by Shannon Janzen Western Forest Products (WFP) is the proud manager of Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 39. The company and its employees are proud of the diversity of forest values that exist within our Stillwater operation—where forest management has been practiced for over a century. WFP is especially proud of its staff and the exceptional job they do in making this operation successful. This includes the professional foresters, forestry technicians and the many contractors living, recreating and raising their families in Powell River.
Independent Forest Practice Board audit observations, cited in a recent article of BC Forest Professional magazine, demonstrate that WFP has a right to be proud of the accomplishments that the Stillwater management team has made in TFL 39. The article states positive examples of “…integrated, long-term forest management planning and practices associated with visual and recreation values that have been developed with significant public involvement.”
WFP cannot be successful in isolation; it relies on the contributions of the community including the Stillwater Community Advisory Group (http://cagstw.org). This dedicated team of Powell River residents provides ongoing public input to WFP’s practices, helping to facilitate continuous improvement. This input is not only welcome, it is also a requirement of WFP’s third party Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management certification that is independently audited each year.
Another important aspect of CSA certification is tracking benefits to local communities. Block 1 of TFL 39 directly supports over 150 high-paying full-time equivalent jobs. Over a three-year period, the value to the Powell River region from salaries, benefits and local contractor payments equates to $65 million. Economists calculate that these dollars, and the support they provide for other businesses, lead indirectly to as many as 180 additional jobs.
Stillwater also has a direct connection to domestic manufacturing. WFP has a disciplined strategy for managing timber supply and is a strong proponent of public policy that results in a balanced approach to log exports. With eight sawmills and two remanufacturing facilities, all on southern Vancouver Island, it is the largest investor in coastal BC lumber manufacturing. TFL 39 is an important log supply source for these mills and necessary to help justify investments that make WFP’s operations globally competitive through the ups and downs of the market cycle. As a result, essentially all logs harvested from its Stillwater operation are destined for domestic use. WFP’s log exports, as a percentage of its total harvest in all areas where it operates, is well below the industry average.
WFP relies on forest inventories to support ongoing investment in coastal manufacturing. These inventories also facilitate planning on a time horizon that considers the needs of both present and future generations. Its Saanich Forestry Centre, a tree seedling nursery and seed orchard, helps integrate the science of growing healthy new forests and contributes to the long-term thinking WFP is proud of as manager of Tree Farm Licence 39.
While the public review period for WFP’s management plan is complete, it welcomes discussions with interested parties about all of its policies and forest management practices.
Shannon Janzen is a registered professional forester and chief forester for Western Forest Products.
