Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Independent of Trump’s tariffs, the US Department of Commerce increased its duty on Canadian softwood lumber from 14 to 35 percent. Kim Haakstad, the President of the BC Council of Forest Industries, says, “It’s a blow to an industry in trouble.” The war in the woods in the early 1990s led to the Forest Practices Code, which led to ongoing changes in legislation that hampered the industry and has seen more than 40,000 jobs disappear.
The reasons the forestry sector is on its knees have more to do with regulations and approval processes that undermine the economics of forestry. Haakstad says, “Wood availability is at historic lows, permitting systems are gridlocked, and investment is retreating in the face of prolonged uncertainty. The risk is not a gradual decline – it’s accelerating closures, job losses, and the permanent erosion of the forest industry.”
Despite promises from the Premier and the Minister of Forests to restore the sector by increasing annual cuts to 45 million cubic metres, Haakstad says that “we need pragmatic actions” that will streamline the issues that are choking the industry.
We invited Kim Haakstad, the President and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about saving the once mighty forestry sector.
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The views discussed in this video are the opinions of our guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oh Boy Productions or this show. Any images in this video are for fair use only, as we are a journalism outlet that seeks to illustrate the topic or guest involved.
ctm572 #forestry #britishcolumbia #economy
Independent of Trump’s tariffs, the US Department of Commerce increased its duty on Canadian softwood lumber from 14 to 35 percent. Kim Haakstad, the President of the BC Council of Forest Industries, says, “It’s a blow to an industry in trouble.” The war in the woods in the early 1990s led to the Forest Practices Code, which led to ongoing changes in legislation that hampered the industry and has seen more than 40,000 jobs disappear.
The reasons the forestry sector is on its knees have more to do with regulations and approval processes that undermine the economics of forestry. Haakstad says, “Wood availability is at historic lows, permitting systems are gridlocked, and investment is retreating in the face of prolonged uncertainty. The risk is not a gradual decline – it’s accelerating closures, job losses, and the permanent erosion of the forest industry.”
Despite promises from the Premier and the Minister of Forests to restore the sector by increasing annual cuts to 45 million cubic metres, Haakstad says that “we need pragmatic actions” that will streamline the issues that are choking the industry.
We invited Kim Haakstad, the President and CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries, to join us for a Conversation That Matters about saving the once mighty forestry sector.
---
Your support matters! Become a patron and subscribe: goo.gl/ypXyDs
The views discussed in this video are the opinions of our guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oh Boy Productions or this show. Any images in this video are for fair use only, as we are a journalism outlet that seeks to illustrate the topic or guest involved.
ctm572 #forestry #britishcolumbia #economy
