Premier Announces Dollars for Reforestation and Forestry Products

By 250 News

    Kelowna, B.C. - Premier Gordon Campbell announced almost $25 million for reforestation, forest health initiatives and to market British Columbia’s forest products in B.C., across Canada and around the world. 

 "The future of British Columbia’s forest industry is dependent on both the health of our forests and how we market and promote our world-class forest products across Canada and around the world," said Campbell. "The funding announced today will not only help grow our forests, but also help develop new markets to sell B.C. products."

The Province will invest $13.5 million to accelerate reforestation and research forest health. This includes:

* $6 million for fertilization projects to treat an additional 15,000 hectares of actively growing forest around the province that will sequester 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

* $1.4 million invested in forest health activities to fight the western spruce budworm and Douglas-fir tussock moth and research new methods of seedling production.

* $600,000 for seedling purchases to accelerate the Forests for Tomorrow program. The extra one million seedlings will absorb an additional 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over their lifetime. The Forests for Tomorrow program will plant an additional 60 million seedlings over the next four years.

* $5.5 million for the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative research partnership with the University of British Columbia and the University of Northern British Columbia for climate change studies related to forest and range management and adaptation.

Premier Campbell also announced $11.35 million through Forestry Innovation Investment to promote B.C. wood products by opening up new markets for the Coast and Interior, developing the value-added sector, and dealing with mountain pine beetle challenges.

"We’re supporting the development of new products and aggressively seeking new customers beyond the U.S.," said Forests and Range Minister Rich Coleman.  "We want to explore new opportunities that will reposition the sector for long-term growth and stability."

More than 80 per cent of B.C. wood products are sold outside Canada, with most of these sales going to the United States. Overseas demand for wood products continues to grow, and markets in Japan, China, Korea and
Europe are increasingly attractive to B.C. companies.

"B.C. wood products have an excellent reputation around the world because they’re high quality and come from sustainably managed forests," said John Allan, president and CEO of COFI. "Today’s announcement by the
Province will help the industry market our products internationally and help weather the current downturn in the U.S."

FII funding is leveraged by contributions from industry and the federal government. In total, more than $24.3 million is being directed to wood product development and marketing.



MARKET AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

Forestry Innovation Investment (FII) uses an annual, competitive request-for-proposals process to receive submissions and award funding for market and product development. This year, the following organizations will receive a total of $10.1 million in funding:

Council of Forest Industries - $458,000
* Continue to promote the benefits of wood-frame construction to large builders and developers in South Korea.
* Promote the use of spruce/pine/fir in China for structural and landscaping applications through seminars, tradeshows, and builder and consumer awareness.
* Conduct technical seminars with Japanese partner organizations to promote wood-frame construction and applications in niche markets, and conduct spruce/pine/fir advertising and public relations efforts in Japan.

B.C. Shake and Shingle Association - $130,000
* Promote B.C.’s western red cedar products in the U.S., U.K. and France.
* Investigate the performance of alternate species for use as painted sidewall shingles.

BC First Nations Forestry Council - $74,000
* Investigate opportunities for First Nations-branded forest products in the U.S. and selected global markets.

BC Wood Specialties Group - $800,000
* Deliver a targeted market campaign linking potential buyers in Japan, Europe, South Korea, the U.S., China and Vietnam with B.C. manufacturers of value-added products (e.g., log homes, doors, outdoor furniture, cabinets, laminated beams).
* Host the fifth annual Global Buyers Mission in Whistler to connect nearly 200 international buyers of wood products from Australia, China, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan and the U.S. with over 80 B.C. value-added wood product manufacturers.

Canada Wood Group - $3.28 million
* Support a Canada Wood Group market development team with representatives in China, Japan, Europe, Korea and Taiwan.
* Monitor and address phyto-sanitary concerns and product acceptance issues in key international markets for B.C. wood products.
* Develop and test building designs that meet stringent Japanese and South Korean acoustical requirements.
* Address fire-related and seismic restrictions to wood frame construction in South Korea.
* Continue the China market development strategy including:

•  Establishing a codes and standards framework that favours the use of B.C. wood products in the Chinese market.
• Expanding the use of B.C. wood products into landscaping, multi-family/multi-storey, hybrid building and roof truss applications.
• Increasing the level of wood-frame construction quality through technology transfer sessions and quality-assurance initiatives.

Canadian Wood Council - B.C. Wood WORKS! - $470,000
* Develop continuing education events, seminars and workshops to increase the use of wood in industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-family housing applications, including profiling the innovative wood roof used in the Richmond Oval.

Certiwood - $9,000
* Promote the use of softwood plywood in the domestic and U.S. residential and non-residential construction markets.

Coast Forest Products Association - $396,000
* Demonstrate the superior performance of Coastal hemlock/fir, with a strong focus on a new kiln-dried product line, in the Japanese post and beam building sector.
* Promote hemlock for aesthetic applications and treated hemlock for landscape in China.

Engineered Wood Products Association - $55,000
* Promote the superior structural properties, durability, and consistent quality of Canadian oriented strand board in Japan.

Western Red Cedar Export Association - $294,000
* Increase awareness and demand for western red cedar in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association - $1.56 million
* Promote the superior performance and high-end appeal of western red cedar over substitute products in the U.S. and Canada.

Wood Products Council - $800,000
* Grow the opportunity for B.C. wood products in the U.S. non-residential and commercial building markets through innovative application of the WoodWorks program.

Business Innovation Program - $1.8 million
* To assist value-added firms in improving product design, manufacturing processes, marketing, and business practices. The program is being delivered through a partnership between BC Wood Specialties Group and
FPInnovations.

MARKET AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT FOR PINE BEETLE WOOD

Forestry Innovation Investment is directing over $1.2 million to research in 2008/09 to develop new markets and products from wood affected by the mountain pine beetle (MPB).

BC Wood Specialties Group - $104,500
* Evaluate the stability of blue-stained MPB boards for production of flooring using a commercial wood hardening and colouring process (continuation of work done in 2007/08).
* Evaluate the characteristics of finger-joint lumber from MPB-affected wood as well as glulam posts.

FPInnovations Canada (Forintek Division) - $196,959
* Manufacture and testing of glulam beams made from treated laminating stock (continuation of work done in 2007/08).
* Evaluate the use of low-pressure steam and cold water spray during the kiln drying of MPB-affected lumber.
* Research into the development of value-added products from low quality MPB-affected wood.

FPInnovations Canada (Paprican Division) - $162,974
* Mill trials of bleaching techniques for mechanical pulp manufactured from MPB-affected chips to increase brightness (continuation of work done in 2007/08).
* Improving the strength properties of thermo-mechanical pulp from dry, grey-stage fibre.

University of British Columbia - $756,884
* Development of cross-lamination technology for engineered wood products manufactured from MPB-affected fibre.
* Researching a new cost-effective bleaching agent for mechanical pulps from MPB-affected chips.
* Development of high performance wood composites through nano-technology (continuation of work done in 2007/08).
* Testing of commercially available pre-treatments to prevent discolouration; primers to restrict water absorption; and opaque finishes on MPB-affected wood (continuation of work done in 2007/08).
* Innovation in pre-heating technology for engineered lumber and panel products made from MPB-affected fibre.

    

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