Kurt Niquidet

The forest sector in B.C. may have shrunk dramatically over the past 20 years, but it remains an important pillar of the economy, providing one out of every six manufacturing jobs in B.C., according to a study released by COFI, in advance of this week’s COFI conference. The forest sector still supports 49,000 jobs, the study found, and contributes $17 billion annually to B.C’s gross domestic product. …But it’s a sector that has been battered by a declining timber supply, high operating costs, and American softwood lumber duties, all of which have contributed to major sawmill and pulp mill closures in recent years. …“In the short term we are faced with a critical shortage of timber for BC mills. Left unchecked, reduced access to fibre supply will drive further losses in the investment, infrastructure and workforce needed to meet those new opportunities,” said Kurt Niquidet, VP and Chief Economist at COFI.