Starting in Prince George this morning, a logging truck convoy will descend on Vancouver to protest forestry job losses. In related news: BC’s aid package has mayors, forest contractors and the Liberal opposition crying foul (to the Steelworkers’ dismay) given the associated loss of other rural funding. Meanwhile in the US: hardwood producers struggle with Trump’s trade war; log prices are up in the Northeast; and the latest on mortgage and lumber price trends.
In other news: Alberta researchers say leave more deadwood in the forest; the Pew foundation pans California’s forest plans; Oregon celebrates mild wildfire season; Brazil strikes defiant note on Amazon forest; climate activists rally for old-growth protection; and Tom Fletcher bemoans the fact-free climate crusade.
Finally, 13 BC early adopter communities to permit 12-storey mass timber buildings.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
As many as 200 logging trucks came rumbling through downtown Vancouver Wednesday, bringing the plight of B.C.’s embattled forestry sector to provincial leaders. Government MLAs and the province’s mayors are gathered at the Vancouver Convention Centre for the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention. Convoy co-organizer Frank Etchart, who owns Nadina Logging Ltd., told Global News action to address mill closures and curtailments in the province is needed immediately. …The convoy was met by hundreds of onlookers, some of them cheering and applauding the truckers. Others held signs voicing support for the forestry industry, reading “forestry feeds my family.” …“The mills can’t afford to bring the wood out of the bush because the stumpage is too high. So it’s going to sit there until the stumpage rate comes down and they can afford to bring it in,” Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb said. 
If you have to drive in downtown Vancouver tomorrow, you may want to avoid East Hastings Street between Boundary Road and the Vancouver Convention Centre – it’s going to get congested. Roughly 200 truck loggers plan to drive their rigs from the Interior of B.C. into Vancouver September 25, and meet up at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention is being held. Their mission is to show support for rural municipalities hit by sawmill closures and to confront provincial and federal politicians who might be there with demands for immediate reforms for B.C.’s forestry sector. …organizers hope to meet with politicians attending the UBCM conference to lobby for reforms. …the loggers say that stumpage rates in Alberta range from $4 to $8 per cubic metre, compared to about $55 per cubic metre in B.C. …“We are tired of hearing that point – that it will impact the SLA (Softwood Lumber Agreement),” Jerry Canuel, a retired chief forester said.
For months now, we have been hearing about declines in B.C.’s forestry industry. Many workers in this industry are now without work. The Tolko mill, a stalwart in downtown Kelowna, now states, “we simply cannot operate in current conditions.” Various explanations have been offered for the forestry industry’s current situation. …B.C. lumber producers have been paying U.S. duties on shipments to the U.S. since April, 2017. They are now struggling amid softwood prices that have plunged 40 per cent since mid-2018. Has the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) significantly and adversely impacted the forestry industry? …Although CUSMA has been signed, it is not yet effective. To become effective in the U.S. it must be approved by both the U.S. House and Senate. Further U.S.-friendly changes may be requested.
I am writing this letter on behalf of myself and all the other logging and trucking contractors in the province who are being severely impacted by the crisis in the forest industry. Last Tuesday’s announcement of sixty nine million dollars in funding will provide welcome relief for many affected mill workers in the province, but appears to offer no relief to the independent logging and trucking contractors and their employees, whose numbers are estimated to be two and a half times larger than the number of mill workers by the Interior Logging Association. …Relief for this segment of the industry is imperative. …there appears to be a level of political brinkmanship in play which is not constructive in reaching solutions to the issues. …While there has been a lot of talk about contractor sustainability over the last several years and how to obtain it, there has been little action to ensure such.
The Province has implemented a mandatory sampling program requiring hunters to submit heads from deer harvested in specific wildlife management units in the Kootenay region. From Sept. 1, 2019, to Nov. 30, 2019, hunters are required to submit the heads of mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in specific wildlife management units along the southern B.C. border in the Kootenay region. An interactive map and drop-off locations may be found online: 
WorkSafeBC has levied a $5,000 fine against a Prince George business over improper handling of wood dust. According to a posting on the agency’s website, an inspection of Hyon Bedding Ltd. revealed “accumulations of wood dust on surfaces throughout the facility, including near ignition sources such as drive motors and electrical devices. “The firm failed to control and remove hazardous accumulations of combustible dust, a repeated and high-risk violation.” Hyon Bedding Ltd. sorts and bags sawmill wood shavings for secondary processing. The fine was issued on April 15.