National Forest Week 2024

Every year during the third week of September, Canadians are invited to celebrate National Forest Week.

This year it runs from Sept. 22 to 28.  

Often there are activities within communities aimed at raising awareness about Canada's forest heritage and ways to value forests as a renewable resource.

In the Cariboo Chilcotin there are many forested areas to enjoy.

The role of the forests in fuelling the local economy is also evident throughout the region and in Williams Lake. 

There many logging companies bringing fibre to sawmills, the plywood plant, producers of other lumber products and biomass operations such as the pellet plant and power generation plant. 

Within the Williams Lake Community Forest areas where fuel management and removal of burnt timber are active, there are also some great trails for the public to enjoy as well. 

First Nations communities are active in forestry with several in the region owning their own companies and partnering with the city and industry on fuel mitigation projects. 

Coinciding with the lead-up to National Forest Week, the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) released an economic study on Sept. 10, highlighting the role of B.C.'s forest industry. 

The study noted In 2022, the forestry industry engaged over 9,970 suppliers and vendors across B.C., resulting in $6.6 billion in expenditures on goods and services. 

“This study demonstrates that when B.C.’s forest industry is performing well, it benefits communities throughout the province. Without a healthy forest economy, thousands of businesses are impacted,” said Kurt Niquidet, vice president and chief economist at COFI.

Niquidet noted the forest industry has a diverse supply chain that supports businesses across 335 different communities, but said the industry faces significant challenges that threaten its stability and growth.

"These include greater regulatory complexity, higher costs, and uncertainty over access to the land base. The industry also needs to grapple with rapidly changing market conditions, including increased U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber.”

Among the study’s key findings for 2022 were:

B.C.’s forest sector contributed $6.6 billion to suppliers across B.C. in 2022, through the purchase of goods and services across the supply chain

B.C.’s forest industry works with 9,970 companies and vendors

B.C.’s forest industry is connected to 335 municipalities and First Nations communities

B.C.’s forest industry spent $326 million on supply chain expenditures with Indigenous-affiliated vendors, with more than 220 Indigenous-affiliated vendors in BC

B.C.’s forest industry has an average spend of $662,000 per vendor

B.C.’s forest industry had $1.2 billion of expenditures on logistics and transportation

B.C.’s forest industry had $23.2 million of total community investments from 2020-2022, benefiting more than 1,230 organizations across 165 communities

“To ensure a sustainable future for the forest sector in B.C., industry stakeholders, government, First Nations, and local communities need to collaborate and find ways to address these challenges.  This will ensure the long-term viability of this foundational industry, and the ongoing benefits it brings to communities throughout the province” said Niquidet.

This year's National Forest Week theme is Two-Eyed Seeing: Welcoming all knowledge to sustain our forests, which refers to combining traditional knowledge and western science. 

One new thing that is allowing more public feedback was the launch in May 2024 of a new Forest Operations Map online portal that went live, allowing the public to use it as an online resource, but also to review and comment on proposed cutblocks and forestry roads around the province.

The map also offers greater transparency about these proposals and what they entail, such as roads, mapped areas of harvest, and estimated harvesting times.

With a file from Brendan Jure