BC Council of Forest Industries

What BC Council of Forest Industries does

COFI (BC Council of Forest Industries) is a not-for-profit industry trade association founded in 1960 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a satellite office in Kelowna. It represents 18 member companies spanning the majority of BC's lumber, pulp and paper, and manufactured wood producers, including publicly-traded firms such as Canfor, West Fraser, Western Forest Products, Mercer International, and Kruger. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors composed of chief executives from member companies and is led by President & CEO Kim Haakstad, supported by a small executive team covering forestry, economics, sustainability, communications, export development, and forest education.

COFI's core offerings are not commercial products but rather collective services to its members and the broader sector: (1) government relations and policy advocacy at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels; (2) overseas market development through the Canada Wood Group, with staffed offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Seoul and additional reach into the UK, India, and Southeast Asia; (3) COFI Connect, a paid data subscription service ($1,500-$3,000/yr) providing 14+ live dashboards on BC forest sector metrics; (4) an annual convention (the largest forest sector gathering in Western Canada, 600+ delegates); (5) a Forest Education Program and $2,000 annual scholarships for BC students; and (6) research publications including economic impact, supply chain, competitiveness, and value-added reports.

COFI's business model is funded primarily by membership dues from forest product companies, supplemented by COFI Connect subscription revenue, event/convention sponsorships, and program-specific grants (e.g., from Forestry Innovation Investment). It does not develop proprietary technology, does not report revenue, and operates as a sector-wide advocate rather than a vendor. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward crisis-response advocacy (mill closures, softwood lumber trade disputes, federal task force engagement) and coalition-building via the 'Forestry is a Solution' platform, while the underlying BC forest sector faces harvest levels well below the Allowable Annual Cut and ongoing trade headwinds.

Name

BC Council of Forest Industries

Legal name

BC Council of Forest Industries

Website

https://cofi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) is a not-for-profit Vancouver-based trade association, founded 1960, representing 18 major BC lumber, pulp, paper, and manufactured wood producers through advocacy, overseas market development, data subscriptions, and workforce programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: COFI represents member companies including major lumber, pulp and paper, and manufactured wood producers. Membership fees fund industry advocacy, research, and programs.
2. COFI Connect Data Subscription: Annual subscription service providing access to 14+ live dashboards on BC forest sector data including harvest levels, production, exports, jobs, and market intelligence. Two tiers: Standard ($1,500/yr for up to 3 users) and Premium ($3,000/yr for unlimited users).
3. Forestry Scholarships: COFI awards $2,000 scholarships to BC students pursuing forestry-related studies, funded by member companies and sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COFI is a non-profit industry trade association that represents the majority of BC's lumber, pulp and paper, and manufactured wood producers. It provides industry advocacy and policy representation to government, sector economic research, overseas market development through Canada Wood Group offices, a subscription-based forest sector data platform (COFI Connect), a forest education program with scholarships, and an annual convention.

Product overview

COFI (BC Council of Forest Industries) is an industry association representing the majority of lumber, pulp and paper, and manufactured wood producers in BC. COFI's offerings include COFI Connect (a data subscription service with 14+ live dashboards tracking forest sector metrics), the Forest Education Program (career awareness and workforce initiatives), annual Forestry Scholarships, the COFI Convention (Western Canada's largest forest sector gathering), and various research reports including Economic Impact Studies, Supply Chain Studies, Competitiveness Reports, and Factsheets on forest industry topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canada Wood: Overseas market development program coordinating market access and trade activities with offices in China, Japan, Korea, and UK.

Products and services

• COFI Connect Annual subscription data service providing access to 14+ live dashboards on BC forest sector data including Canadian Forest Product Exports, Canadian Softwood Lumber Exports, Canadian Softwood Lumber Production, B.C. Harvest Billing, and Labour Productivity & Employment. Offered in Standard ($1,500/yr, 3 users) and Premium ($3,000/yr, unlimited users) tiers. For analysts, researchers, member companies, and industry professionals.
• Forest Education Program Educational initiative pairing a Forest Education Manager with BC secondary educators and interior mills to teach students about BC's forest resources, forestry issues, and career opportunities in the forest industry. Includes $2,000 annual scholarships for BC students pursuing forestry-related post-secondary studies.
• COFI Annual Convention Annual convention bringing together over 600 industry leaders, First Nations, government, and community representatives. The largest forest sector gathering in Western Canada. The 2026 Convention (theme: 'Forestry is a Solution') was held April 8-10, 2026 at JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.
• Economic Impact Study Periodic study measuring the economic impact of BC's forest industry, including GDP contribution, employment, wages, and government revenue. The 2026 'Rooted in BC' edition reports $14.4 billion invested (2015-2024), 95,000 jobs supported, and $3.4 billion in annual government revenue.
• Supply Chain and Community Benefits Study Economic study quantifying the local communities and suppliers that benefit from BC's forestry industry. The 2024 study reports 9,970 businesses supported across 335 municipalities and First Nations communities, with $6.6 billion spent on goods and services province-wide.
• Competitiveness & Sustainability Report Comparative study analyzing BC's forest industry against other international forestry jurisdictions, examining performance benchmarks, a global leader survey, and learnings for BC. Produced with consulting firm O'Kelly Acumen.
• COFI Factsheets Collection of topical fact sheets on BC forest industry issues including Value Added, Old Growth, Fibre Utilization, Wildfire Resilience, Sustainable Forestry, Indigenous Reconciliation, and Building for the Future.
• Building for the Future Report Report on the BC wood products supply chain and the opportunities for mass timber and value-added wood products in housing construction.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95,000 jobs supported (direct, indirect, induced) with $3.4B annual government revenue
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Truck Loggers Association (TLA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Coalition partner in 'Forestry is a Solution' platform calling for government action to strengthen BC's forest sector. Represents logging contractors and primary forestry operations.
• BC First Nations Forestry CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Coalition partner advocating for improved First Nations partnerships, revenue sharing, and participation in BC's forest sector through the 'Forestry is a Solution' platform.
• BC Pulp and Paper CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Coalition partner in 'Forestry is a Solution' platform representing pulp and paper sector interests.
• United Steelworkers Wood CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Wood Council represents over 12,000 forestry workers in BC. COFI and USW jointly published 'A Strategy for B.C. Forests That Benefits All British Columbians' advocating for balanced forest policy.
• CN (Canadian National Railway)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor of COFI's 2026 Forestry Scholarship program.
• BC WoodminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025Joint signatory on statement from British Columbia's Forest Sector calling for urgent federal action on softwood lumber trade issues.
• Truck Loggers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025Joint signatory on sector statement advocating for government support. Peter Lister, Executive Director, co-authored op-ed with COFI on forestry as solution.
• O'Kelly AcumenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Consulting firm engaged to produce 'Competitiveness & Sustainability in the BC Forest Sector' report comparing BC's forest industry with other international forestry regions.
• Canada Wood GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 August 2024COFI coordinates all market access and trade activities with Canada Wood Group, a coalition of Canadian industry trade associations. COFI operates overseas offices in China, Japan, and Korea under this umbrella.
• COFI Member CompaniescoreOthersCOFI represents 18 member companies including Canfor, West Fraser, Western Forest Products, Mercer International, Kruger, and others. These companies participate in governance through Board of Directors.
• Indigenous Nations and CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOFI and members engage in joint ventures, tenure co-management, and reconciliation protocol agreements with Indigenous communities. Many Nations are licensees and business stewardship partners. Over 5,300 Indigenous people are directly employed in BC forestry.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Softwood Lumber Board: US checkoff organization funded by softwood lumber manufacturers to promote lumber use. Comparable to COFI in promoting market demand for softwood lumber and funding research/marketing, though structured as a US checkoff rather than a voluntary membership association.
• BC Wood: BC-based trade association for value-added wood product manufacturers. Comparable to COFI as a BC-focused industry association that jointly signs advocacy statements on softwood lumber trade and sector policy.
• Forestry Innovation Investment (FII): BC crown corporation that funds international market development for BC wood products. Comparable to COFI's Canada Wood Group activities — FII and COFI jointly fund the Forest Education Program and share overseas market development mandates.
• Western Red Cedar Lumber Association: North American association promoting western red cedar products. Comparable to COFI as a sector-specific industry association doing market promotion, education, and standards work for a BC forest product.
• Canadian Wood Council: National association representing wood product manufacturers and the building materials supply chain. Comparable to COFI in advocating for wood use in construction and providing market development support for Canadian wood products.
• Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC): National trade association representing Canada's wood, pulp and paper producers. Directly comparable to COFI as the federal-level counterpart advocating for the same member types on trade, sustainability, and Indigenous relations.
• Truck Loggers Association (TLA): BC association representing logging contractors and primary forestry operations. Directly comparable as a coalition partner in the 'Forestry is a Solution' campaign and co-signatory on sector policy statements.

Regional players

• American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA): US national trade association for the forest products industry. Comparable to COFI as a peer trade association model but operates in the US (COFI's main export market), not in BC's regulatory jurisdiction.
• NZ Forest Owners Association: New Zealand's national forest owners association, representing commercial forest growers. Comparable to COFI as a peer national/regional industry association and as one of the benchmark jurisdictions COFI's competitiveness study compares BC against.
• Metsäteollisuus (Finnish Forest Industries Federation): Finland's national forest industry federation representing pulp, paper, and wood products companies. Comparable to COFI as a peer national industry association and as the benchmark jurisdiction (Finland) that COFI's competitiveness study cites as harvesting nearly double BC's volume from a smaller forest area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cofi_info
• Facebookfacebook.com/BCCouncilofForestIndustries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-of-forest-industries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BC Council of Forest Industries