Foes become allies, sign deal to protect Canadian Boreal Forest

Toronto - A landmark historic agreement was announced early Tuesday morning by the Forest Products Association of Canada and nine environmental groups.

The deal, the first of its kind, will see Canada's natural northern forest resources protected. The President and CEO of Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), representing 21 signatory forestry companies, said in a press release,

"The importance of this Agreement cannot be overstated,. FPAC member companies and their ENGO counterparts have turned the old paradigm on its head. Together we have identified a more intelligent, productive way to manage economic and environmental challenges in the Boreal that will reassure global buyers of our products' sustainability. It's gratifying to see nearly a decade of industry transformation and hard work greening our operations, is culminating in a process that will set a forestry standard that will be the envy of the world."

The agreement was largely orchestrated by Pew Environmental Group. Steve Kallick, PEW's International Boreal Conservation Campaign Director said

"For years we have helped bring opposing parties together to conserve this global treasure, Canada's boreal forest. We're thrilled that this effort has led to the largest commercial forest conservation plan in history, which could not have happened without both sides looking beyond their differences. As important as today's announcement is, our ultimate success will be measured by how we tackle the work ahead to put this plan into practice."

Only last summer, Greenpeace Canada had this to say about logging in Canada's Boreal forests:

"... Unsustainable logging and political inaction are threatening the Boreal Forest, one of the largest tracts of ancient forest on the planet. Across Canada, there are crisis zones where individual forests are at high risk of being ruined beyond repair. One of the major threats to the forest is clearcutting for disposable paper products. Greenpeace is working to stop this practice, which wipes out intact wilderness and trashes the habitat of threatened wildlife, such as the endangered woodland caribou."

Under the terms of the watershed agreement, both the logging industry and conservation groups have a role to play in preserving not just tracts of important wilderness areas, but also livelihoods for hundreds of Canadians. Conservation groups will drop their anti-forestry positions while the forestry industry will adopt "... the highest environmental standards of forest management." The deal will see environmental groups supporting the forestry industry, and in return, the industry has committed to suspend "... new logging on nearly 29 million hectares of Boreal Forest to develop conservation plans for endangered caribou, while maintaining essential fiber supplies for uninterrupted mill operations." In its own press release, Greenpeace Canada said 72 million hectares of boreal forest will be protected under the deal. The agreement is expected to improve the economic position of Canada's forestry industry, the organization said. Greenpeace Canada, the Ivey Foundation and Pew Environmental Group worked together to broker the deal, but as Greenpeace pointed out in its press release,

"The interest of the marketplace and public has been critical in this agreement.”

The six other groups helped to bring the issues to the forefront of Candian consciousness, as well as lobbied the forestry industry for changes in forestry management. The groups will now proceed with meeting with provincial, First Nations and municipal representatives across Canada to "... seek their leadership and full participation in advancing the goals of the Agreement." As per CFPA, Forestry Companies Participating in the Agreement: AbitibiBowater, Alberta Pacific Forest Industries, AV Group, Canfor, Cariboo Pulp & Paper Company, Cascades Inc., DMI, F.F. Soucy, Inc., Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, Kruger Inc., LP Canada, Mercer International, Mill & Timber Products Ltd, NewPage Port Hawkesbury Ltd, Papier Masson Ltée, SFK Pulp, Tembec Inc., Tolko Industries, West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd, Weyerhaeuser Company Limited - all represented by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Environmental Organizations Participating in the Agreement: Canadian Boreal Initiative, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Canopy (formerly Markets Initiative), the David Suzuki Foundation, ForestEthics, Greenpeace, Ivey Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Pew Environment Group's International Boreal Conservation Campaign. The Hewlett Foundation's support for boreal forest conservation has been critical to the collective efforts of these groups.