Region Archives: Canada West

Business & Politics

COFI announces: A Conversation with BC Forest Industry Leaders

Council of Forest Industries
March 27, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Interest in the present and future of BC’s forest industry has never been higher, and neither have the stakes. The current drop in harvest levels due to insects, fire, market conditions and new policies extends beyond what could have been expected. There is an urgent need for collaboration on solutions across government, Indigenous and local communities, workers, and companies. To navigate the transition now happening in the BC forest sector, new partnerships are taking shape, with industry and First Nations leaders working together to stabilize fibre supply and attract the investment that can help build a more predictable and sustainable path forward. Join us as Laura Jones, President & CEO of the Business Council of BC moderates a panel of industry leaders, with Sean McLaren, President & CEO, West Fraser; Steven Hofer, President & CEO, Western Forest Products; Dallas Smith, President, Nanwakolas Council; Robert Dennis Sr., Former Chief Councillor, Huu-ay-aht First Nations; and Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Group.

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Navigating transition: 2024 COFI Convention preview

By Linda Coady, CEO, BC Council of Forest Industries
Canadian Forest Industries
March 22, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Linda Coady

On April 10-12, the BC Council of Forest Industries will hold its annual COFI Convention at the JW Marriott Parq Hotel in Vancouver, B.C. …The convention comes at a time when interest in the present and future of B.C.’s forest industry has never been higher, and neither have the stakes. Across the province, key indicators in forestry are flashing red, foremost among them the current critical shortage of timber for B.C. mills. In the last five years, harvesting on public forest lands has dropped by almost half, down to 35 million cubic metres in 2023. …This steep trajectory has ignited a wave of curtailments and closures that have shuttered local sawmills along with the pulp and paper and value-added plants that rely on their outputs and residuals, resulting in the loss of an estimated 4,500 direct jobs in the last two years. …For further information or registration inquiries on the 2024 COFI Convention, visit cofi.org/2024-convention or email gillrie@cofi.org.

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New owners will use Hinton pulp mill to make sustainable packaging

By Janet French
CBC News
March 20, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

HINTON, Alberta — A British company’s acquisition of the Hinton pulp mill could breathe new life into an aging industrial landmark in the Alberta foothills. Mondi, which produces sustainable packaging such as paper wrappers and envelopes, finalized its purchase of the pulp and paper mill last month for $5 million. …The Hinton mill is the first Canadian acquisition for the company, which has 22,000 employees in 30 countries. Roman Senecky, COO said making kraft paper in Hinton will allow Mondi to produce the raw material for customized products closer to its existing 10 North American plants, rather than importing paper from Europe. West Fraser Timber, which sold the mill to Mondi… will continue to supply wood to the mill. Senecky said Mondi is also studying an expansion project. …At a launch event in Hinton on Wednesday, Mayor Nicholas Nissen said the new ownership marks the rebirth of Hinton. About 10,000 people live in the town.

Mondi Press Release: Mondi celebrates entry into Canadian market

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Former Canfor mill in Taylor, B.C. to become logistics hub

By Edward Hitchins
CWC News
March 19, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CALGARY, Alberta — The former Canfor pulp mill in Taylor, B.C. has been purchased by Buffalo Rail and Infrastructure for $7 million. The Calgary-based company says it plans to invest over $50 million to convert the mill, and its over 300 acres of heavy industrial land, into a logistics and distribution hub serving the region’s energy, agricultural, and forestry industries. Phase one will see approximately 100 construction jobs and 30 full-time permanent jobs on the site and is expected to become operational around the second quarter of 2025. …CEO of Buffalo, Jarrett Zielinski, said “This development provides a much-needed solution to meet changing logistics and supply chain needs across multiple industries and sectors in Western Canada and beyond”. The mill has been closed since the end of 2021, when Canfor announced what were supposed to be temporary curtailments due to shipping issues.

Buffalo Press Release: Pulp mill acquisition sets stage for world-scale industrial hub

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Village of Lytton seeing more building permits issued after years of delays

By Josh Dawson
Victoria Times Colonist
March 19, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

After years of delays, more building permits continue to be issued as the Village of Lytton continues to rebuild after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed most of the community. Lytton Mayor, Denise O’Connor, said five residential building permits have now been issued and over a dozen more permits are “in the queue,” including her own. “My feeling is that the people right now that are rebuilding are those that had insurance,” O’Connor said. “It’s the businesses that had insurance that are rebuilding as well, the grocery store, the Chinese Museum, the Legion, I understand should be getting their building permits anytime and the rest are residential at this point.” O’Connor acknowledged some residents won’t be choosing to rebuild and have opted to sell their properties… She said building permit fees are based on construction costs, which are currently “really high” across the province.

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Finance & Economics

Conifex reports Q4, 2023 loss of $3.5 million

By Conifex Timber Inc.
GlobeNewswire
March 27, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex reported results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. EBITDA from continuing operations was negative $3.5 million for the quarter and negative $25.8 million for the year, compared to EBITDA of $2.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $46.7 million for the year. We generated net income of ($30.6) million or ($0.77) per share in 2023. …Our lumber production was 155.8 million board feet in 2023, reflecting an annualized operating rate of 65%. Lumber production was impacted by a reduction in our operating schedule to a one-shift basis for a twelve-week period beginning in October to address unsustainable lumber inventory levels. …Our Power Plant sold 177.6 GWh of electricity under our EPA with BC Hydro in 2023, representing approximately 80% of targeted operating rates. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Timber Talks: Insurance, innovation top of mind for panellists

By Don Procter
Daily Commercial News
March 25, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mass timber construction is growing in Ontario but it still faces hurdles to industry-wide acceptance. One of those hurdles is builder insurance which is typically five to six times more than coverage for conventional concrete and steel buildings, Mark Gaglione of EllisDon told delegates to a Timber Talks panel hosted by the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades (CCAT) in Woodbridge, Ontario. Single insurers won’t take on coverage for mass timber projects of more than $20 million, he said. Pooling four or five insurers on one project can be a solution but they all have to agree on terms. “It removes all of the bid tendering and drives the price up even further.” …Sponsored by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in partnership with the CCAT, the conference looked at mass timber innovations and how the building material could help address the climate crisis and Canada’s housing crisis

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Canadian Timberframes Expands and Introduces a K2i machine with 6-Axis robot; to process mass timber

By Canadian Timberframes Ltd.
Cision Newswire
March 25, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

GOLDEN, BC – Canadian Timberframes (CTF), a leading design and manufacturer in the timber frame industry, announces their new Hundegger K2i 1300 6-Axis robot CNC machine, enabling support of the mass timber market during their 25 Yr Anniversary. CTF has been at the forefront of the timber frame industry and continues to lead with Canada’s first and most sophisticated CNC timber joinery equipment, and an expanded 34,000 sq ft manufacturing plant. This expansion improves efficiency and capability to undertake complex and larger-scale commercial projects, while maintaining the company’s reputation for quality. In response to the growing demand for high-quality, heavy, and mass timber products, CTF expanded its capabilities with the Hundegger K2i 1300 machine, equipped with a 6-axis robot, positions them to process both rough-rough sawn and mass timber sizes up to 18″ by 51″ by 80 feet, enabling the execution of projects with unprecedented scale and complexity.

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Vancouver advances mass timber adoption through new incentives

Construction Canada
March 22, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vancouver is ramping up its commitment to sustainable construction with a new set of incentives aimed at promoting mass timber buildings. These incentives, developed through collaboration with stakeholders, will be closely monitored and adjusted based on real-world feedback over the next two years. Among these benefits is a new rezoning incentive that will offer additional height and floor area for mass timber buildings in the following types of buildings: Buildings in areas that allow 8 to 11 storeys can qualify for two additional storeys; and Buildings in areas that allow 12 or more storeys can qualify for three additional storeys. A new incentive in the Zoning & Development By-law will see an increase in the permitted height for mass timber, along with additional support at the pre-application stage. Mass timber, a product of B.C.’s thriving industry, offers structural integrity with lower embodied emissions compared to concrete. 

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BC Log & Timber Announces 2024 Conference and AGM

BC Log & Timber Builders Industry Association
March 21, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

We are excited to announce the BC Log & Timber Building Industry Association (BCLTBIA) 2024 AGM and Conference! Mark your calendars for April 11-14, 2024, and join us at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort in Salmon Arm, BC. A beautiful venue on Shuswap Lake, amenities for the whole family to enjoy, and an exciting lineup of seminars and workshops! Plan to arrive Thursday evening April 11th and check out Sunday April 14th. We have negotiated some fantastic room rates for our guests as well….consider coming early and/or staying additional days. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, with a great meeting and trade show space overlooking the Shuswap! Stay tuned for more details!

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Mass timber projects can be costly. This online tool aims to realize the risk

By Pippa Norman
CityNews Everywhere
March 20, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

With recent changes to the BC Building Code, mass timber is being increasingly touted as the building material of the province’s future. But as cost remains a strong consideration, one tool is helping designers come to the table with a plan, rather than a risk. …Launched in February 2023, the Mass Timber Navigator is an online tool that allows users to quickly get the specs they need to estimate the cost of construction for the building they’re envisioning. Donovan Woollard, CEO at Open Technologies, says his software company created the modeling tool with Crown corporation Forestry Innovation Investment. He says the goal of the tool is to “give industry a sense of where mass timber currently fits within code compliance and cost, and where we think that might be going.” …Woollard says he’d like to see the Mass Timber Navigator tool expanded to allows users to compare the specs of timber versus concrete and steel.

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Forestry

The 2024 wildfire season has started – here’s what we need to know

The University of British Columbia
March 27, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lori Daniels

Last year’s wildfire season marked B.C.’s most destructive on record: 2.8 million hectares burned, more than double any previous year. UBC researchers Dr. Lori Daniels and Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais actively work on projects enhancing wildfire resilience, collaborating with community, government, private-sector and academic partners, and First Nations. Dr. Daniels is the Koerner Chair in the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence at UBC, focusing on proactive management to increase ecosystem and community resilience to climate change and wildfires. Dr. Bourbonnais is a former wildland firefighter and now assistant professor at UBC Okanagan who employs advanced technologies to study wildfire risk and behaviour. We spoke with Drs. Daniels and Bourbonnais about the outlook for wildfire season, and how communities can prepare for a challenging year.

Additional coverage in CBC News by Arrthy Thayaparan: Experts advise B.C. residents to prepare early for wildfire season

Global News by Simon Little & Cassidy Mosconi: Early signs point to another bad B.C. wildfire season, expert warns

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BC First Nations Forestry Council announces open registration for 2024 conference

BC First Nations Forestry Council
March 26, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Join Us in Penticton! BC First Nations Forestry Conference, May 29-30 & ForestryConnect Youth Conference / Demo Day, May 31. The BC First Nations Forestry Conference brings together First Nations, industry, and Government to share and collaborate on the many changes occurring in the forest sector. The Conference is a uniquely First Nations experience to provide meaningful networking, informative engagement, purposeful collaboration, and support Indigenous businesses. General registration is now open to register as an attendee, exhibitor or sponsor. This year’s conference will also feature

ForestryConnect Youth Conference & Demo Day—A ‘Day-in-the-Life’ of a Forestry Career. The ForestryConnect Youth Conference and Demo Day occur the day after the main conference on May 31st (note: participation in the youth conference event is separate). This is a youth-focused interactive event where exhibitors/industry employers are asked to provide demos or activities for students and job-seekers to experience ‘a day in the life’ of a career in the forest sector.

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Where is our MLA in the Joe Smith Creek cutblock debate?

Letter by Paul George
Sunshine Coast Reporter
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Paul George

Where is our MLA Nicholas Simons in making sure his government respects and acts in accord with the overwhelming majority of Sunshine Coasters opposed to the short-sighted, ill-informed decision to proceed with the Joe Smith Creek cutblock timber sales auction? In all my years as a campaigner for the protection of B.C.’s biodiversity and old-growth forest ecosystems, starting in 1980 with the Wilderness Committee, I have never seen so much local opposition to logging be disregarded by the provincial government. The provincial NDP must not ignore the call to halt this timber sale by the local SCRD government in January, the petition initiated by Robert Creekers that has gathered over 34,000 signatures , and by Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) whose reasoned opposition is based on simply applying BC Forest Service’s own policies, which have been established to save biodiversity and nurture healthy forests in BC forever. 

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Tree of Heaven could devastate Okanagan agriculture

By Colin Dacre
Castanet
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Three species of trees are facing the axe in the Central Okanagan if the regional district declares them invasive. The RDCO board is being asked to follow the lead of the City of Kelowna and list the Tree of Heaven, Siberian Elm and Russian Olive trees as invasive. That would allow the regional district to order the removal of them from private property. The Tree of Heaven, in particular, is particularly dangerous to the region, according to a staff report prepared for the board. It is the preferred host of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that has not yet arrived in B.C. “If the spotted lanternfly finds its way to BC, and the preferred host, the Tree of Heaven, is found in these important agricultural areas, the likelihood of this insect establishing itself here increases tremendously,” said the board report. The lanternfly would devastate local agriculture.

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B.C. considering new forest-protective conservancies in Clayoquot Sound

By Wolf Depner
Alberni Valley News
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

More than 30 years after B.C.’s New Democratic Premier Mike Harcourt had opened up large parts of Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Sound to commercial logging, parts of the area could soon be off-limits again. Two conservancies covering 77,000 hectares would place much of the area opened for logging in 1993 under protection. Conservancies set aside Crown land for environmental, social, recreational, ceremonial and cultural uses, but also allow a “wider range of low-impact, compatible economic opportunities” than permissible in Class A parks. Commercial logging, mining and hydroelectric power generation, other than local run-of-the-river projects, are prohibited in conservancies. MaMook Natural Resources, a partnership of five First Nations on the western coast of Vancouver Island, currently holds the only tree forest license in Clayoquot Sound and the conservancies would cover almost 60 per cent of the TFL. The province has received 208 submissions on the conservancies since March 12 with an April 10 deadline. 

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Category 2 and 3 Open Fires Must Be Extinguished By Noon March 28

By Pat Matthews
My Cariboo Now
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fire Information Officer Madison Dahl said effective noon on Thursday March 28, Category 2 and 3 Fire Prohibition will go into effect in the Cariboo Chilcotin Forest District, the 100 Mile House Forest District, and the Quesnel Forest District. Dahl said, “A Category 2 fire is an open fire that burns material in one or two piles, each no larger than two metres in height and three metres in width, or burning grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares. A Category 3 fire is an open fire larger than two metres by three metres, burning three or more piles smaller than two by three metres, or burning an area of grass or stubble over an area greater than 0.2 metres.” BC Wildfire Service said anyone conducting a Category 2 or 3 open fire anywhere in the Cariboo region must extinguish them by noon March 28 and this prohibition will remain in place until noon November 1 2024 or until the Order is rescinded.

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Alberta Parks plans Ribbon Creek prescribed fire plan after deeming it too dry a year ago

By Jessica Lee
St. Albert Gazette
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Alberta Parks is tentatively planning to burn 260 hectares of forest in the Ribbon Creek drainage in Kananaskis this year that was initially prescribed for fire in 2023 but not ignited due to hot, dry conditions fuelling wildfire danger. The burn is part of a larger 7,900-hectare prescribed fire plan being broken into several phases. Alberta Parks and Calgary Forest Area wildfire management unit officials have also, since proposing the plan last year, met with the Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta to adjust the size of the burn to improve bighorn sheep habitat. …According to Alberta Parks, the Evan-Thomas area has not seen any major wildfires since 1936, leading to an accumulation of forest fuels and a “very high risk of severe wildfire.” The prescribed burn will create a fire break, shielding communities, resources and infrastructure nearby. It’s a proactive measure to curb potential wildfires and to keep them from spreading down the valley.

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Pellet plant near Quesnel chips ‘truckoads’ of old growth

The Quesnel Cariboo Observer
March 23, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

QUESNEL, BC — British-owned Drax is responding to assertions of pellet plants chipping old-growth wood in B.C. The operator of pellet plants in Houston and Burns Lake is calling “inaccurate and misleading” assertions it is chipping old-growth wood for pellets,. However, it does admit loads of old-growth trees were taken to its plants. …Drax admits that nine truckloads of wood from old-growth areas were delivered its pellet plants. “For context this was nine out of almost 8,000 truckloads delivered to Drax’s pellet plants over the three months in question – delivering equivalent to around 0.15% of the material received,” the company said in a March 13 release. …“The erroneous truck loads were identified internally at Drax shortly after delivery and we have continued to refine our processes with third parties within our supply chain to reduce the risk of this happening in future. That work is ongoing,” the company said.

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‘Devastating’: Park board commissioners tour urban logging operation in Stanley Park

By Shannon Paterson
CTV News
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Richard Hamelin

On Thursday, Vancouver Park Board commissioners saw firsthand the massive logging operation now underway in Stanley Park, as crews continue to cut down tens of thousands of hemlock trees killed by a looper moth infestation. …Richard Hamelin, the department head for UBC Forest Conservation Sciences said, “There are so many people people in the park, they decided to go the safety route which is to remove the trees, so that they don’t become a danger.” The dead trees are also being taken down to reduce forest fire risk. …An online petition to halt the logging has gathered over 16,500 signatures. Hamelin thinks the city is partly to blame for not explaining that the trees are dead and have to be cut down. …“the park will be green again,” said Hamelin. “Forests are resilient. It’s going to come back, and it’s going to come back stronger and better. That’s what nature does.”

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Tolko Industries Ltd. near Revelstoke passes BC Forest Practices Board audit

BC Forest Practices Board
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board announces the completion of its audit of Tolko Industries Ltd.’s operations on timber licence T0816 in the Okanagan Shuswap Natural Resource District. Based on the field audit conducted from Oct. 23-27, 2023, the Forest Practices Board confirms Tolko’s adherence to the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act (WA) across all significant aspects of these operations. The audit examined activities between Oct. 1, 2021, and Oct. 26, 2023, including operational planning, timber harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, and wildfire protection. “Our audit found that Tolko complied with all requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “We are pleased to see the efforts made by Tolko to carry out their operations consistent with provincial regulations and sound forest practices.” 

Additional coverage in the Salmon Arm Observer, by Jennifer Smith: Vernon-based Tolko cleared of Revelstoke forestry audit

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B.C. isn’t getting an endangered species law. Maybe that’s okay

By Arno Kopecky
The Narwhal
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nathan Cullen, BC’s minister of water, land and resource stewardship, has confirmed what many suspected: the NDP isn’t interested in an endangered species law. A federal Species At Risk Act has been in place for decades, and has immense power when enforced. But it almost never is, and has done nothing to protect B.C.’s ever-growing list of endangered species. Provincial legislation has therefore long been a key demand of conservation groups. But last week… Cullen finally acknowledged species-specific legislation is officially off the table. Then he spoke about what we’re getting instead. …“It’s the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework.” That wonky phrase invokes a vast new architecture of land-use legislation that Cullen’s ministry is now drafting: since conservation and species at risk protection is inextricably linked to Indigenous Rights, it’s being done, in close collaboration with Rankin’s ministry and the more than 200 First Nations in B.C. 

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Move over, Tesla – B.C. company rolls out electric semi truck

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new hybrid electric heavy duty truck developed by Edison Motors in Merritt, B.C., is now officially road-worthy. Edison ‘s L500 semi prototype — dubbed the “Topsy” — has been granted a vehicle identification number and registration. The company now has four orders for the truck, which uses regenerative braking for much of its power, and will soon be opening a new manufacturing plant in Terrace to build the trucks. “We have officially built the first truck in British Columbia… in over 30 years,” Edison Motors founder and CEO Chace Barber said in a press release. “We’ve officially built a truck that passes all the government certifications, a truck that can be driven on the road.” Edison Motors was started by Chace Barber and Eric Little, who started a truck-logging company in 2016 in Merritt. After putting in an order for a Tesla electric semi truck in 2017, and waiting four years, they decided to just build their own.

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Despite pushback, Stanley Park tree removal necessary: Vancouver Park Board

By Hana Mae Nassar and Robyn Crawford
City News Everywhere
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Calls are mounting for the Vancouver Park Board to stop clearing trees in Stanley Park, with a petition gaining momentum online. Those behind the change.org petition claim the removal of trees is “causing irreversible damage to our environment.” …Officials have said the work to remove roughly 25 per cent of the trees in the park is necessary, noting they have been destroyed by a hemlock looper moth infestation. However, those behind the petition question this “narrative,” saying the city has “failed to provide scientific evidence to substantiate its claim; further, many living seemingly-healthy trees are being cut down.” …Despite the criticisms, Vancouver Park Board Chair Brennan Bastyovanszky is doubling down that the felling has to be completed. …Bastyovanszky says aside from safety concerns, the dead trees also pose an elevated fire risk. 

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Wildsight encourages council to cease old growth logging in region

By Lys Morton
The Revelstoke Mountaineer
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight conservation specialist and Kristi Chorney, Wildsight board president met with council to request an immediate cease of old growth logging in the Goldstream CP 310 Block L area, currently managed by Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RCFC) until council can tour the area with Wildsight. Wildsight also asked that council look into alternative economic streams for RCFC, following the direction of other municipalities throughout B.C. “Municipalities in B.C. are making more money managing carbon than logging,” Petryshen told council, breaking down economic alternatives Revelstoke could adapt to replace old growth logging in the region. In an interview, Petryshen said there are only two options for the forestry industry in Revelstoke and B.C. “We can continue to log them until there’s very little left … or we can decide to transition the industry. I think there’s a huge opportunity for jobs and a restoration based economy.”

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B.C.’s wildfires helped feed glacier meltdown across western Canada: report

By Wolf Depner
The Interior News
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new World Meteorological Organization study finds that last year’s wildfires caused glaciers in western North America including British Columbia to lose a record amount of mass. The report titled State of the Global Climate found that “above-average summer temperatures and record wildfire activity in western Canada” contributed to the “extreme melt” as particulates from the wildfires further darkened the surfaces of glaciers. The darker any surface, the more heat it absorbs. Glaciers, sea ice floats along with polar caps, contribute to the ‘albedo effect’ by reflecting sunlight back into space. The more they melt, the less sun gets reflected back. Using pulsating radars to measure distances remotely, researchers including Brian Menounos of the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and the Airborne Coastal Observatory of the BC-based Hakai Institute, found that, western North America experienced record glacier mass loss in 2023. 

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Are you concerned about an earlier, and longer, wildfire season this year in B.C. due to the milder than normal winter?

Castanet
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Although it’s unseasonably warm across the B.C. Interior for a few days this week, BC Wildfire Service says conditions aren’t alarming, despite two wildfires sparked on Sunday. A wildfire was sparked burning outside of Lumby, near Creighton Valley Road just after 2 p.m. on Sunday. The wildfire grew to three hectares in size. The Lumby Fire Department confirmed the fire was a burn pile that got away from a resident. A small fire that sparked near Fish Lake Road in Summerland just before 4 p.m. was quickly ‘held’ by fire crews. That fire was also deemed human-caused. …”Wildfire risk is higher than normal this spring. BCWS is preparing for what could be a very challenging season. At this time most wildfires are started by human activity, said B.C.’s Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

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Ntityix Resources LP Enhances Wildfire Mitigation Work in West Kelowna

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

West Kelowna, B.C. – Ntityix Resources LP, fully owned by Westbank First Nation, has been busy working to proactively reduce wildfire risk in the West Kelowna area. With funding support from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, Ntityix has successfully undertaken various initiatives around the community, specific to this wildfire mitigation work. The work itself contributes to a long-term mitigation strategy being undertaken to enhance the fuel modification zone, which will help slow down and, ideally, prevent the spread of wildfires in the area. “The continued revitalization of cultural and prescribed fire helps to create healthy, safe and resilient forests, and I applaud Ntityix and the Westbank First Nation for continuing to take on wildfire risk reduction projects year after year, including working with the Province last year on prescribed burns,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. 

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Prescribed burns begin in BC to manage wildfire season

By Danielle Paradis
APTN National News
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Williams Lake First Nation and Tsilhqot’in Nation communities, along with the BC Wildfire Service and other government agencies are beginning cultural and prescribed burns to help manage the upcoming wildfire season. Carly Desrosiers, a fire information officer with the wildfire service explains how the prescribed burn fire program works. “Prescribed fire program plans are made well in advance … there’s a lot that goes into them, working with our partners, and local governments and First Nations to understand their objectives,” said Derosiers. Despite the planning, the decision to go ahead with a burn is decided in the moment depending on factors like weather, site conditions and wind speed. …Sarah Budd, the communications and engagement lead for the cultural and prescribed fire program says that only the First Nations communities can determine whether a burn is cultural. “In terms of implementation…on the ground [a cultural and prescriptive] burn can look very similar,” said Budd.

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Climate activist’s deportation could have ‘chilling effect’ on political speech, says lawyer

By Stefan Labbé
Sunshine Coast Reporter
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Zain Haq

A lawyer for a Vancouver-based climate activist says government plans to deport his client could have a “chilling effect” on international students looking to exercise their right to political speech. Zain Haq co-founded the Vancouver-based group Save Old Growth. In 2022, he caught the attention of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) while protesting and speaking to the press about Canada’s climate policy. That’s when CBSA sought to declare Haq retroactively inadmissible to Canada for failing to make enough progress as a student while attending Simon Fraser University, said Haq’s lawyer, Randall Cohn. According to Cohn, the border agency failed to communicate with the university and carry out a full investigation, a procedural shortcut he worries could intimidate other international students looking to speak up for what they think is right. …“If they remove him, then what they’re doing is they’re saying they don’t want people like Zain in the conversation,” said Cohn. 

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Unions want more say in decisons that shape BC’s forestry policy

By Ted Clarke
The Prince George Citizen
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

…About 80 representatives of the Public and Private Workers of Canada, United Steelworkers and Unifor attended the March 12 conference in Victoria to highlight worker concerns about the ailing forest sector and how it is being managed by the provincial government. … “We want a say in what’s happening in our industry. We’ve been left out of the table and as workers we want to have our voice heard. For the three unions to get together that really tells you the state of our industry right now and we’re going to make sure we’re part of that solution going forward,” said Chuck LeBlanc, president of PPWC Local 9. …The three unions want the province to form a permanent Forest Sector Council that would formulate forest strategies and policies drawing from the expertise of leadership from all stakeholders, including business leaders, service sectors, union members, postsecondary schools, public utility operators and representatives of all levels of government.

 

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Shuswap’s burnt forests – to log or not to log?

By Jim Cooperman, Shuswap Passion
Salmon Arm Observer
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fed by extreme winds and extreme drought, the Shuswap Firestorm tore through thousands of hectares of forests leaving behind blackened sticks and fried soil, with nary a green leaf or stem where the fire was intense. …There is now a rush to salvage log the burnt trees that are merchantable before the timber dries and splits, which renders the wood unusable for lumber and plywood. However, there is a growing amount of scientific literature and research that insists logging burnt forests is harmful to the ecosystem and it is far better to let natural processes bring the forests back as what happened after previous wildfires. One of the major concerns with salvage logging, is the site disturbance caused by the heavy equipment, which often results in erosion and damage to streams. …Some studies show that the slash left after logging increases fuel loads to encourage more severe fires in the future. 

 

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West Fraser and the Woodland Cree First Nation Sign Good Relations Agreement

By West Fraser
LinkedIn
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

West Fraser and the Woodland Cree First Nation recently signed a Good Relations Agreement to mark a new era of partnership, mutual respect, and exploration of economic opportunities. The agreement solidifies a commitment to build a positive, sustainable, and mutually beneficial relationship based on respect, trust, and recognition of each other’s roles, rights, and responsibilities. “The signing of this Good Relations Agreement is a testament to our shared commitment to building a future of collaboration. By working hand in hand, we aim to work on economic opportunities, foster environmental stewardship and contribute to the well-being of Woodland Cree First Nation” stated Jed Begin, General Manager, Slave Lake Veneer. “On behalf of myself and Council, we are proud of this precedent-setting agreement. It is rooted in the principles of meaningful collaboration, accommodation and co-management,” said Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom, Woodland Cree First Nation.

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B.C. officials warn of early, ‘challenging’ wildfire season

By Moira Wyton
CBC News
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Government and wildfire officials in British Columbia are warning that the province could see an early and active spring wildfire season due to persistent drought conditions that have left soil parched and snowpack levels low. …Officials say early outlooks indicate a “high probability” of above normal temperatures across B.C. in the coming months, but added that drought and wildfire conditions this year will depend on the actual weather in the spring and summer. The chance that the province will see enough spring “rainfall to alleviate drought conditions is unlikely but possible,” according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). …On Monday, the province announced BCWS will be launching predictive software to model fire risks using existing maps and weather models with observations from staff in the field. The technology was already piloted in the Coastal and Kamloops fire centres last year, and will roll out provincewide by the end of 2024.

Additional coverage by Ashley Joannou (Canadian Press) in the Victoria Times Colonist: Active spring wildfire season may be in store for B.C. as drought persists

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Enhanced technology will help better predict wildfire movement, growth

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC Wildfire Service is expanding the use of wildfire predictive technologies. “By adding more technology to the BC Wildfire Service’s tool kit, our talented firefighters will be able to make critical decisions faster when it matters most,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. In advance of the 2024 wildfire season, B.C. is introducing technology that can produce real-time wildfire behaviour predictions and incorporate information directly from the field. This is aligned with feedback from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies and follows last year’s successful trial of the software. The wildfire predictive technology will first be introduced in the Coastal and Kamloops Fire Centres, where it has already been trialled to ensure compatibility with forest and fuel conditions. Collaborative efforts with jurisdictions using similar technologies, including California and Australia, have allowed the BC Wildfire Service to quickly operationalize and expand the use of these tools. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

BC Has Ambitious Climate Goals. Do They Leave Room for Gas?

By Zoë Yunker
The Tyee
March 27, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Natural gas made its debut in the City of Vancouver over a century ago… Today, it’s the primary way B.C. powers its buildings, and a major problem for B.C.’s pursuit to cut its emissions by 40 per cent in a mere six years. …Fortis has its own plan to cut pollution while keeping the gas lines flowing. The company’s “Clean Growth Pathway” projects a scenario where growing appetites for gas and electricity can coexist by supercharging its supply of “low-carbon gases” like renewable natural gas, hydrogen and syngas, a type of gas produced from non-fossil sources via thermal conversion. …Fortis also has plans to use syngas, likely to be produced from wood, to bolster its supply. …Syngas can’t be delivered into pipelines like RNG, but it can be used directly in some industrial facilities, like a lumber mill that uses wood-produced syngas to power a pulp mill next door, for example.

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Alberta scientists band together to shift climate change focus to health impacts

By Bob Weber
The Canadian Press in Global News
March 24, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Bodies and minds are just as affected by climate change as sea ice and forests, says University of Alberta scientist Sherilee Harper. “Climate change impacts everything we care about,” she said. “It’s not just an environmental issue.” That’s why Harper, along with 30 or so colleagues from disciplines as wide-ranging as economics and epidemiology, have banded together into what she calls Canada’s first university hub to shift the view of climate change from an environmental problem to a threat to human health. “The hub is about helping people see that every climate change decision is a health decision,” said Harper. …Wildfire smoke, which last summer gave Canada some of the worst air quality on the globe. …There are mental health impacts as well, from the acute stress suffered by those forced to flee by flames. …Such hubs already exist in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, Harper said.

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Pellet producer refutes old growth logging claim

By Rod Link
Houston Today
March 20, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

The operator of pellet plants in Houston and Burns Lake is calling assertions it is chipping old-growth wood for pellets “inaccurate and misleading.” But Drax, a multi-national user of wood pellets, which it burns to help turn turbines to generate electricity, admits that nine truckloads of wood from old growth areas were mistakenly taken to its plants. “For context, this was nine out of almost 8,000 truckloads delivered to Drax’s pellet plants over the three months in question – delivering equivalent to around 0.15 per cent of the material received,” the company said in a March 13 release. The assertion Drax was converting old growth into pellets came from two environmental groups said the company’s claims in 2023 it would not be taking old-growth wood did not reflect what it was actually doing. …Michelle Connolly from Conservation North said Drax received 103 loads of logs at its Burns Lake and Houston pellet plants from old growth areas as late as January 2024.

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Health & Safety

Staying connected after an injury

By Marnie Douglas
WorkSafeBC
March 14, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Should someone who is injured on the job stop working until they have fully recovered? For many injured workers, the answer is no. Depending on their injury, they can benefit from remaining at work and taking on modified or alternative duties as needed. The key is for the worker and their employer to collaborate and stay connected every step of the way. These actions will help shorten the worker’s recovery time and strengthen the workplace’s health and safety culture. In addition, as of January 1, 2024, employers and workers have a legal duty to cooperate with one another in safe and timely return to work. …When it comes to a successful return-to-work journey, WorkSafeBC case manager Tai McLavy says the employer is the deciding factor in terms of accommodation, while the employee is the deciding factor when it comes to rehabilitation and motivation. An injured worker can benefit from remaining at work and taking on alternative duties as needed, depending on their injury.

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Forest Fires

Okanagan Forest Task Force put out 300 abandoned fires in 2023 between May and October

By Madison Reeve
Castanet
March 24, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Okanagan Forest Task Force was formed in 2016 with the goal of cleaning up the Okanagan’s backcountry. Since the group’s formation, millions of pounds of illegally dumped garbage have been cleaned up by the task force. Founder Kane Blake says the volunteers do more than just collect garbage. On Friday, Blake shared alarming statistics of how many abandoned fires the team put out during May to October of 2023. “We put out roughly 300 abandoned fires between Kelowna and Lake Country. They just get left unattended or they are done for the night and feel it’s just okay to leave,” Blake said. He says roughly 30 to 40 of the fires were put out during strict fire bans. “Five of the fires had already started to catch brush and/or trees in the area on fire,” Blake added. The volunteer group saved one life during a vehicle fire which the team put out.

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