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Speak Up

Despite the closures of several mills across the province, some in the industry remain optimistic the forestry sector will bounce back.

Rocked hard by the strong Canadian dollar and the lowest U.S. housing starts since 1991, the forest industry has struggled to survive over the last few years. This has impacted several communities in the Upper River Valley, including Juniper – who has taken the hardest hit with the permanent closure of Norbord I-Joist and the temporary closure of Fraser Papers sawmill, whose future is still uncertain.

Dr. Donald Floyd, chairman of the Canadian Institute for Forestry Policy and Communications, is positive the downward trend will change.

"Forestry has a bright future (in New Brunswick)," he said.

The University of New Brunswick professor of Forestry and Environment Management was guest speaker at the annual Fundy Model Forest general meeting in Nackawic on Monday afternoon. Floyd discussed the economic opportunities for the province's forest sector

"If we are going to get better, we need to diversify," Floyd said. "And we have the opportunity to diversify."

One key point, he said, is developing countries are looking at how to better manage their own forests. This is where the province comes into play, he said.

"Here in New Brunswick, we have the expertise and professional capability to do that," he explained. "We need to take that expertise, that mapping software and the other kinds of things we have already developed here and take it out to turn it into a world-leading enterprise."

The demand for carbon is on the rise, and he feels there will be opportunities for forest owners to explore that option in the future.

By diversifying the sector, Floyd said, it would give the province more options and provide a better economic sustainability.

"We are going to have a strong pulp and paper industry, and we are going to need to have a strong, solid wood industry," he explained. "But we have to have the other components as well. Then we'll have four or five different things that we are doing instead of two things, and we'll be a little more protected when the next economic downturn comes along."

But the changes won't come overnight. It will take time and co-operation from the provincial government, Floyd said.

"There has to be policy changes," Floyd explained. "Now is a great time to be having this conversation because there are so many opportunities to do things differently. But the government is going to have to be open to the idea."