The UK’s National Audit Office supports biomass energy provided the government can prove it meets sustainability rules. In related news: Jock Finlayson says the decline in BC’s timber harvesting reflects beetle infestation and government policy; Fraser Lake leaders hold emergency meeting to deal with mill closure; and West Fraser reflects on changes to its Quesnel operations in 2023. Meanwhile: Two Sides’ Kathi Rowzie is retiring; CWC’s Wood Design & Building magazine is moving to digital only; and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC released its accomplishments report.
In Forestry/Climate news: BC’s monoculture forests are called less ecologically intelligent; Oregon postpones Applegate Valley timber sale again; Washington’s Skagit County Extension closes its forestry program; a Maine investment fund makes its first forest purchase; and the pros and cons of the carbon market.
Finally, a study on the effectiveness of creating standing dead trees for wildlife habitat.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
The number of people living in urban areas around the world will swell by upwards of 2 billion over the next three decades. Many of those people will need new homes. But building those with conventional materials would unleash a gusher of carbon dioxide… Enter engineered wood, a seemingly no-brainer solution. …The wood components are strong enough to hold up an office tower or apartment block, and building with them is thought to emit much less CO2 than using standard materials. …That’s why more and more companies are embracing mass timber as a way to cut their carbon footprints and promote their green bona fides… But establishing just how much carbon is saved by building with timber isn’t straightforward. …In other words: The world could increase mass timber construction by an order of magnitude and it would still be like dropping a toothpick in a concrete mixer.
Kamloops, B.C. – The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) 
British Columbia’s use of glyphosate has drastically declined in recent years. Yet, the landscape of monoculture forests left after decades of chemical herbicide spraying could still spell a widespread ecological disaster for the province. …Convenient and cost-effective, Roundup has been vehemently opposed by First Nations and other groups and its use has declined. However, the monoculture forests it produced are still being maintained by other means. UBC Professor of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Cindy Prescott and her colleagues agree that it is far more “ecologically intelligent” to have diverse species that include non-conifers, for both the above and below-ground health of the forest. …the focus on rapid regrowth of conifer crops is an outdated and problematic perspective, according to Prescott. …Fortunately, in recent years the has been a paradigm shift in the forestry sector, at least partly due to the work of Gary Merkel. 
MAINE — A new investment fund, which aims to generate both environmental and financial returns for investors, has made its first acquisition in Maine. The Exemplary Forestry Investment Fund has bought the 3,000-acre Scammon Ridge Headwaters forest from the Haynes Family of Winn, Maine. The fund has been created by Exemplary Forestry Management, together with its partners New England Forestry Foundation, Maine Mountain Collaborative, and Quantified Ventures, using a mixture of leveraged philanthropic, private, and public capital. It aims to eventually own and manage 100,000 acres of Maine forest by utilizing the exemplary forestry approach. The New England Forestry Foundation’s senior forest science and policy fellow, Alec Giffen said in an interview this approach is all about using the best forestry techniques to help mitigate the impact of climate change, improve wildlife habitats and increase biodiversity.
The UK government can’t adequately show that biomass generators comply with sustainability requirements, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). The “lack of evaluation” of the effectiveness of generators — such as Drax Group — to burn wood pellets at power stations needs to be addressed, the agency said 
The government has been challenged by auditors to prove the UK’s controversial biomass industry meets sustainability rules. Biomass involves burning wood or plants to create heat, electricity or transport fuel, and the industry receives hundreds of millions of pounds in annual government support. But the National Audit Office (NAO) has now said the government “cannot demonstrate” that biomass companies are complying with sustainability rules, because it is not measuring them properly. …It comes as the government considers extending financial support for the industry, which its climate advisers have warned does not provide good value for money. However, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) also agrees that biomass will help the UK economy move away from fossil fuels. …The energy security department last summer committed to tightening up its sustainability rules. …Investment analysts at Barclays said there were “no surprises” in the NAO’s findings that “high standards are required for further support”.
Drax responds to National Audit Office report on government’s support for biomass. A Drax spokesperson said: “We welcome the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report which looks at the Government’s support for biomass. “The NAO acknowledges the important role that sustainably sourced biomass has to play in addressing the climate crisis and displacing fossil fuels in the production of dispatchable electricity. It’s essential that sustainability reporting and criteria are robust and fit for purpose. This was also recognised in the Government’s biomass strategy published last year, which outlined a review which has already begun. “We fully support that a review process should be carried out and look forward to playing our part and working with Government in this.