FORSETH – Despite promises, forest industry continues downward spiral

WHILE B.C. FOREST MINISTER Ravi Parmar boasts about the government planting 231 million tree seedlings in 2025 … here’s some facts people might be interested in.

During the 2024 provincial election, the BC NDP promised there would be 300 million seedlings planted every year.

… the BC NDP promised to plant 300 million trees annually across the province to “help increase forest resilience.”

How has that worked out, you might be asking?

Two years ago there were 280 million seedlings planted (B.C. government news – 12/23/2024) — last year just 231 million seedlings were planted.

That’s 49 million fewer than in 2024 – and 70 million fewer than the promised 300 million.

And yet it seems BC NDP Forest Minister Ravi Parmar feels this is something to be proud of, as noted in an “X” (formerly Twitter) post he made on Dec. 30 when he said:

“In 2025 alone, 231 million tree seedlings were planted in B.C. … ensuring the land base stays strong for generations” ~~ B.C. Forest Minister Ravi Parmar.

That’s NOTHING to be proud of!

For several years now B.C. forests have been ravaged by wildfires, and yet despite promises made by Premier David Eby’s government, the future of forestry in British Columbia continues its downward spiral, as pointed out by the publication Business in Vancouver on Aug. 13 of last year:

“Tree planting in B.C. is set to decline for a third straight year, falling short of government promises as wildfires destroy forests & timber harvests decrease.”

Without the necessary seedlings being planted, the question has to be asked; “What will be left for loggers to cut in another 20 to 30 years?”

To further compound the situation, B.C.’s Annual Allowable Cut (AAC) continues to decline.

In 2015 the AAC was just under 70 million cubic metres, which supported over 65,000 direct forest jobs. By 2023 the AAC had dropped to just 39 million cubic metres – a loss of 45 percent.

Statistics Canada shows the result was a disaster for the province.

During that same time (2015 to 2023) the province’s forest industry labour force was reduced by 33 percent … and since then it has only gotten worse. B.C.’s Labour Force Survey shows the forest sector accounted for under 43,000 (42,800) jobs in 2024.

The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) raised the alarm back in March of last year saying that … Budget 2025 doesn’t plan to meet the government’s commitment to harvest 45 million cubic metres, as outlined in the government’s election platform and Forest Minister’s Mandate Letter. Despite this commitment to increase the harvest, Budget 2025 projects a decline each year to 29 million in 2027/28, well below the Allowable Annual Cut of 60 million cubic metres.

Forests not being replanted to levels required, and a dropping of the annual allowable cut, can ONLY have one completely predictable result …

… the inevitable death of B.C.’s once proud forest industry.

Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He is currently President of the BC Conservatives Kamloops North Thompson Riding Association. He blogs at  Thoughts on BC Politics and More.