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Campbell River’s goal: reviving the forest industry

The city of Campbell River, B.C. has set up a Forestry Task Force—chaired by a forest industry veteran—to revive the forest industry in the Vancouver Island community.

By Jim Stirling

The city of Campbell River is out to re-polish one of its traditional economic gems. The forest industry—sustained by thousands of hectares of forestlands surrounding Campbell River—along with mining, tourism and fishing comprise the historic industrial roots of the city on the east side of Vancouver Island off British Columbia’s coast.

“We have neglected this sector for the past three years and it’s my intention to work to revive this industry in Campbell River,” vowed Mayor Andy Adams after his recent successful election to the mayoralty. True to his pledge, the mayor and council have taken their first step to create a Forestry Task Force.

The task force is to adopt an inclusive and co-operative approach it hopes will help facilitate and open the door for renewed forest industry investment and diversification in Campbell River. The task force’s stated purposes are to include:

1. “In cooperation and consultation with the forest industry, governments, First Nations and the public, provide city council with recommendations, advice and guidance on relevant forest issues and initiatives to enhance the sustainability of the forest sector for the benefit of the city of Campbell River.”

2.” To enhance and retain existing business and attract new forest investment, capital creating jobs and economic growth for Campbell River.”

3. “To secure a community forest licence for the city of Campbell River that will generate revenue, create employment, protect our watershed and wildlife habitats, enhance tourism and recreation and promote non-timber forest resource business opportunities.”

Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams sees a potential to match available fibre supply types to specialty niche markets.

Preliminary reaction to Campbell River’s initiative has been positive, reports Adams.”We’ve heard nothing but encouragement and offers to help and the ministry (of lands, forests and natural resource operations) and staff have been very supportive.”

Adams has been careful not to second-guess the nascent committee’s work and direction, but he notes a cluster model of forest industry endeavours might be an appropriate fit with Campbell River. He says such an arrangement could reap the advantage of economies of scale while boosting the forest industry’s valued added sectors. Adams sees a potential to match available fibre supply types to specialty niche markets. “It would also complement the log export presently underway along the coast.” Making better use of residuals and wood biomass helps create employment and maximizes fibre utilization, he adds.

Adams believes Campbell River’s timing with the creation of its forestry task force could prove to be spot-on.

“The future is now for the coastal forest industry in B.C.,” he claims.

The mayor bases his confidence that the pendulum has swung coastwards on a variety of factors. After several years in the doldrums in a wood pricing climate saturated by pine beetle killed timber from the B.C. Interior, the coastal industry is now entering a period of timber availability, improving markets and workers returning home from a depressed oil patch, he explains. At the same time, the interior forest sector faces a difficult time because of a beetle-constrained timber supply for commodity lumber production.

Campbell River’s Forestry Task Force is chaired by Councillor Charlie Cornfield. He contributes a combination of municipal experience—including terms as the major of Campbell River—with resource industry experience in both forestry and non-government land use organizations.

Cornfield’s career in the forest industry began in 1968 at the Victoria Plywood plant. During the mid to late-1970s, he worked with the provincial forest service in Williams Lake where he was involved with setting up the regional timber supply area. He also worked in the interior with Ducks Unlimited and the BC Wildlife Federation.

As mayor six years ago, Cornfield was part of Campbell River’s Future of Forestry Task Force. One of its achievements—before qualifying criteria was changed by government—was being shortlisted for what would have been Vancouver Island’s first wood ‘waste’ fired green energy power plant, he says. “I think that idea still has potential. The basic elements are in place. This task force can look at it along with other types of wood waste utilization.”

Cornfield is also anxious to further Campbell River’s aspirations for a community forest licence, something he hopes will be accomplished during the task force’s first two years of operation.”A community forest can provide lots of benefits, from revenue generation to habitat protection, but it’s also important to research and education at the local level through job specific, practical forest worker training programs through the North Island Regional College,” he points out.

Campbell River’s Forestry Task Force will be guided by city council and comprise seven members. “I’m non-voting (as chair) and it’s my job to keep the task force on track and provide the resources for it to do its job.” The committee as a whole is kept to the manageable seven members but it will involve additional community expertise through appointments to specific goal task force sub-committees.

“Our focus will be to get things done and produce results,” declares Cornfield. “The whole idea is to build relationships.” And that involves pulling everyone together. If there are barriers to forest industry investment and expansion, they want to hear about them so they do what they can as a council to remove them, explains Cornfield. He welcomes feedback on Campbell River’s Forestry Task Force and its objectives. Cornfield can be reached through Campbell River city hall (www.campbellriver.ca) or home at [email protected]