FPInnovations’ partnership with Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY continues to stimulate the Canadian Pulp and Paper (P&P) industry by focusing on energy management, process debottleneck to facilitate the diversification of products, and reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (GHG). Energy efficiency and process debottlenecking have become essential to the P&P industry in Canada to maximize mill assets operation and utilization and to facilitate the integration of new technologies as they transition to become carbon-negative processes and biorefineries. Energy efficiency is a key pillar of Canada’s climate change policy [1]. The P&P industry is one of the most energy-intensive sectors in Canada. Energy consumption in this sector represents 15% of the Canadian industrial sector secondary energy use [2]. Although the industry covers most of its energy requirements with biomass fuels, fossil fuels are still used to produce heat and power, and for calcination of lime mud in the kraft process.
One of the issues that sawmills encounter is in setting equipment control parameters. In a perfect world, the information inputted would yield the expected end results. But, as many process control and optimization personnel at sawmills know, that’s not always the case. Working towards the digital transformation of the wood products sector, FPInnovations has been looking at ways to improve the accuracy and performance of log turners used during primary wood processing using new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. A key machine to maximizing yield in primary wood processing is the log turner – it rotates the log and position it optimally in preparation for cutting. …To put this into perspective, the benchmark for rotation error is around 10 to 13 degrees. Why reduce rotation error? Well, each time rotation error is reduced by as little as one degree, the material yield (recovery) increases by 0.15%.
As the use of new and emerging green building technologies continues to grow, so will the need for a skilled workforce to design and install these systems properly. In a session called The Human Side of New Technology at the Canada Green Building Council’s (CaGBC) recent conference, panellists discussed how workforce capacity issues can impact the implementation of green building technology. …In terms of mass timber and the wood industry, there are issues when it comes to supply chains and manufacturing as well as labour, said Peter Moonen, with the Canadian Wood Council. …Reed Kelterborn (Canadian Wood Council), said one of the issues is out of all the accredited civil engineering programs in Canada about a third of them don’t offer any wood design curriculum for students. …Moonen said accreditation for any trade should be consistent across the country which is difficult when you’ve got provincial training authorities and accreditation boards.
Discussion can become passionate concerning construction’s impact on the world’s environment. Many feel moving away from steel and concrete to mass timber construction is the answer to the industry’s carbon emission woes. …Steel production is said to be responsible for nearly 10 per cent of all CO2 emissions. However, 99 per cent of steel is recycled, and represents up to 40 per cent of global demand. Concrete production creates about the same amount of global carbon emissions as steel. However, the industry has set a goal to halve industry emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. And then there is mass timber. Could it be the industry’s carbon panacea? “We want to debunk the myth that mass timber is in any way, shape, or form related to some kind of environmental benefit,” said John Talberth, president of the Center for Sustainable Economy.
Timber framing is generally associated with residential construction but there are plenty of reasons it should fly in the commercial sector. If only more owners knew about it. “I think the biggest thing for commercial is making people aware that they can do it,” says Tim Buhler, technical manager with the Ontario Wood WORKS! Program, part of the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). …Buhler, gave a webinar presentation on timber in commercial applications at Timber Talks, a series presented by the Wood WORKS! Program. …In late November the CWC will release a lowrise commercial timber guide to help owners who want to build a wood building but don’t want to design it from scratch. …The 2020 edition of the National Building Code of Canada that allows up to 12-storey structures in mass timber will be released soon.
Founded in 1965 by Art Gensler and under the current leadership of Co-CEOs, Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins, 
To support market innovation in wood products, the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) announced today it will pledge $420,000 in matching funds to the USDA Forest Service’s 2022 
As the first ever Built Environment Day at COP26 approaches, Timber Development UK is calling for world and industry leaders to recognise the pressing need to use wood in construction. With the built environment responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, using low-carbon renewable materials such as timber is essential for limiting the impact of global heating.This call for recognition originates from the Time for Timber Manifesto and the Tropical Timber Accord launched by the global timber industry over the last two weeks which lay out the case for building with wood. …Timber Development UK chief executive, David Hopkins, said: “While it has been excellent to see the essential role global forests play in preventing climate change recognised in the first week of COP26, we must connect this work with the sustainable and circular economy for forest products such as timber – and this should happen today.
The Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Senator Pippa Hackett, wants to see timber play “a big part” in the future construction of Ireland’s homes. The senator made the comments as she launched a series of statements by the National Council for Forest Research and Development (COFORD). She said, “There are clearly massive opportunities to significantly increase the quantity of timber used in houses and to consider building taller buildings using engineered wood products such as cross laminated timber.” Calling on architects and builders to “think timber”, she said, “We are planning major increases in house-building. I believe we need to make sure our timber industry plays a big part in it.” The COFORD statements recommend an expansion in the use of wood in construction due to the “valuable carbon store” of long-lived wood products. 
