Signatories to Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement name environmentalist Monte Hummel as chairman, former green-economy think tank director Andrew Bevan as executive director

Lorena Madrigal

OTTAWA , September 20, 2011 (press release) – The conservation groups and forest companies that signed the world renowned Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) today announced a new Chairman and new Executive Director to accelerate the translation of the challenging goals of the agreement into concrete action on the ground.

Noted environmentalist Monte Hummel is taking on the job as Chairman and Andrew Bevan becomes the first full time Executive Director of the CBFA Secretariat.

The landmark Boreal Agreement, signed in May 2010, brought together 9 conservation groups and 21 forest companies belonging to the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). The two sides agreed to lay down arms and instead work together to change the old paradigm of the environment versus the economy into one that recognizes the need for both environmental conservation and a healthy industry.

Hummel, a long time environmental advocate, founded Pollution Probe and spent almost thirty years as the face of the World Wildlife Fund, where one of his key concerns was preserving the Boreal Forest. He also has a graduate degree in forestry.

"Monte is an ideal person to lead the CBFA," says Avrim Lazar, the President and CEO of FPAC. "He has long earned industry respect as a pioneer and innovator in industry environmental partnerships. We welcome someone of his knowledge and experience."

Bevan was most recently the Executive Director of the green-economy think tank, Sustainable Prosperity, and before that spent more than 15 years at the centre of public policy development in Toronto and Ottawa.

"We are thrilled with this appointment," says Richard Brooks, Forests Campaign Co-ordinator at Greenpeace Canada. "For the past year, we've worked tirelessly to tackle the goals set out in the CBFA by the environmental and industry partners. We welcome someone of Andrew's calibre to help further the implementation of this ground-breaking agreement."

Significant strides are now underway to turn the goals of the CBFA into concrete change on the ground that will protect the Boreal forest and threatened wildlife species while helping to create a more prosperous forest industry and supporting the communities who rely on the Boreal for their jobs and traditional ways of life. This includes work on caribou protection plans, world leading forest management practices, market outreach and deepening relationships with First Nations and provincial governments.

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