National, 7th September 2022: 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. Canadian Wood has been raising awareness about the advantages of utilizing wood from British Columbian forests and the need for sustainable wood in India.
The webinar saw active participation from various industry experts 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. The webinar also went into great length on seasoning of wood and how India needs the technology to accomplish so in a way that is both energy- and environmentally-friendly.
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 in India. 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 instrument 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 game by manufacturing better kilns with lower cost and higher productivity.”
