In the world of business, we are used to thinking of our brand in terms of a positive image that encourages customers to buy our product. But a brand can also be a negative thing, a stigma. For several decades, we have seen escalating attempts to portray British Columbia and British Columbia's forest industry as an environmental "bad boy." Big improvements in forest management notwithstanding, the war to negatively brand our trees has not abated. If anything, it has expanded into an often-strident anti-brand campaign with particular focus on coastal forests. The loss of customers and public support flowing from these campaigns has had serious consequences. It has created fertile conditions for negative and restrictive public policies. It has hurt investors and made it tougher to raise capital. It has hurt thousands of B.C. workers, and it has had devastating consequences for a significant number of communities in B.C. For many urbanites these problems are seen at best with indifference, at worst with a resigned acceptance that it' s all part of a natural, inevitable transition from a traditional staple economy to the trumped up excitement of the "new" economy.
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