The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is telling Environment Canada that it can both fast track caribou conservation and also ensure a prosperous forest industry. FPAC submitted a brief to the government concerning the draft…
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is telling Environment Canada that it can both fast track caribou conservation and also ensure a prosperous forest industry. FPAC submitted a brief to the government concerning the draft Boreal Caribou Recovery Strategy.
FPAC members companies have been working in concert with environmental groups through the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) on conservation measures to protect boreal biodiversity while also ensuring forest sector competitiveness. A significant component of the CBFA is accelerating action plans to safeguard healthy caribou populations across Canada while ensuring a robust forest sector.
“CBFA signatories are now leaders in caribou action planning and we truly welcome the development of a national recovery strategy for woodland caribou,” says the president and CEO of FPAC, Avrim Lazar. “Forest industry communities rely on the boreal forest so mills can continue to produce lumber, pulp and paper, new emerging bio-products and of course protect hundreds of thousands of jobs. But we are also committed to working with conservationists to protect the environment.”
The member companies and environmental groups belonging to the CBFA agree on such issues as finding solutions that protect existing herds and achieve recovery in highly disturbed ranges; developing a nationally co-ordinated approach on adaptive management and effective monitoring; supporting further scientific research on issues around caribou habitat; and adopting measures that would be socially acceptable and ensure a healthy forest products industry.
The FPAC brief on the recovery strategy refers to the need to respect both economic and ecological outcomes, and it also made technical suggestions in such areas as buffers and the role of fire.
FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs.
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