest industry and wood waste can play in the plan and the strategy, especially in areas hit by the Mountain Pine Beetle. A special thank you goes to Finning (Canada) for once again co-sponsoring the event. For more information contact: Doug Routledge, Vice President Forestry & Northern Operations by phone at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: routledge@cofi.org |
 Kevin Bews, originally from Calgary, Alberta, is one of the longest-serving veterans on the COFI team in Japan. He has resided in Japan for the past sixteen years. He came to Japan in 1991 to study Japanese after graduating from the University of Guelph, with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. After completing the Japanese language program at Sony Language Laboratory in 1993, he found employment with Sunpia Homes, a privately held Japanese housing company that manufactured and supplied housing components and building materials for wood-frame structures in central Japan. He was responsible for importing and selling North American building materials. In 1998, upon completion of his five-year contract with Sunpia Homes, he joined COFI. Operating from the Canada Wood Office in Tokyo, Kevin represents the SPF Group and is responsible for development, implementation and management of market programs in Japan that promote the use of SPF dimension lumber in residential, non-residential wood and non-wood structures. Canada Wood Japan veteran Kevin Bews works tirelessly in the field promoting Canadian Wood Products amidst increasingly intense competition and poor economic conditions. Kevin attributes the successes that the team in Japan has had over the last thirty-three years to former and current colleagues. He is convinced that without the relentless hard work and commitment to the Japanese market by COFI staff, Canadian lumber companies, Canadian academics, and provincial and federal governments, COFI would not be in the position that it finds itself in today - Japan is a leading offshore market for Canadian wood products. He understands that serving the dynamic Japanese market will continue to be a challenge: Japan demands high quality wood products at competitive prices, the Japanese market is evolving, and competition in Japan has intensified over the years. However, Kevin strongly believes that COFI can further develop this lucrative market (annual demand for wood products in Japan is 90 million m3 in log volume) and even expand business by adapting to and facing new market challenges. Read the rest of the news on events and activities in Japan, China, South Korea and United Kingdom in the latest COFI Market Access & SPF Group Newsletter |
Part of COFI’s mandate is to build on our Industry’s good relationships with communities. Through the community relations program COFI seeks out opportunities to establish and build on existing community partnerships and help communities understand the challenges and opportunities facing the forest industry. In turn, the communities provide insight with respect to their needs, concerns, and aspirations. Through open lines of communication we can combine strengths to achieve our common goals. For more information contact: Doug Routledge, Vice President Forestry & Northern Operations by phone at: (250) 564-5136 or by e-mail at: routledge@cofi.org. |
Panel presentations will be featured both Friday and Saturday mornings, titled "Embracing Our Landscape" and "Forests and Climate Change", followed by breakout sessions showcasing presenters from across Western Canada speaking on diverse topics related to the conference theme. A keynote speaker will soon be announced. Evening events will include a wine and cheese, dinner at Silver Lake's Forest Education Camp and a dinner/dance at the conference location, Manteo Resort. Making up the panel members for "Embracing our Landscape" are Andrew Casey (Forest Products Association of Canada), Steve Baumber (RPF & UBC Forestry Masters' student) & Alex Drummond (U of Alberta) and Barb Walker (First Dollar Alliance) as they present upcoming challenges and opportunities within the forest industry, the benefits of natural resource education and the future of BC's resource communities. Saturday's "Forests and Climate Change" panel will feature Dr. Allan Carroll (Forest entomologist and research scientist at CFS Pacific Forestry Center) and Dr. Richard Hebda (Curator of the Royal BC Museum) speaking about the impacts of climate change on forest ecology and forest management and Kelly McCloskey (McCloskey and Associates & former president of the Canadian Wood Council) speaking on green solutions to building and the environmental impact of building products. Workshop Preview: a sample of speakers and topics:
Bob Austman (Manitoba Model Forest Education) - Using Curriculum Resources to Help a Threatened Species For more information, see www.forestedwest.ca or use the site info to contact Co-Chairs, Debbie Sluggett or Sandy McKellar. |
 Retired President of forest giant Pope & Talbot Ltd, Abe Friesen tells his story with an inside look at Softwood Lumber and other life experiences.
“From his humble beginnings in rural Manitoba, Abe Friesen has led a life of adventure that you wouldn’t expect from a Mennonite son. From working in road construction as a young man to learning to fly airplanes to senior management positions, Abe’s journey through his working years has never been dull. Entering the forest industry during the hey-day of abundance, he has witnessed and implemented many changes in the industry. His rise in the industry has taken him from supervising mill workers and fallers to the board rooms of major corporations. Infused with a sense of humor, Abe’s story is entertaining and informative without being dull, well worth the read.”
“From bush pilot to national negotiator on softwood lumber exports – that’s the career trajectory of Abe Friesen. Along the way, it’s the story of the forest industry in Canada with a strong undercurrent of ethics, as Friesen worked his way up the ladder from free-wheeling logging camps to corporate boardrooms. In the often cutthroat world of big business, Friesen demonstrates that it is possible to be a success and still keep one’s principles in tact. Now semi-retired, Abe Friesen has written his autobiography with crisp memory, keen insight, and flashes of humor. If you are at all interested in Canada’s softwood lumber industry, you should read this book. |
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You would think getting up at 5:30 am, slugging through wet underbrush, working in freezing cold water, collecting animal scat, traversing steep slippery terrain and digging soil pits for three days would be a turn off to today’s ‘mall loving’ high school students. But that couldn’t be further from the truth for many of the high school students from across north-central BC who participated in the three regional Natural Resource Management Career Awareness Camps hosted this fall by COFI’s Northern Operations Forest Education Manager, Chris Lear.
“We host these programs because we want students who like the outdoors and the sciences to learn about resource management and to be introduced to a host of professionals who work in a variety of careers in resource management”, notes Chris Lear. Not every student likes the program, but they do get a good understanding of resource management through the many hands-on field orientated workshops the professionals conduct. But then there are students who love it, and they are very interested in pursuing careers in forestry. At each camp there are 2 – 5 students who are seriously interested in these careers and a few others who are weighing their options. Kara Varley, a grade 12 student at Nechako Valley Secondary School in Vanderhoof, is one of those students now considering a career in forestry. She first got interested in a forestry career when she attended her first Natural Resource Career Awareness Camp last year. Everything about forestry interested her - the science, the outdoors, the physical aspects, everything. But this fall Kara felt the pressures of trying to decide what to do after graduation. There are just so many career options to choose from, but one thing she knew was that she did not want an office job and she was interested in forestry. To reassess forestry and confirm forestry as a career choice for her, Kara attended her second Natural Resource Career Awareness Program. The camp was exactly what she needed as it provided her the opportunity to experience forestry and speak to professional foresters and forest technicians. Now Kara is making plans to attend the Forest Resource Technology Program at the College of New Caledonia in the fall of 2008. This program appeals to Kara as it provides her with the skills to work as a forest technologist after she receives her two-year diploma and leaves her options open to finish a degree in forestry at UNBC. With forestry now in her sights, Kara is keen to apply for one of COFI’s Ten $1000 Annual Convention Legacy Scholarships. For more information contact:Chris Lear, COFI Northern Operations, by phone at: 250-614-4352 or by e-mail at: lear@cofi.org. |
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|  2008 COFI Annual Convention Kelowna, BC Grand Okanagan Lakefront Resort For more information contact Diana Gillrie by phone at: (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail at: ac2008@cofi.org. Registration forms and more information on the Convention will soon be available on the COFI Website. |
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