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Legal Source of Fibre

All of the forest tenures we manage are in British Columbia and Alberta where a comprehensive suite of laws and regulations assures customers they are buying wood and paper products from sustainable and legal sources.

In British Columbia, we operate primarily on public lands. Under the province’s Forest and Range Practices Act, our forest divisions must prepare forest stewardship plans that show how our operations will meet objectives set by government for 11 resource values including soils, timber, wildlife, water quality, fish/riparian, biodiversity, visual quality, recreation and cultural heritage. Before government approves the plan, we must invite and consider public and First Nation comments.

In Alberta, as part of our Forest Management Agreement with the province, we are required to develop Forest Management Plans that consider a broad range of forest values and social, economic and environmental factors such as watershed, environment and wildlife habitat. As part of this process, we must provide an opportunity for public consultation when preparing these plans. In 2015, Canfor submitted a new forest management plan for FMA 9900037 to the Alberta government. It included a suite of strategies to ensure the mid- and long-term timber supply is optimized while still addressing other public and resource objectives. Requirements related to conditions including consultation, woodland caribou, growth and yield, stand level structure retention, and old growth targets were approved in 2016. 

British Columbia and Alberta monitor compliance through planned and random audits of forest operations and field inspections to ensure forest laws are being followed. British Columbia’s independent Forest Practices Board conducts audits and investigations, and issues public reports. In July 2016, the Board audited our Tree Farm Licence 14 in southeast BC. It found that our operational planning, timber harvesting, road construction and maintenance, silviculture and fire protection met regulatory requirements in all significant respects. We are in the process of developing a process for fire hazard assessments, which the audit found needed improvement. 

Canfor Pulp sources its fibre from the strictly regulated and monitored forests of British Columbia, making it a reliable source of pulp and paper from legally harvested and regenerated forests. Canfor Pulp has Forest Stewardship Council and PEFC chain-of-custody certificates.

Complying with International Regulations

Illegal logging is a critical international issue that undermines good forest governance. Canfor Pulp provides customers with the information they need to meet international policies including:

  • The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR), which prohibits illegally harvested forest products from being placed on the market in EU member countries.
  • The US Lacey Act, which requires that importers must declare the species, country of origin and other relevant information.
  • Australia’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012, which requires that importers submit a declaration to minimize the risk of illegally logged timber in their supply chains.