B.C. forestry collapse: tariffs, exports, and what comes next
The softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. has exposed what’s really wrong with B.C.’s forestry model. It’s not about tariffs – it’s about a resource base that’s running out. Until provincial policy shifts from extraction to stewardship, no trade office can save the industry.
The Province of British Columbia just opened a forest trade office in London, England to “diversify markets” and “protect jobs.”
But here’s the problem: you can’t export what you don’t have.
In 2023, nearly 59% of B.C.’s forest exports went to the United States, 21% to China, and 9% to Japan. The United Kingdom? Less than one percent.
Even if B.C. tripled that share, it still wouldn’t make up the loss from the U.S. market.
So why is the government celebrating a new overseas office while harvest levels crash and mills shut down across the province?
Because the current forestry model rewards volume over value. Companies get tenure for how much they cut, not how well they manage the land.
The result is predictable: depleted forests, declining revenues, and growing flood and fire costs for taxpayers.
This short video breaks down the numbers, the politics, and the illusion behind the Province’s latest “strategy,” and explains what an alternative looks like through the New Forest Act – a plan to cut less wood, create more jobs, and rebuild B.C.’s economy around truth and stewardship.
The choice is simple: face reality or keep exporting the illusion.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/uit50LQtdg0
Learn more about the New Forest Act and how it can rebuild balance between land, people, and economy: https://boundaryforest.org/the-new-forest-act-proposal/