Daily News for July 15, 2024

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Today’s Takeaway

Canada’s wildfire season close to 10-year average heading into summer peak

The Tree Frog Forestry News
July 15, 2024
Category: Today's Takeaway

Canada’s wildfire season is close to its 10-year average heading into summer peak weather. In related news: crews continue to battle wildfires near Labrador City, Newfoundland; BC’s Chun T’oh Whudujut Park; Idaho’s Bench Lake; the Blue River, Oregon; and Montana’s Horse Gulch area.

In other News: the Harmac’s grounds fire in Nanaimo, BC was human-caused; the AP Group laments the impact of its mill closure in Merritt, BC; and Michigan’s forest products industry hits a new revenue peak. Meanwhile: the value of Canadian building permits fall; US material prices rise; and US consumer sentiment is unchanged.

Finally, climate scientist Andrew Weaver opines on the BC NDP and the missed ‘innovation opportunity’. 

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Business & Politics

David Eby has lost the plot of what it takes to govern

By Andrew Weaver, former leader of the Green Party of BC
The Vancouver Sun
July 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Andrew Weaver

BRITISH COLUMBIA — As we approach the fall election, it is clear to me that Premier David Eby presides over a centrally controlled administration doing more harm across the province than good. Simply put, he has lost the plot of what it takes to govern by deciding to pander to his narrow base of support. I abhor gamesmanship for political advantage and inflexible doctrines. My departure from academia to run for office in 2013 was predicated on a desire to positively impact the daily lives of my fellow British Columbians, and to change the political discourse on climate change. Climate change is not something to fear or deny, but rather a grand challenge to be embraced as an incredible opportunity for innovation in mining, forestry, agriculture, manufacturing and the new economy. ….I remain unsure of how I will vote in the election. Yet this is the most consequential decision for B.C.’s electorate in a generation.

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CHAR Technologies Joins the Ontario Forest Industries Association

By CHAR Technologies
GlobeNewswire
July 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — CHAR Technologies announced its membership in the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA). Founded in 1943, the OFIA is a provincial trade association whose members sustainably manage over 30 million hectares of public and private forests in Ontario. …“We are very excited to join the OFIA,” said Andrew White, CEO of CHAR Tech. “The organization’s focus on climate change mitigation and a net-zero economy aligns with our vision of driving waste-to-energy solutions. Being part of this vast network allows us to work closely with forestry organizations, identify their renewable energy needs, and provide innovative solutions for forest waste management.” 

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Fallout of Merritt mill closure is ‘devastating,’ says company VP

By Cheyanna Lorraine
Vernon Now
July 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, US West

MERRITT, BC — The recent closure of Merritt’s last standing mill has been described as a “devastating” hit to the community. In June, AP Group announced the closure of its Aspen Planers mill in the small town. …Bruce Rose confirmed that roughly a hundred direct jobs have been affected by the mill closure. …Although AP Group has other facilities in Savona and Lillooet and even a biomass plant in Merritt, Rose says the impacts to former employees and the community will be significant. “It’s just very sad for people, for all of these rural, forest dependent communities, it’s devastating. And the industry doesn’t need to be like this,” he said. …As for the 100 or so employees without work, Rose said “it’s a real mixed bag” that included a few who were offered and accepted jobs in Savona while others are considering retirement.

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Michigan’s Expanding Forest Products Industry

Morning AgClips
July 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

LANSING, Michigan — Michigan’s forest products industry has hit a new peak, adding $26.5 billion to Michigan’s economy, according to new data released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. That figure represents the impact of the industry in 2022, the most recent figures available, and is up $4 billion from 2019. “Although the number of people directly employed in the industry decreased by 3.6%, all other economic indicators show significant growth,” said Jagdish Poudel, DNR forest economist. Those indicators include the average wage, labor income, output and industry productivity. The increase in total output can be attributed to a strong forest products industry and its links to other industries. Additionally, Arauco, the largest particleboard manufacturer in the world, opened its $450 million Grayling production facility in 2019. Arauco directly generates around 220 jobs, which in turn create additional indirect and induced effects in the economy.

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Fire at Harmac mill grounds in Nanaimo suspected to be human-caused

By Michael John Lo
Victoria Times Colonist
July 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics

A fire on the grounds of the Duke Point Harmac forestry-products mill on Saturday prompted a large response from Nanaimo-area fire crews as well as the support of B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters and a helicopter. Originally classified as a bush fire, Nanaimo Fire Rescue sent nine units to the 1000-block of Wave Place where the mill is located shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday. In a social media post late Saturday, Nanaimo Fire Rescue warned nearby residents of a low-flying helicopter and that there will be considerable smoke in the area during the response. On Sunday, B.C. Wildfire Service’s website noted that the fire — now one hectare in size — is “being held,” and is suspected to have been human-caused.

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Finance & Economics

Value of Canadian building permits was $11.7 billion in May, down 12.2% from April

Statistics Canada
July 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

In Canada, the total value of building permits was $11.7 billion in May, down 12.2% from a record high of $13.4 billion in April. British Columbia led the national decline in May with a significant drop of 50.7% after experiencing a record high for the total value of building permits issued in April. Excluding British Columbia, the total value of building permits for the remaining provinces and the territories edged down 0.7% in May. On a constant dollar basis (2017=100), the total monthly value of building permits declined 12.5% in May, following a 23.0% increase in April. …Across Canada, 22,700 dwelling units were authorized in May, contributing to the 12-month cumulative sum of 267,600 units since June 2023. …Issuance of permits for large new construction projects in New Brunswick led the province to a record high level for the commercial component ($65.3 million) in May.

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For the second straight month, US consumer sentiment is essentially unchanged

The University of Michigan
July 12, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

The University of Michigan on Friday (7-12-24), released the preliminary results of its Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) for June. …July’s reading was a statistically insignificant 2 index points below last month, well within the margin of error. Although sentiment is more than 30% above the trough from June 2022, it remains stubbornly subdued. Nearly half of consumers still object to the impact of high prices, even as they expect inflation to continue moderating in the years ahead. With the upcoming election, consumers perceived substantial uncertainty in the trajectory of the economy, though there is little evidence that the first presidential debate altered their economic views. Year-ahead inflation expectations fell for the second consecutive month, reaching 2.9%. …The Current Economic Conditions for July dropped to a reading of 64.1 down from June’s Reading of 65.9.

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June Marks Highest Yearly Increase in US Building Material Prices Since February 2023

By Jesse Wade
NAHB – Eye on Housing
July 12, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, rose 0.19% in the month of June according to the most recent producer price index (PPI) report. The index for inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, represents building materials used in residential construction. In May, the index fell 0.26% after rising in April 0.22%. Over the year, the index was up 2.65% in June. …The seasonally adjusted PPI for final demand goods decreased 0.55% in June, after falling a revised 0.77% in May. The seasonally adjusted PPI for softwood lumber rose 3.41% in June, after falling 5.00% in May. Prices for softwood lumber are 7.41% lower than June 2023. Lumber prices remain lower than the peaks and valleys of 2020 through 2022 but remain higher than 2019 according to the index. …The seasonally adjusted PPI for ready-mix concrete rose, up 0.45% in June after rising a revised reading of 0.26% in May. 

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Forestry

Tree planters are misinformed about the impact of what they are doing

By James Steidle, Stop the Spray
Prince George Citizen
July 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

If there’s one constant in Prince George, it’s our influx of tree planters and brushers every summer. … Young, fresh-eyed big-city-looking kids out on the frontier doing their big Canadian experience: Colonizing the landscape with industrial plantations of pine and spruce trees to starve out moose and make fires worse. …I highly doubt the majority of them know what it is they are doing. Not in the sense that they don’t know how to plant trees, but more like what the big-picture result of their labour will be. …Our forest industry is brainwashing entire generations of young Canadians about what has worth in our forests and what doesn’t. Many tree planters go on to have careers in journalism, literature, academia, and philosophy. We should not underestimate how tree planting is contributing to the intellectual corruption of our elite.

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Quebec town hopes replanting the right trees will shield their community from future forest fires

By Rachel Watts
CBC News
July 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Last month, a dozen people hauled mulch and a thousand trees across the forest, walking trails and perimeter of Fermont in northern Quebec. The town near the border with Labrador planted what they hope will become a shield for the community, following last year’s unprecedented forest fire season. Unlike other replanting efforts, this one focused on deciduous trees, says Simon Côté, the head co-ordinator at Arbre-Évolution, the organization that helped back the planting project. “In the next year, it has to be something that every city will do,” said Côté. “It needs to be at least 30 metres like a shield of hardwood … in case of very extreme fire that cannot be controlled and that we know can happen.” …”The conifer, like the spruce, is full of organic oil that can ignite very, very quickly … like a forest of matches.”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Ojibwe community eyes biomass as ticket to emissions-free future

By Lindsay Kelly
Timmins Today
July 12, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek’s (BNA) years-long journey toward biomass adoption has been marked by a series of starts and stops. But this fall, the northwestern Ontario Ojibwe community expects to be closer than ever to helping its residents establish themselves as leaders in the area of alternative energy. Discussions around the use of biomass in the community, whose traditional territory is situated along the southeast shores of Lake Nipigon, began well over a decade ago. But it wasn’t until 2017, when the community launched Papasay Value Added Wood Products, operating as Papasay Sawmill, that their work got underway in earnest. …The sawmill was Bingwi Neyaashi’s first real step into biomass, Hatton noted, but the community wanted to do more to reduce its reliance on other power sources. Next up in the plans was a district heating biomass program that would expand to the entire community.

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Forest Fires

Canada’s wildfire season close to 10-year average heading into summer peak

The Canadian Press in the Comox Valley Record
July 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada

The remnants of Hurricane Beryl have brought flash floods and destruction to parts of the Maritimes, but federal officials say the storm has also reduced the risk of wildfires in parts of Eastern Canada, at least for now. Overall, this wildfire season is far less severe than the record-setting year in 2023, but the risk for new fires is still high, particularly for B.C., Yukon and Northwest Territories. The ongoing drought in Northwest Territories has intensified, and Environment Canada said things are drier than usual in the Yukon. …About 1.3 million hectares have burned, which is close to the 10-year average for this time of year. By contrast, 1.3 million hectares had burned in B.C. alone by mid-July last year. Nationally by mid-July nearly 10 million hectares had already burned in 2023.

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B.C. crews battle wildfire in park with 1,000-year-old trees

Canadian Press in the CBC News
July 12, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s wildfire service says crews are battling a 10-hectare blaze in a park that protects a portion of what the province calls the “only inland temperate rainforest in the world,” with some trees around 1,000 years old. The Ancient Forest or Chun T’oh Whudujut Park, about 115 kilometres east of Prince George in the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, covers an area of over 110 square kilometres, including almost seven square kilometres of protected land, according to B.C. Parks. The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) saying it’s responding to multiple fires in the park, with the largest spanning 10 hectares. The BCWS said in a statement on social media that initial attack crews are at the scene and a helipad and water relay system have been established.

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Weather created an ‘extremely aggressive inferno’ as crews continue to battle fire near Labrador City

By Arlette Lazarenko
CBC News
July 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

The wildfire near Labrador City is still posing challenges on Saturday as residents continue to evacuate. In an update Saturday afternoon, Premier Andrew Furey said the fire is about six kilometres northwest of the community and about one kilometre from the landfill. “It was basically deemed fully under control, if not fully out, on Monday and Tuesday this week. Essentially, yesterday morning it started to smoulder a bit and gain some momentum,” Furey told reporters during a virtual news conference in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. “Around mid-day the weather conditions changed with what is the perfect fire condition, if you will, for spread.” The fire had spread from what was 600 hectares and “fairly controlled” to over 10,000 hectares. It moved 21 kilometres in just four hours, Furey said. “Just an extremely aggressive inferno just outside of Labrador City and led to a very quickly and rapidly changing situation for the residents,” he said.

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Bench Lake Fire Complicated by Dead Trees and Windy Conditions

By Karen Bossick
Eye On Sun Valley
July 14, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

IDAHO — The Bench Lake fire that closed the area around Redfish Lake grew to 150 acres by Saturday evening, up from 66 the day before. “We are up at our family cabin at Fisher Creek and watched the fire grow immensely (Saturday)–very scary,” said Blaine County Commissioner Muffy Davis. Firefighters said they encountered active fire behavior with single trees and groups of trees torching. Numerous structures are threatened. The fire is zero percent contained. Local Type 3 Incident commander Chris Belliston, whose team operated from the Stanley Ranger Station, said firefighters were able to slow fire movement “considerably” on Friday thanks to water drops from scoopers. Bench Lake and a rocky outcrop are holding the fire in check on the west side. Firefighters had to contend with increased fire activity from increased winds on Saturday, however.

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For a wildfire-ravaged Oregon community, recovery is a slow process

By Brian Bull
Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 13, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

Hotter temperatures mean wildfire season is underway across many parts of the U.S. And while news crews tend to put away the mics and cameras once the firefighters leave, for residents in communities that have burned, the repercussions continue long after the flames are out. Take the quiet rural community of Blue River, Oregon, population of about 800. Almost four years ago, the Holiday Farm Fire nearly burned the town off the map. The path to rebuilding has been a lengthy and expensive one for residents. …“Between supply chains, county building codes, permits being issued, contractors not being available because of the number of structures that were being built all simultaneously, if you name it, we’ve probably faced it,” Melanie Stanley said, a longtime resident and fire department board member.

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Horse Gulch fire swells to over 12K acres Sunday; some evacuees can return home

By Sonny Tapia
The Missoulian
July 14, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The Horse Gulch fire northeast of Helena grew to 12,797 acres, officials reported early Sunday, and it remains 0% contained. The fire, which was human-caused and started Tuesday afternoon, is five miles south of York and two miles north of Canyon Ferry. Early Saturday, the fire was reported at 11,607 acres. The fire is now the size of about 20 square miles. …The forest service saw about 1,000 acres of growth during the red flag warning Saturday, including spot fires, according to Sara Rouse, a PIO for the U.S. Forest Service. The spot fires were kept in check by crews, Rouse added. Officials said Sunday, fire activity picked up around 2 p.m. Saturday and caused a roughly five-acre spot fire north of the main fire area.

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