The Tyee’s Ben Parfitt concludes the last of his series on forestry in BC. In related news: International Paper to cut jobs in San Antonio; Hurricane Helene damage puts North Carolina rail line out of commission for months; and the European Central Bank lowers its key rate again this year. Meanwhile, the Canadian pulp industry struggles to replace retirees with new hires; and the benefits of building with mass timber are exhibited in Syracuse, New York.
In Forestry/Climate news: an Albertan pulp mill is fined for an unregulated release into fish-bearing waters; more transparency is needed about wildfire management; Europe is not ready for increasing climate change weather; and conservation groups in Canada celebrate a major funding milestone. Meanwhile: researchers promote assisted migration in tree-planting strategies; landslides are modelled in California with more precision; and a breakthrough in understanding the relationship between plant growth and disease resistance.
Finally, the ‘absurd’ idea of burying wood to store carbon.
Suzanne Hopkinson, Tree Frog Editor
The concept of building small apartment buildings with a single staircase is being met with renewed debate, this time in Burnaby. Earlier this year, the province announced building code changes that removed the requirement to have two stairwells in multi-unit buildings of up to six storeys. The province argues that allowing single stairwells will allow for more units in buildings and that modern safety regulations have eliminated the need for two stairwells. But designer and housing advocate Bryn Davidson says he’s been told a municipal planner in Burnaby that the city won’t accept single-stairwell designs, due to safety concerns from the local fire department… groups say the B.C. government made its changes outside of Canada’s national code development process, while the International Codes Council rejected a similar proposed change in May.
Two clean energy projects are underway in Sequim and Port Angeles, aided by funding obtained from the state Department of Commerce. These projects will help reduce byproduct waste for the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) and aid in construction of an independent microgrid for the Clallam County Public Utility District (PUD) No. 1. The CRTC will use about two-thirds of its $437,000 grant to buy equipment that can repurpose wood byproducts resulting from housing kit production. The remaining one-third will go to the Makah Tribe, which will also use the funds to reduce wood byproducts… The CRTC thermally modifies the lumber, which collapses the wood and removes much of the moisture, resulting in pressure-treated wood without the use of chemicals.
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Following a $1.6M investment from the Government of Canada, Trans Canada Trail is excited to introduce a new program to help local trail groups fund tree-planting activities across Canada. The Planting for Tomorrow program provides funding for tree-planting, invasive species removal, seed collection and seed starting projects. These projects will contribute to nature-based solutions that improve ecosystems, enhance biodiversity and engage local communities from coast to coast to coast in volunteerism and participation… Trans Canada Trail will partner with trail groups across the country to plant 150,000 trees over the next three years. This program’s launch follows consultation with trail groups to understand their capacity and need to plant trees and tree-planting pilot projects.
There is no solution to climate change and terrestrial biodiversity loss that does not involve healthy forest ecosystems. Canada is deeply committed to the principles of sustainable forest management. We are working with domestic and international partners to support healthy forests for generations to come. Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment of over $20 million to support initiatives that advance sustainable forest policy and forest stewardship globally. Through Canada’s 
Trees are a defining feature of the North Shore. They help to cool the surface temperature, and absorb water as it runs down slopes and off asphalt surfaces… But having too many trees in residential neighbourhoods can create wildfire risks, so the district should be careful when it adds more protections… While it’s hard to find anyone in the district who isn’t inspired by trees, Mayor Little expressed his “unpopular opinion” that too many green giants ought not to grow close to homes… “While I applaud the goal to retain trees throughout our community for all of the natural benefits that are self evident in there, I do think that the right place for most of them is on our public lands,” he added.
The operator of a pulp mill in northwestern Alberta has been fined $1 million for letting almost 31 million litres of toxic wastewater flow into the Peace River. Environment and Climate Change Canada says the effluent released in April 2021 was “acutely lethal” to fish. Mercer Peace River Pulp Ltd. pleaded guilty last month to a section of the Fisheries Act. The conviction means the company’s name will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry. The federal government says the pulp mill was shut down for maintenance and waste was directed to a spill pond, where it was to be stored until it could be gradually treated and released into the river. But the investigation found there wasn’t enough room in the pond for that additional effluent.
As the gap between burned areas and replanting widens year after year, scientists see big challenges beyond where to put seedlings. The U.S. currently lacks the ability to collect enough seeds from living trees and the nursery capacity to grow seedlings for replanting on a scale anywhere close to stemming accelerating losses, researchers say. It also doesn’t have enough trained workers to plant and monitor trees. The Forest Service said the biggest roadblock to replanting on public land is completing environmental and cultural assessments and preparing severely burned areas so they’re safe to plant. That can take years — while more forests are lost to fire… 
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People with common sense only agree to spend huge sums of money if they are sure of getting a worthwhile result. Logically, you’d expect Canadian government websites would have the information we need to make a common-sense decision: how much will Net Zero cost us, and what benefit in “global cooling” will our spending achieve?… For Canada alone, the Royal Bank of Canada suggests reaching 75 per cent of Net Zero by 2050 will cost $60 billion Cdn a year, which works out to about $1,500 a year for every Canadian, or $6,000 a year for a family of four… Faced with these numbers, a person with common sense asks: if we make ourselves poorer by $6,000 or more per household a year, how much “global warming” will our sacrifices prevent?
