Archives for the ‘Tree Talk Blog’ category - 2013

​Socks with arrows on them; it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘point your toes’.

Ellen Curtis is the Education Program Manager for the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.  As part of her job, she wears socks with a big bright red arrow on the top of each foot.  Those arrows are used to point out things as she walks on a giant map.

When we think about economic activity in the province of Alberta, we usually think about the oil patch. However the Alberta Forest Products Association is doing an excellent job of focusing attention on the contribution of the forest sector to that province ―something I found out while attending the AFPA’s recent conference in Jasper.

It was an excellent event with great participation from the Alberta government. Premier Redford was the keynote speaker on Thursday evening. Diana McQueen, the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Resources and five of her cabinet colleagues also participated in various sessions throughout the conference.​

Guest Blogger

Catherine Cobden, Executive Vice President, FPAC

​It was an extremely proud moment to be in Stockholm to witness a Canadian, Dr. Derek Gray accept the prestigious Marcus Wallenberg prize from the King of Sweden.  The prize is an international award – often referred to as the Nobel Prize for forest industry research – that has been established to “recognize, encourage and stimulate path-breaking scientific achievements”.  

The first sentence on our website states, “The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is the voice of Canada’s wood, pulp and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs.”

There are similar national organizations representing the forest sector around the world.  During my first year at FPAC, I’ve had the privilege to meet and get to know some of the leaders of the forest product associations from Japan, Brazil, the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.

When I tell people about new forest products being produced in Canada, I sometimes say that fibre from a tree grown in Canada this year might show up in a costume of a Bollywood movie next year.   I use this example to demonstrate both the international reach of our industry and the innovative new uses of Canada’s forest products.

There is a town in New Brunswick which claims to have the world’s largest axe and I don’t think I can prove them wrong.  I’ll tell you where it is and more about it in a minute.

Last month I visited Fredericton, New Brunswick as part of our FPAC 100^th anniversary speaking tour.  I was invited by my friend Mark Arsenault, president and CEO of the New Brunswick Forest Products Association (NBFPA), to participate in their semi-annual meeting of members. . In preparation for that meeting I did a little research about New Brunswick and the forest sector in that province.

​What is the connection between the African country of Algeria and the history of Canada’s lumber industry?

Algeria,Africa’s largest country, is located on the Mediterranean Sea and reaches south into the Sahara.  With 37 million people, Algeria has a slightly larger population than Canada and is a member of OPEC based on its oil and natural gas economy.  

During a recent visit to Prince George B. C. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and speak with some students doing graduate work at the University of Northern British Columbia and toured one of the pulp mills in the community with Canfor General Manager Pete Lovell.

When touring an impressive facility, whether it is a mill with tens of millions of dollars of new equipment or a university campus with state of the art facilities, the most interesting part of my visits is usually talking with the people.

During our 100^th anniversary celebration at FPAC we are having lots of fun hearing from former employees and veterans of the forest industry from across Canada.

We established a Facebook page and are encouraging people to submit photos and share stories from the past.  If you haven’t checked out the Facebook page yet, be sure to do so.  If you have some stories or photos you think would be interesting additions to our timeline, please pass them along.

So how do you connect with the next generation?  What do they want? How do they communicate?  Where do they get their information about jobs and how do they make decisions about careers?

The Green Dream Internship Program was design by FPAC and our member companies to raise awareness among young college and university students ― to tell them about job opportunities in the forest sector.  It was designed to connect the industry with the next generation of workers and help young people become aware and enthused about a career in the forest industry.