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  At the risk of being repetitive, I am going to ring another alarm bell on behalf of the forest sector. As if the experience of the last two years was not as damaging as possible (record low lumber prices, higher valued dollar, 15% lumber export tax, the Mountain Pine Beetle) along comes a new and incremental cost to an industry in a financial crisis—the carbon tax. Let me be clear—the forest industry acknowledges the necessity of addressing climate change and is fully committed. We are promoting the greater use of wood as a response to battling climate change. Growing trees sequester carbon and in turn this carbon is stored in manufactured forest products. The industry has a good story to tell having reduced its GHG emissions by 50% since 1990. But when is a carbon tax that is to be revenue neutral not revenue neutral? The answer—when it is part of the BC budget of 2008. Preliminary analysis shows that the impact of the tax offset measures will fall far short of the impact of the carbon tax and that the industrial sector will pay far in excess of its fair share of revenue from the carbon tax. |
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Speakers and topics include: a forest certification panel on “Selling the Brand” featuring Antony Marcil, President and CEO of FSC Canada, Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Ahmad Husseini and Paul Wooding, Canadian Standards Association; Dr. Mark Jaccard, Professor SFU, and member of the Climate Action Team on “Hot Air: Meeting Canada's Climate Change Challenge”; Mikael Eliasson, Development Director, SERTA Group, Sweden and Chair of CEI Bois, the European Confederation of Forest Industries, speaking on “Fight Climate Change: Use Wood”. We'll also feature a “Customer Wants & Needs” panel with Tom Dillon, VP of Merchandising for Lowe's Companies Inc., Paul Dodge, Senior VP Supply Chain for Probuild Holdings Inc. and Jim Bradshaw, President and COO of Taiga Building Products; Avrim Lazar, President and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada and Lorne Johnson, Sustainability Consultant / former Ottawa Bureau Director for the World Wildlife Fund will discuss “Canada's Carbon Neutral Forest Industry”; and, Don Roberts, Managing Director for CIBC World Markets will present “The Convergence of the Fuel, Food and Fibre Markets: A Forest Sector Perspective”. Premier Gordon Campbell and Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman will provide us with their customary addresses highlighting important government initiatives related to forestry. See our website at www.cofi.org for latest information as well as a listing of the convention exhibitors and our valued sponsors. Don't miss the Thursday Evening Networking Reception. Join us for an evening of fine food and spirits as we indulge in “A Western Roundup”. For registration information, see www.cofi.org/whats new or contact Diana Gillrie by phone at (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail: ac2008@cofi.org. |
With student interest in the trades at this all time high and the trades training “supply line” virtually empty it is important to ensure that these students favorably consider a trade in the forest sector. Fortunately COFI North's forest education program Trades and Technologies in the Forest Industry, a career awareness program for high school students, enjoys an excellent reputation among trades educators and is well sought after by school districts across north-central BC. Partnering with school districts and many COFI member operations, the two-day program creates the opportunity for trades focused students to spend time with tradespersons in various mill operations to get a first-hand look and appreciation of the many trades available with the forest industry. Learning about a trade in terms of training, working conditions, required skills, challenges and opportunities directly from tradespersons on the job, is what makes the program so successful. “These are very keen, focused students”, notes Chris Lear, Forest Education Manager, COFI North, “many have already chosen their trade of choice and some have even started their apprenticeship in high school. We have created an opportunity for these students to learn about trades in the forest industry and hopefully some will consider working there in the future.” Trades and Technologies in the Forest Industry career awareness programs are currently being offered in School Districts No. 57 Prince George, No. 60 North Peace, No. 54 Bulkley Valley, and No. 91 Nechako Lakes. For more information on this program or any of the other programs offered by COFI North's Forest Education Program, contact Chris Lear, COFI Northern Operations, by phone at: (250) 614-4352 or by e-mail at: lear@cofi.org or visit our new forest education website: www.forest-education.info. |
In January, the resource education conference, ForestEDWest III, took place in Kelowna under the theme, "Embracing Our Landscape". This highly successful, Western Canadian event was held for the first time in BC and was co-chaired by Deb Sluggett and Sandy McKellar, with COFI Forest Ed Coordinator, Debbie Bazett co-chairing the Venue Committee. More than one hundred delegates from industry, government, NGO'S, education, parks and camps gathered to hear an impressive panel of speakers and a diverse range of workshop presenters. Positive feedback received from delegates assured conference organizers that participants had found the event very rewarding, worthwhile and well-organized. Fourteen teachers attending the conference were the recipients of sponsorship funding contributed by COFI's Northern & Southern Operations' Forest Education departments, as well as the Festival of Forestry, Inside Education and the Canadian Institute of Forestry. Many thanks to all of the funding contributors of ForestEDWest 2008, whose generosity enabled this event to be hosted by BC!!
Okanagan/Columbia and Thompson educators, along with COFI South Forest Education have been developing the 2008 Forestry Week lesson to be presented by volunteer forest professionals in April and May in elementary schools throughout the Southern Interior. With the potential impact in BC's Interior of the aftermath of the MPB epidemic and the ongoing potential for drought, it was decided that this year's focus would be "Fire", including what makes fire, what kinds of fire we have and how they affect the forest, what professionals can do and what students can do to minimize fire risk. Kits are being developed for presenters, containing visual materials and resources that accompany the lesson. An activity board with the fire triangle and illustrations of fuel, oxygen and heat sources will also be included.  With the arrival of spring comes the beginning of a very busy time for forest educators in the Southern Interior, as many events are scheduled and as teachers make requests for classroom presenters, field trips and planting projects. Forest educators are also planning tours for schools and community events with the Interior Logging Association's forest education van and scheduling teacher workshops on the newly-updated and reprinted Gr. 3 kits, "Community Development, the History of Logging". Science and career fairs are being held, with forest educators organizing display booths to engage students in discovering more about our forests and the forest industry. In the Thompson zone, a new forest science course- "Natural Resource and Environmental Studies"- has been developed and is being offered to NorKam Secondary students beginning in the fall of 2008. COFI's Southern Interior Forest Education will be hosting a display booth of educational resources at COFI's annual conference in April in Kelowna, exhibiting materials used in the delivery of forest education in the Southern Interior. As well, COFI South forest education is once again providing sponsorship funds to the upcoming Southern Interior Environmental Mind Grind school competition, and is also creating forestry study package materials and questions for the event, which will feature school teams competing in various communities for Regional Playoffs in April and Interior Finals in May at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels. For more information on COFI- South Forest Education, please contact Debbie Bazett by phone at: (250) 860-9663 or by e-mail at: bazett@cofi.org. |
“We've asked the Working Roundtable to develop recommendations and ideas that government, the forestry industry and others can act on to strengthen British Columbia's forest sector over the next five to 10 years,” said Coleman. “Their ideas will put government in a position to adopt practical solutions that will lead to a stronger, more vibrant and sustainable forest industry in British Columbia for the future.” The Working Roundtable was announced by Premier Gordon Campbell in January at the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) Convention. The roundtable's primary focus will be on identifying conditions for the long-term success of British Columbia's forest sector within the global marketplace. Key considerations will include:
The Roundtable will also hold meetings in communities around the province and provide Roundtable members with an opportunity to hear from local experts and community leaders, and to visit local mills and woodlands. Members are composed of a broad cross section of individuals with expertise and interest in areas such as business operations, investment, marketing, technology, and the environment. The members are:
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 June 10 — June 11, 2008 University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia Are you someone who develops policy, community or land use plans, or conducts management activities in forested areas affected by Mountain Pine Beetle? FORREX Forest Research Extension Partnership, in collaboration with a number of partners, invites you invites you to Prince George, June 10-11, 2008 to attend a conference to listen, contribute, explore, and discuss what we have learned as a result of the past four years of research and other initiatives aimed at addressing the biological, environmental, and socio-economic questions and challenges associated with current mountain pine beetle epidemic, and how we can use this information to help us better plan and manage our natural resources now and in the future. Key questions to be addressed at the conference include:
Don't forget to RSVP for the wrap up banquet on the evening of June 11th. Registration Fee Refund Policy For more information, go to the FORREX website: www.forrex.org |
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Your workplace can take part by:
Check out the WorkSafeBC NAOSH page (www.worksafebc.com/news_room/campaigns/naosh_week/default.asp) for materials, provided in Adobe Acrobat format, to help you plan your involvement using this year's NAOSHWeek theme: Safety & Health: a Commitment for Life. Start today! Live it every day! |
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 If you are looking for training courses offered by the BC Forest Safety Council, check out the new training calendar on the Council’s website: www.bcforestsafe.org/content-program-safeco/program-safeco-12-calendar.htm. Courses offered include:
IOO SAFEty Course |
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