Bruce Lipke — Life Cycle Assessment pioneer, CORRIM founder and Professor Emeritus University of Washington — dies at 89. In Business/Market news: Domtar celebrates 175 years; R-Y Timber secures buyer interest; International Wood Industries loses sawmill licence bid; US housing turnaround forecast for 2023; BC announces plan to build more homes; less-restrictive zoning found to increase housing supply; and Russ Taylor’s latest lumber forecast — not good news for BC’s sawmills.
In Forestry/Climate news: Steven Guilbault defends woodland caribou policy; BC First Nations secure monies for training initiative; Massachusetts leans into a tree-cutting moratorium; New York loggers push for changes on biomass; and the benefits and dangers of carbon offsets in the EU.
Finally, “hope and restoration – saving the Whitebark Pine” film premier.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Mattawa, ON – The Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC) is pleased the federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Canada’s forests in the 2023 budget, A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future, that was recently released on March 28, 2023. “Forests provide many cultural, societal, environmental, and economical benefits across Canada,” mentioned Mark Pearson, CIF-IFC Executive Director. “Sustainable forest practices supported by a diverse and inclusive forest sector strengthen Canada’s efforts to build a resilient economy that benefits Canadians from all walks of life.” The 2023 federal budget commits $368.4 million over a three-year period for a wide range of forestry initiatives, which will support jobs across Canada, including in rural and remote communities.
The BC government will invest billions of dollars to ease a housing “crisis that is touching people in every corner of the province,” Premier David Eby said. The province released its so-called Homes for People plan on Monday starting with a $4-billion investment over three years and commits to $12 billion over a decade. There are incentives to build and increase density, plans for supportive housing for those who are homeless, zoning changes that make basement suites legal across the province and a crackdown down on house flippers. …Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the government will introduce provincial legislation this fall to allow three to four homes on a traditional single-family detached lot with additional density permitted in areas well served by transit. …The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade said the move to enable more units on a single lot “is a positive step forward.”
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will not be issuing an operating licence to International Wood Industries for its proposed sawmill in Bonfield, east of North Bay. The ministry posted its decision to the Environmental Registry on March 31. “We are not proceeding with issuing a forest resource processing facility licence to Bonfield Forest Products Incorporated to authorize the construction of the proposed sawmill facility,” the ministry wrote in a succinct update to the site. In 2017, International Wood Industries Inc., operating as Bonfield Forest Products Inc., had proposed the construction of a $145-million, state-of-the-art sawmill on a vacant property about 30 minutes southeast of North Bay, promising to bring 90 jobs with it. …But there seemed to be some key details missing from the plan, including how the operation would be financed, and whether agreements had been put in place to secure fibre to feed the mill.
There are still many headwinds facing BC’s sawmilling industry. Mill curtailments, both in lumber and pulp, have become a regular occurrence since 2022-Q3 from low lumber prices, and dwindling log and by-product volumes. As the high-cost log and (therefore) lumber producer in North America, almost all the curtailments have occurred in BC. …Changes in North American lumber capacity have been very significant over the last five to ten years. For example, since 2014, the US South capacity has grown by over 40 per cent due to some 60 sawmill projects (expansions and greenfield mills). In contrast, BC production has fallen by 30 per cent over the same time frame with further reductions to come. The US West and Canada East have been relatively flat with few changes in the overall industry capacity. 
Less restrictive zoning policies were associated with a less than 1% increase in housing supply within three to nine years after such reforms passed, 
With an investment of $8.9 million over three years, the Government of B.C. is partnering with First Nations representatives to develop the first training initiative that will support co-management of land and resources. This year, the Guardians and Stewardship Training Initiative will be co-developed with First Nations and will support the StrongerBC Future Ready plan to make post-secondary education and skills training more affordable and accessible. “Since time immemorial, First Nations have been stewards of the water, land and wildlife in B.C., and Guardians play a crucial and growing role in stewarding those lands and resources today,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. “We’ve heard from First Nations there is a need for more supports and access to training for Guardians, and we are taking action to make that happen.” ‘‘Guardians” are trained members of First Nations who undertake stewardship activities on the land base.
The emerging carbon offsets market is chaotic and dysfunctional. Problems need to be addressed openly, and resolved as quickly as possible. A joint investigation by the Guardian, the German weekly Die Zeit and SourceMaterial revealed in January that the vast majority of rainforest offset credits from the leading certifier – which are sold to companies that then use them to make claims about their overall emissions – 