A new study confirms that BC wood pellets are entirely sourced from sawmill and harvest residuals or (rejected) low-quality logs. In related news: an EU vote allows biomass to count towards climate targets; TD Bank invests in a boreal carbon project; and wood pellet storage linked to carbon monoxide alarm. In other Business news: BC lumber cutbacks suggest interest hikes are cooling the housing market; the Maine paper mill damaged in 2020 blast to close for good; and Mercer’s new credit facility is ‘sustainability-linked’.
In other news: Manitoba signs revenue-sharing agreements with two First Nations; Saskatchewan and Alberta renew mountain pine beetle partnership; BC Wood recaps the 2022 Global Buyers Mission; and Junior Forest Wardens, BMO, Bass Pro Shops celebrate National Forest Week.
Finally, how vultures mitigate GHGs, and trees rings track extreme weather events.
Kelly McCloskey Tree Frog Editor
VANCOUVER, BC – A 
NEW YORK, NY — Mercer International announced that it has successfully entered into a new €300 million revolving credit facility for its German subsidiaries with a syndicate of European banks. The New Facility has a five year term, is unsecured and accrues interest at a rate of Euribor plus a stipulated margin. The New Facility is “sustainability linked” whereby if certain sustainability targets are achieved, there is a reduction in the applicable interest rate. The sustainability-linked feature is consistent with Mercer’s long term ESG objectives as validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative. The New Facility is available to Mercer’s German operating subsidiaries, including after closing of its acquisition, HIT Holzindustrie Torgau GmbH & Co. KG and replaces Mercer’s current €200 million revolving credit facility. 
If lumber was an early indicator of where prices are headed, then the central bankers who are now trying to beat back the hottest inflation since the 1980s may take heart in recent signals coming from the lumber market. A growing number of Canada’s largest producers, including Canfor and West Fraser Timber recently announced plans to scale back production in BC, citing softening demand among other factors. Both announcements tie into a multi-year trend in which B.C. lumber companies have been reinvesting their profits in new operations in the southern US. …As West Fraser said in August, “access to available timber is an increasing challenge in BC and ongoing transportation constraints have impaired the company’s ability to reliably access markets.” Canfor’s statement about softening lumber demand may signal that rising interest rates are beginning to have the desired effect of cooling demand. …Paul Quinn, RBC analyst, predicted Canfor’s announcement of curtailed production would “definitely raise prices.”
Indigenous-managed conservation areas are key to Canada’s pledge to designate nearly one third of its land and ocean waters for biodiversity protection by the end of this decade, according to a new report. The report from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada stresses that protected areas should be “co-developed and implemented with Indigenous consent” as part of Canada’s reconciliation process. Its release coincides with efforts by a group of world leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to press their counterparts on biodiversity preservation ahead of international negotiations in Montreal later this year. …Canada is playing a pivotal role in the global discussion around conserving nature as the host of the next meeting of signatories to the UN Convention on Biodiversity. …Canada faces a significant task with its own commitments. …Above all, however, the report stresses that Indigenous protected and conserved areas, or IPCAs, should be given high priority for protected status. 
MANITOBA — The provincial government announced that it has signed memorandums of understanding on forestry revenue-sharing with two more Northern Manitoba First Nations. One of the agreements is with Norway House Cree Nation and the other is with Chemawawin Cree Nation. The new MOUs commit the province to sharing 45 per cent of timber harvesting dues from areas in proximity to NHCN and CCN with the First Nations. The two-year pilot projects are retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year. …A memorandum of agreement was signed by the province and NHCN on Aug. 2, with the government committing to creating a tree-planting program to train and employ youth and community members. …Timber will also be provided for NHCN’s sawmills to support the goal of building approximately 500 homes in the community. …The province previously signed similar MOUs with Opaskwayak Cree Nation and Mosakahiken Cree Nation in August.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture will be supporting and participating in several events taking place throughout the province to mark National Forest Week 2022, being celebrated from September 18 – 24 and National Tree Day on Wednesday, September 21. The theme for National Forest Week this year is “Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate”. On September 21, the department will host ‘Explore Forestry Day’ taking place at Margaret Bowater Park in Corner Brook. This all-day event will feature a variety of forestry related exhibits and demonstrations designed to educate and inform youth about our forests outside in a natural, fun-filled setting. Throughout the week, Forestry and Wildlife district staff will also be visiting elementary schools in Gander, Pasadena and L’Anse au Loup to deliver various forestry themed activities, demonstrations and discussions about issues such as tree planting, forest fire prevention, wildlife control and forest management.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Sept. 14 voted in favor of proposals for a revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII). The proposals aim to raise the share of renewables in the European Union’s final energy consumption to 45 percent by 2030. They also address the use of woody biomass. The MEPs decision, in part, allows biomass energy, including primary woody biomass, to continue counting towards the renewable energy targets. MEPs, however, also adopted amendments calling for phasing down the share of primary wood biomass counted as renewable energy. …Under the proposal, the energy share from solid biomass fuels derived from primary woody biomass cannot exceed the share of the overall energy consumption of the average of such fuel in 2017-2022, based on the latest available data. Bioenergy groups are welcoming the adoption of the REDIII but stress that the new definition of primary woody biomass raises some concerns.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Vermont – Fire crews in Williamstown say a smoke alarm warned a homeowner about a bag of wood pellets that almost spontaneously combusted. The Williamstown Fire Department was called to a home on Falls Bridge Road for a chirping carbon monoxide detector. After struggling to find the source of the odorless gas, they noticed a stack of wood pellet bags was heating up. Like wet stacked hay, the bagged wood pellets in the bags began to oxidize and heated up to 125 degrees. So officials are reminding people to store them safely and check their smoke alarms. “The best thing if you do store them inside is to make sure you have a working smoke detector or CO detector to give that quick awareness that something isn’t right,” Williamstown Fire Chief William Graham said.