Vaughn Palmer, Rob Shaw and Andrew McLeod opine on forest sector unions’ call for a BC fibre supply plan. In other news: Fort Frances drops the ball on Ontario biomass program; Europe asks Japan to ban Russian wood imports; Australia’s first CLT plant comes with $2M in government funding; and more on Enviva’s bankruptcy and restructuring.
In Forestry/Climate news: Canada’s wildfires may impact US air quality again; wildfires reduce Quebec’s long-term harvest targets; a BC court clears Teal Jones on road access closures; Oregon’s logging-curb said to hurt rural communities; Idaho is facing forestry workforce challenges; a Montana court halts road building due to grizzly bears; and Washington’s family tree farms reduce GHGs.
Finally, Swedish researchers use wood tissue’s chemical footprint to track illegal loggers.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
On March 28, 2022, Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, announced the Ontario government’s first Forest Biomass Action Plan. According to the announcement, the plan was a way to promote economic opportunities, drive economic growth and help secure, for future generations, a strong forestry sector in the north. At the time of the announcement, Fort Frances had a biomass facility, originally funded with lots of your hard earned tax dollars. Perfect for the Town to take advantage of this program. From my perspective, Council took no initiative to take advantage of this program. By late 2022 the biomass was demolished and it was recently revealed that Thunder Bay received funding for a new biomass facility. I feel this was just another failure by this and the last council to do anything to make sure Fort Frances continues to benefit from the forest around it.
The European Organization of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) and the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois) raised the question of a possible Japanese ban on the imports of Russian wood products, in particular lumber and glue laminated timber. According to figures shared by the Japanese Lumber Importers Association, Japan in 2023 was still importing 13% of its total lumber imports from Russia. This is regrettable. …We believe that a concerted effort to persuade Japan to stop importing Russian lumber would be a significant step in further impacting the Russian economy and its war machine. Our trade posture towards Russia, and sanctions in particular, should be coordinated and coherent among the coalition of countries that have decided to punish Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and barbaric invasion of Ukraine.
A citizen scientist studying threatened bird species in a Vancouver Island forest has encountered another hurdle in her efforts. The B.C. Forest Practices Board has found that both the Forest Ministry and Teal Cedar Products Ltd. acted lawfully in restricting her access to areas in Tree Farm Licence 46, near Port Renfrew. Royann Petrell, an associate professor emerita of chemical and biological engineering at the UBC, had previously filed a judicial review application challenging the access restrictions. Petrell argued that Teal Cedar Products Ltd.’s construction of 10 gates, with approval from the forest minister, significantly hampered her ability to conduct research on threatened bird populations. The court, however, dismissed her case, citing the Forest Practices Board as a suitable alternative for addressing her concerns. …“The decision to restrict access, agreed to by the district manager, was deemed necessary to protect property and public safety during active logging operations,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board.
A 2023 University of Idaho study found that the forest products business sector contributed $2.5 billion to Idaho’s gross state product in 2022. …While vital to Idaho’s economy, the forest products sector faces uncertainty due to workforce challenges. Twenty-four percent of the log truck drivers are over the age of 60 and the logging contractor owner/operators have on average 29 years of business experience. Like many Idaho businesses, without a stable workforce, forestry’s tremendous impact on our state’s economy is at risk. But there’s reason for optimism. Recent investments through Idaho’s new Career Ready Students program represent an infusion of both energy and capital in cultivating new pipelines of young talent into Idaho’s forest products sector. In March 2023, Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield, with the help of the Idaho Legislature, secured $45 million to create a new program that would invest in career technical education and career training around our state.
A federal court magistrate has found that the Flathead National Forest has failed to consider the impacts of new road-building projects on grizzly bears and bull trout, saying the United States Forest Service is ignoring science in order to arrive at its approval for the project which has been contested since 2018. Magistrate Kathleen DeSoto said that, like a previous court decision, the Flathead National Forest ignored roads that had been “decommissioned” but still exist and allow for motorized vehicle travel, which is technically illegal, but the USFS acknowledges happens. In the Forest Service’s 2009 plan, officials called for removing many of those roads, but opted to “decommission” them by blocking them, which severely curbed, but didn’t eliminate their use. …The Forest Service or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has 14 days to file written objections to DeSoto’s order, or the findings will become permanent. If either party objects, the case will be reviewed by a federal judge.
Counties like Crook may get to have a say in the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) new rules for old-growth forests after all. Earlier this year, the commissioners called for a rethink of the USFS’s plans to amend every national forest land management in the nation to create one overall strategy. In a comment letter, the county criticized the one-size-fits-all approach and failure to include local governments in the process. The new rules are expected to affect all National Forests in Wyoming, including the Black Hills. Dru Palmer, consultant for the county, reported last week that she had met with national management in Washington, D.C. during a trip to the capital and was able to bring back good news. “The bottom line is that they heard us loud and clear and recognize they maybe didn’t roll it out very well,” she said.
A lawsuit filed last month in a Washington, D.C., federal court alleges the U.S. Forest Service’s practice of setting “timber targets” puts the climate at risk, undermines the Biden administration’s climate goals and violates federal law. The suit was filed by The Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of two conservation groups, the Chattooga Conservancy (based in upstate South Carolina) and Asheville-based MountainTrue, as well as an individual in Missouri. SELC argues that the Forest Service failed to study properly the climate impacts of its timber targets and the logging projects designed to fulfill them. Each year, the Forest Service and Department of Agriculture set timber targets, which the Forest Service is required to meet through logging on public lands. In recent years, the national target has been set as high as 4 billion board feet — or enough lumber to circle the globe more than 30 times. The already high target is expected to increase in the coming years.
FSC was selected as a member of the new ‘Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform’ established by the European Commission. Dr. Marion Karmann, Senior Research Relations Manager, and Matteo Mascolo, Lead EU Affairs & Engagement, will represent FSC in that forum. The Platform gathers knowledge and expertise on forests and forestry-related matters. Members of the Platform will discuss the EU Forest Strategy for 2030’s implementation, policies to better monitor and protect European forests, and closer-to-nature forestry practices. …The Platform’s main responsibility is to assist the Commission in implementing existing legislation, programs, and policies, as well as fostering coordination with European Member States and facilitating exchange of views. …FSC is already supporting the EU Commission on several EU forestry policies, such as the European Union Deforestation-free Products Regulation.
Most climate-concerned people know that trees can help slow global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but a recent study published in the 
For centuries, people have found solace in walks through the forest and the practice of “forest bathing.” Now, researchers at UBC are delving into the science behind this tradition to understand its benefits better and make them accessible to all. Leading the experiment is Dr. Guangyu Wang, a professor at UBC’s department of forest resources management and director of the Multidisciplinary Institute of Natural Therapy (MINT). In this Q&A, Dr. Wang shares insights into their findings thus far. …Research indicates that forest bathing or forest therapy can alleviate stress, uplift mood and boost cognitive and immune functions. It may also reduce blood pressure and heart rate and improve sleep quality. At MINT, we explore this phenomenon. Our previous experiments revealed that exposure to negative ions and natural forest sounds significantly reduces stress and improves sleep quality, while even a two-hour forest therapy session can lower blood pressure and stress levels.