Prime Minister Stephen Harper got a taste of life in the Cariboo when he was presented with a gift basket commemorating the region's 2010/11 Forest Capital of Canada designation. Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Cathy McLeod and Cariboo-Prince George MP Dick Harris presented the basket to the prime minister. Under the Strong Roots, Green Shoots slogan, the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) promotes all aspects of the forest industry and its economic diversification. "The [CRD] was named the 2010/11 Forest Capital of Canada by the Canadian Forestry Association: not for it its high concentration of mills and logging operations, but for its plan for action - finding new opportunities in forestry through diversification," says Al Richmond, CRD chair and Forest Capital Committee member. "Our two-year Forest Capital program supports the development and promotion of four key non-traditional forest industries: non-timber forest products, value-added wood products, bio-energy, eco-tourism and agriculture." The offering from the regional district was a symbol of diversification within the forest industry. The basket included items donated by each of the electoral areas and municipal directors representing industry for their respective areas.
These included: birch syrup; Forest Life - a book published by the Federation of BC Woodlot Association; items made from pine beetle-killed wood – a bowl, a Lazy Susan, a napkin holder and a picture frame; a USB Port with a wood casing; honey; Canadian natural spa oils; a wood Christmas ornament; various promotional items from throughout the region; a picture of a local logger sports athlete; and promotional materials from the Likely-Xat'sull Community Forest.
