The Forest Products Association of Canada has been the acknowledged go-to voice in representing the country’s wood and pulp & paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade and environmental affairs. Headquartered in Ottawa, FPAC has been in existence for more than a century when factoring in its precursor organization, which was known as the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, dating back to 1913. National forest products is a near $70 billion dollar a year industry and accounts for about 2% of Canada’s entire gross domestic product. FPAC represents 17 members and Canada’s forest industry operates in more than 600 forest-dependent communities from coast to coast, and directly employs 230,000 Canadians across the country. The Canadian Business Journal recently spoke with FPAC CEO Derek Nighbor about the evolution of the forestry industry and the path it’s looking to take in the future.