A coalition of 15 British Columbia forestry associations sent Premier David Eby a letter this month warning that the industry has hit a “breaking point” and demanding he personally stand up a Forestry Crisis Action Group out of his office.
The letter, dated September 4, sets a 30-day clock for that plan. It asks the province to pause any new taxes on the industry, speed up permitting, and follow through on a harvest target of 45 million cubic meters it has already committed to.
The letter draws a careful line between two different problems. “B.C. companies cannot control U.S. trade policy,” it states, but argues the province can control most of the costs, regulations and permitting decisions that determine whether those companies survive.
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Forests Minister Ravi Parmar has pointed mainly to tariffs, noting a new 50% US levy now applies to plywood, pulp and paper, while dimensional softwood lumber carries a separate 45% combined tariff-and-duty burden. But he’s also acknowledged a homegrown factor — the closest, cheapest-to-reach timber has largely been harvested already, pushing costs higher.
“We are seeing the perfect storm hitting British Columbia’s forest sector,” he said, calling this the hardest stretch the sector has faced. He and Eby plan to meet with the letter’s signatories.
Domtar confirmed last month that it’s closing down its Howe Sound pulp operation, along with a nearby chipping facility.
BC recently acknowledged a forecasting error in natural gas revenue that will cost the province roughly $300 million a year, and the coalition argues a healthier forest sector could help offset exactly that kind of gap.
