Drax says a BBC story asserting they log BC primary forests for wood pellets is inaccurate, 100% of their fibre is sawmill residues or waste wood. In related news: Canada’s Wood Pellet Industry conference highlights include a BC fibre-source study; and Enviva releases a white paper on future biomass opportunities, while its new Mississippi plant nears full operation. In other Business news: Prince Albert Pulp marks another step towards mill restart; Roseburg provides relief for survivors of its Mill Fire; and Westrock faces possible strike at Georgia paper mill.
In Forestry/Climate news: Alberta and Ontario face legal action from First Nation groups; a study says logging on BC’s central coast targeted highest-value forests; and a report says the health of Maine’s forests is improving but threats remain.
Finally, places with no building codes can be ideal for alternative residential designs.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
NORTH CAROLINA — Money may not literally grow on trees, but sustainable timber harvests certainly provide economic benefits for North Carolina — $32.8 billion and 138,100 jobs to be exact, according to a 
The worsening effects of climate change are compounding the historical loss of BC’s old-growth forests, says the co-author of a new paper that shows decades of logging on the province’s central coast targeted the highest-value forests first. “History tells us that we have really depleted these high-value elements of the landscape, and that we can’t keep going,” said Ken Lertzman, at Simon Fraser University.
A group of First Nations in northern Ontario, that are part of the James Bay Treaty (Treaty 9), are taking the province to court over changes to environmental and forest management legislation and regulations. Three of the 49 Treaty 9 First Nations… launched legal action in court on Friday over concern for the degradation of the boreal forest in their traditional territories. “The action aims to force Ontario to make meaningful changes now before harms are irreversible to the detriment of the boreal forest, all Treaty 9 First Nations, and all Ontarians,” the group said in a news release Tuesday. ”The plaintiff First Nations want Ontario to finally understand that its approach to managing the forests and the environment, including the widespread spraying of glyphosate herbicide, Ontario is failing to uphold the promises it made under Treaty 9 to protect the First Nations’ way of life and livelihoods in their traditional territories.”
Reclaiming an area that was once forested is not always as simple a process as just planting new trees. A new research tool developed in northern Ontario is helping to guide municipalities, landowners and forest managers in determining which mix of species will best serve the goals of the reclamation. PlantR is an online platform developed by Isabelle Aubin and a team of collaborators, including scientists from the Canadian Forest Service. “The question we heat a lot from urban planners and forest managers is what should I plant when I do a restoration project? What we say is it depends on your restoration goals,” said Aubin. …Users can input data like the soil conditions of the area and restoration goals and even budget for the PlantR platform’s algorithm to consider. …it creates a plan to best meet those goals within the budget set by the user.
British energy company Drax Group is defending itself following the release of a BBC investigation that alleges the firm is cutting down “primary forests” in British Columbia to turn into wood pellets. After buying out local manufacturers, Drax is the largest producer of wood pellets in B.C., owning or having a stake in eight plants and accounting for nearly 80 per cent of the province’s production. …In a written statement, the B.C. Ministry of Forests said the province is following up with Drax to ensure, as the firm has stated, they are not using quality logs harvested from old growth forests. It would not make economic sense for a pellet company to do so because, historically, the mills have paid up to $25 per cubic metre for fibre sourced from residual harvesting piles in contrast to the $140 to $160 per cubic metre paid for a quality log used to produce lumber…
