TLA Statement on New Provincial Forest Advisory Council

May 15, 2025

For 82 years, the TLA’s long history of supporting the forward movement of BC’s forest sector with
the core objective of ensuring the ongoing prosperity of the contracting community and the people
working in it, has been to the overall benefit of our forests.

BC’s forest sector is wrestling with difficult and challenging conditions caused by many factors
including changes in government policies, increasing complexity, conflicting mandates, and ever-
increasing cost structures. We are overdue for a comprehensive overhaul of the current
environment we deal with and the need to return to a dedicated vision towards renewed prosperity.
However, today’s announcement of the new Provincial Forest Advisory Council (PFAC), yet another
committee to review BC’s forest sector and provide recommendations to the Minister of Forests, is
of concern. Notably, the advisory council does not include representation from boots-on-the-
ground, independent contractors who can provide a valuable perspective on the impacts of
potential changes.

From the TLA’s perspective, the priority should be dedication to improving the current state of
affairs and finding solutions within the already taxing regulatory environment. We hope PFAC will
work towards a few key objectives including:
• A collective vision for BC’s forest sector
• Finding pathways forward to ensure the harvest level reaches a minimum of 45 million
cubic metres and concrete actions towards increasing harvest levels to the approved
allowable annual cuts
• Providing certainty to the forest industry and stable jobs
• Providing the framework for improving the investment climate so all concerned can have
the confidence to ensure BC remains the global leader in forest management and
manufacturing
• Reducing our non-competitive cost structures

A key mandate of the PFAC includes a healthy forest sector. The TLA trusts this is a core component
of any recommendations the advisory council provides to the minister. However, at this time, the
sector does not need the introduction of another level of complexity, conflicting mandates, and
further reduced competitiveness.

We look forward to working with the council to achieve mutually beneficial objectives for all
concerned and welcome the opportunity to provide our valuable input.