By Mandy Vocke

Forest industry generates significant economic activity, study shows

Apr 3, 2019 | 3:47 PM

BRITISH COLUMBIA— A new economic study released by the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) on Wednesday finds the B.C. forest industry generates significant economic activity and employment in every region of the province; with 140,000 jobs employing British Columbians in urban and rural communities alike.

The report, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), assesses the economic impact of the forest industry in seven regions of B.C. as defined by Statistics Canada, as well as employment rates of B.C.’s Indigenous population in forestry. It provides a region-by-region overview of jobs, economic activity, and forestry activities, highlighting how the 140,000 jobs are distributed, and how they contribute to the health and economic prosperity of communities throughout British Columbia.

“B.C.’s forest industry has long been the cornerstone of the provincial economy and one of the largest employers in the province,” says President & CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries, Susan Yurkovich. “This new study confirms that not only does the forest industry generate significant jobs and economic activity for the province overall, but these benefits can be found in every corner of the province– from Vancouver Island to the Interior, Lower Mainland to the Kootenays, and North Coast, Okanagan and Northeast regions of the province.”

The B.C. forest industry generates significant economic activity in every region of the province. In five of seven regions, the forest industry supports 8% to 22% of jobs.

B.C.’s forest industry generates 1 in 5 jobs in three regions alone:

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1. Cariboo (22%)
2. Northeast (20%) and
3. North Coast & Nechako (19%).

The Lower Mainland economy is significantly supported by the B.C. forest industry with more than 40% of B.C.’s total forest industry jobs located in the Mainland/Southwest region, including indirect jobs.

The forest industry also supports 5,315 jobs for Indigenous people across British Columbia:

• 47% in the wood product manufacturing sector
• 43% in the forestry and logging sector
• 10% in the paper manufacturing sector

“Forestry provides jobs to people all around the province and helps drive our provincial economy,” says Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister, Doug Donaldson. “This government is committed to working with communities and industry to support jobs in this important sector.”

B.C.’s forest industry is a leading supplier of high-quality, environmentally responsible forest products to countries around the world. Current challenges and opportunities in global trade, and their impact on the sector and forestry-dependent communities throughout the province, will be high on the agenda at the 2019 COFI Convention, which takes place April 3-5 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver Hotel & Conference Centre in Vancouver.