Will Gardiner
As the world’s leading producer and supplier of sustainable biomass, Drax is committed to ensuring the biomass we source delivers positive outcomes for the climate, for nature and for the communities in which we operate. To be clear, not all biomass is sustainable or renewable, but when sourced in the right way it does lead to the positive outcomes we are committed to delivering, and we have clear policies and processes in place to ensure this is the case. …This week, we have seen inaccurate statements about Drax that have focused primarily on the views of a vocal minority who oppose biomass. Many of these claims have sought to repeat the inaccurate views about biomass, which have for years been promoted by those who are ill-informed about the science behind sustainable forestry and climate change, and those who have vested interests in seeing the biomass industry fail.
VANCOUVER — First came the moths. Then came the drought. The trees of Stanley Park, typically the green jewel of Vancouver’s downtown core, just can’t catch a break. Experts say large numbers of browning trees appear dead or dying, because of a one-two combination of foliage-munching grubs and an exceptionally dry weather spell… City of Vancouver arborist Joe McLeod said trees already stressed by infestations of western hemlock looper moth larva have been further pushed toward breaking point by the prolonged summer-like conditions. …Richard Hamelin, the department head of forest conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia, agreed that it’s not just the ongoing problem of the looper moths that is killing trees. “The heat and the drought are like additional stress that affects those trees,” said Hamelin. …McLeod has put out a request for proposals, asking experts to come up with suggestions about how to manage the moth outbreak. 
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tgam/44ZLOXNEWNFOPODZT6TQXTPB6A.JPG)
The BC Green Party has tabled legislation to protect bear dens, which double as winter nurseries. Adam Olsen, Green MLA for Saanich North and the Islands … hopes the bill might garner cross-party support. …Biologist Helen Davis, who has researched bear dens for three decades, said the bill is potentially a positive step to ensure bear populations and forests remain healthy. Coastal black bears rely almost exclusively on hollows in massive old-growth trees to protect them from weather and predators such as cougars, she said. However, the persistent loss of large trees to logging over the past century means good den sites are declining. …The proposed legislation shouldn’t be too onerous for the province to enact or forestry companies to follow, Davis said. Logging companies harvesting on Crown land must already leave some stands of trees untouched for wildlife’s sake, she said.
ONTARIO — Matawa Chiefs Council says it “stands in solidarity” behind the legal action undertaken by three Treaty 9 First Nations against the Government of Ontario in an effort to stop what it describes as a degradation of the boreal forest within their traditional territory. The plaintiffs — Chapleau Cree, Missanabie and Brunswick House First Nations — claim by allowing forestry practices such as aerial spraying of pesticides including using the herbicide glyphosate, the government has broken the Treaty 9 promise for First Nations to continue “their way of life and livelihoods” – hunting, trapping, fishing, and harvesting wild plants for food and medicine. …The problem, she said, is her clients can no longer pursue their traditional way of life and livelihoods in their territories, adding that they are not against sustainable forestry.
The summer of 2021 saw enormous, record-breaking fires rip through the forests of Northern Ontario. A total of 1,198 forest fires razed over 790,000 hectares of land — the most ever burned in the Ontario’s history. …But, even as climate change worsens and Ontario’s wildfire seasons threaten to lengthen and intensify, the provincial government is struggling to retain or train the men and women who fly into remote communities to battle the dangerous blazes. It’s an issue Ontario has been tracking since at least 2015 — and one it continues to struggle with. …A key concern raised in government reports is that fire rangers — who often spend the summer months isolated in remote parts of Northern Ontario and winter without full-time government work — are being underpaid. …The nature of forest firefighting means work-life balance leaves much to be desired, some say. Overtime can help to compensate, but it alone is not the answer.
The American Loggers Council announces the introduction of a Senate Resolution, House Resolution of Support, and Letter of Recognition from President Biden designating October 12th as “National Loggers Day”. Loggers were a part of carving out a new life in America 400 years ago and they continue to build America every day. Loggers today carry on the proud tradition that has been a part of the American fabric since the beginning and will continue to be in the future. The proud timber industry heritage depicted by the iconic Paul Bunyan lives on in today’s loggers. They are an American legacy. “Our forest products industry has supported good-paying jobs, driven local economies, strengthened rural communities, and protected our natural environment. I come from a six-generation forest-products family and know of no other enterprise that requires more faith in the future and respect for the past,” said Senator Collins. 
ORONO, Maine — Tropical forests can mitigate climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, some forests may not be able to sequester more of it because their habitats lack sufficient supplies of nutrients. Amanda Olsen, a University of Maine associate professor, says one way plants receive nutrients is through weathering, a process in which bedrock breaks down due to physical, chemical and biological forces and releases nutrients to soils. Determining if weathering releases minerals from bedrock fast enough to support tropical forest productivity, particularly in nutrient-poor areas, is the focus of her latest study in collaboration with Bill McDowell, a professor with the University of New Hampshire. The National Science Foundation awarded more than $311,000 for the project, which will examine chemical weathering in forested areas in southwestern Puerto Rico.
The Custer Gallatin National Forest announced it has revised its draft environmental assessment for the (approx 16,500-acre) South Plateau Landscape Area Treatment Project, and a 30-day comment period is open until Nov. 5. If approved, crews would conduct an estimated 5,551 acres of scattered clear-cuts, 6,593 acres of commercial thinning, 2,514 acres of non-commercial thinning and 1,804 acres of additional fuels treatments in the project area. Lodgepole pine stands dominate the area that would be logged, and the Forest Service wrote that over 26,000 of those acres are highly susceptible to mountain pine beetle due to ”the homogenous size, age and tree spacing.” …Mike Garrity, executive director of Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said that the act of adding clear-cuts and logging roads will threaten grizzly bears and Canada lynx — a species that relies on the hiding cover provided by dense trees.
MISSOULA, Mont. — Foresters, nursery managers and urban planners have long sought funding to grow more trees, replant burned areas and help marginalized communities prepare for the effects of climate change. Suddenly, the money isn’t the problem — it’s figuring out how to spend it. “We went from a dripping faucet to a tsunami wave,” said Kasten Dumroese, national nursery specialist and research plant physiologist with the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.” That “tsunami wave” comes from a pair of bills signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021 and August of this year. The infrastructure and climate packages set aside billions of dollars to reforest millions of acres, plant trees in underserved communities, restore landscapes burned by wildfire, revitalize nursery programs and rehabilitate mined lands. …Despite the challenges … forestry leaders expressed confidence that they would capitalize on the possibilities presented by the investment.
The General Assembly of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), to be held in Bali on Oct. 9-14, is an opportunity for the FSC to ensure fairness and equality for stakeholders around the world, especially in encouraging improvements in forest governance, as well as the expansion of forest rehabilitation and restoration. …At the next General Assembly, one of the important points on the agenda to be discussed is the new policy related to the Policy for Association (PfA), Policy to Address Conversion (PAC) and the Remedy Framework. …If approved, the motion could support the FSC’s target of certifying 300 million ha of forests. The approval is also expected to expand the application of FSC certification in forest plantations worldwide, including in Indonesia. …One of the important points in this motion is the change in the cut-off date – the deadline for authorized natural forest conversion into forest plantations – from November 1994 to December 31, 2020.