A new program is available through the Wood Manufacturing Council for those looking to develop their skills for a career in the value-added wood manufacturing sector. The WMC Woodworking Skills Training Development program provides the pre-employment machinery and technology training and essential skills required for manufacturing jobs in kitchen cabinets, furniture, architectural millwork, and wood windows and doors. The program includes a 2-week Essential Skills unit, blended with: 10 Weeks of Wood Manufacturing Training – Focussed on Machinery and Technology; 12 Weeks On the Job Paid Work Placement; Free shop gear: steel-toed work boots, carpenters’ pouch, tools; and transportation support. Participants will finish with safety certification and the latest credentials.
The UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing is offering six Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC) On-line Management Skills Training courses starting on February 14, 2022. The goal is to teach skills that can be immediately applied in the workplace. The management training program is in the form of a set of 9 short, affordable online training courses for wood manufacturers. The program is geared toward entrepreneurs in the wood industry who need to learn about and implement various management systems in order to delegate responsibilities and focus on business growth; management or supervisory-track employees within wood products companies of all sizes who need to gain new skills to move into positions of greater responsibility; employees who need to understand specific functions within their company in order to do their own jobs more efficiently and people from non-wood products backgrounds who are preparing to take on supervisory or management roles in the industry.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently issued ministerial mandate letters that outline overall expectations and policy objectives for the nation, which include building codes changes and a net-zero emissions building strategy. Trudeau’s instructions contain a mandate to develop national model building codes “that align with national climate objectives and provide a standard for climate-resilient buildings.” Trudeau also wants a net-zero emissions building code and model retrofit code developed by the end of 2024. Currently, Canada relies on a committee of provincial and territorial volunteers to drive building code development. Trudeau’s recent actions reflect “a recognition that accelerating building code adoption, enforcement, and compliance will require federal action to spur market readiness activities in provinces and municipalities,” according to published reports.
EDMONTON, AB – The provincial government has announced a string of new partnerships to boost Alberta’s workforce and help residents find good jobs. A $1.53 million investment under the Workforce Partnerships program will support 16 different projects. The projects will give Albertans a range of job opportunities in several different sectors, including biotechnology, commercial trucking, energy, aviation, forestry and retail. …Supported projects include:
Given increased interest and emphasis on growing and diversifying Canada’s value-added wood exports, the Tree Frog News decided to have a closer look at BC Wood’s Export Readiness Program—which kicked off last week. In an 
Join us for our next Friday Webinar Series session where our focus will be on: Managing Developer and Owner Expectations and Hurdles for Integrating Mass Timber Products Into Hybrid Building Systems. Today, Developers and Owners have high expectations when considering Mass Timber. They like that it is environmentally friendly, that it provides similar strength to steel and/or concrete within a smaller footprint and a lighter weight-bearing load, that it builds at faster completion times than conventional builds, that it is fire resistant and rated to North American code requirements. This session explores managing these expectations and the hurdles when integrating mass timber products into their new building projects.
Investing in Canada’s forest sector by building sustainable communities is an investment in our future. Encouraging the increased use of wood in Canada’s construction industry will help achieve our climate change goals while increasing the demand for Canadian wood products and creating good jobs for Canadians. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced an $887,000 investment to support the replacement of the Duchesnay Creek Bridge that connects the City of North Bay and the Nipissing First Nation. The Government of Ontario contributed $17 million. … This funding supported the design and construction of the new replacement bridge and was made with the intention of maintaining the original timber aesthetic of the old bridge. … This high-visibility project will help promote the use of mass timber in highway bridges across Canada. 
The Government of Canada has embraced circular economy and is supporting an increasing number of initiatives in the field. …The purpose of this study is to provide a Canadian perspective on how, and to what extent, forest products are compatible with circular economy strategies. This topic was investigated through interviews with 16 Canadian experts in eco-design, circular economy, forest products and/or waste management, with a focus on construction and packaging. Efforts made by forest industries at the manufacturing stage to reduce resource consumption were acknowledged, but the implementation of other circular economy strategies, such as reuse, recycling and energy recovery, is uneven. While there is low-hanging fruit for incremental improvements, such as the processing of recovered lumber in wood panels and not mixing cardboard fibres with other paper streams to avoid downcycling, several barriers to the widespread adoption of the most promising strategies were identified.
The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) recently announced the winners of the 2022 Timber Education Prize, a competition that supports innovative courses and curriculum to be taught at architecture schools across North America. The prizes recognize effective and innovative instruction that create a stimulating and evidence-based environment for learning about timber. …Through its education program, the SLB is dedicated to closing knowledge gaps about the use of wood products for their climate benefits, increasing wood usage, and capitalizing on emerging construction trends. “Our funding of the 2022 Timber Education Prize supports architecture school educators who are ensuring graduates enter the profession with full knowledge of sustainable forestry, the science of wood building products, and the ability to catalyze profound innovations in architecture,” said Simon Hyoun, SLB’s Senior Director of Education..gif?upscale=true&width=1116&upscale=true&name=Picture1%20(1).gif)
It’s widely believed that many forests in the western U.S. are sick and need surgery using chainsaws and fire. But two major barriers stand in the way: Figuring out how to pay for the work and how to keep it from adding to the greenhouse gasses piling up in the atmosphere. Now, a team of California researchers say part of the solution in their state – and elsewhere – could be making fuel and buildings from the skinny trees and leftover branches once treated as worthless scrap. “If we’re really efficient… we can achieve both net carbon benefits and wildfire mitigation benefits,” said Bodie Cabiyo at the University of California, Berkeley. …The computer modeling showed… these wood products would also lead to nearly a doubling in the overall reduction in carbon emissions – the equivalent of 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
If you live in California, there is a chance you have visited a mass timber building or heard about mass timber developments … Advocates claim it can help California build its way out of overstocked, diseased, and highly flammable forests. But what exactly is mass timber and why are environmentalists, housing rights advocates, and foresters, alike, interested in growing the sector? These questions and more are answered by the Sierra Institute for the Community and Environment in a new report for California’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection … The authors of the report outline steps that the state can take to grow the sector in ways that align with climate change, forest management, and equitable development goals. Steve Marshall … co-author of this report, explained “… we found that with the right policy mechanisms in place, the state can align manufacturing incentives with cross-cutting goals to improve forest management and build a better future.”
For the past six years, West Fraser (formerly Norbord), has partnered with RIBA Journal to hold an annual competition that challenges architects to use the industry’s most popular OSB brand, 
A new white paper on mass timber construction with input from 24 major UK insurers is recommending that hybrid structures combining traditional and modern method of construction may represent the best route forward to satisfying multiple considerations including insurance risks and carbon reduction. ‘Insurance Challenges of Massive and Mass Timber Construction’ has been published by RISCAuthority, an annually funded research scheme supported by a significant group of UK insurers. David Williams, chairman of RISCAuthority, said it should not be a surprise that insurance models and customer expectations may need to change “quite radically” to address substantial changes in construction methods and material use. RISCAuthority’s Massive Timber Working group analysed insurance challenges of newer proposed building methods with a view to assisting future dialogue in creating buildings that meet all needs of safety, carbon reduction, and resilience to the insured perils of fire, escape of water and flood. 
