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Much of Vancouver Island's second-growth forest is being logged quickly and shipped out of BC as raw logs instead of being processed and manufactured at local mills.

Minister says more log shipping capacity needed in B.C.

Nov 13 2010/in News Coverage

The future of exporting logs from both Prince Rupert and Vancouver looks bright as Forest Minister Pat Bell announced on November 2 that Canada has surpassed Russia to become China’s largest trading partner when it comes to softwood lumber, but notes that now is not the time for B.C. to rest on its laurels.

“The number one thing we hear from CEOs here in China is about freight capacity for shipping to China. They are very concerned and say that we need to step up to ensure that the capacity is there,” said Minister Bell during a November 2 media call, noting that moving into the top position “is a reach benchmark”.

“Vancouver is almost at capacity and Prince Rupert has only incremental capacity available…It is one of the things we have already turned our attention to and Shirley Bond, the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, is already doing work in that area.”

Currently Prince Rupert ships both raw logs, with 264,389 tonnes shipped as of the end of September – an increase of 73 per cent compared to the same time period – and in containers through Fairview Terminal, and those numbers could see significant growth based on this recent trade mission to China. As well as attending the groundbreaking of a new four story housing complex that will have three stories built from lumber in a development area that is expected to house 100,000 people, Bell said there are three more mid-level and two low-level housing developments on the way and a new Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with a subsidiary of the largest importer of softwood lumber in the country.

“[The housing] is a first, a new entry into the Chinese market that will hold great benefits for B.C.,” said Bell, noting that Cedar is the most dominant lumber requested for high end housing in the county.

“We’ve moved away from having to build demonstration houses to attract developers and we are now at the point where they are approaching us.”

But Skeena – Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen lashed out

at the Minister for his comments on the future of log exporting to Asia.

“Our capacity for shipping value-added products should be the question. It is great that we are interacting and trading with China, but to ship raw logs and resources when our mills are suffering is ridiculous,” he said during a November 3 media call.

“To hear the Minister of Forests talk about exporting raw logs is very frustrating…It is unconscionable for a forest minister to be talking about shipping raw logs, period. We should be scratching and fighting for all value-added product that we can get.”

B.C. minister denies selling out lumber industry in China

Nov 2 2010/in News Coverage

Selling lumber, not logs, is the focus of a B.C. sales blitz in China, provincial Forests Minister Pat Bell said Monday.

Bell, speaking from China, lashed out at criticism of his government’s sales efforts and emphasized a just-completed deal for Vernon-based Tolko Industries Ltd. to sell about 364 million board feet of lumber to Chinese companies, including studs made of wood damaged by pine beetles.

“To suggest we should not try and build a brand new market is completely irresponsible,” Bell said.

Ken Wu, founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance, said last week that the government should bar the export of raw logs and old-growth wood to China.

Wu said stricter export regulations should be put in place to ensure Canadian manufacturing jobs do not move to China. Raw logs are increasingly attractive to China, where labour costs are cheaper than in Canada and factories can be built quickly, he said.

“It’s a set-up for a huge ramp-up for raw log exports because there’s no restrictions beyond saying they’re surplus to domestic needs.”

However, Bell said increasing sales of lumber, not raw log exports, is at the top of his agenda.

Currently, he said, lumber makes up 93 per cent of wood products going to China — the remaining seven per cent consists of raw logs.

“And the vast majority of that (raw logs) is from Coast Tsimshian Resources in the Terrace region where no mills are up and running, although we are working very hard to change that,” Bell said.

There is a detailed process to determine that export logs are surplus to B.C.’s needs before a permit is issued, Bell said.

The province regulates raw log exports from Crown lands and the federal government regulates exports from private land.

This summer it was estimated that during the first six months of the year, B.C had exported 387,000 cubic metres of low-grade logs to China, the world’s largest importer of logs.

“I don’t worry about it because we have a very clearly defined export process and only surplus logs are sold,” Bell said. “Also, it is far more efficient to ship kiln-dried lumber long distances than it is to ship logs.”

Old-growth logs head out of the the Gordon River Valley near Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island

Lumber sales to China criticized

Oct 30 2010/in News Coverage

The province is making a mistake by trying to increase lumber exports to China, says the founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance.

As Forests Minister Pat Bell heads to China on a trade mission, Ken Wu is calling on the government to ban the export of raw logs and old-growth wood to China before it starts doing so.

Wu, who returned recently from a trip to China, said he believes expanding Chinese markets for B.C. wood will be disastrous for B.C.’s old-growth forests and manufacturing jobs, if export restrictions or regulations are not put in place first.

“China’s monstrous appetite for resources, its enormous base of new middle-class consumers and its vast amounts of cheap labour will virtually commit B.C. to a path of eliminating our last old-growth forests and wood manufacturing industries,” Wu said.

Bell, accompanied by senior executives from the forest industry, forestry trade associations and representatives from the United Steelworkers union, left for China on Thursday and will remain there until Nov. 8 in an effort to increase lumber sales and strengthen commercial relationships.

“In recent years we’ve made great strides in demonstrating the benefits and breaking down barriers to wood-frame construction in China,” Bell said before leaving.

Regular contact with Chinese customers and government officials is essential if record-breaking sales to China are to continue, Bell said.

“The message that B.C. will be delivering is that B.C. is a reliable supplier. We are in this for the long-term and we are eager to work with them to better understand and meet their needs,” he said.

But Wu said, although China is currently buying B.C. lumber, industry analysts believe China is really interested in B.C.’s logs.

“Purchasing manufactured products with labour costs added is less attractive to the Chinese than manufacturing the raw resource themselves for one-tenth the labour costs,” Wu said.

2025 Activity Report & Financials

Apr 30 2026

2025 was a milestone year for the Ancient Forest Alliance and the old-growth campaign. Despite the BC government's backsliding on many of its old-growth commitments, there was still much work to be proud of, including celebrating our 15th year working to protect ancient forests. Check out our 2025 Activity Report & Financials to see the impact YOU made on 2025, plus, find out what we have in store for 2026!

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