2020 – A Year of Challenges and Successes: BC Forest Safety Newsletter

Most of us were happy to ring in 2021 and leave 2020 in the rearview mirror as a notable chapter in the history books. And while we still have some challenges ahead, the road map is becoming clearer to a post-pandemic world. The forest sectors’ history of resilience positioned it well to meet the challenges associated with COVID-19, supporting the BC government declaring forestry and silviculture practices as essential services early in the pandemic. These efforts were supported across the industry and involved a concerted effort by employers, workers, unions, contractors and industry associations working collectively to achieve a common goal. Because of the forest industry’s efforts and the priority placed on COVID 19 precautions, there were no known cases attributed to any forestry activity in BC last year. At the same time, an estimated 300 million trees were successfully planted in 2020 under these unprecedented circumstances, which is a remarkable undertaking.