FSEEE has been working hard to expand its efforts to Canada. Why? We’ve dropped consumption of U.S. National Forest timber from 12 to 2 billion board feet per year—but Canada has made up the difference. America consumes more than 18 billion board feet of Canadian lumber every year!

As part of our ethic of responsible forest management, we must focus on the effects of decreased logging in our National Forests. If our efforts in the U.S. result in forest destruction outside our borders, we must step up to the plate. That’s why were assisting our Canadian colleagues to start a new organization in Canada modeled after FSEEE.

Following are the backgrounds and diversity of who we have recruited for the Board of Directors, all of whom are employed by either the Ministry of Forests or the Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks

President—a high profile and very well-respected research scientist who is an expert in forest ecology.

Vice-President—a forest ecosystem specialist.

Secretary—a wildlife research specialist.

Treasurer—a carnivore specialist.

A bighorn sheep specialist.

A supervisory wildlife biologist.

A wildlife biologist.

A senior water quality biologist and member of the environment committee for the Government Employees Union.

It’s a highly qualified group and, frankly, more well known than FSEEE’s initial board members were in 1989! But these brave scientists and resource professionals cannot stand up for the environment without a powerful force behind them. Initially, they’ll need an organization like us to help them pursue and win their whistleblower claims in order to get the attention of the government. Currently, censorship of dissenting views is common and environmentally responsible public servants are shown the door.

Why now? The time is right to hold Canadian forest management agencies accountable to high standards of sustainable forest management. With a newly elected government in B.C. that makes George W. Bush look like the environmentalist he claims to be (but isn't), the pressure on British Columbia's forest managers will only increase.

A watchdog group that works from inside the Ministry of Forests and Ministry of Environment, Lands & Parks will be the most effective way to combat the politicians who see nothing but money in their vast crown-owned forests and natural resources. Over 95% of British Columbia is publicly owned.

We’re helping our colleagues in Canada become an effective force for change too. This start-up venture is FSEEE’s duty in order to help ensure that U.S. consumption of wood does not continue to devastate Canada’s forests.