The forestry industry is important to British Columbia and for the Columbia Basin-Boundary region. A recent Labour Market Profile identified approximately 246 forestry related businesses, including 22 primary forest products manufacturing facilities in the region. The same report identified a large number of forestry related job openings expected in the Columbia Basin-Boundary. Identifying and creating a forestry workforce strategy for this region is imperative to its growth and future success in sustainable forestry management.

Changes in the forestry industry have occurred within global, national, and local context, resulting in challenges and opportunities for workforce development. The purpose of this literature review is to consolidate and summarize known information relating to these
challenges and opportunities. Additionally, this report examines case studies from each of the respective scales, and explores how such strategies can contribute to workforce development in the Columbia Basin-Boundary

This knowledge brief is part of a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) funded project entitled, Regional Workforce Development in Rural B.C. This knowledge brief is based on a review of the literature, and reviews forestry workforce and considers how these can be integrated within the Columbia Basin-Boundary region.