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More than $2.3 million is being invested this year in the Wood First program to broaden the use of B.C. wood products in commercial, government, and mid-rise buildings.

The 2012-13 Wood First Investment Strategy allocates available Wood First funding to the following strategic objectives:

•    Grow the culture of living and building with wood in B.C. and beyond
•    Maximize the appropriate use of wood in public and private projects
•    Strengthen B.C.’s capacity to produce high-quality wood-based products and building systems
•    Accelerate adoption of existing and emerging wood-based products and building systems
•    Position B.C. as a world leader in sustainable and innovative wood-based products and building systems in design, production, and application

Funding priorities reflect the recommendations of an expert panel of architects, engineers, code specialists, builders and industry representatives, the Wood First Advisory Committee. The panel sets the overall Wood First strategy and recommends investment priorities. Based on those recommendations, funding is being provided to FPInnovations, the BC Wood Specialties Group, the Canadian Wood Council’s Wood WORKS! BC program, and the Centre For Advanced Wood Processing at the University of British Columbia to deliver on the objectives of the Wood First program.