Whole logs stacked high in wood pellet mill yards across British Columbia aren’t supposed to be the norm, but new research shows it may be more common than the industry says. The research also found that 12 per cent of logged material in the province is eventually broken down for the controversial biofuel. Operations — often dubbed as “green” or “sustainable” — are meant to use residuals from the logging industry to create dense pellets, which are then burned to create energy. However, photos obtained by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives of yards in Smithers, Burns Lake and Houston show piles of whole logs ready to be compressed and broken down. Coupled with new research from the centre, showing that large volumes of trees have been logged specifically for the wood pellet industry since 2010, industry workers and environmental groups are concerned.