BC’s forestry sector received a substantial boost today. Premier Christy Clark took an aggressive stance in support of BC’s wood products at the Council of Forest Industries annual convention.
“As you develop new products, you find new buyers. We’re not just nudging those doors open – we’re kicking them down overseas.”
Clark announced the government’s plans to invest $8 million to promote the use of BC wood at home and abroad. The investment will be managed by Forest Innovation Investment (FII), the province’s development agency for forest products.
“We’re investing another $8 million in FII this year. Some of that’s going to go to Canada Wood Group to continue expanding the use of wood in China, Korea and Japan. We’re investing $5 million in opening doors for our wood products in a brand new market in India.”
A total of $6.2 million will be spent opening up foreign markets.
The remaining $1.8 million will go toward research and development for BC wood products. Premier Clark emphasized the importance of supporting innovation in the forestry sector.
“We have to make sure that we support you in innovation. We have to make sure that we connect our science to our forest industry and all our resource industries so we can always continue to make the claim that we have the cleanest resource sector and the cleanest and most sustainable forestry sector in the world.”
The funding will be available through the Wood First program, which focuses on innovating wood use and wood building systems. Clark pointed to UBC’s 18-story wood construction tower as an example of the future of wood structures.
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