Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement

The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) is a collaborative, multi-year agreement that was signed in 2010 by major Canadian forest companies and environmental groups. The agreement commits signatories to achieving strategic goals that address both environmental and economic sustainability in the boreal forest. The geographic scope of the agreement spans more than 72 million hectares of boreal forest across Canada.

Canfor and Canfor Pulp remain committed to the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, both at the national level and with regional work in Alberta and British Columbia where we operate.

In 2015, the CBFA was presented as a model for the oil and gas industry. David McLaughlin, sustainability advisory to the faculty of environment at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, told a round table on the environment and economy that the agreement allowed all stakeholders and rights holder to come together and find solutions.

The CFBA’s collaborative approach also received international recognition, including presentations at The Wildlife Society’s (TWS) 22nd Annual Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the X1V World Forestry Congress in South Africa.

Our staff are active in the Alberta and British Columbia regional working group, and the current work plan is focusing on an area in west central Alberta, which includes a portion of our Grande Prairie Forest Management Area. It is one of the most challenging landscapes in Canada, and will require creative outcomes to be successful.

Canfor also participates on the national working groups including Goal 1 Forest Practices, which recently reached a significant milestone by agreement on an approach to implementing the natural range of variation.