The British Columbia government is pausing its proposed Land Act change, says it will further engage to ‘get this right’. Related perspectives include:
- Kevin Falcon: announcement does not mark the end of hidden agenda
- Terry Teegee: veto suggestion for First Nations is false and inflammatory
- Vaughn Palmer: Indigenous people are bearing the brunt of the outrage
- Les Leyne: despite assurances, concern & suspicion has been building for weeks
- Andrew MacLeod: opposition forced government to relaunch consultations
- Keerit Jutla: changes should ensure predictability for mineral exploration
In other news: a fire at Canfor’s Fort St. John mill was extinguished; Clearwater Paper buys Augusta, Georgia paperboard mill; Interfor winds down Philomath mill operations; Cascades reports Q4, 2023 loss; New Hampshire announces covid funding for pulp & paper mills; and Quebec launches call for northern development grants. Meanwhile, Russ Taylor’s China Outlook Report has been released and wildfire preparation updates from Oregon, Ontario and BC.
Finally, the future of mass timber is good—or so say the pros in US, Brazil, and the UK.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Charlie Lake Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the Canfor Mill Tuesday night, where they spent over six hours extinguishing the blaze. Just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, the Charlie Lake Fire Department was dispatched to the Canfor Mill located at 9312 259 Road in Fort St. John. According to the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), 11 firefighters spent approximately six and a half hours on the fire. The PRRD says no injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time. [END]
We are excited to announce that this week marks the release of our China Outlook Report that addresses key softwood and hardwood topics, issues and outlooks. It includes novel analysis not previously conducted and is a timely must-have report. This new report, China Forest, Log & Lumber Report: Supply, Demand & Prices to 2030/2035, shows China will again become a significant growth market for softwoods – especially for lumber. The Chinese hardwood pulp sector will also see substantial growth with important fibre sourcing implications and opportunities. China’s softwood lumber demand peaked in 2019, a level unlikely to be reached for a very long time. Demand will increase slowly, but only by about 20% from 2023 to 2035. China’s hardwood eucalyptus plantation estate has expanded exponentially and based on size is now on par with Brazil. This expansion allows for more domestic supply than many would expect.
The Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA invites comments on the modification of the membership of the Softwood Lumber Board. …This proposed rule would modify the membership of the Board by adding two domestic manufacturer alternates, one importer alternate, a public member and alternate, and updating HTS numbers. The Board discussed the recommendations over several months and on May 17, 2023, unanimously recommended the proposed changes to the membership and the update to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers. …Currently the Board struggles to find individuals from under-represented populations who are eligible to serve with the current membership requirements. To mitigate this issue, this proposed rule would add alternate positions (two for domestic manufacturers; one for importers) and a public member to the Board. …Comments must be received by March 22, 2024.
In 2022–2023, the Ministry of Forests Research Program produced scientific knowledge to help operations, decision makers, and the public at large. This year, the Research Program underwent a series of transitions; however, the program remains well placed to support the successful management of British Columbia’s natural resources. The program offers expert scientific information on multiple values: biodiversity, climate, carbon sequestration, ecology, ecosystem services, forest health, species habitat including endangered or protected species, soils, and watersheds. The Research Program funded 139 projects, with another 34 collaborative projects funded externally. Program researchers investigated climate change, forest health, wildfires, and drought, to name a few key topics. The Research Program is guided by its Strategic Plan 2021–2024, which defines its vision, values, governance, and strategic goals. On an annual basis, the program’s research priorities are updated with input from key stakeholders .
