Nelson Bennett
An NDP government has had no small part in breaking B.C.’s forest industry… but can an NDP government now fix it? …Premier David Eby pledged to work towards an assured harvest of 45 million cubic metres annually, which would be an improvement of the current harvest levels, and last week, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced a new task force tasked with reforming BC Timber Sales, which manages 20% of the province’s AAC. …B.C.’s forest sector faces a plethora of challenges, including current softwood lumber duties, a threat of additional 25-per-cent tariffs on lumber exports and metastasizing government rules and regulations that have increasingly restricted access to timber, the supply of which had already been reduced by past pine beetle infestations and wildfires. More than a dozen sawmill and pulp mills have permanently shuttered in B.C. in the past four years. B.C. lumber producers face the prospect of softwood lumber duties doubling next year, and there’s now the added fear of 25% tariffs being imposed by the Donald Trump administration.
Domestically, the threat to B.C.’s struggling forest sector comes from federal and provincial policies that increasingly restrict access to the working forests. …Since coming to power in 2017, the BC NDP has implemented a rash of new policies and regulations crimping the timber supply, including old growth harvesting moratoria, new forest landscape plans, ecosystem-based land management, increasing parks and protected areas, shared land-use decision-making with First Nations and caribou habitat protection plans. …The shrinkage in the timber supply has not only put sawmills out of business, but has also affected secondary manufacturing, such as pulp and paper mills. …In an attempt to address some of concerns with access to fibre, Parmar last week announced a six-month review of BC Timber Sales. One of the goals of the review is to provide “predictable and reliable market access to fibre.”
The B.C. government has turned down a petition to investigate Canada’s largest forestry company at a time when a federal probe into the firm faces the prospect of total collapse. On December 2, 2024, the national Standing Committee on Natural Resources unanimously passed a motion summoning Paper Excellence owner Jackson Wijaya to testify before lawmakers—an order that was enforceable with a legal subpoena if necessary. …Charlie Angus, the NDP’s natural resources critic and member of Parliament for Timmins–James Bay, said Wijaya’s expanded ownership over APP represents a break down in government oversight. …the probe came to a grinding halt when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau … prorogued Parliament. That act wiped out the work of all parliamentary committees, including the motion to summon Wijaya….When asked if B.C.’s Ministry of Forests would heed calls to launch its own investigation into Paper Excellence, a spokesperson deferred to the federal government. 
The Western Retail Lumber Association used its trade show, taking place now in Edmonton, as the platform for announcing a major rebranding initiative. After in-depth consultation with its members and board, partners, and key stakeholders, the WRLA has been renamed as Supply-Build Canada. The change is effective today. “As the association expands its advocacy efforts and external partnerships, the ‘Western Retail Lumber Association’ name became a misnomer,” says association president Liz Kovach. “The building supply industry encompasses building materials beyond lumber, and the association represents manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and other categories not represented by just retail.” Because many of the association’s members, especially on the supplier side, have offices and production outside of the West, the new name intends to capture that, “making a wholesale change of name both necessary and timely,” Kovach adds.
Calgary’s construction industry is hoping the threat of American tariffs doesn’t slow its momentum in 2025. …Bill Black, the head of the Calgary Construction Association, says when it comes to certain building materials, the tariffs could cause unrepairable damage. “Lumber suppliers selling are obviously going to feel a really significant impact on their volume that goes into the U.S.,” Black said. “The overall viability of the lumber business is based on a blend of the two markets, and if one market becomes unfeasible because of tariffs, that then puts pressure on the operating businesses. “That could impact their ability to service the Canadian market as well.” …The city has seen consecutive years of a record number of housing starts, and those in the sector don’t want to lose vital momentum. …Alberta’s forest ministry reiterated the importance of cross-border trade Friday, saying there’s still optimism a tariff-stopping solution can be found.
A new University of British Columbia study has pinpointed strategies to help local forests adapt to climate change. …the eight-year study found ways forest ecosystems can be better prepared for the climate threat, with a focus on mitigating the loss of the Douglas fir tree. …professor and co-author of the study Suzanne Simard, said the project looked at the process of relocating Douglas firs that are already adapted to dry, hot weather, further north. …Opting for a two-pronged approach, researchers also explored how various routes of harvesting and regenerating forests would affect the migrated seedlings’ attempt to grow in the face of climate change. Researchers tried various avenues, from clear-cutting to retaining larger densities of the tallest Douglas fir trees, said Simard.
The B.C. government has tasked new Forest Minister Ravi Parmar with reviewing its lead timber agency, B.C. Timber Sales. The Jan. 15 news release announcing the review, and Premier David Eby’s mandate letter to Parmar, both downplay the environment in favour of the business side of forestry… There is no mention of watersheds, biodiversity, wildlife, and climate change in either the news release announcing the review or in the mandate letter, which mentions old growth once in passing. Asked why it is not mentioned in the above six reasons for the BCTS review, or in Eby’s mandate letter, Parmar said, “I’m fully committed to fulfilling my obligations on the old growth action plan. … Biodiversity, taking care of our lands, being good stewards of our land, is critical to me, and it’s going to be a huge part of this review.”
In British Columbia, wood remains the primary framing material, remarks Anthony Marks, who constructs fire resistant modular homes, but the fire resistant modular homes his company constructs are framed with steel. They also use wood sheathing coated with a fire retardant and fibrous cement board products for exterior cladding. …Anabela Bonada, manager and research associate at the University of Waterloo’s Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation says there are solutions at hand to reduce the risk of fire to homes — Canada just hasn’t demanded they be taken yet. …Canada’s National Building Code is geared toward protecting buildings and homes in cities and doesn’t refer to wildfires. …Most Canadian communities are lagging in responding to wildfire threats, Bonada said. …Referring to the National Research Council of Canada’s guide for wildland-urban interface fires, she said programs like 
Colorado wildlife officials say the capture of 15 grey wolves in British Columbia and their release in the U.S. state is complete, an operation they say led to unspecified threats against staff. The operation that began in B.C. on Jan. 10 and wrapped up on Saturday follows Colorado voters’ approval of a 2020 ballot initiative to reintroduce grey wolves to the state, where the animals are listed as endangered. But the program has stirred opposition, and a statement from Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Sunday says its staff have been threatened over the relocations. It says its officers were “watched” and were targeted by threatening phone calls and social media posts. The department says it did not share details while the wolf release was underway due to the “safety risk and security needs of our staff and the animals.” It adds that two of the 10 wolves reintroduced in Colorado in 2023 have been illegally shot.
The provincial government is injecting cash into early-stage planning for a potential forestry project by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and its economic development arm, Nch’Kay Development Corporation, it was announced last week. With $50,000 from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, the Nation will conduct pre-construction engineering and site assessments to determine the potential for a future capital project… Though details of the project haven’t been finalized, it represents a larger push in the forestry sector to use resources more efficiently, shift away from old-growth timber reliance, and invest in high-value manufacturing. The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is partnering with forestry companies throughout the province to grow and stabilize their operations and get the most out of our fibre supply, while producing more made-in-B.C. engineered wood products.
Here are some highlights from this months Safety News: