COFI Convention Starts Today
Prince George, B.C. – The who’s who of the forest industry will be in Prince George starting today for this year’s annual Council of Forest Industries Convention (COFI).
It begins with a welcome address at 8 this morning at the Civic Centre and will feature a variety of workshops says COFI’s director of communications and engagement Cam McAlpine.
“We’ve got people from the forest industry across B.C., Alberta, the Pacific Northwest, upwards of 500 delegates discussing all kinds of issues central to the industry,” he says. “Everything from fibre and timber supply to a new bio-economy to world markets and market access as well as some of the key issues around transportation.”
He says another aim of the convention will be to “involve the next generation of forest industry employees and leaders.
“We do that by engaging with CNC and UNBC to bring in students into the conference. So they’ll get a chance to meet and talk to some of the key people in the industry and find out more about it.”
The convention concludes tomorrow.
Comments
In the age of bio this and bio that, and enzyme mining and processing for various end products… then I wonder if in the future we won’t have some sort of whole new types of forest industries that refine fiber for ethanol, or process fibers for things like glues, 3D printing material, or various kinds of concentrated fertilizers, or processing fiber into growing additives on an industrial scale… all with the magic of enzymes or other types of manipulations of the feed stock at the molecular level.
If one could use the heat of the earth, like geothermal heat, to power the process for things like charcoal production that matches the per ton BTU equivalent of coal with the portability to match, then the whole coal for power industry would be up for grabs as well… and then more considering charcoal is the most widely used source for cooking fuel in the world. It could be a carbon neutral equivalent industry that could reduce mercury contamination world wide.
20-years ago few would have said the pellet industry, bio fuels for power generation, or community hot water projects would have been a reality… so one wonders how the log will be further processed in the years to come adding value to the fiber through the diversity of its uses.
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