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President’s Memo
For anyone connected to the forest industry the Organizing Committee surely deserves huge acknowledgement regarding the use of wood in the events and facilities. Wood is featured in no less than eight Olympic venues with the Richmond Oval, as one writer noted, as the “Jewel of the Games”. There are 23 podiums constructed from 18 wood types. There are also 84 wooden medal trays. Wooden outdoor furniture was designed and supplied for the Athletes Villages at Whistler and Vancouver. These items were built by a team from the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing. Well done all!
John Allan |
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2010 Podiums Put B.C. Wood in the World Spotlight British Columbia wood is sharing the spotlight with the world’s best athletes thanks to 23 stunning podiums built from timber donated by communities, First Nations, and businesses from across the Province. “Built from wood donated by communities, First Nations, businesses and individuals across the province, each one of these podiums has a story to tell about the people and places that make up British Columbia and about the forest industry that is the heart of so much of our culture and history,” said Premier Campbell. “We hope all the athletes feel this connection and are inspired by this close connection to the people of British Columbia when they step up to receive their medals on these incredible platforms.” The podiums are built from one of 18 different wood types. The wood for each podium was harvested from a specific area or community, which makes it easy to link the specific podiums to the people and communities that provided the wood. For example, the podium used at Whistler Creekside for Alpine Skiing events is built from Western Red Cedar harvested in the Revelstoke Community Forest. COFI members Lakeland Mills and West Fraser Timber Company provided blue stained lodgepole pine for the Figure Skating Short and Track Speed Skating podium in the Pacific Coliseum (see podium profile: www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/olympics/podiums/podium_profile_prince_george.pdf) and subalpine fir for the Paralympic Alpine Skiing podium at Whistler Creekside (see podium profile: www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/olympics/podiums/podium_profile_williams_lake_west_fraser.pdf). “We asked British Columbians to donate wood for the podium construction and the response was overwhelming,” said Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell. “It is clear that our communities take great pride in their local forests and are eager to share the Spirit of 2010 with the rest of the world.” The wood podiums highlight the importance of forestry in British Columbia. The province is a global leader in sustainable forest management and the world’s largest exporter of softwood lumber, paper and bio-energy products that help mitigate climate change and provide innovative solutions to green building and energy needs. Profiles with information about the people, community and wood of each of the 23 podiums, and high-definition clips of construction and interviews with donors are available for re-broadcast at www.gov.bc.ca/for. |
Wood WORKS! BC Congratulates Four BC Communities on Adopting Wood First Resolutions Wood WORKS! BC executive director Mary Tracey today congratulated four BC communities which have become the latest to pass Wood First Resolutions. Prince George, Campbell River, Fruitvale and Castlegar have all recently adopted Wood First Resolutions, bringing the total number of communities with such resolutions in BC to seven. "We congratulate these communities for taking a leadership role among municipalities by embracing this visionary legislation," explains Ms. Tracey. "It makes good sense from an economic and aesthetic point of view, and also from an environmental point of view, since wood is the most sustainable, natural, renewable and "climate friendly" building material." Prince George adopted its Wood First Resolution on Monday night, February 8th. "As BC's northern capital and a community that continues to be very much dependant on the resources around us, it's extremely important for the City of Prince George to take a leadership role in promoting the benefits of building with wood culture both within our city as well as beyond our city limits", said Mayor Dan Rogers. "From an environmental perspective, this effort aligns well with our city's goals to become one of the most resilient and sustainable cities in the country. It is now evident that building with wood is a priority for us but it will also be backed up with policy changes that align with what the province is doing to maximize the use of wood in all public construction projects". "Fruitvale is a forest community which recognizes the economic impact of forestry on our prosperity, the value and strength wood products provide, and the simple and awesome beauty of wood used well. We are proud to declare ourselves a Wood First community," said Mayor Libby Nelson of Fruitvale. Wood WORKS! BC has worked with municipalities for the past 11 years as they build a culture of wood in BC. Notable projects with Wood WORKS! BC's involvement include the international award-winning Richmond Oval - the largest of the 2010 Winter Olympics venues. The Oval's six-acre free spanning "wood wave" roof made with "beetle-kill" wood is a precedent-setting example of BC's and Canada's advanced wood engineering and prefabrication capabilities. Wood WORKS! BC has provided cost-effective solutions and technical support for structural and architectural wood applications for projects ranging from firehalls to arenas and recreation centres. Wood WORKS! BC has been asked by the provincial government to assist municipalities in the development of Wood First Act wood resolutions, procurement policies, RFP wording, and design specifications. Wood WORKS! BC is able to provide technical assistance to staff, design teams and contractors as well as guidance in a variety of areas including procurement, sustainability, code and fire issues, communications and innovation in design. Wood WORKS! is a national industry-led initiative of the Canadian Wood Council, with a goal to support innovation and provide leadership on the use of wood and wood products. Through workshops, seminars and case studies, Wood WORKS! BC provides education, training and technical expertise to building and design professionals involved with commercial, institutional and industrial construction projects throughout BC. For further information contact Mary Tracey, Executive Director - Wood WORKS! BC at 1‑877-929-9663. |
BC Forest Safety Council Warns of Forged SAFE Company Certificates The Safety Council has been made aware of some forged SAFE Company certificates. The RCMP has been notified and is currently investigating. All SAFE certified companies receive their certificate directly from the BC Forest Safety Council and their status can be viewed on its website. If you are unsure if your certificate is valid, there are a couple of options. To check whether a company is SAFE certified or to determine if they have maintained their SAFE certification:
For an example of a forged certificate go the Safety Council Website: www.bcforestsafe.org. |
Forestry Deaths Drop Dramatically BC Forest Safety Council President and CEO, Reynold Hert reports that the year 2009 recorded the fewest deaths in B.C. timber harvesting, including hauling, in the last quarter century — four direct fatalities, compared with at least 10 every other year. Even though 2009’s wood harvest of about 47 million cubic meters was lower than the normal 75-million meter average, no prior year had less than a single fatality per 10 million cubic meters. One year’s data can be misleading, more important is the trend over the last few years, compared with the22 fatality-per-year-average for the decade prior to 2004. The annual average of 11 fatalities from 2006 to 2009 was half that of the earlier 10 year period, while the average annual harvest rate is down only 16 per cent. For more information go to the Safety Council website: www.bcforestsafe.org. |
BC Forest Service Celebrates 100 Years In 2012 the BC Forest Service will celebrate 100 years and to mark this event a web site has been launched. The site hosts a collection of images, stories, biographies and timelines that begin the process of documenting the history of the BC Forest Service. Located at www.bcfs100.ca the site is an interactive experience where current and past staff and the public can browse and also have the opportunity to submit their own material. Dozens of stories, photographs and biographies have already been received from past staff or their family members. They tell of the progress and innovation that is part of the Forest Service’s culture and of the feeling of family that it is renowned for. In these current times of change it is encouraging to see in these stories and biographies that the Forest Service has faced similar challenges before and has come out of them with a renewed direction to manage the forest and range resources for the benefit of British Columbians. A group of dedicated staff and volunteers designed and developed the web site. The site links together people, technology, places and stories to make an interesting, educational and entertaining experience. New content is being added all the time and will continue right through the centenary year. The BC Forest Service Centenary Society is spearheading several other projects that will be completed for 2012. The Society has over 80 members to date, including current and retired members of the Forest Service, who have joined forces to capture and celebrate the rich and fascinating history of this proud organization. If you have historical stories or photographs you are encouraged to submit them for use on the web site. A guide to help you is provided at: www.bcfs100.ca/bscripts/submission-guidelines.asp. Contact for more information: |
BC “Wood First” Champions Saluted At a reception at the heart of Olympic fever - in Robson Square -- in downtown Vancouver Premier Gordon Campbell and Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell took advantage of the opportunity to acknowledge the impressive 2010 Winter Olympic Games venues and to recognize the vision, leadership and hard work of many outstanding wood champions in BC who made it all a reality. Mary Tracey, executive director of Wood WORKS! BC was among a group of architects, planners, engineers and BC mayors who were presented with awards for their work in and support of wood design and construction in BC, especially as it relates to Olympic venues and revision to the BC building code which now permits six-storey wood frame construction. Ms. Tracey was awarded for her "wood first" leadership and relentless efforts in promoting wood construction opportunities in BC, notably her work with the Olympic venues. She was also a driving force behind the change to the BC building code, revised last spring. Olympic projects involving technical support and wood expertise of Mary Tracey and her team of technical advisors at Wood WORKS! BC include the Richmond Olympic Oval, the Vancouver Convention Centre, the Trout Lake Arena, the UBC Winter Sports Centre and the Whistler Nordic Centre at Callaghan Valley. "Mary Tracey is a leading advocate for wood in Canada, and I'm delighted to see that she has received recognition for her dedication and leadership," states Jean-Luc Carriere, vice president of Tembec, one of the leading forest products companies in Canada. "As a member of the forest industry, I would like to extend my congratulations to her for this well-deserved award." "I am very honoured to receive this award," states Ms. Tracey. "It's gratifying to know that Wood WORKS! BC played a role in the development of our beautiful Olympic venues, all of them a showcase of wood and wood products. But what gives us at Wood WORKS! BC more pride than anything else is the knowledge that we've been part of the renewed interest and renaissance in building with wood; part of what's being billed as the greatest legacy of the 2010 Winter Games -- an increased awareness of sustainable living." Indeed the groundwork for a wood culture in BC has been in the works for many years -- starting well before Vancouver got the Olympic bid. Wood WORKS! BC urged the original organizers of the bid committee to make a commitment to build Olympic facilities with wood. "Winning the bid became the catalyst for a renewed interest in wood - it really took the wood culture in BC to the next level," remembers Ms. Tracey. With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games being billed as the "Sustainable Olympics", wood was the natural choice as a building material for the Olympic venues in Greater Vancouver and Whistler. For further information contact Mary Tracey, Executive Director - Wood WORKS! BC at 1‑877-929-9663. |
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Resources Expo 2010 Date: Thursday, June 3, 2010 to Saturday, June 5, 2010 Resources Expo 2010 (formerly known as Forest & Resources Expo) will bring government and resource industry leaders, projects, companies and contractors, suppliers, human resources and technology together for 3 days of exciting opportunities:
For further information on the event and contact information, please visit our new website at www.bcresourcesexpo.com or call (250) 563-8833. 
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ 23rd Annual Global Forest and Paper Industry Conference
May 11, 2010—Westin Bayshore Resort and Marina, Vancouver, British Columbia Transformation through innovation Your opportunity to join senior executives from the global forest and paper industry, plus industry analysts, customers and suppliers at the PricewaterhouseCoopers' 23rd Annual Global Forest and Paper Industry Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with a distinguished list of plenary speakers, panel discussions will focus on:
To register and for further information on the conference, please click the "Register" button to go directly to the event website at www.pwc.com/forestconf10 Email: forestandpaper@ca.pwc.com |
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At this time it is impossible to predict what the lasting legacy or moment of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games might be. Judging by the enthusiastic crowds there will be lots of great memories to recall and remember.