Extensive forest fires in several West Virginia counties resulted in a State of Emergency declaration. In related news: Ontario offers $5k bonuses to recruit wildland firefighters; and Northwest Ontario and Greece overhaul their response plans ahead of wildfire season. Meanwhile: Tolko passed its BC Forest Practice Board audit; BC’s new biodiversity framework may supersede the need for an endangered species law; and mill closures in Ontario suggest its time to ‘press reset‘ on the sector.
In other news: Billerud is selling its idled Wisconsin Rapids mill; Drax faces air quality hearing on Washington pellet plant; the US EPA’s risk evaluation for formaldehyde is up for comment; and the Future Forest Economy Initiative invests $14 million in the US Northeast.
Finally, navigating transition— a 2024 COFI Convention preview.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Our planet is faced with both an environmental crisis and a housing crisis. There is, however, a sector that is overlooked as a viable, renewable and long-term solution to climate change and urbanisation. …less than 1% of new South African houses use timber as the primary construction material. By comparison, some 90% of new houses in New Zealand are made of timber. As a sector trying to promote the adoption of mass timber, we are faced with a long-held belief that brick-and-mortar is the only way to build homes, schools and clinics. There are many misconceptions, not least of which are strength, durability, fire safety, and cost. Mass timber uses technological advancements to engineer wood to have a stronger strength-to-weight ratio. …It’s been said that wood isn’t manufactured, it grows. From a South African perspective, the wood is sourced from sustainably managed tree plantations.
VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board announces the completion of its audit of Tolko Industries Ltd.’s operations on timber licence T0816 in the Okanagan Shuswap Natural Resource District. Based on the field audit conducted from Oct. 23-27, 2023, the Forest Practices Board confirms Tolko’s adherence to the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act (WA) across all significant aspects of these operations. The audit examined activities between Oct. 1, 2021, and Oct. 26, 2023, including operational planning, timber harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, and wildfire protection. “Our audit found that Tolko complied with all requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “We are pleased to see the efforts made by Tolko to carry out their operations consistent with provincial regulations and sound forest practices.” 
GREENVILLE, S.C. — New products from a centuries-old industry are making their way to the marketplace. This is thanks to a five-year initiative designed to generate market demand for sustainably sourced wood from the Northern Forest of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Included in the initiative were two projects in Vermont: Steam-based heating project in Burlington and for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund’s “Wood-Based Textiles in the Northeast.” The Future Forest Economy Initiative (FFEI) funded 13 projects that generated substantial economic development opportunities within the region’s forest sector and in economically distressed rural communities across the area. …The FFEI-funded projects benefitted 219 businesses across the forest supply chain, improved the quality of 1,500 jobs, leveraged more than $14 million in private investment into the forest economy and funded projects that support market demand for more than 8 million tons of wood from the region. 
CHARLESTON, West Virginia — Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Pendleton counties have been placed under a State of Emergency due to “extensive forest fires,” Gov. Jim Justice announced Thursday afternoon. Multiple large fires are burning across those counties, including one at Waites Run near Wardensville that has destroyed “countless” structures, according to fire departments. The Fire Information for Rescue Management System map says that the Waites Run fire has burned more than 3,500 acres, which is nearly 5.5 square miles. Departments from multiple states, including Virginia and Maryland, and from West Virginia counties as far away as Monongalia and Braxton have responded to help fight the series of fires. Another large fire in Grant County has burned more than 500 acres as of Thursday morning.