Sorry State of Affairs in the Forestry Industry

[Planer99]

Simple...move to a forestry model like Alberta. Industry makes a healthy sustainable profit and the government gets a steady flow of tax revenue. The huge ebbs and flows in bc are brutal on everyone, those huge profits last year the bc forestry companies made are now being covered up major losses right now.
The mill workers are the ones that suffer, they don't benefit during the highs and have to take layoffs on the lows. All the old trades guys are aging out and young trades guys are looking for more reliable work than pays more.

[Squire]

No, everything is perfect according to the forestry gang on HBC.
BC will go the way of the Puebloans in the Chaco Canyon.

Great contribution to the discussion; who could argue that the ex tree-planter who wrote the article isn’t the definitive expert on the condition of the industry especially when he can fit the catchy term “megacorps” into one rant multiple times.

The ‘forestry gang’ on HBC has never said everything is perfect in the forest industry and in fact most will tell you it is in crisis. The members who have worked in the management end of the industry just disagree with some uninformed opinions as to the reasons why it is in crisis and have attempted to elaborate to a mostly unreceptive, and often unsophisticated, audience.

[MRP]

It’s a catch 22, For those old enough to remember the saying. You can’t have it both ways, yes they have exported too many logs the jobs should say in the community. But we would still be running out of timber even if no raw logs were exported, you can’t complain about los of jobs and there was too much cutting in the bush at the same time. Boom and Bust: it’s the only thing the big money makers know. And all those who wont to get in on their portion of the big money gladly grab on to brown end of the stick and hold on until it’s yanked from there hands. With a resource that you can almost go count every tree, know how much is out there know how much is cut and still be so far over the regeneration rate is nothing but greed and piss on those that come behind me. It’s the way the world turns there’s not one country on this rock where things are any different. Rape it and move on.

[b72471]

Just to cover a few things again.
After the fires very little timber was taken out, most of it is still standing.
Beetle kill was a grab and run sale which included a lot of prime timber mixed in with beetle kill. Stumpage was almost nothing.
Raw log export.
Overcutting quotes and waste.

[ACB]

Less need for newsprint now with electronic media.
Log export subsidized domestic availability for the mills.

Sure with electronic media "NEWSPRINT" is less of a commodity, but last I looked people are still wiping their asses. Those newsprint machines can be refitted to producing tissue "aka ass wipe". Nobody wants a plastic bag anymore for groceries or house wares, so instead of shipping raw logs oversea's to made into paper bags and tissue why not make those recyclable paper shopping bags here and employ Canadians with Canadian natural resources? How does a log export subsidy help laid off mill workers, with EI, for how long?

[358mag]

Sure with electronic media "NEWSPRINT" is less of a commodity, but last I looked people are still wiping their asses. Those newsprint machines can be refitted to producing tissue "aka ass wipe". Nobody wants a plastic bag anymore for groceries or house wares, so instead of shipping raw logs oversea's to made into paper bags and tissue why not make those recyclable paper shopping bags here and employ Canadians with Canadian natural resources? How does a log export subsidy help laid off mill workers, with EI, for how long?

Why ?? well one just has to look at the wages that are paid "over seas" for your answer . Its all about $$$$ and profit .
Are you willing to pay a higher price for products made in Canada or go shopping at Wal Mart for cheaper off shore Chinese made products ?

[Arctic Lake]

Geez what a mess ! One side vs the other . Makes one’s head spin !
Seems to me what the outcome should be in the Forest Industry is , Sustainability, Jobs , Profits , Taxes .
Hmm.. Anyway to provide all of this ?
Arctic Lake

[Squire]

Log exports are a coastal issue

Two thirds of the AAC comes from the interior

Prior to the NDP's log export prohibition in 1994, less than 1% of crown timber was exported

The NDP introduced the current surplus test log export policy in 1998 in a attempt to revive the industry

Cedar, Cypress and any log better than a coastal 'H' grade cannot be exported

The total costs (including stumpage) of bringing a log to the market on the coast exceed the domestic log values. Without selling some of the profile for more than logging costs no logs would come out of the woods, hence the domestic manufacturing subsidy.

No mill in BC ever shut down because of log exports

The amount of forested land lost to beetles, fires and new parks meant there had to be a significant reduction in AAC in the short term(40-50 years) and there would be some winners and losers in the subsequent reduction in manufacturing facilities.

Softwood logs aren't turned into toilet paper, Cottonwood and Aspen are.

[Arctic Lake]

Do they actively harvest Cottonwood and Aspen in B.C. ?
Man I have seen some gigantic cottonwoods back in the bush North East of Bear Lake which is North of P.G.
Arctic Lake

Log exports are a coastal issue

Two thirds of the AAC comes from the interior

Prior to the NDP's log export prohibition in 1994, less than 1% of crown timber was exported

The NDP introduced the current surplus test log export policy in 1998 in a attempt to revive the industry

Cedar, Cypress and any log better than a coastal 'H' grade cannot be exported

The total costs (including stumpage) of bringing a log to the market on the coast exceed the domestic log values. Without selling some of the profile for more than logging costs no logs would come out of the woods, hence the domestic manufacturing subsidy.

No mill in BC ever shut down because of log exports

The amount of forested land lost to beetles, fires and new parks meant there had to be a significant reduction in AAC in the short term(40-50 years) and there would be some winners and losers in the subsequent reduction in manufacturing facilities.

Softwood logs aren't turned into toilet paper, Cottonwood and Aspen are.

[KodiakHntr]

Do they actively harvest Cottonwood and Aspen in B.C. ?
Man I have seen some gigantic cottonwoods back in the bush North East of Bear Lake which is North of P.G.
Arctic Lake

Yes. In FSJ and Dawson Creek we have facilities that only use aspen and a minor (10-20%) component of cottonwood.