Ensuring a Better Future: Canadian Wood's Webinar on Wood
- September 9, 2022
- By: Editorial Team
- NEWS
The provincial government of British Columbia’s (B.C) crown agency, Forestry Innovation Consulting India Pvt. Ltd. (FII), also known as Canadian wood, hosted a Webinar on 6th September, on legally harvested and seasoned wood for a better future. A Canadian Wood campaign has been raising awareness in India about the benefits of utilizing wood from British Columbian forests.
The webinar saw active participation from various industry professionals and took insights from the session. The webinar focused on the import of wood from illegally harvested sources into India and how certifications, trade rules, and rigorous management may assist to address this problem. In addition to discussing the seasoning of wood in the webinar, they also discussed how India needs the technology to do so in an energy- and environmentally-friendly manner.
Sharing insights on the Canadian wood industry, Peter Bradfield, Technical Advisor, Canadian Wood said, “Canada is a nation with 10% of the world’s forest area. Moreover, it has made efforts to create sustainably managed forests with 0% deforestation. 95% of the wood from Canada comes from sustainably managed and publicly owned forests that are protected by the strict forest management laws of the country. Canadian Wood assures that each customer gets reliable, highly certified, and legally sourced woods every time whilst also ensuring the responsible development of rural areas, generating meaningful jobs, and reserving biodiversity, among other factors.
Speaking on the legality of timber trade, Dr. E.V. Anoop, Professor and Dean, Kerala Agricultural University said, “It is pertinent for India to create a balance of trade between the wood import and export. While the import is abundant in India, we are importing illegal wood from politically unstable countries without considering the ecological footprints. At the same time, the export of wood from India is almost insignificant as numerous countries around the world require a credible wood certification.
Dr. Shailendra Kumar, Scientist-D at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, spoke about Wood seasoning and stated “Wood seasoning helps to keep wood dimensionally stable by controlling moisture content. Kilns are an important mechanism for this but managing the quality of wooden products has become an issue due to a lack of adequate infrastructure and awareness amongst our traditional carpenters. In India, carpenters have been using the traditional method of drying by air. AI and Artificial Neural Networks can change the play by manufacturing better kilns with lower expense and higher productivity.
About Canadian Wood: Forestry Innovation Consulting Pvt. Ltd. (FII India) better known as Canadian Wood is a crown agency of the government of British Columbia (B.C.) - the westernmost province of Canada, with a mandate to promote its wood products in offshore markets. It focuses on promoting five distinct wood species in India, namely: 1) Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF), 2) Western hemlock, 3) Douglas-fir, 4) Yellow cedar and 5) Western red cedar. These species have unique properties making them suitable for a range of reman and structural applications. Canadian wood (lumber) is sourced from sustainably managed and certified forests of British Columbia and is available duly seasoned, sized, and graded, almost ready-to-use across India through a network of 41 stockists in all major towns.
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