Using wood pellets for home heating fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than half, according to new research at the University of New Hampshire. The potential of wood residues is also making news in Australia, while researchers at the University of Toronto say they are one step closer to creating artificial photosynthesis.
In Forestry news: the Edmonton Journal speaks to their mountain pine beetle problem (apparently beetles don’t respect borders); the new chair of BC’s Cariboo Regional District is talking about how to rebuild after the wildfires; and West Fraser and Tolko say we have to move quickly to salvage the burnt timber.
In Business news: Tom Fletcher says China is a better partner than the US; New Brunswick residents are left wondering if and when Irving will upgrade its Doaktown mill; and Canfor announces plans to expand its Moultrie, Georgia mill.
Finally, is mass timber really sustainable? According to the Architect’s Newspaper, the answer is yes but “we like to blame a lot of things for climate change—namely coal and cow farts—but if we were to search for a worthy scapegoat, architects might end up looking in the mirror”.
— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
One of the nation’s largest lumber producers based in Coeur d’Alene is acquiring Tricon Timber’s stud mill in St. Regis. The Idaho Forest Group, a family owned wood products company, announced the acquisition last week. The transaction is scheduled to close by Dec. 1. “The St. Regis sawmill acquisition supports our continued growth and will be an excellent strategic addition to our existing operations in Northern Idaho,” Erol Deren, Idaho Forest Group vice president of sales and marketing, said in a statement posted online. …Timber companies across western Montana have decried the lack of available timber, and in recent years significant consolidation and closures have occurred. Most prominently, Weyerhaeuser Co. merged with Plum Creek Timber Co. in early 2016.
MOULTRIE — Canfor Southern Pine announced today that it will make a $28 million expansion to its Moultrie facility. Formerly Beadles Lumber Co., Canfor, a Canadian-based firm, purchased 50 percent of the Beadles operation in Moultrie and Thomasville in 2014 and now owns 100 percent. Cantor chose Moultrie for its expansion and has already begun installing new equipment. Beadles Lumber Co. was a longtime business cornerstone of the community, with its stock totally family-held until the Canfor purchase. Darrell Moore, president of the Colquitt County Economic Development Authority, said the investment will mean 10 new jobs directly at the sawmill and will create another 30 jobs in supporting roles. As well, Moore said some 60 construction jobs would result from this project. 
A coalition of municipal and Indigenous leaders, chambers of commerce, unions, and forest professionals are coming to Queen’s Park on Wednesday, November 22nd to dispel misinformation about Ontario’s forest sector and to urge the Government to avoid unintended consequences from rushed species at risk policy. Recently, a co-ordinated effort by groups opposed to forestry has attempted to label Ontario’s forest sector as unsustainable. On October 25th an opinion piece in the Toronto Star, authored by the David Suzuki Foundation and Environmental Defense, asked, “will anyone act to save the caribou? Ontario is not.” Similar comments were made by CPAWS Wildlands League and the American activist group Natural Resources Defence Council. In response, FONOM President and Mayor of Kapuskasing, Al Spacek, said, “To claim Ontario has not acted to save caribou is conveniently ignoring over 20 years of work, 600 tracked animals and $11 million dollars of government research.”
OTTAWA: Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program launched today in Ottawa. The $155-million program will fund clean technology projects, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental performance in the natural resources sector. Canada’s forest products sector was the first major Canadian industry to commit to helping the Government of Canada meet its carbon reduction goals. In 2016, the sector launched the 30 X 30 Climate Change Challenge, pledging to remove 30MT of C02 per year by 2030 – 13% of the government’s goal. “The Clean Growth Program will provide much needed support to forest product companies working hard to mitigate climate change,” says Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC. “We are a sustainable industry committed to doing our part to take care of the environment for generations to come.”
