Canada Investing to Grow Markets for B.C. Wood Products

Jul 24, 2019

Vancouver, British Columbia - Natural Resources Canada - The Government of Canada is investing in Canada’s resources to boost economic competitiveness while protecting our environment. By promoting innovative wood products from sustainably managed forests, Canada is supporting our forestry sector by expanding market access and creating jobs and economic opportunities for Canadians.

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, today announced a multi-year investment totalling over $24 million in six wood product associations based in British Columbia to help strengthen international demand for Canadian wood products. The federal government’s partnership with industry and the Province of British Columbia in promoting this work is critical to its long-term success.

This investment includes:

$16,786,200 for Canada Wood Group in Vancouver — which brings together Canadian wood product associations — to help diversify and expand Canadian forest product exports to traditional and emerging offshore markets. Support will enable market research; assist in the transfer of technology; advance standards that will increase the use of wood in construction; and deliver training in wood design and construction in China, Japan, South Korea, India and Europe.

$3,394,709 for Forestry Innovation Investment in Vancouver — British Columbia’s market development agency for forest products — to advance training, education and wood use overseas, specifically in Asian markets such as India, Vietnam and China.

$1,925,378 for the Council of Forest Industries in Vancouver — an association that represents British Columbia’s forest industry — to help create business leads to increase the use of wood-frame construction in China, Japan and South Korea, and to reinforce the Canada Wood brand as a “go-to” source for wood construction and manufacturing technology.

$944,028 for BC Wood Specialties Group in Langley — a non-profit trade association that represents British Columbia’s value-added wood products manufacturers — to support small and medium-sized companies in their efforts to become export-ready and facilitate business-to-business opportunities for their membership through trade shows and missions.

$926,360 for the Wood Pellet Association of Canada in Revelstoke — a member-driven organization for wood pellet producers — to advance the interests of domestic wood pellet producers, to help members grow through promoting the uses of wood pellets in Canadian and global markets, and to support market and technical research and encourage fair and open energy trade.

$33,000 for Western Red Cedar Lumber Association in Vancouver — a non-profit association representing producers of cedar products — to maintain and grow the demand for western red cedar by helping increase its online presence in a number of key international markets.

Government of Canada funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Expanding Market Opportunities (EMO) program, which supports market development for Canada’s forest products industry.

Through Budget 2019, the government committed an additional $64 million over three years, starting in 2020–21, for EMO. This investment will help Canada’s forest sector continue to grow demand for Canadian wood products around the world in both traditional and emerging markets.

Source : Government Of Canada

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That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.