Final Thoughts All BC communities are forestry communities Regional supply chain study emphasizes the importance of forestry in B.C. By Susan Yurkovich W hat does a forester in Prince George, a drone maker in Van-couver and an environmental consultant in Victoria all have in common? They all live and work in a forestry community. The answer might surprise many people. However, B.C.’s forest indus-try’s deep roots are supporting people and families in communities in every region of the province. If you call Quesnel or Campbell Riv-er home, your dad, your sister or your neighbour might be one of many British Columbians directly employed in a for-estry job. They could be working in the forest or in a sawmill making products that we all rely on every day. However, if you live in Vancouver, Surrey or Richmond, you may know someone who depends on the forest in-dustry, too. That’s because close to 9,900 B.C.-based companies – small, medium and large – across the province are in the business of supplying goods and ser-vices to the forest industry. And accord-ing to a study commissioned by the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI), the value of those goods and services totaled $7 billion in 2019. The study – Deep Roots. Strong Com-munities. 2019 Regional Supply Chain Study – looked at the supply chain spend and reach of COFI member com-panies, which represent the majority of lumber, pulp and paper, and manufac-tured wood producers in B.C. In all, more than 340 communities and 120 Indigenous Nations and organizations are part of our industry’s supply chain. That includes urban centres. The study found that the industry pur-chased $2 billion worth of goods and services from 2,100 businesses located across 19 municipalities in Metro Van-couver. More than half of it was in the City of Vancouver alone. On Vancouver Island, the spend was valued at $1.2 billion, purchased from 1,600 suppliers, with more than a quar-ter of them located in Nanaimo. In the North, Prince George is home to 970 forestry suppliers that supplied $718 million in goods and services last year. And more than 550 businesses from Kelowna and Kamloops in the Interior provided a combined $220 million in the forestry supply chain spend. Importantly, forestry is also a pri-mary industry in many Indigenous communities. Business agreements and stewardship partnerships with Indige-nous Nations provided about $250 mil-lion in economic benefits to Indigenous communities, with close to 120 Indig-enous Nations or affiliated businesses participating in B.C.’s forest industry in 2019. So, what kind of goods and services did these companies supply? Suppliers range from manufactur-ers designing, producing and servicing parts for the equipment used in forestry operations to urban-based tech com-panies developing digital solutions to improve harvesting, tree planting and regeneration processes, to administra-tion, janitorial and catering services, to name just a few. If every one of these companies em-ploys five, 10 or 100 people, that’s a lot of British Columbians who also count on the forest industry each day to sup-port their families, pay their bills and enjoy a great quality of life. B.C.’s forest industry remains a cor-nerstone of the economy and as the province continues its recovery from the pandemic, it is poised to get more people back to work. The industry is responsible for over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs, contributes nearly $13 billion to the provincial GDP and generates close to $4 billion in annual revenues to municipal, provincial and federal governments to help fund im-portant public services like health care and education. Our industry faces many challenges including rising costs, access to fibre, trade volatility and strong global com-petition. But, working together, gov-ernment, communities, workers and industry can address these challenges and ensure our deep roots continue to be the foundation for strong commu-nities, sustainable growth and shared prosperity for decades to come. To find out more about how your community is also a forestry communi-ty, read the study at cofi.org. • Susan Yurkovich is the president and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries. For the latest news, equipment and project profile features, plus videos, webinars and more, visit canadianbiomassmagazine.ca. WINTER 2021 22 Canadian BIOMASS
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