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Two executives sign on to implement boreal forest agreement

The conservation groups and forest companies that signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) have announced a new chairman and new executive director to accelerate the translation of the challenging goals of the agreement into concrete…

The conservation groups and forest companies that signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) have announced a new chairman and new executive director to accelerate the translation of the challenging goals of the agreement into concrete action on the ground.

Noted environmentalist Monte Hummel is taking on the job as chairman and Andrew Bevan becomes the first full time executive director of the CBFA Secretariat.

The landmark Boreal Agreement, signed in May 2010, brought together 9 conservation groups and 21 forest companies belonging to the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC).

Hummel, a long time environmental advocate, founded Pollution Probe and spent almost thirty years as the face of the World Wildlife Fund, where one of his key concerns was preserving the boreal forest. He also has a graduate degree in forestry.

“Monte is an ideal person to lead the CBFA,” says Avrim Lazar, president and CEO of FPAC.  “He has long earned industry respect as a pioneer and innovator in industry environmental partnerships. We welcome someone of his knowledge and experience.”

Bevan was most recently the executive director of the green-economy think tank, Sustainable Prosperity, and before that spent more than 15 years at the centre of public policy development in Toronto and Ottawa.

“We are thrilled with this appointment,” says Richard Brooks, forests campaign co-ordinator at Greenpeace Canada.  “For the past year, we’ve worked tirelessly to tackle the goals set out in the CBFA by the environmental and industry partners. We welcome someone of Andrew’s calibre to help further the implementation of this ground-breaking agreement.”

Significant strides are now underway to turn the goals of the CBFA into concrete change that will protect the boreal forest and threatened wildlife species while helping to create a more prosperous forest industry, and supporting the communities who rely on the Boreal for their jobs and traditional ways of life. This includes work on caribou protection plans, world leading forest management practices, market outreach, and deepening relationships with First Nations and provincial governments.