BC Premier Horgan rejected the old-growth protester actions, as a hunger-striker was briefly hospitalized, and activists plan a ‘citizens arrest‘ of Minister Conroy. In other Forestry news: Canada and Ontario reach agreement on caribou conservation; the Canadian Institute of Forestry launches a climate adaptation series; and Oregon and Colorado National Forests receive wildfire mitigation monies.
In Business news: GreenFirst to relocate the Kenora sawmill; Domtar sells Hearst Forest to the Nature Conservancy; Canfor breaks ground in Louisiana; the UPM strike ends in Finland; and Stora Enso is divesting its Russia operations. Meanwhile, Ontario WoodWORKS! wood design award winners and the Softwood Lumber Board’s April update.
Finally, the Cowichan Valley Hoo-Hoo Club meets after two-year covid-hiatus.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
DERIDDER, Louisiana — The official groundbreaking for a new sawmill plant in DeRidder was held at the facility’s future location at 4227 La. 190 West. Canfor Southern Pine’s DeRidder site is projected to be a $160 million state-of-the-art sawmill complex, and will be Canfor’s 16th operation in the United States. It will also be its first greenfield project, and the company’s first investment into the state of Louisiana. Canfor Southern Pines’s president, Tony Sheffield said job recruitment is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks. The sawmill plant is expected to open this winter and will create an estimated 516 direct and indirect jobs. …The construction of the site will also create an estimated 175 jobs. …“Today was a great day for Beauregard Parish,” DeRidder Mayor Misty Clanton said.
Price hikes slated to hit regional newspapers on July 1 from Australia’s sole remaining newsprint plant are worse than the industry has feared, with some publishers reporting price jumps of 80 per cent over previous rates and orders going only half filled. Regional media representatives have asked the federal government for rapid help, fearing the cost rises could result in newsroom closures. But demand for paper is now outstripping limited supply as Australia recovers from the pandemic. International options are limited. Another major global wood products company, Finland’s UPM, is facing a crippling strike that has lasted about four months. Russia, a major supplier of wood, is under sanctions because of its invasion of Ukraine. And freight from Asian paper supplies has become more costly as a result of the global supply chain crunch.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/72956-preview_low_4713-1_72956_sc_v2com-f7cb43a0d4f447b0a6ee5a185d142a47.jpg)
OREGON — A local forest landscape restoration program will get $3 million in federal infrastructure funding to reduce fuels and improve portions of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest across Southern Oregon. The Rogue Basin Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project is among 15 landscape projects funded in eight states, according to news releases from the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Combined, the projects in Oregon, California, Washington, Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma received a combined $31 million. The local project focuses on a 300,000-acre portion of forestland “which are most relevant to reducing wildfire risks to nearby communities,” according to the National Forest.
The First Nations Leadership Council has unveiled the B.C. First Nations Climate Strategy. Released on Earth Day, the strategy outlines a vision, priorities and guiding principles for Indigenous-led climate action initiatives that recognize the inherent title, rights and treaty rights of First Nations. “Humanity and Mother Earth are suffering the consequences of human behaviour. Our ancestral lands, communities, and cultural identity depend on immediate climate action,” Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations said in a news release. “The response from the provincial and federal governments is inadequate and insufficient to address the climate emergency and time is running out for incremental or gradual transitions.” The strategy contains 27 themes, 63 objectives, and 143 strategic actions, plus a series of recommendations for implementation.
The Dutch Government has decided to immediately stop new subsidies for woody bio-based raw materials for low-grade heat. The decision specifically concerns the production of low-temperature heat from woody bio-based raw materials. This heat is mainly used for heating buildings and greenhouses. Minister Jetten for Climate and Energy said: …“Bio-raw materials are crucial to become less dependent on fossil raw materials, certainly in sectors where there are limited or no sustainable alternatives. “At the same time, the government is aware of social concerns about bio-based raw materials. That is why we have decided to immediately stop granting subsidies for woody bio-based raw materials for low-grade heat.” The government’s approach is to use sustainable bio-based raw materials where they make the greatest contribution to sustainability and where alternatives are limited.