The past year was shaped by the economic conditions faced by the entire forestry sector which directly impacted our organization. These widespread challenges tested the resilience of both our partners and our internal operations. However, disciplined financial planning and conservative budgeting have secured strategic flexibility for our current transition. Throughout this period, we maintained a steadfast commitment to serving the industry.

In collaboration with our partners, we developed and delivered industrial research designed to address the scale of these challenges. Leveraging expertise across the entire forest value chain — from harvesting to manufacturing — we continue to collaborate with industry stakeholders and government to help identify sustainable, high-impact pathways for the sector. The organization remains focused on identifying viable solutions and strategic opportunities.

This year, we launched two major initiatives to provide science-based solutions to issues of national importance: wildfires and housing. Through the Forest Operations Resilience project, we design and field-test operational treatments that actively lower wildfire risks, backed by rigorous cost-benefit modeling to support investment decision making. The Sawmill to Construction project delivers advanced manufacturing excellence and market diversification frameworks for the sawmilling sector, unlocking new markets and resilient construction innovations. Both initiatives synthesize cross-disciplinary expertise, capitalizing on the synergies of combining fields that traditionally operated in isolation.

Our members and partners remain central to research process. We nearly doubled member participation in our Research and Information and Sharing Sessions. Moving forward, we will continue expanding industry and partner integration within our project pipelines to drive agility and accelerate faster results for our research outcomes. In collaboration with the members, we evaluate the value of projects to measure their impact, confirm a positive return on investment, and maintain this level of performance. We stand by our commitment as an objective, honest broker to all levels of the industry and supporting sectors. By delivering critical technical expertise, we ensure high-potential technologies are rigorously evaluated, and critical research gaps are addressed.

Therefore, alongside the Chair of the Board of Directors, Robert Dufresne, we would like to formally recognize Stéphane Renou and Kevin Edgson for their years of dedication and service to the organization.

We extend our sincere appreciation to our personnel for their commitment during this challenging period. Their professionalism has been instrumental in supporting the Canadian forest industry. Finally, we thank our members and government partners for their continued investment and confidence in the scientific innovations shaping our industry’s future.