Corporate
FII is a B.C. Crown agency governed by a Board of Directors and accountable to the B.C. Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. FII operates out of offices in Vancouver, Shanghai and Beijing.
Benefits to British Columbia
FII benefits the people and economy of British Columbia by:
- working to maintain existing markets for B.C. forest products, and as a result, protecting forestry jobs in resource communities, in collaboration with the forest sector;
- opening up new markets for B.C. forest products and creating the potential for new jobs to service these markets;
- building awareness of B.C. internationally, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, which helps strengthen and grow trade ties; and
- supporting the growth of a sustainable and green economy by promoting the environmental benefits of wood in structural and non-structural applications and greater use of renewable wood products from B.C.
Service Delivery
FII works closely with industry associations and other levels of government in marketing B.C. forest products around the world. More than half of FII’s budget supports programs delivered by industry trade associations and other partners. The federal government and industry also financially support these programs.
In delivering its programs, FII responds to industry priorities. It does not duplicate the efforts of trade associations or provide business subsidies to individual firms, as outlined in the following table.
| No Significant Existing Demand | Emerging Market Segment | Mature Market Segment |
| Focus: | ||
| Identify potential opportunities for sale of B.C. forest products Introduce products and applications |
Develop market for B.C. forest products to a robust commercial scale | Maintain or increase B.C. market share |
| Role: Forestry Innovation Investment | ||
| Conduct market research to identify opportunities | Provide funding for trade association marketing programs | Provide funding for trade association niche marketing programs |
| Identify key factors or barriers to growth | Partner in specific markets with associations on market development | Position B.C. forest products as environmentally superior |
| Develop market entry strategy, when potential market is identified | Promote environmental merits of B.C. forest practices and products | |
| Role: Trade Associations | ||
| Work with FII on market entry strategies | Build B.C.’s market presence | Maintain market awareness and preference for B.C. forest products |
| Respond to market access barriers | Overcome market access barriers | Intervene to prevent new market access barriers |
| Provide support for revising codes and standards | Provide technical transfer, quality assurance and support for updating codes and standards | |
| Role: Individual Firms | ||
| Minimal activity | Market entry sales activities | Build sales/market share to a profitable and sustainable level |
| Example Markets | ||
| Mongolia | China | Japan (residential housing) |
More details on FII activities are available on the Corporate Structure page.
Partners and Stakeholders
FII works with an extensive list of trade associations, research institutions, government and other groups interested in promoting the B.C. forest sector. Links to many of these groups are available here.
| Organization | Relationship |
| Government | |
| Government of British Columbia | Sole shareholder, providing most of FII’s funding |
| Minister of Forests, Mines and Lands | Minister responsible for FII |
| Department of Tourism, Trade and Investment | Co-ordinator of international economic development, trade, and investment |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Government of Canada | Federal agency supporting in-market trade and investment promotion and, in China, representing the Government of Canada in the Canada-B.C. Wenchuan Earthquake Reconstruction Project |
| Department of Natural Resources, Government of Canada | Federal funding agency for international marketing programs through the Canada Wood Export Program (CWEP) and the North America Wood First Initiative |
| Western Economic Diversification Canada | Provides funding for the Business Innovation Program |
| Other | |
B.C. forest industry associations:
|
Funding recipients that initiate and deliver domestic and international marketing programs and that may also receive funding from Natural Resources Canada and/or other partner organizations |
Post-secondary and research institutions:
|
Partners and/or funding recipients that initiate and deliver product development and technical research, and overseas training programs to build local capacity in wood frame construction |
|
Partners in developing and delivering programs promoting B.C.’s sustainable forest practices and the environmental benefits of wood products and the forest sector |
