The Truck Loggers Association (TLA) delivered a position paper to the British Columbia government, which states that a “systematic reduction of the coastal log market” has placed many of their businesses in jeopardy.
The TLA says the province’s 2003 Forest Revitalisation Plan was a “bold effort” but that market forces derailed it. Instead of invigorating the industry, it initiated a round of consolidation by major licensees to the point that 65% of the coastal forest is now controlled by four companies.
“Today, log shortages are common across the coast,” said the TLA. “At the same time, increasing volumes of exports continue to leave the province while many independent mill-investors are struggling to secure wood in the market place to sustain their operations.”
The TLA paper makes 50 recommendations in four core areas: improving access to the land base; the functioning of the market; the ability of the independent sawmilling sector to acquire wood; and the ability of contractors to attract people to work in the industry.
