Blog Archives

Today’s Takeaway

World’s largest mass timber airport opens in Portland, Oregon

The Tree Frog Forestry News
August 16, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

The world’s largest mass timber airport (nine acres of roof) opened for business in Portland, Oregon. In other Business news: Canada rejects call for binding arbitration on potential rail strike; Canada invests in GHG emission technology; the aftermath of Cochrane, Ontario’s veneer mill fire; and more on the recent US lumber duty increase. Meanwhile, Canadian housing starts jump 16% in July, while US housing starts plunge to a four-year low.

In Forestry/Wildfire news: wildfire smoke is impacting most of Canada; the 2023 fire season released 10 years worth of CO2; Alberta wants to see more aggressive fire mitigation efforts; California has a new wildfire forecasting tool; a Washington judge rejects an anti-forestry lawsuit; ENGOs say logging near Revelstoke threatens BC caribou habitat; and the anti-wood sentiment facing US wood pellet manufacturers.

Finally, is it time for Canadian forest products firms to focus on political risk management? (Part 1 of 2).

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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US releases final determinations of softwood lumber review

The Tree Frog Forestry News
August 15, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

The US Department of Commerce released the final determinations of its softwood lumber review. In related news: Canada will challenge US rates via dispute panel; and BC MP calls on Ottawa to protect forestry jobs. Meanwhile: Canadian industry fears economic fallout of rail strike, as railroads begin network shutdown; Burlington’s wood-fired generator is losing money; Canadian GDP growth is up, US inflation falls; US home builder confidence moves lower; and Europe’s wood pellet market declined.

In Wildfire news: the World Resources Institute says forest fires are getting worse; wildfires impact mercury levels in Idaho streams; BC’s wildfires are smaller this year; and 37% of Athens forest area has burnt since 2017. In Safety news: Idaho firefighter Justin Shaw remains in critical condition; and WorkSafeBC says safety failures contributed to Devyn Gales death in 2023.

Finally, how the Canadian Forest Service got its humble beginning 125 years ago.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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US nearly doubles duty on Canadian softwood lumber

The Tree Frog Forestry News
August 14, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

The US is increasing the duty it charges on softwood lumber from Canada to 14.5%. In response:

In other Business news: railways begin to halt shipments as strike looms; San Group files 2nd lawsuit against Port Alberni; Drax exceeds emission limits in Louisiana; Conifex reports Q2, 2024 net loss; Tolko joins SFPA; IP’s Tom Plath is retiring; and Michigan-based Green Timber acquires Grossman Forestry.

In other news: temporary foreign workers logging in Canada are on the rise; NRCan and Ontario invest in wildfire equipment; a veteran forester worries about Jasper’s neighbours; and the University of Northern BC touts resiliency of its Wood Innovation Lab a year after blast

Finally, from a reader: science mimics nature to improve aerial tree planting.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Opinion / EdiTOADial

Is It Time for Canadian Forest Products Firms to Focus on Political Risk Management? (Part 2 of 2)

By Robert McKellar
Harmattan Risk
August 19, 2024
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, International

Robert McKellar

Part 1 of this series on political risk management and the Canadian forest products sector speaks to the problem with assuming political risk only applies to multinationals with operations in volatile and dangerous places. If we are aware of political risk, we can still use a tacit approach where it works, but we will know when and how political risk is a significant factor and will have the option of ramping up political risk management capabilities accordingly. With that preamble, two broad political dynamics affecting the Canadian forest products sector are discussed—the ‘China-West rivalry’ and ‘climate change confusion’—in preparation for the question—is it time for Canadian forest products companies to develop an explicit sense of political risk and how to manage it? Part 2 of this series continues with the political dynamics of ‘Canada-US trade friction’ and ‘emerging market challenges’ and concludes with what a political risk management capability could mean in practice.

…If the answer is Yes, what then? A political risk management capability generally includes: senior management and board buy-in; a strong concept of political risk in the company’s context; a corporate intelligence process that identifies relevant trends and dynamics and derived potential implications (or risks); straightforward but practical guidelines for how managers could apply political risk intelligence; and a seat of coordination and institutional learnings. These elements could manifest in a number of different organisational forms… but there are four things that probably would not work in most cases: treating political risk management as something different from what managers already do; creating a political risk department and expecting it to somehow lead to effective political risk management; managing political risk only within enterprise risk management functions and processes; and creating a few policy documents and then ticking a box beside “political risk managed”. 

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Is It Time for Canadian Forest Products Firms to Focus on Political Risk Management? (Part 1 of 2)

By Robert McKellar
Harmattan Risk
August 16, 2024
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, International

Robert McKellar

Canada is safe, stable, far away from any hot spots, and the great bulk of its “international business” is still done next door. Thus, for many Canadian businesses political risk seems like an exotic challenge that only applies to global multinationals with operations in volatile and dangerous places. …However staid the Canadian forest product sector’s experience with political forces has been, there are two basic problems with this perception. One is that political risk is not just about arcane and dangerous problems in faraway places. What it really means is potential challenges from exposure to the political domain, wherein ideologies, values, power contention, social identities, governance and inter-state relations give rise to rationalities and imperatives that can be very different from those of legitimate businesses. …The second problem is that by not explicitly taking the political dimension into account, companies can easily fail to notice when its political, or more broadly socio-political, operating environment has become more volatile and risky, and continue with business as usual even when it would lead to serious vulnerabilities.

If we are aware of political risk, we can still use a tacit approach where it works, but we will know when and how political risk is a significant factor and will have the option of ramping up political risk management capabilities accordingly. Is it time for the Canadian forest products sector to develop an explicit sense of political risk and how to manage it? The answer depends on the specific products produced and markets served but also the company or owner’s propensity for risk aversion. …The approach here is to look at a four broad political dynamics that are either affecting Canadian forest products sector firms or significantly increasing uncertainty, by way of illustrating the potential relevance of political risk awareness and management. The four political dynamics are: the China-West rivalry; climate action confusion; Canada-US trade friction; and emerging market challenges. 

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Business & Politics

Labour minister rejects CN Rail’s call for binding arbitration as lockout looms

By David Baxter
CBC News
August 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Canadian Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon has rejected CN Rail’s request for binding arbitration in the company’s labour dispute with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) — one week before a lockout could shut down the rail network. “I would like to clarify that it is your shared responsibility to negotiate in good faith and work diligently towards a new collective agreement,” MacKinnon wrote. …”I trust that with continued effort, an agreement can be achieved promptly. The government trusts that mutually beneficial agreements are within reach at the bargaining table.” …CN Rail’s Jonathan Abecassis said the company is “disappointed” in the decision and the company has made four offers since January. …Under the Canada Labour Code, the minister has the power to send parties to binding arbitration. …The TCRC said that it agrees with the minister’s conclusion that a negotiated settlement is within reach.

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Unifor Statement – Softwood Lumber Duties

Unifor Canada
August 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Unifor, representing 320,000 workers including 24,000 workers in the forestry sector, is disappointed and frustrated with the United States’ continued attack on Canada’s softwood lumber industry. …The U.S. falsely states that Canada’s softwood lumber harvested on public land constitutes unfair trade and uses this to justify its unwarranted penalties on exports. This is an outrageous and reckless claim that, along with other industry pressures, puts Canadian jobs – and the industry – in peril. Unifor reissues its call for Canadian and U.S. officials to negotiate a fair, durable and final resolution to this long-standing dispute, including the immediate lifting of unfair U.S. duties. Unifor also recommends the federal government re-institute its Softwood Lumber Action Plan, including supports to invest in Canada’s forestry sector, maintain and create Canadian jobs and enhance supports for workers facing layoff. 

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The political consensus on taxing Chinese imports is now complete

By Janyce McGregor
CBC News
August 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

Chrystia Freeland

Now that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party have joined the chorus calling for more action against Chinese imports, a key decision facing Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland this month just got a little easier. Cross-party consensus on the wisdom of lining up with the Biden administration’s incoming tariffs on made-in-China electric vehicles provides the government with more political cover. But there’s still a risk of incoming flak. …That doesn’t always matter to lobbyists working for powerful industries. For example, softwood lumber duties on Canadian 2x4s have driven up the cost of housing construction in the U.S. for years. They’re still in place — just went up again, in fact — and remain a major cross-border trade irritant. …What will Freeland do? …Freeland’s most expedient option is to simply use her authority as minister to levy surtaxes to match the American tariffs. Consistency across the CUSMA zone would be a plus.

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Trade minister criticizes higher U.S. softwood lumber duties as unfair, unwarranted

By Kelly Geraldine Malone
The Canadian Press in National Newswatch
August 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — Canada’s international trade minister is criticizing the U.S. Department of Commerce for nearly doubling duties on softwood lumber, saying the move is unfair and unwarranted. …It’s the latest salvo in a bilateral back-and-forth that Ottawa has described as a drag on efforts to improve the cost and supply of housing. …Canadian lumber producers have already paid more than $9 billion in duties, which are held in deposit until this dispute is resolved. …A CIBC analyst note on the lumber duties said it’s unlikely Ottawa or the Biden administration are focused on solving the issue as a trade dispute because it’s not the major cause of job losses in the industry in Canada. It said job loss was linked to less robust lumber demand and B.C. fibre constraints. Canada is using a litigation route, challenging the rates through a Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement dispute panel.

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US Department of Commerce releases final determinations of softwood lumber review

Government of British Columbia
August 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US Department of Commerce released its final determinations for the fifth Administrative Review (AR5) in the antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations of imports of certain softwood lumber products from Canada. The final determination rates are listed in the table below. These rates will take effect once they are published in the U.S. Federal Register, expected within approximately one week.

Company    
 Countervailing  
 Antidumping  
 Total 
Canfor 6.14% 10.44% 16.58%
West Fraser 6.85% 5.32% 12.17%
JD Irving 3.88% 7.80% 11.68%
Tolko 9.61% 7.80% 17.41%
All Others 6.74% 7.80% 14.54%

 

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How the huge hike in U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber will impact B.C.

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
August 16, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

U.S. officials warned Canada in February that its tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber would increase, but a final decision on Tuesday that nearly doubled them was a body blow to an already challenged industry. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced its decision, which will start being applied to American imports of Canadian lumber almost immediately, to increase the total tariffs to an average rate of 14.54%  from 8.05% a year ago. “It’s not welcome at all, particularly for B.C. (which is) faced with a number of challenges,” said Kurt Niquidet, of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council. “We’re a high-cost producer, so this just adds to the cost of shipping to our major market.” …“You might see curtailments as a result, all depending on how markets, more broadly, move over the next little while,” Niquidet said. …The new tariffs add US$58 to the price paid by U.S. buyers compared with $32 under the previous rate.

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San Group files second lawsuit against Port Alberni, claiming libel

By Laura Brougham
Chek News
August 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

PORT ALBERNI, BC — San Group has filed a second lawsuit against the City of Port Alberni, saying comments made by the mayor and chief administrative officer about a recent investigation into the company amounted to libel. Both lawsuits stem from an investigation into the San Group property on July 3. San Group has previously filed one lawsuit claiming the search was illegal. On Aug. 12, the company filed a second lawsuit claiming the mayor’s subsequent comments about the investigation amounted to libel. …San Group says her statement would lead readers to believe that the company is disgusting, mistreats their foreign workers, force workers to live in uninhabitable accommodations, abuse economic power over workers, are bullies… and the plaintiffs deserve to be punished. San Group also says all of these beliefs are untrue, or close to true. …The City has 21 days to respond to the claim.

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Cochrane ‘looking tragedy in the eye’, turning it into opportunity after mill fire

By Marissa Lentz-McGrath
The Bay Today
August 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

COCHRANE, Ontario – A Cochrane company is looking at opportunities to restart a historic mill that a fire tore through last week, says the town’s mayor. At a Cochrane council meeting, Mayor Peter Politis talked about the Aug. 9 fire at the Rockshield Engineered Wood Products plant, which employs about 200 people. “They’re concerned. And my understanding is that they will try to have a plan in place by the end of the week once they have a better handle on where the insurance is, and once they’ve got a sense of how much can be salvaged and if there’s an opportunity to rebuild,” said Politis. …“Then we will focus wholeheartedly in joining them in a partnership, approaching all levels of government and turning it into opportunity.” …The mill has been the backbone of Cochrane’s economy, Politis said.

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Georgia lawmakers looking to boost struggling timber industry

By Dave Williams
Capital Beat
August 16, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

John kennedy

ATLANTA – Georgia’s forestry industry is a victim of its own success. Advanced genetics leading to fast-growing trees and a favorable climate have combined to make Georgia the No.-1 forestry state in the nation. …But with pulp and paper mills going out of business in large numbers due to intense foreign competition, demand for timber is on the decline. As a result, prices for wood are down to levels not seen since the 1970s. Those are the dynamics behind a push to find new markets for Georgia’s oversupply of wood in innovative clean energy industries ranging from cleaner aviation fuel to mass-timber building construction to electric-vehicle batteries. …The Senate Advancing Forest Innovation in Georgia Study Committee was formed this year to look for ways the state can encourage investment in sustainable forest products that will generate demand in the future. …One of those options is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), another is mass timber construction.

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Green Timber Consulting Foresters acquires Grossman Forestry Company

Green Timber Consulting Foresters Inc.
August 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

PELKIE, Michigan — Green Timber Consulting Foresters and Grossman Forestry Company announced the merger of the two companies. Justin Miller, President of Green Timber and Gerald Grossman, President of Grossman Forestry have signed a memorandum of understanding to combine their two companies via the sale of Grossman Forestry to Green Timber with an anticipated closing date of January 1, 2025. Grossman Forestry has been serving landowners in the eastern Upper Peninsula & northern Lower Peninsula since 1991, while Green Timber has been tending to forests of the western Upper Peninsula & northern Wisconsin since 2001. Together, the two companies will manage over 550,000 acres in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula. The collective staff of 17 professional foresters has over 200 years of experience in forest management, timber harvest administration, GIS, forest inventory, forest modeling and analysis, and certification auditing.

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International Paper’s Senior VP Tom Plath to leave company at end of year

By International Paper
PR Newswire
August 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Thomas Plath

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper announced today that Tom Plath, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Affairs, will leave the company at the end of the year. During his 33-year career with IP, Plath has served in a number of roles in HR, operations, marketing and general management. He was named an officer in 2013 and was elected senior vice president in 2017. His role was expanded in 2023 to SVP, human resources and corporate affairs, with responsibilities for human resources, aviation, real estate, communications, sustainability and government relations. Plath… will serve in an advisory capacity through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. A replacement has not yet been appointed.

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Industry fears ‘catastrophe,’ economic fallout ahead of potential rail stoppage

Reuters in CBC News
August 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics

North American industry groups and shippers are bracing for an unprecedented simultaneous stoppage at both of Canada’s main railway companies that could inflict billions of dollars of economic damage. …Talks between Canadian National Railway (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on one hand and the Teamsters union on the other have deadlocked, with each side accusing the other of bad faith. …A stoppage would also hit the United States, given the degree of integration between the two economies. Canada sends around 75 per cent of all goods exports south of the border. The networks of the two Canadian rail operators, CN and CPKC, connect with several key U.S. rail and shipping hubs, such as Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Memphis. …In anticipation of a potential lockout, it also announced it was embargoing all intermodal traffic originating from over half a dozen U.S. hubs with which its network connects, starting on Friday.

In related coverage: 

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Finance & Economics

Canadian housing starts jump 16% in July

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
August 16, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The total monthly seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of housing starts for all areas in Canada increased 16% in July (279,509 units) compared to June (241,643), according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The six-month trend in housing starts increased 3.2% from 247,840 units in June to 255,783 units in July. The trend measure is a six-month moving average of the SAAR of total housing starts for all areas in Canada. In Canadian urban centres with a population of 10,000 or greater, there have been 132,823 actual housing starts year-to-date (January – July) in 2024. This compares to 123,593 for the same time period in 2023, meaning actual housing starts are currently 7.5% higher in 2024. “Both the SAAR and Trend of housing starts increased in July. This was due to growth in actual year-over-year starts, driven by higher multi-unit starts, particularly in Calgary and Ottawa.” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s Chief Economist.

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Canadian GDP growth continues in May as tourism fully recovers

By Bryan Yu, Chief Economist, Central 1
Business in Vancouver
August 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The key data published this past week was national industry output or GDP, which came in above expectations at growth of 0.2 per cent month to month. This points to a better-than-expected annualized growth rate of two per cent for the second quarter of this year. …BC has consistently outperformed the national average both during and before the pandemic period. …Resources remain a critical component of B.C.’s economy and its goods exports. On the forestry front, real Canadian output pointed to a flat performance in May. Forestry and logging output rose by 0.6% and wood manufacturing gained 1.7% from the previous month. Year over year, forestry and logging were down 5.3%, while wood product manufacturing increased by 10% over the last 12 months. Nationally, wood product manufacturing was range-bound through the pandemic despite a recent uptick, while forestry and logging continues to trend lower. Year to date, the former rose by 3.2%, with forestry and logging were down 6.9%.

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Conifex reports Q2, 2024 net loss of $9.7 million

By Conifex Timber Inc.
Globe Newswire
August 13, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex Timber reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. EBITDA was negative $7.1 million for the quarter compared to EBITDA of negative $0.5 million in the first quarter of 2024 and negative $8.7 million in the second quarter of 2024. Net loss was $9.7 million for the quarter versus net loss of $4.5 million in the previous quarter and negative $9.2 million for the year-earlier quarter. Shipments of Conifex-produced lumber totaled 38.5 million board feet in the second quarter of 2024, representing a decrease of 13% from the 44.5 million board feet shipped in the previous quarter. …Electricity production contributed revenues of $4.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, $8.2 million in the previous quarter and $4.8 million in the second quarter of 2023.

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U.S. Housing Starts Plunge To Four-Year Low In July

RTT News
August 16, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

New residential construction in the U.S. saw a steep drop in the month of July, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday. The report said housing starts plunged by 6.8% to an annual rate of 1.238 million in July after jumping by 1.1% to a revised rate of 1.329 million in June. Economists had expected housing starts to slump by 1.7% to an annual rate of 1.330 million from the 1.353 million originally reported for the previous month. With the sharp pullback, housing starts tumbled to their lowest level since hitting an annual rate of 1.053 million in May 2020. Single-family housing starts led the way lower, plummeting by 14.1% to an annual rate of 851,000 in July after edging down by 0.1% to rate of 991,000 in June. On the other hand, multi-family starts soared by 14.5% to an annual rate of 387,000 in July after surging by 4.6% to a rate of 338,000 in June.

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US Inflation Falls Below 3% Amid Persistent Housing Costs

By Fan-Yu Kuo
NAHB – Eye on Housing
August 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Inflation dropped below a 3% annualized growth rate for the first time since March 2021 even though housing costs continue to climb. Nonetheless, the headline reading is another dovish signal for future monetary policy, following signs of weakness in the most recent job report. Despite a slowdown in the year-over-year increase, shelter costs continue to exert significant upward pressure on inflation, contributing nearly 90% of the monthly increase in overall inflation and over 70% of the total 12-month increase in core inflation. As consistent disinflation and a cooling labor market bring the economy into better balance, the Fed is likely to further solidify behind the case for rate cuts, which could help ease some pressure on the housing market. …The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.2% in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, after declining 0.1% in June. 

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US Builder Confidence Moves Lower as Market Waits for Rate Cuts

By Robert Dietz
NAHB – Eye on Housing
August 15, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

A lack of affordability and buyer hesitation stemming from elevated interest rates and high home prices contributed to a decline in builder sentiment in August. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 39 in August, down two points from a downwardly revised reading of 41 in July. …Challenging housing affordability conditions remain the top concern for prospective home buyers, as both present sales and traffic readings showed weakness. However, with current inflation data pointing to interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve and mortgage rates down markedly in the second week of August, buyer interest and builder sentiment should improve in the months ahead. …The HMI index charting current sales conditions in August fell two points to 44 and the gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers also declined by two points to 25. The component measuring sales expectations in the next six months increased one point to 49.

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Navigating uncertainty in Europe’s wood pellet market

By Anna Simet
Biomass Magazine
August 15, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Europe is the world’s largest wood pellet market, producing just slightly more than it consumes. According to Bioenergy Europe’s Statistical Report 2024, released in June, the EU alone produced 20.7 million metric tons in 2023 and consumed 21.9 million MT. That equates to producing 44% and consuming 50% of the world’s pellets. But while production and consumption has steadily climbed in the EU and United Kingdom without interruption for nearly the past decade, last year saw a deviation from that trend. Wood pellet consumption actually declined by a collective 2 million tons from 2022 to 2023, from 32.1 million MT to 30.1 million MT, the culmination of a number of market forces. …Bioenergy Europe highlights the challenges the European pellet industry has faced as being threefold: higher input prices, falling industrial demand and a record warm winter. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

USGBC student design competition winners 2023-2024

US Green Building Council
August 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

To encourage Midwest students to become familiar with the LEED rating system, the USGBC opened its 4th Annual Student Design Competition for the 2023-2024 school year. Students had to be enrolled in an architecture or urban planning college or university during the academic school year. The winning projects were announced on August 14, 2024. The competition focused on three project types incorporating either the LEED v4.1 rating system for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) or the LEED for Neighborhood Development (ND) rating system as the design criteria. The winning entries demonstrated particular emphasis on understanding LEED criteria. First place went to Lisa Sun at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, followed by Meredy Thomas at Lawrence Technological University, Natalie DenBesten at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, and Elisabet Mai Jatmiko at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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Forestry

B.C. will continue to burn, so what can we do about it?

By Todd Whitcombe, UNBC chemistry professor
The Prince George Citizen
August 15, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

On average, BC has experienced 1,483 wildfires per year over the past decade. We are certainly on pace to exceed that number this year. …Fortunately, Prince George has not suffered a major fire yet. The city is doing what it can to prevent a major firestorm…but the sort of conflagration which has devastated Jasper is still a possibility. After all, we live in a forested landscape. We also keep building new developments into existing forests. It is likely only a matter of time before our region suffers a heat dome sufficient to dry out the woods and allow a fire to take hold. …42% of fires are human-caused. And as our population keeps growing, the likelihood of fires caused by human interactions will continue to increase. Add in hot, dry summers and it is not a question of will B.C. burn, but when will it happen? And what are we doing to prepare?

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Coastal First Nations, B.C. renew commitment to work together on coastal sustainability, tourism, economic development

Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconcilliation
The Province of BC
August 15, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative (CFN) and the Government of BC are renewing their commitment to work together through a reconciliation agreement that builds off the success of their 2009 reconciliation protocol and 2020 Pathway to Reconciliation MOU. …Christine Smith-Martin, CEO of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative said, “We have improved land and marine use planning throughout the Great Bear and launching a marine protected area network that sets a new precedent for conservation and sustainable management. We look forward to working together on Reconciliation 2.0.” The Province is contributing $1.6 million annually for implementation funding for four years. …The agreement outlines how coastal First Nations and the Province will work together to increase the quality of life throughout the area. This includes… clean energy, and opportunities in coastal forestry, and reinforces CFN’s conservation efforts in the Great Bear Rainforest.

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Province of BC and ‘Na̲mg̲is endorse Gwa’ni land-use planning recommendations

The North Island Gazette
August 15, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new collaborative approach to land-use planning on northern Vancouver Island will help protect ‘Na̲mg̲is First Nation cultural values and biodiversity, while providing operational clarity for the forest industry within ‘Na̲mg̲is territory. Developed through a government-to-government process between the Province and ‘Na̲mg̲is, the Gwa’ni Land Use Plan introduces modifications to the existing Vancouver Island Land Use Plan. …“The implementation of the Gwa’ni recommendations is an important step forward to addressing long-standing concerns of the Nation, setting the stage for achieving shared stewardship responsibilities and establishing new approaches to support a sustainable forestry industry in the north island,” said Victor Isaac, ‘Na̲mg̲is Chief Councillor. …“Western is pleased to see the progress being made in advancing the Gwa’ni Land Use Plan,” said Steven Hofer, president and CEO, Western Forest Products. “…The plan also proposes two new areas for conservation that would cover approximately 1,600 hectares of the 166,000-hectare watershed.

BC Government Press Release: B.C., ‘Na̲mg̲is endorse Gwa’ni land-use planning recommendations

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Boreal Wetland Centre part of research project on restoring vegetation growth on cut lines

By Curtis Galbraith
Everything Grande Prairie
August 15, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

GRANDE PRAIRIE, Alberta — The Boreal Wetland Centre in Evergreen Park is playing a role in research on restoring vegetation to cut lines in the forest left by oil and gas exploration. The researchers are with the Canadian Forest Service, a branch of Natural Resources Canada. Scientist Jaime Pinzon says a lot of what he calls seismic lines do not show many signs of recovery even decades later, especially on peat lands. The study is looking at soil mounding, creating dirt piles where tree cans grow. Pinzon says this is a “common restoration technique.” …Pinzon says mounding provides a a raised surface which can provide a better growing surface for tree seedlings. He adds excavators are used to dig up peat along the seismic lines to create these mounds. …He is hoping data collection will continue at the site at the Boreal Wetland Centre will continue long-term.

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B.C. wildfire costs reach about $387M so far this year, wildfire service says

The Canadian Press in the Times Colonist
August 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia has already spent about $387 million battling fires so far this year, as crews brace for more lightning-caused starts in the coming days, the director of provincial operations for the province’s wildfire service said Tuesday. Cliff Chapman told a news conference that the price tag marks about a 17% decrease from the amount spent by this time last year. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the province spent about $1 billion fighting fires in 2023, the worst season on record for total area burned. The BC Wildfire Service said hot and dry weather paired with 29 consecutive days of lightning has led to the more than 400 active wildfires burning across the province. Chapman said there were roughly the same number of fires burning across the province last year, but they were much larger.

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‘A lot of risk’: Forestry expert who warned of catastrophic Jasper fire worries about Canmore and Banff

By David Staples
The Edmonton Journal
August 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ken Hodges, the veteran forester who years ago warned Parks Canada about the potential for a catastrophic wildfire in Jasper, is now worried about wildfire hitting hard in Banff and Canmore. Hodges, retired in Canmore, was pained by what he sees as government inaction in the lead up to the Jasper wildfire. “Was there anything that could have been done to stop it? Maybe.” …Hodges, for 35 years a forester for the BC government, worked in the Prince George region. …Government logging, prescribed burns and clearing of deadfall has been carried out on public land around Canmore, but nothing is being done on some large tracts of private land around town, Hodges said. “That creates a major issue.” …After the devastating Waterton National Park fire of 2017, Hodges and fellow forester Emile Begin prepared a report for Jasper town and park officials on the dangers of a major fire.

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Fraser River debris trap catches over 30,000 cubic metres of Chilcotin landslide debris

By Kemone Moodley
The Chilliwack Progress
August 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

About 30,000 cubic metres of debris from the Chilcotin River landslide was successfully caught by a debris trap in the Fraser River near Hope. It was a momentous moment for the partnership between the province and Shxw’ōwhámél First Nation. “Overnight success at the Fraser River Debris Trap!” said Minister Bowinn Ma. It trapped 30,000 cubic metres of woody debris from the Chilcotin landslide.” …The debris — which mainly consisted of logs — was successfully caught by the trap on Aug. 6 after water overflowed the dam, formed by the landslide, on Aug. 5. Shxw’ōwhámél signed the Fraser River Debris Trap Co-Management agreement with the B.C. government back on June 17, 2023. …In operation for over 40 years now, the Fraser River Debris Trap reduces the volume of woody material flowing into the lower reaches of the Fraser River and Salish Sea. …The wood collected by the trap will eventually be repurposed.

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Wildfires are increasing toxic mercury in Idaho streams, new study finds

By Elizabeth Walsh
The Idaho Statesman
August 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

IDAHO — Wildfires have been burning across Idaho this summer, and their list of harmful impacts is long. But a recent U.S. Geological Survey has added another bad side effect to the list: the rise of a toxic chemical. The study sampled 57 streams at the beginning of river systems in Idaho, Oregon and Washington for mercury, a chemical that can damage the human nervous system at high concentrations. In both water and sediment from the streams, one-year post-fire, mercury concentrations were higher. Concentrations of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, were also 178% higher in water from burned streams. Insects that filtered stream water or ate debris also had higher levels. The compound becomes dangerous as it accumulates in animals over time, according to the WHO. “There hasn’t been a lot of work done on the effects of wildfire on mercury,” Austin Baldwin, a USGS research hydrologist who led the study.

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How Maine is unique in fighting emerald ash borer

By Elizabeth Walztoni
The Bangor Daily News
August 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MAINE — The larvae of long, green beetles are winding their way under the bark of Maine’s brown ash trees in northern and southern pockets of the state. Known as emerald ash borers, the insects have decimated ash trees in the Great Lakes already. They likely will do the same here one day, local researchers said. But for 20 years, Maine has been preparing with a focus on protecting Wabanaki traditions and including Indigenous knowledge, an approach setting it apart from other states. Maine has also had more time to prepare: emerald ash borers were found in Michigan in 2002 and spread steadily eastward. They weren’t found here until 2018. …Joining together as the Ash Protection Collaboration Across Wabanakik, university researchers, state and federal forestry agencies, conservation groups, tribes and basketmakers planned their approach. They join Western and Indigenous approaches to science, research and decision-making.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Canada Growth Fund investing up to $137 million in B.C.’s Svante

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
August 15, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Claude Letourneau

BURNABY, BC — The Canada Growth Fund was established in 2022 with $15 billion in funding to provide investment capital to Canadian technologies and projects that reduce GHG emissions. The Canada Growth Fund announced that Svante will receive up to $137 million from the fund, in two tranches. “The intent of that money is primarily for us to be a bit more aggressive in building first-of-a kind carbon capture facilities,” Svante CEO Claude Letourneau said. …Svante developed an alternative to the “wet” solvent-based technology typically used to capture CO2 from industrial flue stacks. Svante’s innovation is a dry, solid adsorption filter that pulls CO2 out of flue gas, and a machine – the rotary adsorption machine (RAM) — that wrings the CO2 out of the filters after it has been captured. …Letourneau said the company will be concentrating on industries like steel and pulp and paper mills, bioenergy and bio-ethanol.

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Health & Safety

Air quality advisory issued for almost all of Manitoba, including Winnipeg, due to wildfire smoke

CBC News
August 16, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nearly all of Manitoba is now under an air quality advisory as smoke from wildfires continues to move across the province, including the city of Winnipeg. That smoke is either causing or expected to cause very poor air quality and reduced visibility across all areas of Manitoba, except for a small area in its southeastern corner, Environment and Climate Change Canada said in an alert early Friday morning. Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and vary considerably from hour to hour, the alert said. During those kinds of heavy smoke conditions, everyone is at risk regardless of their age or health, the weather agency said. The fine particles in wildfire smoke pose the main risk to people’s health.

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Workplace report blames B.C. Wildfire Service again in another firefighter’s 2023 death

The Canadian Press in the Vancouver Sun
August 15, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Devyn Gale

An owner’s manual outlining the required use of approved safety helmets, seatbelts and cab netting for the operation of a utility vehicle was found near the scene of a rollover accident that resulted in the death a BC Wildfire Service firefighter, says a workplace investigation report. The WorkSafeBC report says the driver and passenger in the utility vehicle, known as a UTV, were not wearing helmets, the cab netting retention system was damaged and at least one of the people was not wearing a seatbelt in last summer’s crash east of Pink Mountain near Fort St. John, B.C. …It’s the second WorkSafeBC report into the deaths of B.C. wildfire firefighters in recent days. A report Wednesday into the death of firefighter Devyn Gale, 19, last July cited ineffective hazard management by the BC Wildfire Service, inadequate supervision, training and orientation of young workers, unsafe work procedures and normalization of risk.

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Safety failures prior to wildfire fighter’s death: WorkSafeBC

By Alex Nguyen
CBC News
August 14, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Devyn Gale

A WorkSafeBC report has found several safety failures leading up to the death of a 19-year-old wildfire fighter last summer. On July 13, 2023, a burning cedar fell on Devyn Gale, fatally injuring her, while she was fighting a wildfire near Revelstoke, B.C., about 150 kilometres east of Kamloops. Two firefighters were also injured while trying to free Gale, according to the provincial workplace safety agency’s report, which was finalized close to a year after her death. Based on its investigation, WorkSafeBC called the hazard management and supervision prior to the incident “ineffective” and “inadequate.” It said young, inexperienced firefighters were deployed to the area without sufficient training. In addition, the agency found the B.C. Wildfire Service has a culture that normalizes risks around dangerous trees even though it is aware of safety concerns related to them. …WorkSafeBC said that it is currently considering the report’s findings to determine appropriate enforcement action.

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Wildfires are growing under climate change, and their smoke threatens farmworkers, study says

By Dorany Pineda
The Associated Press in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
August 15, 2024
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

LOS ANGELES — As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. …“What forces us to work is necessity,” Salinas said. “We always expose ourselves to danger out of necessity, whether by fire or disaster.” As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, a new study shows that farmworkers are paying a heavy price by being exposed to high levels of air pollution. And in Sonoma County, the focus of the work, researchers found that a program aimed at determining when it was safe to work during wildfires did not adequately protect farmworkers. They recommended a series of steps to safeguard the workers’ health, including air quality monitors at work sites, stricter requirements for employers, emergency plans and trainings in various languages, post-exposure health screenings and hazard pay.

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Forest History & Archives

East Texas’ Biggest Labor Disputes: The Lumber Wars of 1911–1912

By Michael Garcia
KETK.com
August 12, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: United States, US East

TYLER, Texas – Did you know that the Piney Woods of East Texas and Louisiana were once the site of some of the most violent labor struggles in the region’s history? …For two years the Piney Woods of Louisiana and East Texas were rife with a series of strikes that would come to be known as the Louisiana and Texas Lumber War of 1911–1912. This “war” was fought by sawmill workers organized as the Brotherhood of Timber Workers against lumber companies like the Kirby Lumber Company owned by Kirbyville namesake John Henry Kirby and the Long-Bell Lumber Company. According to a journal article from Louisiana History… Kirby was a leading figure in the South Lumber Operators Association. …The outcome was a tremendous moral victory for the workers, and the entire trial background and proceedings contributed to a great radical push in Louisiana at the end of the year, but the final result was the union’s demise as a viable force in the Louisiana-Texas piney woods.

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