New Brunswick’s pulp and paper mills get electricity rate subsidy. In other Business news: Ontario supports laid off Cascade workers; Element5 expansion will double its mass timber production; Surrey BC’s growth is upping the tax burden for S&R Sawmills; and Smurfit Kappa sees benefit with switch to S&P 500 listing.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canada funds species at risk efforts, as ministers meet on biodiversity conservation; a new report on Canada’s 2023 wildfire season; and research on the impact of wildfires on lakes. Meanwhile: another BC timber supply area sees reduced harvests; First Nations secure $335M for BC Coast marine protection; an Oregon court blocks logging in Elliott State Forest; and two Australian states are at cross purposes when it comes to the timber industry.
Finally, wood species, particularly spruce, are found to have natural antiviral properties.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
BELLEVILLE — The Ontario government is investing $445,252 in a new action centre to help the 180 workers impacted by the closure of Cascades’ manufacturing plants in Trenton and Belleville connect with services and training they need to get back to work quickly. David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, said “Our government is investing in the Cascades Action Centre to ensure that these workers have access to resources and opportunities to land better jobs.” Run by Unifor, the Cascades Action Centre will operate until April 2025 and support laid-off workers represented by Unifor Local 1470 and the Independent Paperworkers of Canada Local 7. The action centre will host workshops and seminars, provide peer-to-peer support and job search assistance, teach financial management and computer skills.
GATINEAU
British Columbia’s chief forester has set the new allowable annual cut (AAC) level for the North Island Timber Supply Area (TSA). The new AAC for the North Island TSA is 1,096,000 cubic metres. This is a 12.2% reduction from the previous AAC, while remaining above the average harvest level in recent years. To promote the harvest of red alder trees, maintain sustainable forestry, manage old growth and protect against over harvesting within the Sayward Timber Supply Block, the new determination includes four partitions. …The AAC determination reflects additional wildlife habitat protections, land removals following First Nation agreements, and the removal of some helicopter-access areas with consistently low harvest levels. The North Island TSA comprises approximately 1.7 million hectares in the North of Vancouver Island. The TSA overlaps the territory of 26 First Nations, all of which were consulted during the timber supply review process, and feedback considered. 
What are the effects of forest fires on lakes? One way of fighting fires is to use large quantities of water, often drawn from lakes and transported by air tankers. Although effective, this method can disrupt the physical structure of the lakes (water level, disturbance of deep-seated sediments). …Yet few, if any, scientific studies have documented the effect of this phenomenon on lakes themselves. …Smoke plumes ring large quantities of nutrients, metals and minerals that can be deposited on the surface of lakes and can also capture a large proportion of the sun’s rays, which disturbs aquatic organisms that photosynthesize. …Every square metre of burned land will be drained by an aquatic ecosystem, often a lake. Quantifying the fate of terrestrial carbon in lakes following forest fires will provide a better understanding of the extent to which lakes amplify or mitigate a possible feedback loop between forest fires and climate change.
We have had a bumpy relationship with trees. Our landscapes were largely treeless at the beginning of the 20th century, with just 1 per cent of Ireland’s land covered by forest. …Forests have increased from 1 per cent to over 11 per cent over the past 120 years, with most of the increase due to plantations of non-native conifer species. One single conifer species from the west coast of North America, Sitka Spruce, occupies 45 per cent of Ireland’s forest area. …We need to plant at least 8,000 hectares of forest per year to achieve 18 per cent of our land area covered by forest by 2050. Our new forests will be around for decades, and they must deliver for climate, nature, wood, people, and economic and rural development. This will require investment in the public and private forestry sectors to encourage and speed up the planting of diverse multifunctional and mosaic forests.
GATINEAU, Quebec — Federal, provincial, and territorial ministers and representatives responsible for conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity, met in Ottawa to renew their commitment toward enhancing nature conservation and sustainable use of nature in Canada. The ministers and representatives met last May 2023, when they committed to collective efforts toward halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050. …Today, the ministers and representatives shared their respective initiatives to address biodiversity conservation and discussed the importance of accelerating the pace of action. …Heading into COP16, Canada has an opportunity to continue being a global leader in halting and reversing the biodiversity crisis. …The ministers will meet again next year to review Canada’s progress toward its objective of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and putting nature on a path to recovery by 2050.
