Doug Donaldson

B.C’s Forests Minister says the emphasis remains on salvaging wildfire damaged timber in order to minimize any impact on sawmills due to fibre supply. Doug Donaldson says, so far, Interior sawmills remain in good shape, with no imminent job losses or mills threatening to shut down. This, despite the double trouble of timber supply after the wildfire season, and the increasingly bitter softwood lumber dispute with the States. “What we are seeing in the short term is that the supply is flowing, the burnt logs are flowing to the mills in the interior. We are focusing on the burnt wood and trying not to get into the green wood because that is future supply. Over the short term, it doesn’t seem to be the impact that will create negativity on the job front.