TORONTO – At this time there are at least 650 vacant positions waiting to be filled within the forest industry in Ontario. The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) has been surveying its members. The OFIA and Forests Ontario have been actively pursuing strategies to recruit and develop manpower to meet the needs of the industry. OFIA Operations and Membership Services Co-ordinator Lauren McBride commented that intense efforts are being made to find solutions. …In 2022 work had been taking place under the name of Bridging the Gap, examining what is needed to develop a workforce for the forest industry. Three reports are now available on the websites of Forests Ontario and on It Takes a Forest, McBride stated. …Efforts have been made to reach out to all Ontario colleges and universities that offer forestry curriculum to see how the sector can support them on enrolment and program development McBride said.