The TLA commends the Provincial Forest Advisory Council (PFAC) for its ongoing work to develop a long-term vision for BC’s forest sector, and release of its interim status report. …the TLA recognizes the significant effort that has gone into identifying the underlying issues, barriers, and key drivers influencing the …sector. …The … interim report acknowledges several critical issues that must be addressed if BC is to fully realize the potential of its forest sector, including: 

• The lack of access to economic fibre is stifling investment, including the transition to value-added manufacturing. 
• Current systems and structures are adding unnecessary costs and processes that are barriers to investment and innovation. 
• The lack of cross-ministry coordination and fragmented mandates appear to be preventing action towards a coordinated set of goals.   
• A rule-based, top-down-driven approach that can be costly, inefficient, and ineffective in achieving land management objectives. 
• The need for better data and forest inventories.