We are gauging interest in a conference for students and young professionals across B.C. in the forestry industry. The goal of this conference is to create a more unified forestry sector throughout the province by bringing together students and young professionals to discuss current and future challenges in forestry, explore innovative solutions, and build relationships that can support us throughout our careers. This is a youth-led initiative and so having your opinions and participation is crucial to determine the topics and speakers for the conference. We have created a short survey (see link) to help determine the topics and timing of this conference. This is a chance for young professionals and students like yourself to build a more connected, informed, and forward-thinking forestry community and empower them to help shape the future of forestry in B.C.
Vancouver — Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC) honoured seven individuals as part of its recognition program in Vancouver on February 5. Forest Professionals BC recognized three Distinguished Forest Professionals, one Forest Professional of the Year, one Jim Rodney Memorial Volunteer of the Year, and two authors for BC Forest Professional Magazine Best Article at the 78th Forest Professionals BC forestry conference recognition banquet. 
…Jeff Fisher (North Vancouver), BSF, RPF, Christopher Vukovic (Qualicum Beach), HBScF, RPF(Ret), and John Walker (Williams Lake), RPF, were honoured as Distinguished Forest Professionals for 2025. This category recognizes significant accomplishments over a career, for providing outstanding service to the profession of forestry and for furthering the principles of Forest Professionals BC. It is the profession’s highest honour for a registrant. 
Peter Flett, MSFM, RPF, of Penticton is the 2025 Forest Professional of the Year. Margaret Symon, RPF, PCP, of Duncan is the 2025 Jim Rodney Memorial Volunteer of the Year. Lastly, Vanessa Fetterly, BSc, RPBio, and Carl Pollard, BSc, RPF, collaborated on the 2025 BC Forest Professional Magazine Best Article.
The only thing more surprising than the collapse of the co-operation agreement between the BC Greens and NDP would have been if the two sides had agreed on a new deal. …The Co-Operation and Responsible Government Accord (CARGA)… didn’t seem to be meeting anyone’s needs. For the NDP, the deal was supposed to act as a safety net for a slim one-seat majority. …It worked for last year’s budget. But outside of that, the Greens refused to back the NDP on three other confidence matters. And for that, the government agreed to advance the Green causes… [including] an early review of CleanBC and another review of the forestry system. For the Greens …it was a mixed bag, at best. The NDP did launch reviews of CleanBC and forestry, but then didn’t accept the resulting recommendations. The documents seem destined for that dusty shelf in the legislature library where unwanted reports go to die.
Municipal leaders are on the front lines of BC’s economy, where the health of the forest sector directly impacts jobs, services, and long-term community stability. This timely panel brings together mayors from across the province for a practical, solutions-focused discussion on what a competitive and resilient forestry future means for families and local economies — and what’s needed to ensure forestry remains a cornerstone industry for generations to come. Featuring mayors Maria McFaddin (Castlegar), Brad West (Port Coquitlam), Leonard Krog (Nanaimo) and Gary Sulz (Revelstoke), the conversation will offer grounded municipal perspectives from communities both large and small. The session will be moderated by Karen Brandt, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Partnerships with Mosaic Forest Management. Expect candid insights, local realities, and a forward-looking discussion on strengthening forestry and the communities it supports.
Efforts to support forestry workers displaced by the closure of the Crofton pulp mill and the ongoing curtailment at the Chemainus sawmill are expanding, as local leaders press the federal government for clearer and more robust income supports. The District of North Cowichan says its Mill Closure Response Working Group met for the first time last week, bringing together municipal, provincial and federal representatives, along with labour, industry and impacted workers, to coordinate next steps. …“The stories we heard at the first working group meeting show how urgent this is,” North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said. “This is why we’re continuing to press the federal government to extend employment insurance supports for all impacted workers and to release the forestry industry support funding announced last summer. People need income security while they plan their next steps.” Updates and resources for affected workers and businesses are available at 
B.C.’s export performance moved against the national pattern in November. Domestic exports to international markets rose 7.6 per cent year over year to $4.59 billion, whereas exports nationally declined by about four per cent on a customs basis. This contrast partly reflects differences in the types of goods each region exports. Nevertheless, provincial export trends remain soft, reflecting U.S. tariffs on key products like lumber, and end of de minimis treatment of low value exports. Year-to-date, B.C. exports slipped a mild 0.1 per cent from same-period 2024, which was slightly stronger than the national reading. …That said, a declining trend continued in the battered forestry sector (-13.7 per cent year over year), where tariffs have compounded weakness from timber supply constraints and other duties already imposed by the U.S.
VANCOUVER – Western Forest Products reported adjusted EBITDA of negative $6.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. In comparison, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $14.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and Adjusted EBITDA of negative $65.9 million in the third quarter of 2025, which included a non-cash export tax expense of $59.5 million related to the determination of final duty rates from the sixth Administrative Review. Net loss was $17.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2024, and net loss of $61.3 million in the third quarter of 2025. …For the full year 2025, the net loss was $82.4 million compared to to a net loss of $34.5 million in 2024. …“Despite more challenging markets and higher softwood lumber duties and tariffs in 2025, we enter 2026 with a significantly improved balance sheet to navigate the expected near-term market uncertainty,” said Steven Hofer, President and CEO of Western Forest Products.
Modern Methods of Construction Education (MMC Edu) is a national platform that connects education and industry to advance construction training in Canada. It is a key outcome of the Mass Timber Training Network: Advancing Trades for a Sustainable Future (MTAT) project, which brings together a national network to advance wood as a low-carbon building material by addressing major barriers to mass timber adoption across the country. Led by the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) through the Green Construction Through Wood Program (GC Wood), the MTAT project focuses on education and training as a key vehicle for reducing barriers and preparing the next generation of the workforce. MMC Edu serves as a shared platform where network members, industry partners, and educators can exchange knowledge and access resources that support innovation, sustainability, and workforce readiness across Canada.
International Pulp Week (IPW) is the premier annual gathering for the global market pulp sector, organized by the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). Set for May 10–12, 2026 at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, BC, the three-day conference brings together producers, customers, logistics providers, analysts and other key stakeholders from around the world to share market intelligence, expert insights and strategic dialogue on trends shaping the future of pulp markets. Through keynote presentations, expert panels and extensive networking opportunities, IPW offers decision-makers high-value analysis, opportunities for business development, and collaboration across the pulp supply chain. The event has become a must-attend forum for those involved in international pulp production, trade and investment, with participants from more than 40 countries expected to attend.
North Cowichan wants something done about the growing amount of fibreglass pollution in the Cowichan estuary. Council passed a motion at its meeting on Feb. 4 that the municipality write a letter to senior levels of government and the appropriate regulatory authorities asking that they raise awareness of the issue and take action to deal with the problem. Coun. Christopher Justice, who made the motion, said that the issue of derelict and deteriorating fibreglass boats is something that is becoming more acute in local harbours and waterways. …North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas said the municipality must signal its support for the continued operation of the Western Forest Products sawmill, which operates in that area. He said he spoke to officials at the mill before the council meeting. “They advised me that they are not aware of any fibreglass contamination coming from the mill site,” Douglas said.
PRINCE GEORGE – [Local forester and forestry advocate Michelle Connolly says what’s being suggested in a recent report, titled “From Conflict to Care: BC’s Forest Future,” is off the mark.] “One of the core beliefs is that people are better at managing nature, than nature is, even though forests have been self-organizing and self-managing for millennia,” says Connolly. “The lack of self-awareness right up front in that report is troubling, because it means that they’re not aware of their own biases and belief systems that are guiding the things they’re putting in this report.” Kiel Giddens, Conservative MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie, says the report overlooks a lot of industry concerns. …Giddens says, while the report misses the mark overall, he agrees with Objective Number 2 around regional decision making. …But Connolly says where the report truly hits the mark is over what is seen as a lack of transparency in the decision-making processes.
Whistler is fortunate to be surrounded by temperate rainforest, which is essential to the resort’s appeal as a tourist destination. Forests have also proven to be highly beneficial for human mental and physical health. …Old-growth forests, defined as undisturbed for at least 250 years, are vital to addressing the interconnected biodiversity and climate crises. …On the climate side, old-growth forests store vast amounts of carbon in living trees, dead wood, and undisturbed soil. …Since the early 1900s, Whistler’s forests have been logged extensively, and low-elevation old-growth forests that once covered the valley are now found only in limited areas. Commercial logging and thinning have continued by the Cheakamus Community Forest (CCF) since 2009, though old-growth logging was deferred in 2021. …Given that old-growth forests thrive on stability, attempting to manage them doesn’t make ecological sense, especially since they are already among the most climate-resilient ecosystems on Earth.
Fire departments across BC are concerned about changes to the FireSmart program and how funding is provided to communities as they plan for wildfires. The Ministry of Forests says it’s moving to a more “holistic approach” based on where risk is the highest but the fire chief who was at the centre of the Wesley Ridge wildfire on Vancouver Island last summer says the program is too important to change. Nick Acciavatti says funding from the provincial FireSmart program was instrumental in saving numerous homes in the Wesley Ridge fire. …The program provides funding to local fire departments that then go into local neighbourhoods to educate and undertake fire prevention work like brush clearing and cleaning properties of combustible materials. But that money may no longer be available to any fire department that applies for it is something Acciavatti is concerned about, considering the changing wildfire conditions here on Vancouver Island.
The Forest History Association of British Columbia is pleased to launch its 2026 Speaker Series with Jennifer Houghton, Campaign Director for the New Forest Act project with the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 via Zoom. Jennifer’s talk, “Same System, Same Results: A Century of BC Forestry Without Structural Change,” takes a long-view look at the history of forest management in British Columbia. Over decades of reviews and tweaks to policy, tenure, and allowable cut levels, outcomes on the ground have remained largely unchanged. Jennifer will explore how volume-driven, tenure-based systems became entrenched and why those repeated cycles of reform have fallen short. Drawing on her work co-authoring the legislative framework for the New Forest Act, she will also introduce this grassroots proposal as a way to rethink and strengthen forestry law so that it serves both ecosystems and communities more effectively. All are welcome to register for the free Zoom event.
NORTH COWICHAN, BC — A representative for mill workers in North Cowichan addressed council to oppose the idea of a special task force to identify why mills are closing in the region. Adrian Soldera, president of Public and Private Workers of Canada Local 8… said everyone already knows why the mills are closing and that a new task force would be a waste of time. …He said the Crofton mill is ending several jobs at its plant and that the Chemainus sawmill now faces extended curtailment efforts due to a fibre crisis. Soldera added that putting another group together to investigate why the mills are closing would be redundant. …“its like asking for a committee to study why a house is on fire while the roof is already collapsing,” Soldera said. “Every day this task force spends sitting in a boardroom another family in a mill town wonders if they can pay their mortgage.”
BC NDP Forests Minister Ravi Parmar avoided the usual political pledges to accept recommendations from the latest in-depth analysis of the province’s troubled forest industry. The NDP government’s appointed experts, the Provincial Forest Advisory Committee, tabled their findings on February 2 after a six-month review of an industry that is moving from decline to collapse. …Parmar took the NDP’s familiar path, rather than address the sweeping recommendations to restructure the entire forest land base… he said the mill closures that are devastating communities across the province are mostly Donald Trump’s fault. …The 
Forest harvesting events will be analyzed at an upcoming event at Maple Ridge’s UBC Research Forest. The event titled “Not-So-Clear-Cut: Rethinking How We Harvest Forests” is coming up on Feb. 21, in two sessions from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. Participants are invited to join Dr. Suzanne Simard, a professor and the author of Finding the Mother Tree, and Hélène Marcoux, director and forester at the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, for a two-hour guided walk along hiking trails through the forest. As part of ongoing research exploring alternatives to clear-cuts, attendees can discover how tree retention forestry supports soil carbon and ecosystem resilience – all while exploring the challenges and trade-offs of logging in a living ecosystem.
The Provincial Forest Advisory Committee’s (PFAC) 
…the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, which promotes the establishment of Indigenous protected conservation areas … hosted the Estuary to Old Growth Gathering in Parksville, bringing together representatives from Nuu-chah-nulth, Coast Salish, Kwakwaka’wakw and Haida nations. …Concurrently, the B.C. Natural Resources Forum launched its “Forestry is a Solution” campaign in Prince George on Jan. 20. This push seeks support for the logging and manufacturing sector, stressing the need to “speed up access to economic wood by expediting permits and approvals”. Many of the industry’s leading associations are backing this campaign. “The coalition is asking British Columbians to voice their support for the workers and families that depend on forestry,” stated the B.C. Council of Forest Industries. …Not surprisingly, a Feb. 2 report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council stated that the days of “abundant access to low-cost fibre” are over. The report was presented as “a call to fundamentally reimagine our relationship with the land.”