U.S. Timber Coalition Says B.C. Violating Softwood Deal with Pine Kill Wood

(The Canadian Press)

A U.S. forest industry lobby group is accusing the B.C. government of using the province’s pine forest beetle kill epidemic to violate the U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement.

The U.S.-based Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports says B.C. timber is being sold for as little as 25 cents per cubic metre and the cheap wood is being used to produce softwood lumber products that are being sold in the United States. Coalition spokesman Steve Swanson says in a statement that while the entire North American forest industry is struggling during a worldwide economic downturn, British Columbia is virtually giving away its taxpayer-supported natural resource.

The U.S. coalition says the 25-cent B.C. wood can sell for up to $20 a cubic metre in the states.

Neither B.C. Forests Minister Pat Bell or a spokesman for the provincial forest industry were immediately available for comment.

Earlier this week, Canada’s slumping forest industry asked Ottawa for a relief package that adds up to about $600 million over five years.