· Canadian Wood associated with ICBC (Indo
Canadian Business Chamber) for the webinar
· Highlights the importance of Sustainable
Forest Management, Certification of Forest Products, and Climate Change
Canadian Wood, the crown agency of the
government of British Columbia (B.C.) recently hosted a webinar focused on the
theme ‘Sustainable Forestry, Certifications & Climate Change’. The webinar
is a testimony of Canadian Wood’s continuous efforts of imparting knowledge
among all stakeholders on the subjects related to sustainable forestry and use
of softwood.
Sustainable forestry is a tried-and-true
method of preserving and improving forest ecosystems’ long-term health for the
benefit of all living things. British Columbia (B.C.) is a global pioneer in
sustainable forest management, with a reputation for satisfying the present and
future generations’ environmental, social, and economic needs.
The webinar also revealed that India is a
huge consumer of forestry products, but that the majority of the country’s
forests are protected and no longer provide a stable source of high-quality
wood. As a result, India will have to rely on certified wood imports to meet
rising consumer demand. Consumers who are environmentally conscious, on the
other hand, require that businesses show a high level of concern for the
environment when creating products. As a result, it’s become critical to ensure
that wood products are sourced from a resource that is both sustainably managed
and lawfully exploited.
Forests reduce the level of CO2 in the
atmosphere and in turn help reduce the negative impacts of climate change. The
webinar emphasized that keeping forests healthy is a critical part of reducing
harmful green gas emissions. The discussion further deep-dived into how
sustainable forest management is one of the most important practice that can
help curb climate change and global warming by absorbing nearly a quarter of
carbon emissions. BC forests are reforested promptly using a mix of native tree
species and 200 million seedlings are planted annually.
The panel further talked about forest
certification programs that are developed nationally and regionally in
countries around the world include the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest
Certification (PEFC), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and Sustainable
Forestry Initiative (SFI). Savvy consumers in India and around the world demand
that companies demonstrate high levels of concern for the environment while
producing products. Hence, while buying wood from sustainably managed sources,
consumers look for the PEFC, FSC and SFI certification labels to assure their
compliance with environmental standards.
Speaking at the webinar, Pranesh Chhibber,
Country Director, Canadian Wood said: “Forests are one of the key areas of
focus when it comes to restoration of earth’s ecosystem. Needless to mention
that forests impact climate change, and looking after them can help mitigate natural
calamities. It is said that harvesting forest is essential to keep forests
healthy, as old trees and aging forests are less efficient in sucking in carbon
and releasing oxygen and decaying forests release their stored carbon slowly in
the atmosphere and rapidly through wildfire. Thus, reforestation and
sustainable forestry ensures that carbon cycle continues through healthy
forests that store carbon.”
“India’s woods are protected, which is
assisting the country in increasing its forest cover as part of its commitment
to global warming mitigation.” India, on the other hand, is becoming a
fiber-deficient country, reliant on imported wood to meet its demands. Canada
can contribute to the world’s collective fight against climate change by
providing a long-term sustainable source of certified wood to fibre-deficient countries
like India.”
Emphasizing on certification of forestry
products, Mr. Chhibber added; “Forest management certification has been adopted
quickly across Canada and now more than 75% of the country’s managed forest
land is certified. As of the end of 2020, Canada had 164 billion hectares of
independently certified forest land. This represents 36% of all certified
forests worldwide, the largest area of third party certified forest in any country.
This coupled with a strong forest management and governance support showcases
Canada’s reputation as a source of legally certified product produce.”
Canadian Wood associated with ICBC (Indo
Canadian Business Chamber) to host this insightful webinar. The panel was
chaired by Mr. Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director, Canadian Wood and Mr. Arun
Kumar Bansal, Chairperson, PCA, NCCF, PEFC-NGB, India; keynote addressed by Ms.
Nadira Hamid, CEO, ICBC (Indo Canadian Business Chamber) and Mr. Peter
Bradfield, Technical Advisor, Canadian Wood moderated the session.
Canadian Wood has been consistently conducting
monthly webinars with the objective to educate the woodworking industry on
sustainable forestry, wood practices in modern architecture, etc. These webinar
sessions by Canadian Wood along with the woodworking industry colleagues have
been covering a wide range of topics of significance to the wood industry, thus
encouraging the use of certified wood from B.C. Canada. Courtesy: www.apnnews.com
