Whereas there is a shortage of available wood fiber supplies in British Columbia for value added manufacturing facilities; And whereas the province has indicated that value added products are vital to the future of our forest industry: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the provincial government to increase the availability of wood fiber for value added manufacturing facilities.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Government is interested in increasing fibre access for value-added domestic manufacturers. On June 1, 2021 government released the Modernizing Forest Policy in BC document a.k.a. Intentions Paper, the vision for the future of the forest sector and our forests. An important component of this vision is to transition from a high-volume structure to one of high value through supporting local manufacturing and capturing value at every step in the production chain. The goal is to ensure local communities, including indigenous communities, have opportunities to benefit from the resources. BC will promote greater use of our wood products and encourage diversification in the industry. To support the vision to diversify manufacturing and increasing value, the Intentions Paper outlined a policy intention to Increase fibre access for value-added domestic manufacturers. This will be achieved through the following: - Working with value-added sector representatives for traditional remanufacturing products, mass timber, and with new entrants on innovative products to understand what and where the province can act to support competitive value-added businesses. - Advancing a process to minimize the burning of slash piles created after timber harvesting, so this fibre is available for manufacturing, and that reduced emissions benefit our climate as part of CleanBC. - Developing a program for timber with a focus on the value-added sector. Ministry staff are undertaking work on this issue and will be engaging with indigenous leaders, the forest sector, and local governments for perspectives on how to increase fibre availability for value-added manufacturing in BC.