Truck Logger's Association on Log Exports

[The Invisible Man]

The Truck Logger's Association has THIS to say about the impact of log exports on BC.


LOG EXPORTS: THE REALITY

There has been a longstanding debate about log exports and many people continue to insist that exporting logs means we are exporting B.C. jobs. This is simply not the case. Log exports have a key role in the development of B.C.’s economy, particularly on the coast, by supporting jobs and economic activity in the logging and transportation sectors.

“We can debate which logs we should export, what the export fees should be and what the process should be to export, but what we should not do is talk about banning log exports and making claims that we are exporting jobs,” says Dave Lewis, executive director of the Truck Loggers Association. “This past year (2011) the forest industry was running at full tilt – largely because of log exports. Now that exports have slowed because of the China economy we will see that the decrease of exports will have impact on employment as harvesting jobs would not be replaced by manufacturing jobs.

As Bob Matters of the United Steel Workers said at a recent forum, “Log exports that strategically support jobs is something we can support and is a good place to start.”

Our inability to harvest our Allowable Annual Cut (AAC) since 2005 has resulted in an elimination of more than 2,100 direct jobs in the timber harvesting sector each year. Even if log exports were banned, the timber that is currently being exported would not be redirected to a local mill. It would stay in the forest because local mills are not prepared to pay the cost to harvest it. This puts loggers, engineers, silviculture workers and forest managers out of work.

Of course the forestry sector should continue to diversify and, yes, timber should go to local mills first, but at a fair price. Finding the right balance is the key to the long-term success of B.C.’s forest harvesting and sawmilling sectors.

There has been a longstanding debate about log exports and many people continue to insist that exporting logs means we are exporting B.C. jobs. This is simply not the case. Log exports have a key role in the development of B.C.’s economy, particularly on the coast, by supporting jobs and economic activity in the logging and transportation sectors.

[The Invisible Man]

More on the issue. It's worth reading.

LOG EXPORTS ARE BOOSTING JOBS IN THE B.C.’S FORESTRY SECTOR. IT IS TIME FOR SOME BALANCE ON THIS ISSUE

TLA Response to Times Colonist Article:Raw-log exports are hurting B.C.’s economy, Ben Parfitt. March 9th
We have restricted the export of logs from B.C. for decades and it has done nothing to solve our basic problems. Ben Parfitt suggests that we can reduce overall logging rates tomorrow by placing an escalating tax on the export of logs. Domestic buyers can only afford to pay $60 for a log that costs $78 to harvest. Placing a tax on logs to be exported does absolutely nothing to make them more economically viable. If you could not afford to buy a house but an American could, would charging the American a higher tax make the cost of it any cheaper? Of course not, all it would do is discourage competition. A tax simply makes the seller desperate enough to sell at below cost - until they either stop selling or go broke.

He also states that we need to stop the rampant waste at industrial logging operations. “Waste” in a practical sense is fibre that no one will pay enough to justify its removal. Pulp mills pay $43 for logs that cost on average $78 to harvest. The higher value logs in the same stand subsidize the removal of the low value logs. As long as the average value of the stand is higher than $78 it all works out. Over time, there are fewer and fewer stands with higher value logs. When you prevent a company from getting a higher value for some of its logs (ie. log sales to foreign buyers) you restrict the amount of logs that they can remove at a loss. Reducing log exports will actually make it harder to remove pulp logs from the bush, reduce employment and do nothing to solve the real problem.

Lastly, investments would be welcome but without profits to justify them, few companies will make them. Legislating a financial loss simply encourages less investment. We have failed to harvest low value stands of timber on B.C.’s coast for years because it does not make economic sense to do so. When foreign buyers step forward and are prepared to pay enough to enable the harvest of uneconomic forests, we should embrace them – not vilify them. Enabling the harvest of low value timber stands by selling some of the logs from them to higher paying foreign buyers actually increases employment, increases the amount of timber that is available for domestic mills and enhances our abilities to conduct good forest management.

[Possum]

Of course we get a much slanted view from the official opposition in that the mill workers are mostly unionized and therefore likely to vote left come election time and most of the truck owners association are O/Os who do not usually vote left and are more likely to vote centrist or slightly right. Mr Dix et al are already making noises about taxing the right if they are elected.

[TomW]

Whatever the case we need (as a country) to get away from being hewers of raw products. If it wasn't for feeding Chinese growth right now and to a lesser extent the rebuilding of parts of Japan we would be in big trouble right now.

[Possum]

Correct and most of the logs going out of the country are not capable of being milled in the local mills. I have sen some huge cedar being loaded but the majority of the stuff I've seen being loaded is commonly called pecker-poles and don't get bid on by local mills.

[booboo]

Hmmmm...they would'nt be peckerpoles if they were left to grow up...Log export has accelerated out of control in the last couple of years....ya just got to take a spin out The Ash Valley...old Camp One area.....Museum Creek...the Coleman...etc...she's all fukin gonedee....Island Timberlands is creamin her all....people in the know that I've talked to says she gonna all be moonscape ....5-10 years there be no Export ta worry about around here.....

[chrisale]

It's the Lorax in our own backyard.

(And not the idiotic Disney movie version)

[Possum]

Hey Boo Boo, its called multiculturalism. Watch who runs these big timber companies. They've clear cut their homeland and now they want to clear cut the bush here. Who gives a ratzz? Soon it won't matter an iota as we keep giving in to the maniacal stupidity called political correctness instead of calling bullshit.

[Possum]

I want everyone to watch the attached video, its from Europe and the train is destined for a sawmill. Probably to make that IKEA crap everyone around here wants to own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWNICHyO8C0&feature=related

[TomW]

Sounds like she has a few ponies in her!

[chrisale]

Sounds like she has a few ponies in her!

Ya and a lot less thirsty ponies dragging all those logs than 30 trucks doing it instead!

But we can't do that here, No No No. We might upset the Truckers Association!

And the line is electrified to boot (for other trains, obviously).... no no no. Too expensive to be done here. Blah Blah Blah. *sigh*.

[booboo]

Oh Chris.......they can't take them dreams away from ya....ain't never gonna happen here...anywaays by the time a rail network was ever to be built...there be no trees left ta haul.....

[chrisale]

Oh Chris.......they can't take them dreams away from ya....ain't never gonna happen here...anywaays by the time a rail network was ever to be built...there be no trees left ta haul.....

It'll happen the day gas prices go over $3.00/L ... but you're right, the trees might be long gone by then anyway.

[Possum]

Jeezuz Keyryste Chris, that was a diesel locomotive hauling those logs. Another point lost on most was the pecker poles the locomotive was pulling. The mills here tried to reconfigure but the unions fought it and now the unions are being bit in the ass by their own stupidity.

[chrisale]

Jeezuz Keyryste Chris, that was a diesel locomotive hauling those logs.

Uh. I saw that Possum yes.

[WetCoastKid]

Oh Chris.......they can't take them dreams away from ya....ain't never gonna happen here...anywaays by the time a rail network was ever to be built...there be no trees left ta haul.....

It'll happen the day gas prices go over $3.00/L ... but you're right, the trees might be long gone by then anyway.

... If only they could grow back eh?

[chrisale]

Oh Chris.......they can't take them dreams away from ya....ain't never gonna happen here...anywaays by the time a rail network was ever to be built...there be no trees left ta haul.....

It'll happen the day gas prices go over $3.00/L ... but you're right, the trees might be long gone by then anyway.

... If only they could grow back eh?

They'll grow back... we'll just have to wait 50-100 years to get anything like what we have now back. Instead of, you know, managing the resource. Annoying because it's basically only here on the Dunsmuir lands where the private land owners get to do what they want.

[booboo]

Oh ya they gonna grow back..but there sure gonna be a big gap of nothing....I remember how we used to bitch about M&B, but ya know they were pretty dam good compared to the new bunch of Rapists on da scene today..Granted back in da M&B era there were the Ministry of Forests watchdogs out and about...the worst thing that ever happened was turning all that TFL land into private..was that Rich Coleman at the helm for that????....every where ya look around here the patches that M&B had left to mature...perhaps cuz MOF made them...well they all being taken at a far too accelerated rate to be sustainable...but Island Timberlands just has to answer to 'their' Shareholders....Geezus..in a land long ago the People of B.C. were the 'Shareholders.'

[TomW]

When I first came out here a few years ago I was quite shocked to see the blatant "in your face" clear cut process in this area. I had always thought the industry to be a little more selective and responsible in their harvesting methods. I still shake my head every time I am coming down from the hump and view the bare patches. Quite ugly looking actually.

[Possum]

See the crap is still being foisted on the public by the USWA and their puppeteers from the Pennsylvania region of the USA. I'm not happy with what is happening with the logs being cut around here but I do understand they are not my logs and the logs are not of any use to the local mills. Too small and the wrong species.

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