It’s a week to celebrate. September 22nd to 28th is National Forest Week. Perhaps we’ll even take a walk in the woods. A celebration of National Forest Week acknowledges the natural beauty of our forests while underscoring  the importance of managing the sustainability of a resource that supports a way of life.

In today’s Vancouver Sun, the six-part Journey of a Log series concludes with reference to the nuances of lumber markets. The series included this report on high-tech equipment such as x-ray scanners which now provide opportunity to examine the inside of the log to facilitate the process of maximizing recovery and value. In another column here, Don Kayne, President and CEO of Canfor, elaborates on significant developments the industry has achieved in maximizing the use of every tree – while reducing the carbon footprint by using wood residuals to fuel operations and provide surplus energy to the power grid. In a year that Canfor celebrates its 75th anniversary, the need for bringing a holistic approach into industry discussions recognizes that further integration – “from forest ecosystems to harvesting, to sawmilling, pulp, paper, engineered wood, and energy” is vital.

Thanks to my uncle Stan Harder for the lovely images below, taken during a walk in the woods this week in Abbotsford, B.C.