Canfor extends production curtailments at “select” BC sawmills for a further two weeks. In related news: Brian Menzies & Jake Power on BC’s value-added conundrum; the Domtar-Resolute merger gets green-lighted; Nova Scotia Power’s new biomass requirement; and the legacy of F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber. Meanwhile: US consumer confidence rebounds; and negative economic forecasts for Canada and the US.
In Forestry/Climate news: Quebec’s tree canopies rebound after spongy moth infestation; severe flooding is expected as atmosphere river hits California; a Norway fund will reduce Amazon deforestation; exceptional specimens of long-lived trees; and the debate over the future of Sweden’s carbon sink.
Finally, the significance of upfront carbon; and lignin’s anti-viral and battery potentialities.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
On The Coast with Gloria Macarenko – Jan. 3, 2023: Premier David Eby says the outlook for B.C.’s forestry industry is dire: Interview with Jake Power is the owner of PowerWood, a specialty mill in Agassiz and Brian Menzies is the executive director of BC’s Independent Wood Processors Association. They speak with Gloria Macarenko about the future of the forestry industry.
Canfor Corporation is announcing an extension of sawmill curtailments in British Columbia (B.C.) due to ongoing weak market conditions and the lack of available economic fibre. The production capacity will be reduced through two-week curtailment extensions in January at select solid wood facilities in B.C. This will remove approximately 21 million board feet in addition to the 150 million board feet previously announced on December 5, 2022. The Company will continue to adjust operating rates to align with market conditions and the available supply of economically viable timber.
Canada is likely in for another year of elevated inflation, at least one more interest rate hike and a continued downturn in the housing market, BMO said in a note predicting the top economic trends for 2023. …An inflation rate of three per cent or more is much too high for the Bank of Canada’s comfort. …BMO expects at least one more interest rate hike this year, with even more expected in the US and Europe. It also means consumers shouldn’t bet on interest rates coming down this year. …The economy won’t be able to escape central bankers’ medicine to tame inflation, and BMO predicts Canada will succumb to a mild recession sometime in 2023. …Meanwhile, persistent high interest rates will continue to wallop the housing market. BMO expects home prices to drop a further 12 per cent, sales to fall 15 per cent and homebuilding to crater this year.
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HALIFAX — Nova Scotia Power said it wasn’t consulted about new renewable electricity regulations which are being criticized by a provincial environmental group. On Dec. 19, the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said new regulations requiring more renewable electricity means that NSP will be using more “sustainably harvested” biomass over the next three years. Under a new standard in Renewable Electricity Regulations under the Electricity. “This is very similar to the previous directive. …NSP spokesperson Jackie Foster said, “While we were not consulted, given the province’s clean energy goals, we were aware government was looking at updating with the regulation.” The province said, “Biomass is renewable, readily available and burns cleaner than coal,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. …The Sierra Club said the announcement is evidence that the province is playing politics rather than trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
Mississippi is becoming one of the premier sources of sustainable and renewable wood pellets in the world. Major international wood pellet producing companies are investing billions in the Magnolia State, taking advantage of the state’s tremendous supply of wood and forest products and the state’s unique access to water transportation. Almost 20 million acres, about 65% of Mississippi’s landmass, is covered with pine and hardwood timber. …The 234-mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway runs from the northeast corner of the state, through the industry-rich “Golden Triangle,” to Mobile’s deep-water port and into the Gulf of Mexico. …The emergence of Mississippi as a major wood pellet producer creates a new source of income for tree farmers in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable manner.