Robert Gray

The greatest threat to the forest industry in Canada and to the rural communities that are dependent on it is wildfire. Yet, you wouldn’t get that impression from recent policy announcements. …The forest industry is heavily dependent on predictability for its survival — predictable access to fibre, predictable forest growth rates, and predictable volumes. Right now, thanks to drought, insects and wildfire, the ability to predict any of these things is questionable. …This leads to an interesting dilemma: Is a concept like the annual allowable cut even relevant if we can’t predict how much fibre is available to a forest company next year or over the next five to 10 years? …The focus needs to be on wildfire risk reduction at scale, strategic reforestation focused on using forest types to impede fire flow and alter severity, and realigning the industry to respond to a changing wood profile.