How to ensure that the future of the North American forest and paper industry is green and competitive? This is the question that over 20 prominent speakers from the U.S. and Canada will address at the 2007 ForestLeadership Conference, to be held on May 9th at the Westin Bayshore hotel in Vancouver, BC.

The 8th in a series of highly successful strategic events held since 2001, the conference is geared towards decision makers and practitioners in the North American forest and paper sector. The conference is sponsored by Limited Brands, ForestEthics, Pro-Build, Weyerhaeuser, BC Market Outreach Network, Forest Products Association of Canada, the American Forest Foundation and the Ontario Government.

The conference will feature dynamic panels and some 20 prominent speakers, including: Carlton Owen, CEO of the US Endowment for Forestry & Communities; Tom Katzenmeyer, Senior VP of Limited Brands/Victoria’s Secret; Hamish Kimmins, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of British Columbia and Bill Bourgeois from New Directions Resource Management. The event's keynote address will be presented by BC's Deputy Minister of Forests, Doug Konkin.

The 2007 ForestLeadership Conference, “Sustainability for Success,” was successfully held in Vancouver, BC, on May 9th and attracted 250 delegates. It started off with BC’s Deputy Minister of Forests Doug Konkin who pointed out that BC is headed towards a slide in timber supply in the near future.

Though he emphasized the loss of staff as a serious problem in the past, Konkin noted seeing the replacement of staff in the BC Ministry of Forests and Range by “a younger, more open-minded set of people.” Sustainable Forestry Initiative President William Banzhaf reminded delegates of global responsibilities related to population growth and pressures on natural resources and discussed the question of whether or not current consumption levels are indeed sustainable. He went on to underline the role of independent forest certification as a tool for the forest and paper industry to keep its social license to operate. Dr. Hamish Kimmins, a professor at McGill University, argued that over-regulation does not work and pointed to a lack of stewardship by corporations, leaving delegates with the question of how to get corporations to act in a more sustainable manner without imposing regulations. Kimmins also noted that some of today’s forestry techniques date back to 19th century Germany—it is “time to move on,” he stressed.
Carlton Owen, CEO of the new U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, spoke about how his organization is going to use the income from the $200-million from the softwood lumber agreement for systemic, transformative, and sustainable change to promote sustainable forests and forestland communities. FPInnovations CEO Dr. Ian de la Roche spoke about the new bio-economy and how his new organization—the reorganization of Forintek, FERIC, and Paprican—is going to work in this new economic model and how sustainability has become a priority for the general public. Dr. Robert Hrubes of Scientific Certification Systems ventured that “we don’t have the slightest idea as to what we are doing is sustainable,” echoing Banzhaf, while emphasizing that certification is not about sustainability but about responsible forest management practices. .
 

In a panel focusing on marketplace solutions, moderated by former International Paper senior executive and now consultant Carl Gagliardi, Limited Brands’ Senior VP Tom Katzenmeyer noted that as procurement practices change, consumers cannot turn back. Referring to the recent campaign against Victoria’s Secret, before the company changed its catalog procurement policies, Katzenmeyer spoke about the critical need to maintain corporate reputations and how Limited Brands could drive more companies towards corporate social responsibility and responsible procurement. Nicole Rycroft of the Markets Initiative supported his view, emphasizing how the markets have changed since 2000 and emphasizing that many companies still need to embark on the “green train.” Over the luncheon, Katzenmeyer and ForestEthics’ Strategic Director Tzeporah Berman underlined the strength of their partnership and their willingness to work together over the long haul, with a budget of $1 million financial commitment from Limited Brands.
At the panel focusing on sustainability challenges and solutions for British Columbia, Bruce Fraser, Chair of the Forest Practices Board, spoke about the need for ecologically-defined units and argued for integrated resource management as the direction in which BC should head. ForestEthics’ Tzeporah Berman highlighted how the well-being of a community is directly linked to the well-being of its resources; she spoke about the 2006 announcement of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement and how, while its announcement was itself a huge success, the success of the Agreement can only be measured by what has been laid out on the ground come the March 2009 deadline. Dallas Smith of the Nanwakolas Council spoke about the “third-world conditions” in some parts of Canada and how First Nations are now speaking out and getting involved with environmental issues to ensure their continued presence and that their voices will be heard. Dr. Bill Bourgeois spoke about the need for area-based management as a pre-condition for ecosystem based management and emphasized that for true collaboration to take place, communities need to have clearly defined common visions and goals.
 
At the panel focusing on the boreal forest, Dr. Jim Fyles of the Sustainable Forest Management Network echoed Bourgeois, emphasizing the great need for effective partnerships and leadership to address sustainability challenges. Trevor Wakelin from Millar Western spoke about integrated land management, the importance of research and development and his company’s commitment to CSA certification. For his part, Keith Moore, forest management consultant and FSC auditor, presented various conditions and improvements to forest management resulting from certification in the Boreal.

The conference ended with concluding comments by Jean-Pierre Kiekens, Conference Chair, Professor John Innes from the University of British Columbia and Michael Chenard’s from Lowe’s Corporation. The event also featured two receptions and a series of workshops on topics such as ecosystem based management, forest certification, responsible procurement, carbon management and innovation development
A highlight of the conference will be the presentation of the 2007 ForestLeadership Awards to Tembec and WWF-Canada (Partnership Award), Laurie Wayburn from the Pacific Forest Trust (Leadership Award) and Mark Stormzand from Weyerhaeuser (Communication Award).
The awards were decided upon by a prominent and diverse independent jury comprising: Chuck Leavell, tree farmer and keyboardist for the Rolling Stones; Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada; David Refkin, Director, Sustainable Development, Time Inc.; John Hagan, Senior Scientist at the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences in Maine; and Keith Moore, forestry expert and former Chair of the BC Forest Practices Board.