The owner of a Nakusp-based lumber mill is warning new provincial logging rules are hitting his business hard – and the village’s mayor says the Province has to act to protect jobs in the community. Dan Wiebe says Box Lake Lumber needs a reprieve from the new rules deferring the harvest of old-growth logs in order to retool the operation to remain in business. “We’re looking at a one-year window to do a transition,” he told the Valley Voice. “We have already set some things in place to work towards [relying] more on secondary wood.” …But the deferral means Box Lake Lumber has lost half the wood supply it needs to make its split rail fencing, landscaping logs and other value-added wood products it sells, says Wiebe. The company employs about 40 people and sells across the country and to Europe. But even if they survive, the nearly 40-year-old mill will likely be smaller than before.
Richmond, BC – Paper Excellence hopes for a speedy end to the CP Rail labour dispute which will begin to impact Skookumchuck Pulp Inc., Paper Excellence’s mill located in the East Kootenays. Global logistics have been incredibly challenging for the company during the pandemic and the additional impacts from devastating wildfires and flood events in BC last year made the situation ever more difficult. The CP Rail strike will further disrupt and impact Skookumchuck Pulp mill. PE respects the collective bargaining process. However, the company is concerned that a protracted disruption in rail service would impact the operation of our mill and employment in the rural communities that support our operation. The Skookumchuck mill, which employs 280 people and infuses over $1 million daily into Canada’s economy, is highly dependent on rail service to get finished pulp to the coast of British Columbia. 
Fire broke out in a piece of heavy equipment at Tolko’s Armstrong sawmill on Wednesday. Armstrong-Spallumcheen Fire Chief Ian Cummings says the fire broke out in a loader, which was heavily damaged by the flames. Despite being in the middle of the log yard, the fire didn’t spread. Cummings said the immediate area around the loader was muddy and wet, which helped contain the flames to a small area. “It was fully involved when we arrived on scene, and we extinguished it pretty quickly,” says Cummings. “There was extensive damage to the unit.”
VICTORIA – An audit of Taan Forest Limited Partnership’s tree farm licence 60 and Taan Forest Ltd.’s forest licence A87661 on Haida Gwaii has found the company complied with almost all requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act. The audit examined forestry activities carried out between September 2019 and September 2021. Activities included harvesting on 36 cutblocks, construction of 45 kilometres and maintenance of more than 1,700 kilometres of road, planting on 54 cutblocks and ensuring forests are regenerating on more than 170 cutblocks. These activities were assessed for compliance with FRPA, the Wildfire Act, applicable regulations and legal orders. “We are pleased to report that all field practices complied with legal requirements as well as objectives in the Haida Gwaii Land Use Order,” said Kevin Kriese, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “Taan appropriately addressed important resource features including riparian areas, visual quality objectives, wildlife habitat, karst, cultural features and cedar stewardship areas.”
KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The director of provincial operations for BC’s wildfire service says the province needs a “holistic,” large-scale program to reduce wildfire risk, starting in backyards, moving to communities then extending to forested lands. Cliff Chapman says planning is underway to decide how new funding will be used to increase the service’s capacity, while it partners with the forest industry, B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, First Nations, communities and other stakeholders. B.C.’s budget released last month allocated $145 million over three years for Emergency Management BC and the BC Wildfire Service to kick-start the province’s transition to a more “proactive approach” to wildfire preparedness and response. The funding will be used to help the wildfire service increase its permanent, year-round staffing, allowing it to focus on every aspect of emergency management for wildfires, including prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
Days before the federal government is expected to explain how it will meet greenhouse gas targets, 90 prominent scientists have written a letter urging it to ensure that old-growth forests are a big part of that plan. “We are deeply concerned by the evidence of continued deforestation and degradation of primary forests globally and in Canada because of the resulting impact on greenhouse gas emissions and the biodiversity crisis,” says the open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Canada’s primary boreal and temperate forests have a vital role to play as natural climate solutions, and it is important that their protection is central to Canada’s climate and biodiversity policies.” On Tuesday, the federal Liberals are expected to unveil their emissions reduction pathway, the strategy by which Canada is to become carbon-neutral by 2050. Nature-based solutions are expected to play a large role. Canada has a ways to go, the letter says.
CARROT RIVER — Edgewood Forest Products in Carrot River is planning to phase out its beehive burner, replacing it with a biorefinery to convert sawmill waste into bioproducts like biochar, wood tar and essential oils. “Our goal is to utilize our waste streams in a way that we’re not just incinerating them in the burner,” said Trevor Reid, Edgewood Forest Products’ general manager. …The biorefinery should be in full operation by October 2023. …With the new biorefinery, sawmill waste will be converted into saleable products while also reducing the carbon footprint and emissions. …Up to 40 new jobs are expected to be needed during construction. Edgwood Forest Products stated that the biorefinery is not expected to generate significant noise or significant odour, and is expected to improve air quality relative to the beehive burner. The project is a joint venture between Edgewood Forest Products’ parent company Dunkley Lumber, BC Biocarbon, and Clean Energy Consulting Inc.
