Dirk Brinkman, Jordan Tesluk and Company Speak to Day One | WFCA 2026

2026 WFCA Annual General Meeting of Canadian Forest Replanters

Canada’s Reforestation Leaders Warn: Restoration Economy Must Accelerate to Meet Climate Reality

VICTORIA, B.C. — At a time when Canada faces escalating wildfire seasons, global market instability, and the mounting pressures of climate change, leaders in the country’s forest‑regeneration sector are calling for a fundamental shift in how governments, industry, and communities approach reforestation and ecological restoration.

Speaking to members of the Western Forestry Contractors’ Association (WFCA), industry pioneer Dirk Brinkman underscored the unique role Canada has played in building a modern forest‑regeneration model—one that, by the early 1990s, ensured nearly every logged area in the country was being replanted.

“We created a sustainable forest model in just two decades,” Brinkman said, noting that the industry’s success has always depended on the skill and resilience of Canada’s tree planters. “But the challenges ahead are perpetual—smoke, tariffs, climate change, and global disruptions. The world is shifting, and so must we.”

Wildfire Reality: A New Baseline

Brinkman warned that the wildfire seasons of recent years are not anomalies but indicators of a new ecological baseline. Canada saw nine million hectares burn in 2023, with 2024 following close behind. These fires, he argued, demand a rethinking of what kinds of forests Canada is rebuilding.

“We plant conifers, but we need fire‑resilient forests,” he said. “Regeneration is not just about replacing trees—it’s about designing a carbon‑neutral future.”

He added that the industry must be present in policy discussions: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu,” he said, quoting former Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

A Sector Built on Cooperation

Brinkman highlighted the WFCA’s long-standing reputation for collaboration across government, Indigenous communities, and industry stakeholders. Historically, 95 percent of British Columbia’s land base was publicly owned, but the recognition of Indigenous rights has reshaped governance and decision‑making.

“WFCA is exemplary in working across intersecting interests,” Brinkman said. “Cooperation and shared values are the keystones of this industry.”

He described WFCA members as “ecosystem forest champions”—a workforce that forms the foundation of both ecological and economic well‑being in Canada.

Legislation Lagging Behind Ecological Reality

Brinkman argued that Canada’s legislative frameworks are not keeping pace with ecological needs. He pointed to China’s concept of an “ecological civilization” as an example of how national policy can embed environmental priorities into long‑term planning.

“Legislation is always behind,” he said. “It takes community and consensus to change it. Consensus is powerful—and we need it to build an ecological civilization here.”

He warned that Canada’s Two Billion Trees program, spread over a decade, is moving too slowly to meet climate and wildfire realities. “We need a restoration economy with a strong voice,” he said. “The scale required is enormous.”

John Betts Announces Upcoming Retirement at 2026 WFCA Annual Meeting 

John Betts, long-standing Executive Director, WFCA, announced his retirement during the afternoon of day one, 2026 WFCA Annual Meeting, Jan 28, 2026, effective this coming spring.  John retires after a long and fruitful tenure dedicated to the association of businesses that keep Canadian forests in all their splendor. 

All aspects of trees are covered by WFCA members, businesses, faculties, government departments and ministries, and human resource agencies. John knit this sector together for a long time. He knew the reforestation industry from a lifetime perspective. It was my pleasure to conduct media business with the WFCA over the years, in print, and technology. 

I learned a huge amount about the business of reforestation in Canada from John Betts. I was always reading the quarterly bulletins. I've covered the reforestation business with the help of John Betts. Absorbing his perplexing puns, and the remarkable accounting of people making the forests sustainable was educational. For years.

Congratulations, John, for hosting another Annual Meeting, capping the career and putting your personal stamp on western Canadian reforestation from the rainforests to the boreal!

Mack McColl, Editor, McColl Magazine

Safety Advocate Jordan Tesluk: ‘Where We Came From, Where We Are, Where We’re Going’

Forestry safety specialist Jordan Tesluk offered a parallel message: the industry’s future depends not only on ecological adaptation but on the well‑being and professionalization of its workforce.

Tesluk outlined the evolution of worker support systems—from early safety initiatives to today’s more sophisticated frameworks, including:

Online training and certification

Career development pathways

Recruitment‑focused public outreach

Ergonomic improvements and tool modernization

Clearer employment contracts and camp‑condition standards

He emphasized the growing complexity of managing worker needs, from transportation logistics to emerging health risks associated with smoke, heat exposure, and dust.

“New issues are arising,” Tesluk said. “We’re seeing new illnesses, challenges with contaminated drug supplies, and access‑management problems. The human‑support programs of the future must be deeper and more developed.”

He noted that earlier organizations such as the WSCA and PRWA no longer exist, leaving gaps in advocacy and coordination.

Adapting to a Changing Workforce and a Changing World

Tesluk praised WFCA members for their adaptability—particularly in navigating human relationships and workplace culture. “Be leaders by sharing,” he urged.

He also pointed to the tools and uncertainties shaping the next decade:

New environmental risks

Societal instability

Economic unpredictability

Skills mismatches between today’s workforce and tomorrow’s needs

Emerging technologies—information systems, forecasting tools, and higher organizational standards—will be essential, he said, but must be paired with a renewed commitment to worker care.

A Sector at a Crossroads

Together, Brinkman and Tesluk painted a picture of an industry facing profound transformation. The forest‑regeneration workforce—long celebrated for its resilience and adaptability—now stands at the center of Canada’s climate response.

The message was clear: the restoration economy must scale up, legislation must evolve, and the human beings who plant and protect Canada’s forests must be supported with the same urgency as the ecosystems they restore.

Alyson Gourley‑Cramer speaking to WFCA 2026 Annual Meeting: Building the Communications Backbone of a Changing Industry

Alyson Gourley‑Cramer, founder of Monogram Communications, brought a personal and generational perspective to the WFCA gathering. Originally from the East Coast, she came west at 19 to plant trees during what she described as “the era of scruffing.” Her first season ended with just $800 in her pocket—but enough conviction to persuade her parents to let her return. Five seasons later, she had accumulated not only experience but a deep connection to the work and the people who shaped it.

That early immersion eventually led her to settle in Prince George, B.C., where she built Monogram Communications, now an 11‑person firm working closely with First Nations, industry specialists, and a wide range of stakeholders.

Gourley‑Cramer described the current moment as pivotal for the forest‑regeneration sector—a convergence of inclusivity, reconciliation, and the emergence of new knowledge systems shaped by the WFCA community.

“Advocacy and public voices are essential,” she emphasized. Monogram, she said, is focused on building the communications frameworks that allow those voices to be heard—within industry, across governments, and in the broader public conversation about Canada’s ecological future. 

Kathryn Thom: Rebuilding Workplace Culture for a New Era of Forestry

Kathryn Thom of Niche Systems stepped into the WFCA forum with a clear-eyed assessment of the pressures reshaping the forestry sector. As an advisor who works closely with forestry businesses, she described her role as fundamentally relationship‑driven—helping companies navigate the intersection of market‑based sustainability, reconciliation, and the subtle signals that indicate where the industry is heading.

Thom noted that reactive energy dominates many workplaces, creating strain on employees and intensifying competition when resources feel scarce. The sector, she argued, is caught between systems: “The old system has run its course, and the new one hasn’t fully arrived.” That gap leaves companies struggling with issues ranging from workplace comfort zones to harassment, all while trying to meet rising competitive and regulatory standards.

Her response is the Compass Program, an emerging framework designed to help employers juggle crew management, compliance, and incident‑risk mitigation—without drowning in paperwork. The program draws heavily on Thom’s own field experience, translating lived realities into policies that both protect workers and strengthen organizational culture.

She outlined the core components now being built into modern forestry workplaces:

• Respectful Workplace Statements
• Harassment Prevention and Reporting protocols
• Land and Community Conduct guidelines
• Policies that reflect reconciliation and local Indigenous context

“Respect is a working condition,” Thom emphasized. “Everyone deserves to be treated the same, no matter their role.”

She also highlighted the practical questions companies must now confront: Which Indigenous Nations are nearby? What barriers do some workers face? What experience should employers prioritize? These questions, she said, are central to crew‑culture building, which she described as a continuous build‑learn loop—a cycle of improvement that keeps pace with the evolving realities of the industry.