BACKGROUNDER
2008OTP0173-001034 July 7, 2008	Office of the Premier BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group
ABOUT THE BC FORESTRY CLIMATE CHANGE WORKING GROUP

Getting the word out about B.C. Forests

 

The British Columbia Forestry Climate Change Working Group was established to provide information on the role that B.C.’s forests play in tackling climate change and to promote the B.C. forest products sector as the supplier of choice for sustainable, renewable, climate-friendly products worldwide. Committed to ensuring British Columbia becomes a global leader in combating climate change, the working group is comprised of industry representatives from the pulp and paper, sawmilling and forestry sectors, including:

 

• Coast Forest Products Association (CFPA)
• Council of Forest Industries (COFI)
• Forest Products Association Canada (FPAC)
• Interior Lumber Manufacturing Association (ILMA)
• Pulp and Paper BC
• Binational Softwood Lumber Council
• Canada Wood

 

B.C. Forests: Helping to reduce greenhouse gases everyday

 

The BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group wants British Columbians and the world to understand the contribution that B.C. forests, forest products and the forest industry make every day to the reduction of carbon in the atmosphere.

 

1.      B.C. is a leader in sustainable forest management, which is critical in that healthy, growing forests absorb more carbon dioxide (CO₂) and are less susceptible to fire, insects and decay.

2.      B.C. is a major producer of wood products. When trees are made into wood products much of the tree’s carbon continues to be stored indefinitely in things like furniture and homes, while the forest is regenerated with new trees that absorb even more carbon dioxide. 

3.      Advancements in technology allow producers to include up to 100 per cent recycled fibre in new paper and paperboard products, and the industry has achieved an estimated 62 per cent reduction from its 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels, compared to the Kyoto target of six per cent.

4.      B.C.’s solid wood and pulp and paper mills are major producers and users of renewable, bio-energy from forestry and mill residues and have the potential to increase their production many fold, particularly with the availability of beetle killed forests.

 

For more information on the FCC and the role of B.C.’s forests as a tool to combat climate change, visit: www.BCclimatechange.ca/.

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Media contact:	Bridgitte Anderson Press Secretary Office of the Premier 604 307-7177	Kelly Aldinger BC Forestry Climate Change Working Group 604 817-0231
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