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 SUMO WRESTLER'S STRENGTH BRANDS HEMLOCK  He's the Japanese personification of the "Little Engine That Could". Once considered too small to even make the pro ranks of Sumo, Mai-no-Umi's sheer strength, technique and determination prevailed, leading him to achieve the maximum high rank of Komusubi in his wrestling career. Now retired, Mai-no-Umi (translated Dancing Ocean) is using his reputation for strength to promote B.C. hemlock in Japan. In June Mai-no-Umi led a delegation of Japanese media to our coastal forests to see firsthand how British Columbia is leading the world in sustainable forest management, harvesting practices and manufacturing processes for hemlock. The trade media delegation toured TFL 39 near Powell River, two manufacturing facilities in the lower mainland and Forintek during their visit. "This is a credible way for the coastal forest industry to reach the Japanese customer," says Coast Forest's Rick Jeffery. Coast Forest's strategy for increasing market share in Japan includes continued work with the Japanese government to develop fire code and construction changes that encourage wood use, developing new kiln-dried products that are superior to engineered wood and marketing hemlock in a way that resonates with the Japanese customer as a product of superior strength and quality. These efforts are beginning to pay off. Following the launch of Mai-no-Umi's campaign in Japan market share rose (by 4%) for the first time in a decade. LEED GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMCoast Forest has urged the U.S. Green Building Council to re-examine its "credit" policy in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system for certified wood.
The LEED system provides "credits" earned through the selection of building sites, use of technologies to support efficient energy and water use, selection of materials and resources, and other factors. Credit is available for the use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood products, but is not granted for other proven, independent and respected certification programs, such as those offered by the Canadian Standards Association and Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Independent studies have demonstrated that B.C. has among the most stringent forest policies in the world. Beyond the province's forest policy framework, B.C. companies have achieved voluntary certification of 41.8 million hectares of forest land - more than any other jurisdiction in the world (except for the entire country of Canada). These systems provide third-party assurance of well-managed, sustainable forests. "It makes little sense for the LEED standard to favour one forest certification system over another, or to impose a barrier to the use of renewable, sustainably harvested wood products," says Coast Forest's Christine Kennedy, Acting Vice President, Lumber Programs. For more information visit our website's Current Views page at www.coastforest.org SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL CITY GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE SHOWCoast Forest and the Western Red Cedar Export Association were represented together at the 3rd Shanghai International City Garden and Landscape Show in May. The full-sized gazebo booth included both western red cedar and treated hemlock products, demonstrating these coastal species to an audience of more than 13,000 visitors engaged in China's landscape and garden design sector. |
 SECOND GROWTH STRATEGY Earlier this year the Ministry of Forests & Range (MOFR) provided observations gleaned from two rounds of Timber Supply Review on the coast in a report called "Second-Growth Harvest Opportunities in Coastal B.C. - We Have Choices". The report outlined key factors influencing timber supply and provided a variety of options for managing the transition from an old-growth timber harvest to a predominantly second-growth one.
Currently, Coast Forest is working with the Ministry to develop detailed timber supply options for a number of Timber Supply Areas with the objective of expanding the chief forester's findings to create a broader second-growth strategy for the coast. In initiating this action, Coast Forest President and CEO Rick Jeffery noted that "we need to understand all the salient issues in light of current market conditions and challenges facing coastal hemlock". Objectives going forward are to:
FPPR SECTION 7 WILDLIFE OBJECTIVES Coast Forest hosted two successful workshops in May providing guidance on how to write results or strategies for Section 7 wildlife objectives. The workshops were attended by approximately 60 participants from industry, B.C. Timber Sales and (then) Ministries of Water, Land, Air Protection, Forests and Sustainable Resource Management. On-the-ground examples specific to licensee operations were used in practical, hands-on exercises to improve the understanding and ability of member companies to develop appropriate results and strategies for approval.
Wildlife under the Forest and Range Practices Act (FPRA) is addressed through objectives that trigger requirements for results or strategies in Forest Stewardship Plans (FSPs) and specific practice requirements that are enforceable. COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY ASSOCIATION DINNERCoast Forest and the Council of Forest Industries were sponsors of the Canadian Chapter of the Commonwealth Forestry Association's (CFA) inaugural dinner held on May 27 in Vancouver. The CFA promotes the sustainable management, use and conservation of forests worldwide for socio-economic advancement and maintenance of the natural environment.
Dr. Phil Evans, Director of the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing at UBC, was presented with the first ever CFA North American Medal for outstanding services to international forestry. Evans was recognized for leading work on the surface properties of wood and their effect on wood's resistance to weathering and its finishing properties. |
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 PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE (CONT'D FROM PAGE 1) If the answer is "No" then let's turn out the lights and shut the door, sooner than later in fairness to all those who will be affected by the decision. If the answer is "Yes" then we need to build a common vision of what the real future is for the coastal forest sector and set about developing then implementing a strategy to realize that vision and its potential.
I am bullish on this subject. We have a great resource on the coast, a great history and great people. To achieve our potential we need to set aside preconceptions, motherhood and sophistry and confront the market realities. The status quo will simply result in even more fractured lives The outcome was an agreement to implement a voluntary 90-day deferral of planning and permitting activities in these areas while discussions continue. Hopefully, Haida agreement to this arrangement is a sign of a commitment to make the land use plan work in a manner that respects the interests of all parties. For our part, Coast Forest remains committed to working together with the parties to ensure the land use plan moves forward with a balanced approach that will result in sustainable environmental practices, an economically viable forest industry and sustainable Island communities. Companies are making every effort to maintain economic stability for forest workers and their families. "For resource management to be successful, especially in a unique ecosystem like Haida Gwaii's, it is important that science determine which resource areas require protection in a land use plan," says Industry Advisor Dave Kennedy, President of Strategic Aboriginal Consulting. Recently, the companies wrote to the residents of Haida Gwaii in their local newspaper to inform readers about the issues. In response, one Port Clements reader wrote to the editor saying: "It is unacceptable to proceed with the Haida co-management plan leaving the rest of us 65 per cent yet again out of the mix. The economic uncertainty that the majors feel is fully shared by the rest of the business community, particularly the small business forestry and value-added operators." |
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