Canada has launched anational campaign to tackle the “growing crisis” in the country’s forest industry.

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), the country’s largest forest industry union, is calling for a new, national forestry strategy to breathe life into what it says is an ailing sector.

CEP quotes government figures showing 40,000 job losses in the industry since 2000, which it says are caused by the softwood lumber dispute with the US, harvesting cuts and wood shortages, pine beetle infestation in British Columbia, high energy costs and a lack of investment by major companies.

CEP president Brian Payne said: “We have a growing crisis in this industry, reaching across provinces and reaching into the hundreds of forest dependent communities.

“This crisis is environmental, it is economic and it is about trade. It is a perfect storm of conditions resulting in harvesting cuts, mill closures and machine closures.”

CEP says about C$6bn investment is needed to maintain the industry at its current level, while more development is needed in value-added products in the face of increased competition from Scandinavia, Russia and Latin America.

The union, which has sent 1,300 campaign information kits to media outlets across Canada, says 885,000 workers are either directly or indirectly employed in the industry, while total sales last year were C$50.7bn.