As we mark National Forest Week, I am honoured to celebrate a heritage, a true trust that we have been provided by our ancestors. And it is a time for us to look to the future of forestry. Maybe it looks a little different than the forest industry that I remember as a kid and the forest industry that I worked in the 1990’s.

Solid wood and pulp are still going to be key components of the forest sectors as we move forward in the 21st century.

But it is also about new products and new services that we can provide to the public - whether it is energy, pellets, biofuels or new high-value building products.

As Minister of Forests and Range, I have established four key objectives for the Ministry that I want to move forward.

The first one is really maximizing the growth opportunity of our forests. For a long time we have given great thought to cutting trees down. Now it is time to give more thought to growing trees. We need to grow the resource for our grandchildren and their grandchildren so that forestry continues to build the schools, the hospitals, the road systems across our province.

The second key opportunity is maximizing value from our forests. When I worked in the forest industry I would see fibre being left behind that I knew had value. I want a forest industry that fully utilizes every single part of the tree when we cut it down. We must use all components for maximum economic benefit to society and to create jobs throughout urban and rural British Columbia.

The third key component is using more wood in large commercial and institutional buildings. We already do that well in B.C. but there is an opportunity to expand the use of wood products across the broader construction sector.

Finally the Chinese marketplace is very important to the growth of our industry. This year we will ship nearly 1 billion board feet of lumber into the Chinese market. That is a record and really starts to establish a long-term relationship with an immense potential market for our products.

Those are the four key initiatives that I think can build the industry for the future and I am excited to be part of B.C’.s forest industry.
 

By Pat Bell, Minister of Forests and Range