Drax’s biomass carbon-capture program may still move forward despite not making UK’s initial shortlist. In other Business news: SFI applauds Canada’s budget, as Railways warn of supply chain woes; Enviva secures permit for Alabama biomass plant; Skeena Sawmills seeks provincial aid; Stella-Jones releases 2022 Annual Report; and mass-timber project updates from Kelowna, Prince George, Toronto, Bellingham, and Ireland.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canada’s first wildfire risk map; Ontario readies for 2023 wildfire season; aerial fire retardant is under the microscope; landslide and stream temperature challenges in the BC Interior; the truth about paper and deforestation; and the history of old growth loss in America.
Finally, FSC certification in Russia is ending due to loss of Assurance Services.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
OTTAWA, ON. — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Project Learning Tree Canada had the following statement following the tabling of the federal budget: …Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) welcomes the government’s commitment in Budget 2023. Alongside our partners in the forest and conservation sector, resource professionals, local communities and governments, researchers, Indigenous peoples, we are committed to ensuring Canada meets sustainability objectives with the future green economy in mind. By leveraging the 120 million hectares of SFI-certified forests in Canada, the government has the opportunity to lead the world in climate smart forestry, and create sustainable economic development, conservation of biodiversity, and skills training for future generations. We look forward to working with the government of Canada to deliver on critical investments for Canadians through both certification and youth employment and training opportunities.
OTTAWA, Ontario — The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) calls the federal government’s move to resurrect the failed policy of extended regulated interswitching misguided and harmful to Canada’s supply chains. “This policy will cause Canadians to pay more for virtually everything that moves by rail,” says Marc Brazeau, the RAC’s President and CEO. “With Budget 2023, at a time when inflation remains at 40-year highs, extending regulated interswitching – even on a temporary basis – will incentivize congestion in our supply chains while disincentivizing private investment.” This pilot has been done before. Here are the impacts of switching cargo multiple times: It slows the movement of goods by 1-2 days, or almost 25%; It adds to GHG emissions, which will hurt our environment; It also adds costs, which will worsen inflation. …The current government cancelled this very policy in 2016 based on results from a previous pilot and recommendations contained in an independent study.
Stella-Jones had a successful 2022 from both an operational and financial performance perspective. Our strong results highlighted two significant aspects of our business. First, the demand for our core products remains sound, largely because of the vital role infrastructure spending plays in society. Whether it is regular maintenance of the utility grid or ensuring the strength of the rail network, it is clear our customers in our key markets have prioritized infrastructure to sustain society’s growing need for continual access to communications, electricity and deliveries of goods. And second, our results are indicative of our leadership position. We have an established footprint with 43 facilities across North America. This coast-to-coast network enables us to help support future demand while leveraging economies of scale. Over the past several years, our Board of Directors has laid the groundwork to ensure Stella-Jones is governed with integrity, while always keeping the best interests of our shareholders in mind. 
On August 3, 2022, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint from a Chase resident about forest planning and practices within woodlot W0337. The complainant was concerned about notification of local residents, mapping water licences, fire hazard abatement, water management, the achievement of a visual quality objective, and government enforcement. The investigation considered whether the licensee met legal requirements for hazard abatement, water management, visual quality objectives, and whether government enforcement was appropriate.
On July 7, 2022, the Forest Practices Board received a complaint about the BC Wildfire Service’s (BCWS) efforts to control the Lytton Creek wildfire near the Manning Creek Forest Service Road (FSR) between Spences Bridge and Merritt. The complainant believes that the BCWS intentionally lit a fire, known as a ‘planned ignition’, when it should not have. The Board investigated whether the BCWS complied with the requirements of the Wildfire Act related to fire control and whether the decision to carry out fire control, in this case, was reasonable.
TORONTO – Ontario is ready to respond to this year’s wildland fire season, which lasts from April 1 until October 31. “We are ready to protect people and communities across the province from wildland fires,” said Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. “Our teams are closely monitoring weather conditions to detect fires early. When they do hit, Ontario’s fire rangers, pilots and support staff are prepared to battle these fires and protect Ontarians.” The province has action plans in place to manage large, complex fires, especially near communities and critical infrastructure. “Ontario’s Provincial Emergency Management Strategic Action Plan is our emergency response toolkit to ensure Ontario is safe, practiced, and prepared at all times. Our commitment to communities across the province is that Ontario remains emergency-ready and resilient—both now and into the future,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for Emergency Management in Ontario.
Tree rings are record books of annual growth, and the width of each ring is correlated to that year’s environmental conditions. In a new study, Cameron Lee and Matthew Dannenberg use machine learning to demonstrate that ring width is well correlated with the types of air masses a tree experienced over the past year. Previously, scientists linked tree ring variability to discrete climatic elements like temperature, precipitation, and drought. However, weather is not experienced as individual elements, but as a collective of all the different components acting together. …The study gathered tree ring records for 130 species across 904 observational sites in the Northern Hemisphere. They also pulled weather data on the air masses at each site and on each day dating to as far back as 1979… using artificial neural networks, the researchers correlated a tree ring’s width to the number of days the tree experienced each different class of air mass 
You’ve no doubt seen the impassioned ENGO fundraising claims warning that… “deforestation is accelerating at a rapid pace.” …But “Facts are stubborn things.” …And the fact is that sustainably produced North American paper products are not a cause of deforestation, no matter what some ENGOs say or how many times they say it. …Deforestation is defined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other credible environmental organizations as the permanent conversion of forestland to non-forest uses. …The UN FAO also reports that those areas of the world that consume the greatest amount of wood have the least amount of deforestation – areas like the United States and Canada. …In North America, it is the consistent demand for responsibly sourced paper products that provides the economic incentive to keep land forested and sustainably managed, land that might otherwise be converted to non-forest uses.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) announces the withdrawal of the remaining forest management certificates in Russia by the respective certification bodies. This is due to the decision by Assurance Services International (ASI) to terminate its FSC assurance activities in Russia. ASI’s decision will enter into force on 1 May 2023 and will be re-evaluated once the conditions allow for assurance again. Based on the risk assessment conducted by ASI, the main reason is the increasing integrity risk in the country as the security for the people involved in oversight activities in Russia can no longer be guaranteed. In addition, there are limitations to operating in the country as a result of the restricted access and sanctions. With the termination of ASI’s oversight activities in Russia, certification bodies will no longer be accredited for auditing against the FSC standards in the country.
