The largest privately owned forest products company on BC鈥檚 west coast, , is halting operations across the province on Sep. 30 in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraging our employees to take the time to honour this solemn day of remembrance, attend a local event and pay respect to the past,鈥� says Jack Gardner, great-grandson of Teal Jones founder Jack Jones and spokesperson for the family-owned company.

Teal Jones has developed productive, working relationships with 106 First Nations in BC, each one reflecting the distinct interests of the individual nation or Indigenous group. Through a combination of royalties, joint ventures, partnerships, employment opportunities and other agreements, Teal Jones works alongside these nations to nurture long term relationships.

鈥淏C has some of the best forest stewardship in the world, and First Nations have been and continue to be deeply involved with that success. Our understanding of reconciliation has really evolved over recent years, and we鈥檙e committed to doing more,鈥� Gardner says.

Value-added wood products

Teal Jones has come a long way from its origins as a one-man cedar roofing operation in 1946, and now employs over 1,000 people across British Columbia. Since 2019 Teal Jones has invested and committed to investing $60 million in its primary 性视界传媒 mill to strengthen its value-added manufacturing. The innovative site has seven specialized milling operations, each precisely suited to creating a different product.

鈥淚t means we can find the best value in every log,鈥� Gardner says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really flexible at the mill, and that allows us to switch things around to custom-fill specialized orders from around the world.鈥�

At Teal Jones, not a single raw log is shipped overseas and 100 per cent of every log is used. They are the world鈥檚 largest producer of acoustic guitar tops, hand-selected from the highest quality spruce and cedar . Teal Cedar is the province鈥檚 only producer that owns its own timber supply. Logs harvested from the province are milled into custom beams for building projects around the world, with leftover sawdust and wood chips directed to local pulp, paper and biofuel production to eliminate waste.

The Teal Jones family has worked in BC鈥檚 forests since Gardner鈥檚 great-great-grandfather came to the area in the 1860s to pursue a career in logging. Current leaders recognize that businesses operating on traditional First Nations territories must continue to pursue reconciliation, and Gardner is committed to building stronger relationships.

鈥淲e want to be part of the solution,鈥� he says.

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