WOW! SFI IS CELEBRATING ITS 30th ANNIVERSARY IN 2025. I’m grateful for what we have accomplished together with the SFI network. Today, SFI is a cornerstone of responsible forestry. This anniversary marks three decades of achievements that will propel us into a new era of innovation and engagement. In this important anniversary year, we were so proud to release the SFI 2025–2030 Strategic Direction. More than 400 thought leaders contributed to shaping the direction. It includes a theory of change framework designed to enhance our impact by engaging communities in a collaborative and inclusive world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests. The new SFI Strategic Direction communicates the change we want to achieve through four strategies. …The SFI 2024 Progress Report demonstrates our commitment to sustainable forestry and community engagement. Our mission is a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests and together we are building a more resilient future in support of communities and forests.
Canadian forests are increasingly primed for severe, uncontrollable wildfires, a study published Thursday said, underlining what the authors described as a pressing need to proactively mitigate the “increased threat posed by climate change.” The study by Canadian researchers, published in the journal Science, looked at Canadian fire severity from 1981 to 2020. “The widespread increases, along with limited decreases, in high-burn severity days during 1981 to 2020 indicate the increasingly severe fire situation and more challenging fire season under the changing climate in Canada,” the study read. Co-author Xianli Wang, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, says there were on average an additional two days conducive to high-severity fires in 2000 to 2020, compared to the previous two decades. In some areas, it was closer to five days. …The greatest increase in burn severity days was recorded in an area covering northern Quebec and an area covering Northwest Territories, northwest Alberta and northeast British Columbia.
…British Columbia’s forests are … a foundation of the province’s identity and a bedrock of its economy. Both past and present, the industry has been one of the province’s largest employers, providing tens of thousands of well-paying jobs, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities where opportunities can be scarce. These jobs are vital for maintaining economic stability in smaller towns, where forestry often serves as the main driver of local economies. …By managing forests, BC can enhance their role as carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate-driven concerns such as wildfires. …Concurrently, BC’s forestry practices need to keep pace with evolving environmental and social expectations. …Global markets and decision-makers are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible products and wood clearly delivers those needs. However, two things need to happen. First, a clear, cohesive strategy is needed to ensure we do not fall behind international competitors. Secondly, you actually have to cut a tree down.
Human recreation on mountain trails is displacing grizzly bears and wolves from their natural habitats, even when the trails are hundreds of metres away, according to a new study from the University of Alberta. The research underscores the need for more effective planning to ensure that recreationists and wildlife can coexist, particularly in the busy Bow River Valley, which has long served as a natural corridor connecting the prairies to the Continental Divide… Though trails that never receive any use from humans have little to no effect on wildlife, only half of grizzlies studied would venture within 300 metres of trails with the highest human use. This effect was more pronounced in wary wolves, whose radius of comfort extended to 600 metres from the busiest trails. “We initially thought bears might use hiking trails as efficient routes when humans weren’t around, but they actually avoid these areas altogether,” says the author.
For over 20 years, the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) has championed the community forest program, highlighting its ability to foster social, economic, ecological, and cultural resilience. …Community forests are long-term, area-based tenures managed by local communities to reflect local priorities and values. With 61 community forests currently operating across the province, and growing interest in local resource management, the program is gaining broad recognition and support. …According to the December BCCFA Newsletter, the city of Quesnel along with five First Nations, have come to an agreement on the establishment of the Three Rivers Community Forest (TRCF). …Farther south, the BCCFA provided Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) with funding through the province’s Economic Recovery Initiative under the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program. …There were 14 other community forests across the province supported by this initiative.
More than 280 million trees were planted in B.C. forests in 2024 due to the Province’s efforts. “2024 was a banner year for tree planting in B.C., including celebrating 10 billion trees planted since 1930,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Our government’s commitment to sustainable forests has seen us lead the country by planting more than two billion trees since 2017.” …The Province’s 2024 reforestation efforts were primarily focused on fire-damaged areas. This was in addition to the work undertaken by forest tenure holders as part of their legal requirements to regenerate harvested areas. “We are in good shape right now based upon a run of strong years and the government’s commitment to tackling the impacts of climate change through adaptation and keeping reforestation programs at a level to help regrow our forests,” said John Betts, executive director, Western Forestry Contractors’ Association. 
In 2024… Since April 1, a total of 1,688 wildfires resulted in approximately 1.08 million hectares burned. More than 70% of wildfires this season were caused by lightning, while slightly fewer than 30% were attributed to human activity. …“I want to thank the hardworking members of the BC Wildfire Service,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. …Building on the recommendations of the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, the BC Wildfire Service is working in partnership with trained local community members who are interested in supporting response efforts around their communities. …The Province is expanding the number of firefighting tools available to crews to provide broader response capabilities. …This year, a wildfire training and education centre was announced. A first-of-its-kind in North America, the centre is a partnership with Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. 
Just days after Christmas in 1973 President Richard Nixon signed into law the Endangered Species Act, establishing one of the strongest conservation laws in history. …The Northern Spotted Owl has proven to be the most controversial of animal species listed. Its “threatened” designation in the late 1980s sparked legal battles between logging companies and environmental groups later named the Timber Wars. …The Northwest Forest Plan was amended in a monumental compromise between environmental groups and the timber industry in 2022 when Governor Kate Brown singed into law the Private Forest Accord. …The Forest Service has proposed additional amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan that may open up millions of acres of western lands to logging. The final environmental impact statement of that plan will be released in 2025 under the Trump administration, which has promised extensive deregulation. The Northern Spotted Owl remains listed as endangered.
Global deforestation rates have declined, but forests remain under significant pressure. Rising demands for forest products and climate-related challenges have led to calls for better conservation measures. The European Union had 160 million hectares of forest in 2022, covering 39 per cent of its land, an increase of 8.3 million hectares since 2000. The largest forest areas are in Sweden, Finland, and Spain. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), the EU’s average forest connectivity, a crucial indicator for supporting biodiversity, was 80.6 per cent in 2021, a slight decline of 0.8 per cent compared to 2018. Larger forest areas, such as those in Slovenia, Romania, Finland, and Sweden, contribute significantly to higher connectivity, while smaller fragmented forests rely on forest strips to maintain connectivity. …Initiatives such as the Nature Restoration regulation, forest and biodiversity strategies for 2030, and a pledge to plant three billion trees by 2030, aim to enhance connectivity.
