Small Enderby wood-based business on upswing, but changes to forest policy needed, argues owner

With news of lumber industry curtailments throughout the Okanagan impacting hundreds of jobs, an Enderby wood-based business seems to be on the upswing.

“We actually are 100 per cent booked for the coming year. We could actually expand our operations given enough fibre to do so,” said Peter Sperlich of Canadian Pride Log and Timber Products.

“We’re making profit at today’s stumpage rates. We are making profits at the high rates that we pay for our high quality fibre.”

His company manufactures log houses and timber products and employs about 20 people in Enderby.

But even riding on an upswing comes with a set of challenges—particularly with getting quality logs.

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“Because we are a relatively small industry, we are not necessarily recognized as being worth the time and effort.”

“It is economically feasible but there has to be some kind of incentive,” said Sperlich.

Imposing incentives that would benefit smaller companies is what Sperlich and the BC Log and Timber Building Industry are pushing for as a change in forest policy.

Sperlich argues that his company, like other small lumber companies don’t use up as many logs but still provide many local jobs to communities.

He thinks an employment ratio needs to be considered for any Crown harvest forest analysis.

“The bulk of the forests that are harvested in the interior are owned by the larger companies and there is a substantial amount of fibre there that we can use, but we have to find a method for the appropriate logs to be selected that works economically for those companies as well, ” said Sperlich.

At a media event Friday, Liberal MLA Greg Kyllo expressed a nod of support.

“What you are saying makes so much sense. You know it’s not just about the production of wood in the forest, it’s the value-added sector and the number of jobs created per cubic metre. I think we all realize that the logs that are actually logged in the log home building industry provide a lot more jobs than a log that gets processed and cut down into 2×4’s,” said Kyllo, MLA for Shuswap.