A new EU satellite will map the Earth’s forest carbon using technology akin to a CT scan. In related news: Forests2market has a new carbon tool; more biomass energy (with carbon capture technology) is expected in the UK; a Georgia community opposes a new wood-pellet plant; and as many as 1 in 6 US tree species may be threatened.
In Business news: Rayonier released its 2021 sustainability report; Louisiana Pacific opened its new headquarters; and US new home sales fell in July, as lumber prices recovered somewhat. Meanwhile: California is calling on the military to help with wildfires; New Mexico’s record-setting fire is contained; and an Idaho fire is now the US’s largest.
Finally, a sneak peak of the upcoming Whitebark Pine Science & Management Conference.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
LONDON — The number of housing starts by the group of 15 London-focused housing associations fell in the year to March as the industry battled with rising cost pressures, even though the previous year had been impacted by the covid pandemic. Starts by G15 housing associations in the 2021/22 financial year fell to 10,951, 3.1% below their 2020/21 figure which had felt the force of first wave of covid lockdowns when building sites were shut for weeks. However, the group said that completions in the year were up. The latest starts figure is the lowest recorded in at least seven years by the group and 30.3% down on the housing starts recorded in 2019/20, the last pre-pandemic financial year. A statement by the G15 blamed the drop on the continued effects of the post-pandemic recovery, supply chain challenges and a shortage of labour.
By the end of the year, we anticipate hearing a final decision on the proposed listing of whitebark pine as a threatened species in the U.S., release of the National Whitebark Pine Restoration Plan and publication of the first reference genome sequence for whitebark pine. Learn more at the upcoming 
It is with a heavy heart that I learn of the new logging road Teal Jones is pushing through up near what was known as Helicamp near Fairy Creek. This was the forest of my youth, my Mother Earth, where I would go for my spiritual needs and for meditation. This is a forest of ancient trees, the forest that nurtured me, fed me and gave me a place to be. Now the NDP government has granted Teal Jones a permit to build a road into the old-growth forest. …My heart cries out in protest. This is a violation of our rights as Indigenous people on unceded land. And now I’ve been informed that I must ask Teal Jones for permission to access my lands, adding insult to injury. …I implore the NDP government and Teal Jones to stop destroying our great Mother Earth, the forest of my culture and tradition.
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The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that we must substantially reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels and simultaneously increase removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by land and ocean reservoirs. A recent executive order recognizes the importance of mature and old-growth forests in limiting climate change and makes their conservation a national policy. It also sets ambitious goals for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, including “to conserve our mature and old-growth forests on Federal lands and restore the health and vibrancy of our Nation’s forests.” …“Technology versus nature” should not be thought of as an either-or solution. We need both on the table, but we need to let forests do substantially more by protecting mature and old forests from logging, particularly on public lands where most of them exist and permanence is achievable.
USA — Wood pellet manufacturers across the country are urging the owners of wood pellet heating appliances to secure their pellet fuel early this year as the global pellet market works to fill a significant supply hole created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Russia contributed at least 2 million tons of wood pellets to global pellet markets, mostly to European buyers,” said Tim Portz, executive director of the Pellet Fuels Institute. “The demand to fill these missing tons is being felt throughout the world, including here in the United States.” In preparation for the coming heating season, wood pellet producers are urging consumers to stock up now. …According to data captured by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, annual pellet sales have fluctuated between 1.7 million and 2.2 million tons within the last five years. …Wood pellets are used as primary or secondary space heat in over 1 million homes.
GEORGIA — A group of residents and environmentalists are fighting to prevent the world’s largest wood pellet plant from coming to south Georgia. The Southern Environmental Law Center and Concerned Citizens of Cook County are asking a judge to revoke an air quality permit for the planned Adel plant on the grounds that the state Environmental Protection Division did not take into consideration the serious health risks that the pollution would pose. …The plans call for Georgia-based Spectrum Energy to build a plant capable of producing 1.3 million tons of wood pellets annually. …Georgia Power has shifted some of its energy capacity away from coal and into the fuel coming from trees. But its detractors say the plants aren’t worth the potential problems for people who are most vulnerable to the pollution and foul odors.
Plans to create thousands of Yorkshire jobs are set to be greenlit by the UK government in a move to make renewable energy the solution to future fuel crises. Work is underway in Whitehall over the future of biomass energy fitted with carbon capture technology. …Earlier this month, the government last week launched a consultation on potential business models for the concept, with the Yorkshire-based company Drax in line to receive subsidies for its plans. …Drax Power Station produces around 12% of the UK’s renewable electricity, by burning biomass fuel, which is mainly wood pellets imported from North America. …The consultation on BECCS is in its’ early stages, and does not close till October this year, but sources indicated the Government “fully supports” biomass and Drax. …But of course it will take time, and no decisions have been made just yet.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — More than four grueling months and $300 million later, the federal government has declared the largest wildfire in New Mexico’s recorded history 100% contained, a notable milestone but just another step in what local residents and officials say will be a long journey toward recovery. The blaze was sparked in the spring by two errant prescribed fires conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. More than 530 square miles of the Rocky Mountain foothills burned, hundreds of homes were destroyed, livelihoods were lost and drinking water supplies were contaminated. Local officials say there are years of work ahead of them to restore the landscape and protect against post-fire flooding. …The scar left behind by the wildfire includes some areas that were reduced to ash and others where the severity was less intense. …The U.S. Forest Service said helicopters will distribute about 138 tons (125 metric tonnes) of seed and 5,440 tons (4,935 metric tonnes) of mulch.