San Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Interfor’s Acorn sawmill in Delta, BC. In other Company news: Northern Pulp appeals terms for mill-restart, a new study on Northern Pulp’s emissions; Cascades shifts to virtual AGM format; and Saica opens Ohio packaging plant. Elsewhere: Canada’s cautionary tale for US housing affordability; and inflation hits another 40-year high.
In other news: Quebec warns Ottawa not to take unilateral action on caribou; concerns mount over BC’s herbicide plans; Wisconsin industry hopes to rethink its future; and the US biomass industry seeks changes to EU rules.
Finally, America’s Forests with Chuck Leavell—of Rolling Stones fame—premiers April 21; while Filming the Last Stand by Peter von Puttkamer debuts April 22.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
BURNABY, BC — Interfor Corporation has reached an agreement to sell its Acorn specialty sawmill located near Vancouver, BC to an affiliate of San Industries Ltd. The Mill is located on the Fraser River in Delta, B.C. The Mill was built in 1963 and was acquired by Interfor in 2001 from Primex Forest Products. The Mill specializes in producing lumber squares for the traditional Japanese home market and most of the production is exported to Asia. The Mill has a two-shift rated capacity of approximately 140 million board feet per year, but has been operating on a one-shift basis for many years. The Mill produced 56 million board feet of lumber in 2021, representing approximately 2% of Interfor’s total company-wide production in 2021. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
MADISON – A coalition that includes Wisconsin paper makers, loggers, educators and union workers hopes to reshape the forest products industry to meet new demands for sustainable packaging, climate change mitigation and green forest management. The group, led by the Wisconsin Paper Council, is among the finalists for a federal grant worth up to $100 million called the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The money administered would go toward the creation of new research and development facilities, workforce-bolstering technical education programs and a new maple syrup production plan on the Menominee Reservation. Wisconsin’s logging industry has suffered a historic downturn since the closure of Wisconsin Rapids’ paper mill in mid-2020. The coalition writes the loss of that mill and others are forcing Wisconsin companies into “rethinking … the future of the industry.” In all, the coalition estimates the projects could create some 2,500 new jobs in Wisconsin.
Canada’s red hot housing market is in overdrive as housing affordability sinks — it sounds too familiar to Americans. …The 20.6% year-over-year growth is attributed to a home buying frenzy — like that in the US — that was spurred on by record low mortgage rates in 2020. In both the US and Canada, the problems in the housing market boil down to the simple fact that there just aren’t enough homes to house everyone who wants to buy, following years of underbuilding and investors entering the market looking to make a profit. …Whatever side of the border you’re on, one thing is clear — housing availability is shockingly low in Canada and the US. If more homes aren’t built to meet housing demand, the US could follow in Canada’s footsteps. 
To industry, certain plants — salal, huckleberry, red alder, and more — may be seen as pests impeding the growth of cash crops. But for Indigenous Peoples, they are traditional foods and medicines that have been relied upon for millennia. In a recent proposal, B.C. Timber Sales, a government agency that manages about 20 per cent of the timber allowed to be cut each year, outlined a five-year pest management planfor its Chinook business area. It covers lands stretching from Squamish to Hope. …The plan outlines various options for dealing with so-called pest species, from manually cutting the brush back to spraying glyphosate-based herbicides. …The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw said it had “expressed concerns about the potential risks to the nation’s inherent rights. The nation agreed to the pest management plan on the condition that BC Timber Sales must have written consent from Squamish Nation before any herbicides can be sprayed.
VERNON, BC — A book showing the experiences of people impacted by the White Rock Lake wildfire is being released to support two great causes. Virginia Dansereau was a volunteer with Emergency Support Services in Vernon during the fire when she started writing down stories and quotes from people who came in seeking help. She met two other volunteers, Sue Urquhart and Heather Clay [and] together they decided to publish a book; ‘Smoke and Ash: Reflections on the 2021 Vernon B.C. Area Fires’ about the massive wildfire containing photos, paintings, short stories, experiences and poems. …Despite the impact the fire had on people’s properties and both mental and physical health, there is a message of resilience. …The book launch is April 23.
QUESNEL, BC –Effective immediately, Albert Nussbaum, BC’s acting deputy chief forester, has set a new allowable annual cut level for Tree Farm Licence 53 in the central Interior near Quesnel. The new AAC for the TFL is 240,000 cubic metres. This is an increase of approximately 9.6% which was set in 2010. The new AAC reflects objectives for all forest resource values and input provided by the Lheidli T’enneh Nation. …TFL 53 is held by Dunkley Lumber Ltd. and covers an area of 87,839 hectares. The TFL was heavily affected by the mountain pine beetle epidemic that peaked in the mid 2000s, and the licensee implemented a successful salvage program. …The deputy chief forester’s AAC determination is an independent, professional judgement, based on information ranging from technical forestry reports, First Nations and public input, and the government’s social and economic goals.
Producers of wood-based fuels including Drax, the UK power group that has sought to reinvent itself as a green energy pioneer, are lobbying to water down proposed EU rules that would increase protection for forests. As part of its revision of regulations governing clean energy, the European Commission has proposed that wood fuel from valuable ecosystems — such as “highly biodiverse” forests “where there is no clearly visible indication of human activity” — should not be classified as renewable. …The US Industrial Pellet Association objected to the proposed change to create “no go” areas of woodland for biomass harvesting. The document suggested alternative wording: that the harvesting of primary forests — native and often old trees that have not been disturbed by human activities — “not interfere with their nature protection purposes”. Nearly two-thirds of the EU’s renewable energy comes from biomass. But the sustainability of burning wood for energy is in question.