British Columbia’s forestry sector has lost an estimated 15,000 jobs since 2022 and seen 21 permanent or indefinite mill closures since 2023, as U.S. tariffs combine with declining fiber supply and a complex regulatory environment to drive an escalating crisis. Analysts say the province’s actual timber harvest of 32 million cubic metres in 2024 and 2025 falls far short of the government’s 45-million-cubic-metre target — and that domestic policy, not just trade pressure, is driving the gap.