We are in a period of major transformation. The double whammy of a collapsing US market and tight credit has hit our industry hard. One emerging bright light is the potential we have in BC to build a world class bioenergy capability. We are in a unique position to take advantage of the convergence of economic, environmental, and energy security concerns. We have put ourselves on the bioenergy map with our burgeoning pellet industry, primarily export driven and growing in response to Europe’s demand for renewable energy. BC Hydro’s two-phase Bioenergy Call for power can provide the province with clean electricity while providing diversification opportunities for the forest industry and rural economies.

The BC forest industry has potential to lead in advanced applications for biomass waste to energy. Developing new products, markets, and business models will take a strategic mix of effective government policy, access to financing, and a commitment to innovation for the long term. Effective partnerships among industry, academics, and government policy makers are key.

I am honoured to be the Chair of the BC Bioenergy Network, a not-for-profit organization established with a $25 million contribution from the provincial government. Led by Executive Director Michael Weedon, the mandate of the BC Bioenergy Network is to maximize the value of BC’s biomass resources, develop mission-driven research, development and demonstration projects, reduce GHG emissions, network and partner within BC, Canada, and internationally, and lever funding to support BC – focused bioenergy technology and applications.

You should consider participating in the upcoming BC Bioenergy Conference, May 14-15, held in partnership with the 22nd annual PWC Global Forest and Paper Conference (www.bcbioenergy.ca).  BC Bioenergy Network and partners have assembled a great program of forest industry, research, and bioenergy leaders from North America, Europe, and Canada to share their insights on key trends in bioenergy, successful models of engagements, and to discuss opportunities, challenges, and impediments to making that vision of BC being a Bioenergy leader a reality.

John Allan

The results of the BC Wood WORKS! 2009 Wood Design Awards competition show how wood can deliver everything from warmth and beauty to leading-edge technological solutions - meeting the needs of any project, large or small.

"We had a record number of nominations this year, and every one of them could have been a winner," Mary Tracey, executive director of BC Wood WORKS!, said Monday after the annual awards gala. "The range of winners was astounding. Some projects, such as the Richmond Skating Oval and Ontario Art Gallery, demonstrated highly advanced wood technology, and others, such as the Tobiano Golf Clubhouse in Kamloops and Squamish Lil-wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, showed off the amazing natural beauty of diverse wood products."

This is the fifth design competition hosted by BC Wood WORKS!, and the record 110 nominations came from across the province as well as from outside Canada. To be eligible, a project had to have been completed after January 2006 and before January 2009.

LMDG Consultants of Vancouver, which provides building code, fire code and fire protection consulting services, was named Wood Champion for its work, which has expanded the use of wood in many projects. Gary Crooks of Kelowna, who recently retired as vice-president, southern operations of COFI, received the Industry Leader Award for his efforts in helping British Columbia realize more benefits from wood production.

The Architect Award went to Shelley Craig of Urban Arts Architecture in Vancouver, who has been actively involved in research related to the use of wood in mid-rise residential construction. Equilibrium Consulting Inc. of Vancouver won the Engineer Award for its use of advanced technology in work on the expansion of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

The Green Building category, introduced in 2007, went to Renaissance Architecture Planning Inc. of Kelowna for an open-air amphitheatre on the shore of Lake Okanagan built with logs reclaimed after the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park wildfire.

For further information: www.wood-works.org/BC+Wood+Works/.

Planning for Forestry Week 2009 presentations by Okanagan/Columbia, Thompson and COFI South forest educators is almost complete, with this year's theme on the importance of our community watersheds. Volunteer forest professionals will be touring Thompson zone elementary schools to present the lesson during the month of April. Other Southern Interior forest education zones will not be holding school tours this year, due to a lack of forest education funding and available presenters. The lesson and accompanying resources will go up on the Learn Forestry website for use by teachers later in the spring.

In conjunction with the Interior Logging Association's April Tradeshow and Convention, Okanagan/Columbia forest educators will be hosting their bi-annual post-secondary career fair, allowing local secondary students to meet with recruiters and learn about the many forestry career options at the various institutions. Post-secondaries such as BCIT, TRU, NVIT, UBC and Selkirk College will be represented, along with the Canadian Women in Timber, Silver Lake Forest Education, the Association of BC Forest Professionals and the ILA's forest education van. Students will also have the opportunity to see a large display of equipment on site, with many companies exhibiting the latest high-tech harvesting machines.

The ILA's forest education van is again going on the road through the spring months, visiting local schools in the Okanagan/Columbia, Thompson and Kootenay zones. COFI South forest education will also be hosting the van for a public event in April at Kelowna's Family Environment Day. A forestry post-secondary student will be hired for the spring and summer months and will tour the van to regional parks, camps and community events to present information about forestry and our forest resource.

In the East Kootenay, another Youth Exploring Skills to Industry Training (YES2IT) event will take place in late May. Jim Jenkinson, East Kootenay Forest Educator, is again assisting on the planning committee this year. YES2IT is a joint initiative of the Industry Training Authority (ITA) and the Ministry of Education (MOE). The program was designed to increase awareness of trades amongst younger students. Last year, 42 grade 9 students from three schools participated in interactive, hands-on activities with trades people at the two Cranbrook campuses of the College of the Rockies (COTR). This spring, the event will be expanded to two days, with 95 students from ten schools participating. Each full-day event will also include a tour of a local manufacturing plant, and then conclude with a barbeque and a skills competition. Event partners include Tembec, Elk Valley Coal, COTR, the ITA, the Resource Training Authority (RTO), as well as the three school districts in the region.

West Kootenay forest educator, Toni Appleby, has been putting her experience as a wildlife technician and tracker to good use in her work with students and community groups. Through the fall and winter, she has taken groups on field trips to locations such as the summit of the Salmo-Creston, where she has conducted tours of various silviculture systems and discussed responsible harvesting in Caribou habitat. She has also educated group tours on topics such as MPB, tree ID and active logging sites in alpine zones, and has hosted mill tours and presentations on the history of logging, sustainability and practical harvesting.

Cariboo forest educator, Al Menduk, has been busy visiting elementary classrooms in his area, presenting the Gr. 3 and 5 forest education units, "Community Development- the History of Logging" and "Our Living Resource- The Forest". As well, he has been working to develop local information to accompany these kits on the history of logging in the Cariboo region, along with additional supplementary resource materials for teachers.

In April and May, Environmental Mind Grind competitions will once again be held in communities around the Southern Interior, as well as in Nanaimo. School teams from Elementary, Middle and Secondary age levels will compete to test their knowledge about the environment at regional events in their local communities in April, with winning teams moving on to the playoff event in Kelowna in May. Sponsorship funding and forestry study packages and question sets were provided by COFI South Forest Education.

For further information on Southern Interior Forest Education, please contact Debbie Bazett by phone at: (250) 860-9663 or by email: bazett@cofi.org.

If the number of students participating in the recent annual forestry career awareness sessions hosted by COFI northern operations forest education program is any indication of the interest in forestry careers, then attracting the next generation of workers to the forest sector when it recovers from the current economic downturn should not be a problem.

Whether we are talking about careers in the trades and technologies, as harvesting equipment operators or as professional foresters, forest technologists or other resource management professionals, high school students are very interested in learning about today’s and future career opportunities.

Three recently held career awareness programs, two in Fort St John looking at trades and technologies in Canfor’s sawmill and harvesting equipment operators at a logging site, and one program in Prince George highlighting post-secondary resource management programs at the College of New Caledonia and UNBC were not only completely filled with students, but students had to be turned away for a lack of program space. “Students are fully aware of the difficulties facing BC’s forest industry, but the sessions help them look past the current situation to where they see the industry rebounding and see themselves as journeymen millwrights, feller-buncher operators or professional foresters. You might call this youthful enthusiasm, but I call this youthful optimism”, notes Chris Lear, Manager Forest Education, COFI Northern Operations. This is the next generation of workers ready to train for tomorrow’s careers.

For more information on these and other forest education programs hosted by COFI Northern Operations Program, please contact: Chris Lear, Manager Forest Education, COFI Northern Operations by phone at: (250) 614-4351 or by e-mail at: lear@cofi.org.

Students and teachers from Quesnel, Vanderhoof and Prince George join delegates at the ABCFP’s ExpoFor AGM as part of program looking at post secondary resource management programs at CNC and UNBC.

Students from throughout School District No 60 Peace River North participating in harvesting equipment operator’s careers program.

Working Roundtable: Forestry Will Continue to Drive BC’s Economy

The Working Roundtable on Forestry has released its report and recommendations for a vibrant and successful forest industry for future generations, announced Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell.

“All British Columbians benefit from a strong forest sector,” said Bell. “And this report reminds us of the tremendous forest-based opportunities that lie ahead. By setting a clear vision and priorities, everyone in our forest sector – industry, workers, communities and First Nations – can work with common purpose to create new jobs and drive the B.C. forest economy for decades to come.

The Working Roundtable on Forestry’s vision is for “a vibrant, sustainable, globally competitive forest industry that provides enormous benefits for current and future generations and for strong communities.” The Roundtable Report sets six priorities to help achieve the vision:

• A commitment to using wood first.
• Growing trees, sequestering carbon, and ensuring that land is available from which to derive a range of forest products.
• Creating a globally competitive, market-based operating climate.
• Embracing innovation and diversification.
• Supporting prosperous rural forest economies.
• First Nations becoming full partners in forestry.

The Working Roundtable also identifies 29 recommendations for actions that are consistent with these priorities. The 19 members of the roundtable brought a diversity of perspectives and experience to arrive at consensus on the vision, priorities and recommendations.

To download a copy of the report or for more information on the Working Roundtable on Forestry, visit:

www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/forestry_roundtable.

The BC Forest Safety Council’s board of directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Reynold Hert as the new CEO of the forest sector’s health and safety association. Hert, who joins the Council March 16, brings a passion for safety, along with an extensive background in forestry.

“Reynold’s strong commitment to workplace safety is well-known and respected throughout the forest industry,” says Bev Briscoe, chair of the Council. “We look forward to working with him in the coming years to make BC’s forest industry a safer place.”

Employed in forestry since 1978, Hert has advanced through the ranks of the industry from being a harvesting area manager at Procter and Gamble to roles as vice president of Canadian Lumber and later as vice president Canadian Forestlands for Weyerhaeuser. From 2004 to 2008, Hert led Western Forest Products as president and CEO where he oversaw a significant improvement in its safety record.

“I am a firm believer that safe businesses are the best businesses,” says Hert. ”Operations that integrate safety as a way of doing business can see improved results including fewer injuries, lower costs, higher productivity and better worker morale.”

“I look forward to working with the industry to integrate safety into our sector from the boardroom to the worker in the woods.”

To find out more information visit the web site at www.bcforestsafe.org.

Student applications for the College of New Caledonia’s Natural Resources and Environmental Technology Diploma in Prince George are way up over previous years, according to the latest report from the Registrar. There are already 25 applicants for the 22 spots in the College of New Caledonia's new program, which will give students career opportunities in forestry, mining, oil and gas and other outdoor professions.

"We are very pleased to see so many applicants for this exciting program," said CNC instructor Ed Morrice. "It's only March and we already have great interest in the program, which begins in September. "Morrice said there is still room for qualified applicants, who should register as soon as possible at www.cnc.bc.ca/CNC_Programs/NRETech.htm.

Morrice added the interest is fired by the program changes at CNC as well as by the traction that COFI’s Northern Operations Forest Education Program is getting with high school students and others. "The program has been well received by industry and prospective students", Morrice said.

CNC repurposed its traditional forestry program by moving the focus from forestry to the broader spectrum of natural resources. Graduates will still be fully functional forest technologists having learned about operations, silviculture, forest protection and measurements. But they will acquire a much broader suite of skills and knowledge applicable to the range of natural resource sectors operating in northern BC. "If you know someone who would suit this program because they like the outdoors and want a meaningful career involved in responsible management of the environment, then encourage them to apply and register now," Morrice said. "Almost all graduates of the Forest Resource Technology program are employed now and job postings are still going up."

For more information on this program, please contact:
Ed Morrice, R.P.F.
Natural Resources and Environmental Technology College of New Caledonia, Prince George, BC by phone at:
(250) 562-2131 local 5215