Assessing the cumulative impact of human activities on Canada’s environment is facilitated with new online access to data/reports. In other Forestry news: wildfire fuel challenges in Prince George, BC and Payson, Arizona; the downside of Oregon’s 21″ rule; and deforestation in Mexico is up, while Indonesia reaches record low.
In Business news: Canada’s housing construction reached record levels (while Japan’s fell and South Korea’s rose slightly); as US forecasts record volumes in 2021 (Dodge Data & Analytics and Housing Wire). Meanwhile: Canfor considers biofuel project in Prince George; Powell River’s paper mill will restart in May; Westervelt celebrates new Alabama lumber mill; Sappi deputes Maine water contamination claim; and more on the Oregon Forest Resources Institute controversy.
Finally tree surgeons fell centuries-old oaks to rebuild the Notre-Dame spire.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Profits for the District of Mission’s forestry operations have rebounded significantly, nearly doubling projections set out in the 2020 budget. The department’s profits had dwindled since the second half of 2019, hit first by a market crash, and followed by the onset of the global pandemic. They reported a net loss of $1,405 for 2019. But the “extremely positive results” of 2020’s fourth quarter have put them back in the green, according to a March 1 report to Mission council. The budget forecasted a net profit of just under $488,600 for the quarter, but the department managed to pull in over $2 million, $983,200 of which was net profit. Fourth quarter profits for 2019 only brought in $133,500. …“Lumber prices are through the roof, the markets are red hot,” said Chris Gruenwald, director of forestry. “We fully expect to meet our budgeted profit of $760,000 for 2021.”
Experts from across the country and the globe will be sharing their perspectives and project examples on how wood can transform the built environment into healthier low-carbon communities where people thrive. Topics will range from holistic approaches to the built environment (with Dr. Silke A. Krawietz), to the conscious and subconscious impacts of design and materiality (with Chris Corps, CEO of Pivotal IRM). The Summit is designed for professionals in the construction and design community, including architects, engineers, contractors, developers, urban planners, and interior designers. Continuing education certificates can be downloaded for self-reporting. Students are also encouraged to attend in order to learn about new, emerging products and resources. $150 + HST with access to the recordings for 30 days! 
OTTAWA, Ontario – Natural Resources Canada, in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, has launched the 
JAKARTA — The deforestation rate in Indonesia last year fell by 75% to its lowest level since monitoring began in 1990, according to the government. Officials attribute this mainly to government policies such as moratoriums on clearing primary forests and issuing licenses for new oil palm plantations. Environmentalists say other factors contributed, including an unusually wet year, declining palm oil prices, and an economic slump that led to a slowdown in forest-clearing activity such as plantation expansion and logging. They’ve called on the government to keep aiming for even lower rates of deforestation, and cautioned against pursuing economic growth emulating Brazil’s deforestation-driven extractive model.
Prince George is being considered as a location for two waste diversion projects, a report to City Council says. Representatives from Sustane Technologies and Canfor made a presentation on a pair of proposed biomass/biofuel projects. …a second project, proposed by Canfor and Arbios, would use recovered wood to make biofuel. In their report to Council, Canfor says they believe this project will likely be given the go-ahead later this summer or fall — with the hope it will be running by the end of next year. The proposal says the Arbios project would be located at the Intercon facility, creating 150 direct jobs and an additional 600 indirect. Consultation with local Indigenous nations is underway, and further community engagement is planned for the coming months. An environmental review is also currently in progress. If approved, this would be the first project of its kind in Canada.
