Kim Haakstad is stepping into a familiar debate with renewed urgency. As president and CEO of the Council of Forest Industries (COFI), she is helping lead a province-wide campaign to rebuild public support for forestry. COFI represents British Columbia’s forest industry, advocating for policy, sustainability and economic growth across the sector. Haakstad says their new campaign is about reframing forestry’s role in a changing province. “Forestry is a solution for many of the challenges that British Columbia faces.” That message comes at a critical time. Mill closures and production cuts have shaken rural communities. The pressure is no longer abstract. It is local, visible and growing. “Local communities are on the front lines of the crisis we’re facing in forestry right now,” Haakstad says, warning that without changes, more closures will follow. The campaign brings together industry groups and advocacy organizations. Its goal is simple: remind British Columbians what is at stake.