Region Archives: Canada West

Special Feature

Advancing Innovation for 80 Years – 80th Annual TLA Convention

Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
January 20, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Truck Loggers Association’s 2025 Annual Convention was held last Wednesday through Friday in Vancouver, BC. Friday’s Tree Frog News, featured Day 1’s initial panel discussion on Improving BC’s Forest Investment Climate, featuring Russ Taylor and Don Wright, and Business in Vancouver columnist Nelson Bennett’s coverage of BC premier David Eby’s luncheon address. Below are summary reports on the balance of Day 1’s panels titled: Our Path Forward; Politics over Lunch; and Wildfire and Climate Mitigation. Day 2 and Day 3 panel summaries will be featured in tomorrow and Wednesday’s Tree Frog News, respectively.

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Improving BC’s Forest Investment Climate: Insights from the Truck Loggers Association 80th Annual Convention

By Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
January 16, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

On Day 1 of the Truck Loggers Association 80th Annual Convention, Russ Taylor and Don Wright tackled the pressing question: How do we change BC’s forest sector capital from moving to other countries? Moderated by Vancouver Sun columnist Vaughn Palmer, the session provided critical insights into the sector’s challenges and potential solutions. Taylor highlighted a stark decline in BC’s forest sector, driven by reduced timber supply, outdated stumpage systems, and costly regulations. He noted that BC’s sawmills are operating below profitable capacities, while regions like the US South thrive due to ample timber and lower costs. Urging reform, Taylor called for streamlined cutting permits and policies that attract investment rather than drive it away. Wright focused on the complexity of government decision-making, describing it as “loosely controlled chaos.” He emphasized the need for sustained advocacy, encouraging industry players, unions, First Nations, and communities to unite and influence policy through persistence and collaboration. Both speakers underscored the importance of collective action to ensure a competitive and sustainable future for BC’s forest sector.

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Trump tariffs prompts reforms resource sector has longed for

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
January 16, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West, United States

VANCOUVER — David Eby appears to be ready to put B.C. on a trade war footing in response to American tariff threats, with an arsenal that includes supporting federal taxes and bans on exports, like critical minerals, and bolstering B.C.’s energy and resource sector to make it more competitive by accelerating permitting for energy and resource projects, and reforming government programs like BC Timber Sales. No industry in Canada understands the negative impact of American duties and tariffs better than the B.C. forestry sector, which has been labouring under American duties on softwood lumber for nearly a decade now. Eby said he would encourage the Canadian government to respond to the tariffs with taxes and bans on key exports.

B.C. forestry companies already pay an average of 14.4% in duties on lumber exports to the U.S., and they could double next year. It’s unclear whether the 25 per cent tariffs Trump has threatened would be additive to existing duties. …Forestry companies in B.C. face an even stiffer tariff of sorts right here at home, in the form of regulatory burdens, including policies that have restricted access to timber, and stumpage charges that can make the available timber uneconomic to cut. …He suggested some relief may be on the way for resource industries in B.C. …One key reform will be to BC Timber Sales. Eby has struck a new task force with the mandate of overhauling it.

BC Timber Sales accounts for about 20% of the timber harvested from Crown lands, and uses auctioning to establish market pricing in order to set the rates (stumpage) charged to forestry companies to harvest timber on Crown lands. Forestry companies have complained that the rates are often too high, not responsive enough to lumber price swings, and can make it uneconomic to harvest timber, even when it is available for harvest. …“The elaborate process that we go through with B.C. Timber Sales in order to appease the Americans on softwood lumber duties has absolutely not done that,” he said. “The tariffs continue, the tariffs. …“Obviously, now, in the context of 25% across-the-board tariffs – we are in a trade war with the United States – that anxiety goes away.”

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Business & Politics

Forestry Minister plans talks with West Kootenay industry leaders to address U.S. tariff threats

By Samantha Holomay
Castanet
January 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar

The Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar says he plans meet with Nelson and Castlegar forestry leaders to discuss the industry’s future amid the U.S. tariff threats. “We call it a tariff, but this is a tax, and in relation to forestry, this is going to mean that for the millions of homes that need to be built in the United States, Americans are going to have to pay more because of their president,” said Parmar in an interview with Castanet News. …Referring to discussions with industry leaders, including Ken Kalesnikoff, CEO and president Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd. in Castlegar, a key player in mass timber in B.C., Parmar noted that the company utilizes approximately 300,000 cubic meters of timber annually and is focused on value-added opportunities in the region. “I think the Americans have a misunderstanding of B.C. ‘s forest sector, of Canada’s forest sector,” he said, adding that the tariffs would be unfair and unjust.

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Economic threats could hamper San Group asset sale

By Carla Wilson
Victoria Times Colonist
January 18, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Elstone

It’s hard to predict the level of interest from buyers for the San Group’s sawmills and manufacturing plants on Vancouver Island and in Langley, given the uncertain economic climate, says a B.C. forestry consultant. Land, facilities and equipment in Port Alberni and on the Lower Mainland will be attractive to some purchasers, said David Elstone, a professional forester and business analyst who is managing director of Spar Tree Group of North Vancouver. But the bigger question is whether buyers would be interested in continuing forest-sector operations or would consider the land more valuable for another kind of use, Elstone said Friday. …Anyone who purchases San Group assets would want to have forest tenure, Elstone said. One of the company’s weaknesses was that it did not control the supply of timber, which forced it to turn to the open market to buy logs at a time when fibre was in short supply.

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New Collective Agreement Ratified by United Steelworkers Employees

Western Forest Products Inc.
January 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC – Western Forest Products announced that its hourly employees represented by United Steelworkers Local 1- 1937 have voted to ratify a new collective agreement. The new six-year collective agreement has a retroactive effective date of June 15, 2024, will expire June 14, 2030 and provides for the following general wage increases: Year 1 – 4%, Year 2 though Year 5  – 3%, and Year 6 – greater of 3% or the rate of inflation. The new agreement also includes enhancements to certain benefits and terms of mutual interest for the USW and the Company. …Western’s President and CEO Steven Hofer said: “We are pleased that our USW-represented team members have found it meets their interests and needs. …The BC forest sector is facing many challenges, and we look forward to working together with our union colleagues to build a brighter future for our company.”

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Threatened U.S. tariffs would ‘expose’ rural resource jobs: report

By Wolf Depner
Victoria News
January 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Energy and forest products dominate the list of what B.C. ships across the U.S. border, as a Conservative MLA accused David Eby’s NDP government of leaving the province unprepared for tariffs threatened by incoming president Donald Trump. A new report from the Business Council of British Columbia underscores the importance of B.C.’s trading relation with the United States. It finds energy (mainly natural gas, some electricity) accounts for 27 per cent of all exports to the United States, closely followed by forestry and building material products (24 per cent). …Overall, 54 per cent of provincial exports go to the United States, which makes that country B.C.’s largest trading partner. …Workers in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction contribute $481,834 in GDP each; utilities sector workers $483,142 and forestry and logging workers  $186,613 — “all significantly higher” than the provincial average of $126,209 per worker. “A decline in these jobs would significantly reduce provincial output and income,” the report said. 

See the full report here: New Report Highlights B.C.-U.S. Trade Ties Amid Tariff Threats 

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Canada could be in stronger position than U.S. if trade war breaks out

By David Climenhaga
Alberta Politics
January 19, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Paul Krugman

Canada may find itself in a stronger position than the United States if a trade war breaks out between the two countries.  Don’t take my word for that. That’s Paul Krugman speaking. You know, the distinguished professor of economics. …Dr. Krugman argued that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump may imagine that the United States would have the upper hand, but it ain’t necessarily so. …“If you look at the actual composition of U.S.-Canada trade, it suggests if anything that Canada is in a stronger position if trade war breaks out,” he wrote. This is because, “outside oil and gas, U.S. producers have more to lose in terms of reduced sales in Canada than Canadian producers have to lose in reduced sales to the United States.” Moreover, Dr. Krugman speculated, “Trump really, really won’t want to impose tariffs on Canadian oil, which would directly increase energy costs in the U.S. Midwest.”

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‘Value over volume’ stressed as BC Timber Sales falls under the microscope

By Eric Plummer
Ha-Shilth-Sa | Canada’s Oldest First Nation’s Newspaper
January 17, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar

With the annual harvest a fraction of what it once was and a declining workforce, British Columbia’s forestry minister admits that the industry is in a state of transition – but needed changes won’t happen without participation of First Nations. The Ministry of Forests announced a review of B.C. Timber Sales … the review seeks to find the potential for growth and diversification in an industry that has seen harvests shrink in recent years. …BC Timber Sales has at times been at odds with First Nations in whose territory the Crown timber is for sale. In 2014 a dispute over how the agency was managing cedar in the Nahmint Valley led the Tseshaht to blockade access to logging roads… more disagreements followed when BCTS sold timber from the valley without the First Nation’s consent. …Lennard Joe, CEO of the BC First Nations Forestry Council, is on an expert team assembled to help with the BCTS review.

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B.C. promises help for forest industry ahead of potential tariff increase

Global News
January 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

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Joint Statement on the Future of B.C.’s Resource Sector

By Resource Works Society
GlobeNewswire
January 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

As leaders in British Columbia’s business and resource sector, we welcome Premier Eby’s commitment to strengthening B.C.’s economy through responsible resource development. His remarks at the BC Natural Resources Forum underscore the vital role resources play in our province’s prosperity—from the contributions they make to family-supporting jobs, to the revenue they generate for public services such as healthcare, to their support of reconciliation. In the face of large government-budget deficits, weak private-sector job growth, and global uncertainty, including the possibility of U.S. tariffs, B.C. must take bold steps to strengthen its economic resilience. Growing our economy by supporting the development of our resources makes sense. The Premier outlined a vision for cutting red tape, speeding up decision-making, and ensuring the government is no longer working at cross purposes to industry as a way to encourage this growth.

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San Group’s Port Alberni sawmills, manufacturing plant to be part of court-ordered sale

By Carla Wilson
Victoria Times Colonist
January 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Most of the San Group’s assets — including sawmills and a manufacturing plant in Port Alberni — are going up for sale today in a bid to recoup about $150 million for creditors under a process led by a court-appointed monitor. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Michael Stevens also agreed Thursday to extend the company’s protection from creditors until May 30. Monitor Deloitte Restructuring Inc., which received approval to start the sales process at a hearing in Vancouver, plans to develop a list of potential bidders and divide the company’s property into different offerings, hoping to maximize their value to help satisfy creditors. The plan set May 30 for agreements with potential purchasers. That will be followed by court approval around June 16 and closing dates not later than June 30. The sale would include assets of “every nature and kind” other than three entities, including the leased Acorn mill, manufacturing plant and other facilities in Delta.

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Province launches BC Timber Sales review

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
January 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar and Brian Frenkel

The B.C. government has launched a review of BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to ensure British Columbia’s forestry sector is continually evolving to overcome challenges and create a guideline for a stronger, more resilient future. “Forestry in B.C. is in transition, and the people and communities who rely on our forests – who are bearing the brunt of ongoing challenges – want change now,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “That’s why I have asked Lennard Joe, George Abbott and Brian Frenkel to look at the opportunities to leverage BCTS to set B.C.’s forest industry up for the next 100 years.” The launch of the review recognizes the significant pressure the forest sector is under, from declining allowable annual cuts, difficulty accessing fibre, global economic conditions and heightened environmental and trade-protection efforts. …managing roughly 20% of the Province’s public timber supply, BCTS has an integral role in the success and resiliency of British Columbia’s forestry sector. 

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Revive Northern Gateway pipeline to build strong resource corridor

By Tom Fletcher
Northern Beat
January 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Political changes at the top in both Canada and the U.S. usher in a new period of uncertainty and threats for B.C.’s already weakened resource economy. The blows keep coming for our forest industry, with incoming U.S. president Donald Trump vowing to ramp up his country’s 30-year attack on lumber imports with across-the-board tariffs that would double the current pain, and extend it to all imports including oil and gas. Those products are at the core of B.C.’s economy and its reliance on U.S. customers. …One new project that could be reactivated is the Northern Gateway oil pipeline, snuffed out by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental posturing. …About 60 per cent of U.S. oil imports come from Canada. That’s the magnitude of Trump’s threat – to do to oil and gas what his country has habitually done to lumber, enriching the domestic industry while starving the market and driving up U.S. consumer prices. …Whether a new federal government can or wants to revive Northern Gateway is unknown. 

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Forest industry fears B.C. policy review as it faces Trump tariff threats

By Vaughn Palmer
Vancouver Sun
January 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West, United States

Vaughn Palmer

VICTORIA — The New Democrats provoked little controversy with the commitments they made to the Greens in exchange for that party’s support in the legislature. …However, one item in the NDP-Green accord provoked a backlash because of the potential impact on the forest industry and the softwood lumber trade with the U.S. The New Democrats pledged to “work with the B.C. Green caucus to undertake a review of B.C. forests… to address concerns around sustainability, jobs, environmental protection and the future of the industry. Green MLAs… “will be fully involved and the resulting report will be made public within 45 days of completion.” “Another review of forest policy in B.C. should not be a priority right now,” said CEO Linda Coady. “Premier Eby has already publicly acknowledged that rising U.S. duties and tariffs on forest products would have a ‘devastating’ impact on thousands of jobs in resource communities across the province.

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Mercer Celgar Announces Partnership with Skemxist Solutions

Mercer International Inc.
January 13, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mercer Celgar is proud to partner with Skemxist Solutions, an Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) company, to jointly operate a log sort yard in Okanagan Falls, British Columbia. This collaboration highlights our shared commitment to sustainability, responsible forest resource utilization, and creating economic opportunities that respect cultural values and strengthen community connections. The Osoyoos Indian Band, recognized for its economic and community development leadership, joins forces with the Sutherland Group, a forestry solutions leader specializing in efficient resource management. Together, they bring cultural heritage and operational expertise to Skemxist Solutions. Mercer Celgar actively supports this partnership as part of our sustainability efforts, contributing responsibly sourced wood fibre while respecting the OIB’s stewardship of their lands. “This partnership exemplifies an international corporation’s commitment to working alongside the Osoyoos Indian Band to foster economic stability and sustainable forestry,” said Dan Macmaster, Forestry Manager, OIB. 

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Finance & Economics

Williams Lake First Nation Chief Speaks on Importance of Indigenous Economies at Natural Resource Forum

By Teryn Midzain
My Cariboo Now
January 17, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Willie Sellars

“We need a seat at the table.” Chief Willie Sellars says simply at the BC Natural Resource Forum in Prince George last night. “We are a resource-based economy in Williams Lake. What we want to do is build relationships, create revenue streams, and make sure that we are a part of the works that are happening in our traditional territory, because of the significance of the impacts that those works have to our traditional territory.” Chief Sellars says that the Williams Lake First Nation is approaching new opportunities with an “open heart and open mind”, and says politicians and industry need to keep that in mind to work together when making new policies and diversity within forestry. …With a logging company, holds in the cannabis industry, and retail space, as well as looking at new opportunities to improve health and wellness programs.

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Home insurance rates likely to spike in 2025 following severe weather events, insurers warn

By Liam Britten
CBC News
January 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

With 2024 being the single-most expensive year on record in terms of insurance payouts in Canada, following a swath of devastating weather-related disasters, insurers are warning that home insurance rates in 2025 are likely to increase significantly. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says insurers paid out $8.55 billion in 2024, more than $2 billion more than 2016, the next worst year on record. It came after hundreds of homes were obliterated by a wildfire in Jasper, Alta., and parts of the Greater Toronto Area were underwater from floods in what was a year of climate-driven disasters in Canada. B.C. saw its fourth-worst wildfire season by total area burned last year, as well as a series of storms towards the end of the year that caused multiple deaths from flooding and landslides.

Related content in The Globe & Mail: How the California wildfires could affect insurance rates in Canada [requires a subscription]

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B.C. supports forest-sector manufacturing

By Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation
Government of British Columbia
January 15, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

New support for forest-sector manufacturers throughout the province will create and protect jobs, strengthen local economies and diversify the range of fibre sources used to manufacture high-value, made-in-B.C. forest products. “The BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund is partnering with forestry companies throughout the province to grow and stabilize their operations and get the most out of our fibre supply, while producing more made-in-B.C. engineered wood products,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. Through the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund (BCMJF), the Government of B.C. is contributing as much as $5.1 million toward seven forest-sector capital projects and five planning projects in communities throughout the province. Cedarland Forest Products Ltd. in Maple Ridge will receive as much as $1.3 million… Gilbert Smith Forest Products in Barriere will receive as much as $1.1 million…

Additional coverage in Kelowna Capital News by Jordy Cunningham: Kelowna’s, Acutruss Industries Limited set to receive up to $100,000

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Forestry

Deterioration of trees in Stanley Park ‘progressing much faster than anticipated’

By Mike Howell
Castanet
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Vancouver Park Board has unlocked another $3 million to the contractor currently cutting down dead trees in Stanley Park destroyed by a hemlock looper moth infestation. The bid committee for the board and city decided in mid-December on behalf of the elected park board and city council to approve a “change order” of $3 million to fund the next phase of “immediate work required to mitigate safety risks.” …A staff report that goes before commissioners Jan. 20 said “weather events” in October and November 2024 resulted in “tree failures.” That triggered urban forestry staff to get an independent assessment of the impacted areas of the park. …Typically, looper moth outbreaks occur on a 15-year cycle and last for up to two years before collapsing from cold winters and natural predators. The outbreak in Stanley Park is in its fifth year, with a park board document attributing its longevity to warmer winter and spring conditions.

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Could a massive wildfire devastate Metro Vancouver similar to Los Angeles?

By Elana Shepert
Vancouver is Awesome
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lori Daniels

Metro Vancouver isn’t immune to widespread wildfires like the ones devastating southern California. …Lori Daniels is a professor at the University of British Columbia and the faculty’s Koerner Chair in Wildfire Coexistence. She researches forest and wildfire dynamics and says the Lower Mainland has the potential for a disastrous conflagration given the right conditions.  “It’s already happened in Canada. We have seen wildland fires spread through communities where the ember or the flames ignited homes and then the fire becomes contagious from home to home,” she said. Wildfires have partially or fully destroyed several towns and cities across the province. While several factors contribute to fires, rising temperatures increase their likelihood dramatically. …”Could you imagine if the recent Dunbar fire had been on a windy day during the 2021 heat dome? It would have consumed multiple structures throughout the neighbourhood and perhaps created a conflagration in Pacific Spirit Park,” Daniels remarks.

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Whistler ecologist issued cease-and-desist from Forest Professionals BC

By Brandon Barrett
Pique News Magazine
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Rhonda Millikin, an award-winning ecologist who has questioned Whistler’s approach to wildfire mitigation, was issued a cease-and-desist letter last month from Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC), which said she is not certified to offer forestry advice. The FPBC said in its Dec. 14 letter that Millikin was unlawfully engaged in the reserved practice of professional forestry by providing advice and recommendations to the RMOW to limit or cease forest fuel-thinning efforts. “On principle, we don’t have an issue with people, whether a member of the public or someone from a different profession, researching or holding opinions or even talking about those opinions,” explained Casey Macaulay, the FPBC’s registrar and director of act compliance, who authored the cease-and-desist letter. “Where it’s an issue is when they start to advocate for a particular practice, and in this case, where that practice is so out of sync with the current science and the current practice of protecting communities from wildfires.”

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Maple Ridge cedar mill receives $1.3 million from province

The Maple Ridge-Pitt meadows News
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Maple Ridge company was one of the beneficiaries of the provincial government’s recent announcement of support for forest sector manufacturers. Cedarland Forest Products, based on 256th Street, will receive as much as $1.3 million to buy and install new high-temperature kilns and a moulder, allowing the company to diversify its wood fibre sources to include underutilized species, and reduce its reliance on old-growth cedar. Cedarland produces lumber and profiled cedar products including siding, decking and panelling. The new initiative will enable Cedarland to produce new thermally modified wood products, access new markets, and create 23 new forestry jobs. “Support from the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund will help Cedarland install new advanced equipment, keeping us on the leading edge of re-manufacturing,” said Jeremy Hamm, general manager. “We will now be able to produce high-end finished products from a variety of B.C. species, while adding value every step of the way.”

Other recipients of recent funding: 
Kelowna company receiving government funding as part of forestry project boost

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Lil’wat Nation to update Land Use Plan

By Luke Faulks
Pique News Magazine
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lil’wat Lands and Resources is set to undertake a top-to-bottom update on its land-use plan—and it’s looking for help from Nation members. Since its passage in 2006, the Lil’wat Land Use Plan (LLUP) has provided a high-level vision for the Nation’s traditional territory that respects and recognizes Lil’wat principles. The policy addresses water security, fishing grounds, wildlife protection (for food and culture), diversity of vegetation and heritage preservation. The forestry section of the LLUP was updated in 2024 with funding from the province to address old-growth forest management. The addendum was spurred by a shift in management over Lil’wat Forests; Lil’wat Forestry now oversees a majority (76 per cent) of forested space in the traditional territory.

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Curtailments in forestry, economic challenges highlighted during BC Natural Resources Forum

By Zachary Barrowcliff
MY PG NOW
January 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, BC — The BC Natural Resources Forum had various government representatives, First Nations, as well as industry and business leaders discuss challenges and futures pertaining to natural resources. The three-day event concluded Thursday in Prince George. C3 Alliance CEO, Sarah Weber said those include economic challenges, curtailments in forestry, and cumulative impacts on the land. …Weber says the forum is also another way for the north and southern parts of the province to have better understandings on issues and challenges presented. …“There’s so many things going on between forestry, mining, energy, and the conversations around those.” The BC Natural Resources Forum will return to Prince George for its 23rd annual event next year from January 20th to the 22nd.

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Coastal Silviculture Committee: Using Silviculture to Manage for a Range of Resource Values

Coastal Silviculture Committee
January 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Coast Silviculture Committee is an ad hoc organization of forest professionals whose prime objective is to disseminate current technical forest management and silvicultural information to all forest practitioners and the public in coastal British Columbia. Its membership includes corporate, government, and self-employed professional foresters and forest technologist, forestry educators, forest land owners, researchers, and tenure managers. Every year the CSC holds two meetings; a short, one or two day, information meeting in winter, and a slightly longer field based technical workshop in early to mid- June; summer meetings are held in a different part of the coast each year. All of the surplus funds from workshops go towards supporting development of silvicultural expertise in students at the post-secondary level through providing of awards. The Winter 2025 workshop is scheduled for February 19 at Vancouver Island University. 

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Indigenous owned Cariboo wood business ‘on the verge of success’

By Andie Mollins
Williams Lake Tribune
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Terris Billyboy

If anyone can get things done, it’s Terris Billyboy.  As the new general manager of Yunesit’in’s Leading Edge Wood Products, Billyboy’s vision is to ramp up production and get the business name circulating.  Based out of Horsefly, just east of Williams Lake, Leading Edge provides high quality wood productsfrom flooring and siding to glulam beams and rough-cut lumber. The business also offers lumber drying services and custom timber preparation and promotes a sustainable approach to the industry. “When I started it was so overwhelming,” Billyboy told the Tribune. She stepped into the role in May of 2024 after working as a labourer with West Fraser for eight years. Her career was essentially set at the plywood plant in Williams Lake; she was among the third generation of her family to work for West Fraser and was in her second year of a millwright apprenticeship.

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First courses in TRU’s Wildfire Studies program to begin in September

By Aaron Schulze
CFJC Today
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Details of a Wildfire Studies Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University have been unveiled. Following a 30-day public feedback process, TRU says the university’s Senate and Board of Governors approved five certificates and one diploma program at the Centre for Wildfire Research, Education, Training and Innovation (TRU Wildfire). In a news release issued Tuesday (Jan. 14), TRU says three of the certificates that are expected to start in September 2025 are each a semester in length and equal to nine credits. They include Wildfire Science (Faculty of Science), Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire (Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism) and Wildfire Communications and Media (Faculty of Arts)… While training is expected to begin in existing facilities, a state-of-the-art training facility and building on the TRU campus is also in the works.

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Elkford to bill Canfor for unattended burn piles

By R McCormack
MyEastKootenayNow
January 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The District of Elkford will send Canfor the bill after the District’s fire department responded to some unattended burn piles north of the community. “We understand that Canfor has registered these piles with the BC Wildfire Service as required,” said Elkford officials. “However, these piles are being lit and burned without consultation or advisement to the District of Elkford.” Director of Elkford’s Fire and Emergency Services Enzo Calla says the company also broke Category 3 Open Burn regulations with the November fires. “This was in contravention to the burning index that was issued for that time. We had a cold front inversion,” said Calla. “It kept the smoke at a low level within the municipal district for several days.”

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Range investigation finds need for stronger government enforcement

BC Forest Practices Board
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board is identifying opportunities for government to enhance how it manages and enforces range activities. This is following a complaint investigation about cattle grazing practices near Grand Forks. The board investigated concerns raised by the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) that two range agreement holders were not following their grazing schedules or maintaining fences as required by law, and that government actions taken in response to their concerns were inadequate. From 2021 until 2023, SILT observed cattle grazing on its private land it had purchased to conserve wildlife habitat. SILT contacted the Ministry of Forests’ range staff to request corrective action, sharing proof of the cattle grazing gathered using game cameras. …“It’s crucial that government record results when it conducts inspections,” said Keith Atkinson, chair, Forest Practices Board. “Documentation helps evaluate the accuracy of complaints, the effectiveness of enforcement efforts and can support corrective measures, if necessary.”

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An unforgettable summer internship in Finland

By Benedict Roeser, 3rd yr student
University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Benedict Roeser

This summer, I had the privilege of interning with Metsähallitus in Finland, which offered an amazing opportunity to gain experience in forestry and reconnect with the country after 12 years away. Returning to Finland was both a personal and professional highlight. …One of the most insightful aspects of the internship was learning about the differences in forestry practices between Finland and British Columbia. The level of efficiency and precision in Finnish forestry was impressive, especially in their approaches to silviculture. Observing how Finland implements sustainable practices in a way that balances ecological integrity with productivity has given me a new perspective on the possibilities within forest management. A standout experience was participating in a prescribed burn, an invaluable introduction to fire ecology. Seeing firsthand the positive effects that controlled burns have on soil health and biodiversity helped me realize the positive effects fire can have in forest management.

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First courses in Thompson Rivers University’s Wildfire Studies program to begin in September

By Aaron Schulze
CFJC Today Kamloops
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

KAMLOOPS — Details of a Wildfire Studies Diploma program at Thompson Rivers University have been unveiled. Following a 30-day public feedback process, TRU says the university’s Senate and Board of Governors approved five certificates and one diploma program at the Centre for Wildfire Research, Education, Training and Innovation (TRU Wildfire). In a news release issued Jan. 14, TRU says three of the certificates that are expected to start in September 2025 are each a semester in length and equal to nine credits. They include Wildfire Science (Faculty of Science), Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire (Faculty of Adventure, Culinary Arts and Tourism) and Wildfire Communications and Media (Faculty of Arts). Two other approved certificates — Wildfire Leadership and Emergency Communications — are expected to start in 2026, along with the diploma in wildfire studies. 

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Lake Babine company signs log supply deal with Smithers mill

By Thom Barker
The Interior News
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Lake Babine Nation’s forestry company has signed a long-term log supply and forest management agreement West Fraser, which owns the Pacific Inland Resources sawmill in Smithers. Lake Babine Nation Forestry Limited Partnership (LBN Forestry) will supply the mill through its new First Nations Woodland Licence (FNWL) and provides for West Fraser to work with LBN Forestry in the sustainable long-term management of the licence, consistent with Lake Babine Nation’s traditional values. “This agreement is a significant milestone marking the implementation of the Lake Babine Nation Foundation Agreement that was signed with the Province on September 18, 2020,” said Chief Wilf Adam… Adam noted the new FNWL also provides increased governance over the Nation’s resources, which supports improved fibre security to forest sector businesses in the region.

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Parks Canada working to reduce wildfire risk in Jasper, Banff national parks

By Peter Shokeir
Western Wheel
January 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Parks Canada assures it is actively preparing for the upcoming wildfire season through risk reduction work in Jasper and Banff national parks this winter. Natalie Fay, external relations manager for Banff National Park, said in a media briefing Parks Canada uses a variety of tools and strategies such as prescribed fires, mechanical logging and tree thinning as well as the creation of community fireguards to help reduce the impacts of wildfire and climate change. “While we can never completely eliminate the risk of wildfire, Parks Canada is taking important steps to reduce that risk across the mountain national parks using safe and effective fire management,” Fay said. “Our agency is taking action to create healthy fire-resilient landscapes and communities.”

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Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit

British Columbia FireSmart
January 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

On April 12-16, more than 700 firefighting professionals, FireSmart experts and Indigenous, municipal and community leaders will gather in Penticton for the 2025 Wildfire Resiliency and Training Summit. There, they’ll share lessons learned from 2024, along with the latest research, technologies, best practices and other information to help regions and communities prepare for the upcoming wildfire season. You’ll want to register fast before this conference sells out! The theme for this year’s Summit is Living with Fire: Building resilience by bringing fire back to the land, strengthening relationships, and investing in collective well-being. The Summit will kick off with two days of training for firefighting professionals, followed by a three-day conference featuring keynote addresses, expert panels, and networking opportunities. Whether you’re a firefighter, community leader, or industry professional, this event is your chance to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from experts, and contribute to a safer, more resilient future for British Columbia. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Construction of Arbios Biotech’s first-of-its kind fuel facility now complete in Prince George

By Ted Clarke
The Prince George Citizen
January 15, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Arbios Biotech announced Tuesday it has completed construction of the world’s largest hydrothermal liquefication facility, built in the shadow of the Nechako River cutbanks. Located on slice of land next to Canfor’s Intercontinental Pulp Mill and across the road from Tidewater Midstream’s Prince George Refinery, a project that will turn tree bark into high-value renewable bio-oil in now just months away from going into production. …The facility will use first-of-its-kind technology to convert hog fuel (bark and other underutilized residues from sawmills) into bio-fuel that can be refined into drop-in fuel for the transportation sector. Gill is not worried that biomass supply will ever go away, despite closures of sawmills and pulp mill operations in the region and more threatened by poor forestry market conditions.

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Watchdog gives B.C. government multiple failing grades on climate change

By Wolf Depner
The Campbell River Mirror
January 14, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new report from a group tracking B.C.’s climate change response gives the provincial government multiple failing grades. The 2024 Climate Action Progress Report tracks the province’s response to 10 recommendations first issued in 2021 by the B.C. Climate Emergency Campaign, a group of civil society groups “anxious about the climate emergency, who are collaborating to increase the ambition of climate policy and action” in B.C. The group — which says it represents more than 600 businesses, non-profits, think-tanks, churches and Indigenous organizations — presented its latest assessment Jan. 14. The verdict included a trio of ‘Fs’ along with “minor progress” in seven of 10 other policy areas. “The provincial government’s CleanBC climate action plan is insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C and will not keep British Columbians safe from the worst impacts of climate change,” it reads. 

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Calgary company considering northern BC as potential site of biomass diesel manufacturing plant

By Ted Clarke
Prince George Citizen
January 13, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

In 2023, Expander Energy  Inc., and Rocky Mountain Clean Fuels Inc., announced a project to produce low carbon bio-synthetic diesel fuel by combining pieces of waste wood and synthetic gas using a patented gasification process. Expander Energy CEO Gord Crawford said his company is working on a feasibility study funded by the federal government’s Clean Fuels Fund to determine new locations for future gasification plants that turn forest products into fuel. Northern BC is being considered as a potential plant site. “These plants won’t be located in Vancouver, they’ll be in Prince George, Fort St.. John, places like Fort St. James, rural and remote.”… Northern BC has all the elements needed to support a carbon-neutral project, including fibre supply, renewable energy from the electrical grid and an existing track record of industrial development.

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Health & Safety

Man dies in workplace incident at Quesnel mill

By Cheryl Chan
Vancouver Sun
January 17, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A 24-year-old man is dead following a workplace incident at a mill in Quesnel. RCMP said first responders were called to the incident at WestPine fibreboard mill on Carradice Road in the northern area of town at around 10:18 a.m. on Friday. West Fraser, which operates the medium-density fibreboard plant, said an employee from a contracted agency was killed while conducting maintenance work on a piece of equipment at the mill. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased, and our team at WestPine,” said a company spokeswoman in a statement. Police and the company declined to release further details about the incident. West Fraser said it’s co-operating with WorkSafeBC, which has launched an investigation. WorkSafe said the purpose of the investigation is to identify the cause of the incident and any contributing factors to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. [END]

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Forestry company breached worker privacy with dashcams

By Bob Mackin
Prince George Citizen
January 13, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

A division of a forestry and construction company with an office in Prince George lost a review of an arbitrator’s decision that awarded fallers $4,000 each for breach of privacy. At issue was the installation of dash cameras in the company’s four-wheel drive pickups in Campbell River… They began installing the dash cameras in February 2023, prompting the United Steelworkers, Local 1-1937 (USW) to file a grievance. They stated the purpose for the rear-facing dash camera included  “road conditions not seen by the forward-facing camera” and monitoring “distractions in cab – eating, texting, smoking, horseplay.” USW did not take issue with collection of GPS information or video from the forward-facing cameras while the crew bus was in motion. Its grievance was about the audio and video collected by the rear-facing camera and video by the forward-facing camera while the vehicle was idle.

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