Susan Yurkovich

Re: “Poorly managed forests responsible for mill closures,” comment, June 28. British Columbians know our forest industry is experiencing signifiant challenges. These issues are not new and have been building for several years.  The comment by John Bergenske mischaracterizes the reasons for recent curtailments and closures.

Our world leading sustainable sector, which provides renewable products to B.C. and the world, has faced a reduction in timber supply from the mountain pine beetle crisis and increasingly severe wildfire seasons.

Lumber prices are volatile, log costs are rising, and companies cannot access enough fibre inputs to keep their mills running.

With continued trade challenges, too, including 20 per cent tariffs on B.C. softwood lumber by the U.S., we have a perfect storm of conditions.

This is not a big vs. small issue companies of every size are feeling the impacts. They are making difficult choices to rebalance mill capacity with fibre availability and market conditions. This is impacting many communities that rely on 140,000 forestry jobs.

As we man age through this transition, our collective objective should be to create the conditions for future success, including reliable access to available fibre, and robust, predictable, and efficient regulations that protect the environment while encouraging investment. This will provide the stability that our workers, communities, and companies all need.

As Bergenske stated, the provincial government is conducting consultations on several forest policy issues.

We encourage British Columbians to share ideas and engage productively so, together, we can secure jobs that support families in every corner of B.C. and ensure community stability.