Western Forest Products celebrated the completion of the first continuous dry kiln on the Coast of BC. In related news: Paradigm Building Solutions will expand in Barriere, BC; Allegheny Wood Products closed suddenly in West Virginia; Domtar curtails paper production in Ashdown, Arkansas; and Enviva faces forbearance agreement deadline. Meanwhile: US new home sales are up in January; Southern Pine exports rose in 2023; and a Q&A with Wood Preservation Canada’s Natalie Tarini.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canadians are positive on idea of a national forest fire fighting force; a Yale symposium on the smoke problem coming from Canada’s forests; a California utility will pay $80M to settle a wildfire claim; and Washington’s wildfires are said to be driven more by fuel load than climate. Elsewhere: New Zealand may be too forest focused with its net-zero plans; and the EU backs new plan to protect its habitat and species.
Finally, ENGOs say Biden’s new Russian sanctions should also include timber exports.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Ladysmith, British Columbia – Local government representatives (and the Tree Frog News) joined Western Forest Products employees to celebrate the completion of the first continuous dry kiln on the coast of B.C. at the Company’s Saltair sawmill. The Company also plans to continue accelerating its transition to higher value products with approximately $35 million of investments for two additional continuous dry kilns. The newly installed $12 million continuous dry kiln at the Saltair Sawmill increases the mill’s capacity for continuous drying of lumber, and also provides environmental benefits by reducing energy consumption. The new kiln adds to the three existing kilns on site for drying lumber. The Saltair sawmill is the largest single-line sawmill on the coast of B.C. following previous multi-phase strategic capital investments of over $42 million to modernize the sawmill since 2013. …Western is pushing ahead with two additional continuous dry kiln projects. One of the kilns will be constructed at the Company’s Duke Point sawmill in Nanaimo, B.C. and the other one at its Value-Added Division in Chemainus, B.C. [
2023 Southern Pine exports of treated and untreated lumber ended 2023 up 3% over 2022 with 31.94 Mbf of exports despite being down 21.3% in December over November, according to December data from the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Services’ Global Agricultural Trade System. December’s total was the lowest since the 30.95 Mbf exports in May 2020. Total softwood imports, meanwhile, were down 1.9% over the month and 2.5% over the year. …Mexico retained its status as the largest export market (by volume) of Southern Pine and treated lumber for the 10th month. Mexico ended 9% ahead of 2022 and imported 122.2 Mbf of Southern Pine so far this year. The Dominican Republic remains the No. 2 importer of Southern Pine, running 3% ahead over 2022 with77.5 Mbf. Jamacia follows as the No. 3 importer, up 30% with 55 Mbf. Exports to China cooled almost every month in 2023. …India’s imports ended up 312% on 31.2 Mbf. Shipments to the Caribbean leveled off after a post-COVID peak.
EVERETT, Washington — For some in the climate community, any change that occurs in the environment can be blamed on climate change. An example of this is the Feb. 3 commentary in the Weekend Herald, “
…Canada’s 45 million acres of scorched forest last year added yet another record-breaking statistic, one of the largest burnt areas in world history. The MacMillan Center’s “Smoke from Canada” conference organized by the Committee on Canadian Studies, explored the aftermath of the fires included presentations from School of the Environment researchers and a keynote presentation delivered by guest speaker Pierre Minn, an anthropology professor at the University of Montreal. “As we saw with the wildfire smoke last summer, the effects of climate change in Canada are not confined within the country’s geographical boundaries,” said Brendan Shanahan, MacMillan Center postdoctoral associate and panel moderator. …wildfires can also initiate deadly ripples throughout the ecosystem, as their pollutant can be toxic to vegetation by inhibiting plant photosynthesis. …Researchers added that prolonged exposure to smoke comes with a steep toll on human health as well.