HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Russian birch wood has continued to flow to American consumers, disguised as Asian products, despite U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The Environmental Investigation Agency … reports that most birch products currently being exported from Vietnam to the United States originate in Russia. …roughly 40,000 cubic meters of birch wood is transported every month from Russia and China into Vietnam, where it’s assembled into furniture and plywood that end up on the shelves of major American retailers… The group’s investigators spoke to five Chinese companies accounting for 60 percent of China’s birch veneer exports to Vietnam and concluded that over 90 percent of their birch is sourced from Russia. One Chinese wood factory owner told the group that all of the birch their company uses comes from Russia but is repackaged in China and re-exported to Vietnam with China listed as the country of origin.
The UK government has been accused of funding environmental racism by giving £2m a day in subsidies to an energy company that has paid out millions over claims it breached pollution limits in the US south. An investigation by Unearthed, Greenpeace’s investigative unit, found Drax Biomass paid millions of dollars to US regulators over claims it exceeded limits on chemicals emissions at wood chip plants close to black and low-income communities. Among the charges faced by Drax was that it exceeded limits on emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To fuel its operations, and to tap into an increasing global market for biomass fuel, Drax operates an extensive North American supply chain, with 13 sites in the US and Canada producing 1.5m tonnes of compressed wood pellets a year. Late last month, Drax agreed to two settlements of $1.6m each with the 
The EU price cap could have “unintended consequences” and be “disruptive” for the biomass market, sector representatives at the US Industrial Pellet Association’s annual conference in Miami said on 3 October. EU energy ministers reached a political agreement on emergency measures on 30 September, including a €180/MWh cap on power prices, and are aiming to formally agree a legal text by the end of this week. A panel of European utilities expressed concerns over the impact the cap [but] agreed that the measures would not affect 90% of biomass in the market, as power generated under subsidies and on long-term contracts are not expected to be included in the cap regulation. There may be “unintended consequences”, UK utility Drax Group’s head of fuels, Rich Taylor, said. Although the UK falls outside the EU’s price cap, it would “dislocate the market temporarily”, Taylor said
HANOI – Wood pellets, made from compressed sawdust and forestry wastes, have become a key currency earner of the wood industry, having the great potential to rank in the group of export staples with turnover of over 1 billion USD. Vietnam’s wood pellet export value was just about 145 million USD in 2017 and surged to 413 million USD in 2021. Close to 2.4 million tonnes of the product were shipped overseas in the first half of 2022 for approximately 354 million USD. If the growth is maintained at the current rate, the export turnover may hit around 700 million USD for the entire year. …The use of by-products to make the pellets helps wood factories raise incomes, offsetting the high price of imported raw materials. Currently, Vietnam houses about 300 pellet production facilities, which have solely exported to Japan and the Republic of Korea.
FRANCE – Firewood shortages in France are intensifying and prices have jumped by more than 20% since June due to soaring demand, more people in the market, and fears over the price of other fuel. Firewood providers are warning that there will not be enough wood for everyone this winter. This is partly due to a sharp increase in the number of households in the market. …However, in 2022, the energy agency l’Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie (Ademe) said that the government is aiming to have 9.5 million households using woodfired energy by 2023, and 11.3 million by 2028. Gérard Fellous, director of Quality-bûches: “Over the last few weeks, Ademe has greatly promoted heating with pellets. But this has caused a significant increase in the price of wood. “Pellet prices have tripled over the past six months, leading to rises in logs and our costs.”
Timber is growing in popularity as a sustainable construction material, [as is] the need for fire retardants that don’t pose a threat to human health. …the fire retardants we use to protect building materials often contain dangerous toxic chemicals. Pollution from fire retardants is a major safety risk that cannot be ignored. Construction professionals must be made aware of the dangers to help protect lives and limit the environmental impacts of these harmful chemicals. This means ensuring only the safest, most sustainable options are specified for projects. …as the construction industry continues to grow, further research and technological innovations are helping to increase the availability of non-toxic, safer fire retardants. More environmentally friendly products will help to ensure the chemicals we are putting into building materials are safe, helping assure a greener, cleaner future for construction. Currently, however, there is still a long way to go.
A report exposes the “growing threat” of genetically engineered tree development around the world, with researchers urging a leading forest product certification body to maintain its ban on genetic modification. “The global release of genetically engineered trees is close,” states the report, by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network and the Campaign to STOP GE Trees. …The report documents where the risk of GE tree use on plantations or release into the wild is most immediate. It comes ahead of the Forest Stewardship Council’s general assembly from October 9-14 in Bali, Indonesia. …[where] members will vote on two motions that, if approved, would help preserve their prohibition on genetic modification. However, “if FSC decides to embrace genetic engineering, it will free the Brazilian pulp and paper company Suzano to begin planting its eucalyptus trees that are genetically engineered to tolerate glyphosate herbicides,” warned Lizzie Díaz of the World Rainforest Movement.
Some of the world’s biggest central banks are unwittingly helping to finance agri-business giants engaged in the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon, according to a report published on Wednesday. The Bank of England, the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are among the institutions that have bought millions of dollars in bonds issued by companies linked to deforestation and land-grabbing, according to the 
Drought that stretched across three continents this summer — drying out large parts of Europe, the United States and China — was made 20 times more likely by climate change, according to a new study. Drought dried up major rivers, destroyed crops, sparked wildfire, threatened aquatic species and led to water restrictions in Europe. It struck places already plagued by drying in the U.S., like the West, but also places where drought is more rare, like the Northeast. China also just had its driest summer in 60 years, leaving its famous Yangtze river half its normal width. Researchers from World Weather Attribution… say this type of drought would only happen once every 400 years across the Northern Hemisphere if not for human-caused climate change. Now they expect these conditions to repeat every 20 years. …With an additional 0.8 degrees C degrees warming, this type of drought will happen once every 10 years.
As Spaniards look towards winter, many are worried about how they will keep warm so interest in alternative forms of energy is at a premium. Wood burning pellet heaters are proving popular as are cheaper solar panels which can be fixed to houses. Javier Díaz, president of the Spanish Biofuel Association, said there had been a 40% rise in the installation of biofuel heaters since 2021. “There has been an increase in boilers or stoves that use solid biofuels such as pellets or wood chips,” he said. “The pellet heater factories cannot make them fast enough because demand is so high. They are working round the clock.” Keen to avoid paying excessive energy bills or being left without any heating at all, Spaniards are preparing for the worst. Waiting lists of up to nine months to buy wood pellets were reported last week by El Correo, a regional newspaper, as people feared shortages.
An environmental campaigner has been ejected from an event sponsored by the power station operator Drax at the Labour party conference after criticising the company’s use of biomass. The owner of the North Yorkshire power station sponsored a debate on Tuesday on Britain’s net zero climate goals on the fringes of the political party’s conference in Liverpool. The company’s group director of corporate affairs, Clare Harbord, was on the panel. Climate campaigners have accused Drax of greenwashing and argue that its biomass operations, which burn wood to produce electricity, are far from green and can even increase the CO2 emissions driving the climate crisis. The talk in Liverpool was titled “Reaching net zero: how can the UK boost energy security and invest in green jobs?” Several campaigners interrupted the discussion to question Drax’s green credentials.
KUALA LUMPUR – A new funding pact between Indonesia and Norway to cut carbon emissions by protecting and restoring rainforest should kick-start similar deals between the Southeast Asian country and rich nations, said green groups, which broadly back the partnership. Indonesia abruptly ended its previous accord with Norway a year ago, due to apparent disagreements and slow progress in releasing payments based on the results of work to curb forest loss. The new five-year collaboration, outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked by ministers in Jakarta last week, will provide annual payments in line with evidence showing emissions from deforestation have been avoided or reduced through conservation efforts. …There is a risk that Indonesia’s government will curb deforestation to an extent but continue to allow some commodity-driven felling in the name of “progress”, while freezing much-needed reforms to secure indigenous peoples’ rights, he added.