Vancouver, BC (September 23, 2025) – Kim Haakstad, President & CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries has issued the following statement:
“The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) thanks Lennard Joe, George Abbott, and Brian Frenkel for their thoughtful work in developing a comprehensive set of recommendations as members of the BC Timber Sales (BCTS) Review Task Force.
As Minister Ravi Parmar and the Ministry of Forests determine next steps for implementation, it is encouraging to see recognition of the urgency to ‘increase performance, move more fibre, and better serve the current client base, including the primary sector.’
To create the stability, certainty, and predictability needed, we urge government to prioritize and fast track the Task Force’s recommendations that focus on increasing wood flow to manufacturers across the province [see Appendix].
While BCTS has consistently underperformed in its core function of delivering wood supply to the market, the government is choosing to expand its mandate and propose additional volumes be allocated to BCTS. Without tackling these underlying issues, additional responsibilities risk compounding challenges rather than resolving them.
COFI is pleased to see harvest targets in Recommendation 17, however, the proposal to increase the BCTS volumes by only 1 million cubic metres (m³) per year is not ambitious enough to meet the government’s Major Project commitment to reach a 45 million m³ harvest.
BCTS is responsible for delivering 20 percent of the annual harvest and as their largest customers, we stand ready to work together to accelerate progress towards delivering 9 million m³ per year.
In a sector with a diverse range of businesses, every part of the value chain must be supported. In 2024, the primary forest sector directly contributed $3.2 billion to the BC economy and 27 thousand direct jobs, making up about 60 percent of the forest economy. Achieving the 45 million m³ harvest level will protect thousands of jobs across the entire value chain and secure over half a billion dollars in government revenues annually.
COFI looks forward to continued collaboration to ensure the forestry sector can provide stability, strengthen First Nations and local communities, and deliver lasting economic benefits for British Columbians.”
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Media Contact:
Travis Joern, Director of Communications, COFI
778-846-3465, Joern@cofi.org
www.cofi.org
Appendix
Recommendations to fast track:
- Recommendation 5: Work with industry to develop a strategy for ensuring that the Market Pricing System, through competitive auction, remains effective and defensible, especially during periods of lower market demand.
- Recommendation 16: Create a strategy, in collaboration with First Nations, local communities, and industry partners, to advance the efficient and sustainable use of all available fibre and build a standing inventory equivalent to 24 months of Annual Allowable Cut.
- Recommendation 18: In order to grow fibre availability on the open market in the next 12 months, work with willing partners to purchase and auction developed permits and enter into log supply agreements.
- Recommendation 19: To facilitate prompt access to compromised timber stands, enhance contractor engagement, and expedite the introduction of additional fibre to the market, BCTS should initiate the auction of undeveloped timber sales.
- Recommendation 38: Where feasible and where spatial interests align, work with BC Parks, the BC Wildfire Service and First Nations, to actively manage wildfire risk adjacent to and within BC Parks.
- Recommendation 42: Develop timber sales to meet the needs of the local and regional forest industry as it relates to volume and species to support ‘right log to the right mill at the right place at the right price’.
- Recommendation 44: Collaborate with First Nations, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, and licensees to enable expedited wildfire salvage and returning lands to healthy growth and productivity.
- Recommendation 49: The Province should enhance coordination across ministries, agencies and regulatory bodies to address complex initiatives that are currently restricting fibre access. New initiatives should be introduced and implemented in an approach that provides a transition period for industry and aligns forest sector needs with broader land management goals.
- Recommendation 51: Given the need to grow domestic markets, the Ministry of Forests, in collaboration with broader government, should review and update British Columbia’s “Wood First” policies to focus on expanding the use of mass timber and other value-added products in residential, commercial and industrial construction. This presents an opportunity to align forest sector goals with broader provincial objectives related to housing, economic development and climate resilience.