As the international community gathers to discuss the climate crisis, global targets, and related solutions at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow – experts from Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) are available to discuss Canadian forestry perspectives for climate action, and the important role sustainable forest management and wood-based products will play in Canada’s move to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050.
Our team is available to offer expertise and insights related to Canadian forest sector priorities such as: sustainable forest management and the carbon cycle, climate change adaptation, pest and fire management, forest bioeconomy innovation, biodiversity conservation, and green infrastructure and procurement.
FPAC President and CEO Derek Nighbor has been recently re-elected to his third term as President of the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA). ICFPA advances dialogue across national and regional forest products associations from 28 countries around the world. It develops and promotes global commitments related to sustainable forest management, recycling, forest sector innovation, water conservation, mitigating climate change, ensuring a safe and inclusive workplace, and optimizing the use of environmentally friendly wood and paper-based products.
Through ICFPA, and in partnership with international counterparts, FPAC will participate in three COP26-related events and global launches, the first of which happened earlier this morning in the United Kingdom:
- International Wood Manifesto (Today): FPAC is a member of the global advisory body and a sponsor of the World of Wood Festival and was part of a global announcement this morning to launch a wood manifesto. It makes the case for the benefits of using more wood in both construction and renovation, noting that timber sourced from sustainably managed forests helps fight climate change. The media release is attached for your information and full report is available here.
- Launch of the ‘Forest Sector Net-Zero Roadmap’ (Under Embargo - Tentatively Nov. 6): FPAC is supporting the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Forestry Solutions Group’s launch of its net-zero roadmap.
- COP26 ‘Forests and Fibre’ Event (Nov. 11 at 12:30 GMT): FPAC President and CEO Derek Nighbor will be facilitating this side event alongside industry leaders from the European Union, the United States, and South Africa to discuss forestry solutions for climate change, economic recovery, and the circular economy.
Background Information
Canadian forestry is rooted in the principles of sustainability, biodiversity, conservation, and forest renewal:
- Wood is a renewable material, and it stores carbon.
- Canada is home to 9% of the world’s forests and nearly 40% of the world’s third-party certified forests. We are known worldwide for being a leader in sustainable forest management and for manufacturing high-quality, environmentally-friendly products.
- Given the abundance of our forests, our commitment to keeping them as forests forever, the carbon-storing power of wood products, and the opportunity before us to use wood to displace more fossil fuel-intensive products and help decarbonize other sectors, we are one of the only sectors that can go beyond net-zero.
- We have already reduced GHG emissions by over 66% at our mills since the early 1990s and were the first major industry group in the country to put forward a plan to help achieve the federal government’s Paris Agreement targets.
- By 2030, Canada’s forest sector will remove 30Mt of CO2 from the atmosphere every year — representing more than 10% of Canada’s climate change mitigation target or the equivalent of taking over 9M cars off the road. This commitment was made as part of the industry’s 30 by 30 Climate Change Challenge launched in May 2016 in follow up to the signing of the Paris Agreement.
- Canadian forestry workers manage our forests across the country with a focus on considering multiple and sometimes competing values including supporting species at risk, climate adaptation, pest and fire management, preserving wetlands, and supporting watershed health – all while providing critical family-supporting jobs in rural and northern communities.
FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. Canada’s forest products sector is one of the country’s largest employers operating in over 600 communities, providing 230,000 direct jobs, and over 600,000 indirect jobs across the country. Forestry is one of the largest employers of Indigenous peoples with over 11,600 Indigenous workers across the country and over 1,400 Indigenous-owned forestry businesses.
