Interfor is adding 350 million bf of capacity with its agreement to purchase Chaleur Forest Products in New Brunswick. In other Business news: Mercer completes its Holzindustrie Torgau acquisition; Enviva reports minimal impact from Hurricane Ian; Drax is accused of cutting primary forests in BC; and SanTerm looks at long term for lumber exports in Port Alberni, BC.
In other news: Forests Ontario expands its Reconciliation Community Tree Plant program; BC said to be logging its most at-risk old-growth forests; the Haida fight to save their ‘trees of life‘; California takes on urban sprawl to curb wildfires; the FAO says the world must halt deforestation and use forests sustainably; and Spaniards seek wood pellets to avoid an energy crisis.
Finally, the largest instructional mass timber building is celebrated in Houston, Texas.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
BURNABY, BC — INTERFOR announced that it has reached an agreement with an affiliate of the Kilmer Group to acquire 100% of the equity interests in the entities comprising Chaleur Forest Products. Chaleur owns two modern and well-capitalized sawmill operations located in Belledune and Bathurst, New Brunswick, with a combined annual lumber production capacity of 350 million board feet. Chaleur also operates a woodlands management division based out of Miramichi that manages approximately 30% of the total Crown forest in New Brunswick. …The purchase price is C$325 million, on a cash and debt free basis, which includes approximately C$31 million of net working capital. …“This acquisition is consistent with Interfor’s growth-focused strategy as a pure-play lumber producer and builds upon our recent expansion into Eastern Canada with further geographic diversity,” said Ian Fillinger, President & Chief Executive Officer. …Interfor’s total annual lumber production capacity will increase to 5.1 billion board feet.
NEW YORK, NY – Mercer International Inc. today announced that it has completed its previously-announced acquisition of all of the shares of the parent company of Holzindustrie Torgau (HIT). Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, Chief Executive Officer, stated: “We are very excited about the acquisition of HIT and the expansion of our solid wood operations in Germany. I want to welcome all of the HIT employees to the Mercer team.” He continued: “We look forward to integrating HIT and furthering our goal to operate world class operations. Additionally, I am excited about the expansion of our product mix with the introduction of pallets and biofuels and look forward to working with HIT’s strong customer base and enhancing its market position.”
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — Russian birch wood has continued to flow to American consumers, disguised as Asian products, despite U.S. economic sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The Environmental Investigation Agency … reports that most birch products currently being exported from Vietnam to the United States originate in Russia. …roughly 40,000 cubic meters of birch wood is transported every month from Russia and China into Vietnam, where it’s assembled into furniture and plywood that end up on the shelves of major American retailers… The group’s investigators spoke to five Chinese companies accounting for 60 percent of China’s birch veneer exports to Vietnam and concluded that over 90 percent of their birch is sourced from Russia. One Chinese wood factory owner told the group that all of the birch their company uses comes from Russia but is repackaged in China and re-exported to Vietnam with China listed as the country of origin.
PORT ALBERNI, BC — The MacMillan Bloedel Retirees Committee has planned its annual coffee social for retired loggers. The event is back on track after a pause due to the coronavirus pandemic and resultant restrictions. The retired loggers coffee social will take place Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the Steelworkers Union Hall, from 1–3 p.m. All Alberni Valley retired loggers, staff, contractors and others associated with the forestry industry are welcome. Come and have a coffee, meet old friends, make new ones and share some stories. The Steelworkers Union Hall is located at 4904 Montrose St. in Port Alberni. [END]
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A pair of foresters from Thunder Bay are receiving national recognition for their contributions to the industry. Tom Ratz and Christa Campbell, who both work for Resolute Forest Products in Thunder Bay, have received Awards of Excellence from the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). The acknowledgement came during National Forest Week. Tom Ratz, RPF, is currently Resolute’s forestry manager for Ontario, received FPAC’s Member of the Year Award, which goes to a member who has “gone above and beyond in advancing the values of environmental stewardship, strengthening forestry communities, and supporting forest sector colleagues and partners.”…Christa Campbell received the Rising Star Award for bringing passion and pride to her workplace and for making unique contributions, according to FPAC. 
Once again California finds itself at the forefront in the fight against climate-related natural disasters. You wouldn’t know it from the scary images of fires engulfing homes, but policymakers actually have all the tools they need to improve our environment. …One major driver for climate change is energy-intensive urban sprawl that pushes urban developments further away from urban centers. By making it easier to build dense housing in urban areas, we can combat climate change and protect human life and property. …While talk of zoning laws and permitting lengths may not be obviously connected to climate change or the uptick in wildfires, urban land-use reform will not only help to reduce carbon emissions, but it will be the key to protecting Californians from wildfires and reducing the number of wildfires in the future. …California’s future doesn’t have to be defined by environmental “doomerism.” There are real, practical solutions… It starts with land-use policies in urban centers.
As Spaniards look towards winter, many are worried about how they will keep warm so interest in alternative forms of energy is at a premium. Wood burning pellet heaters are proving popular as are cheaper solar panels which can be fixed to houses. Javier Díaz, president of the Spanish Biofuel Association, said there had been a 40% rise in the installation of biofuel heaters since 2021. “There has been an increase in boilers or stoves that use solid biofuels such as pellets or wood chips,” he said. “The pellet heater factories cannot make them fast enough because demand is so high. They are working round the clock.” Keen to avoid paying excessive energy bills or being left without any heating at all, Spaniards are preparing for the worst. Waiting lists of up to nine months to buy wood pellets were reported last week by El Correo, a regional newspaper, as people feared shortages.