Daily Archives: December 12, 2017

Today’s Takeaway

Seedling shortage to cause Christmas tree shortage… in 2025!

December 12, 2017
Category: Today's Takeaway

Believe it or not, it might be hard to find a Christmas tree eight years from now because of a tree seedling shortage and closure of tree nurseries across the West.  In California, the Forest Service says an additional 27 million trees have died due to droughts and beetles over the past two years, bringing the statewide total to 129 million on 8.9 million acres.

In other news: North Carolina’s wood pellet industry offers 80% lifecycle reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to coal; Skeena Sawmills have earned SFI certification; European researchers say cascading wood use more than doubles the efficiency of wood utilization; and wood construction fire safety is amped up in Massachusetts with security cameras and guards. 

Finally, didn’t make it to the 2017 Global Buyer’s Mission at Whistler BC? Here’s a video of those that did.

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Business & Politics

Port is major economic driver in Prince Rupert: study

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
December 12, 2017
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Compared with the Port of Vancouver, the Port of Prince Rupert is small in terms of cargo volume. But for the Prince Rupert region, it is a disproportionately large economic engine, generating one out of every four jobs in the region. According to a new InterVistas Consulting economic impact study, $35 billion worth of goods flowed in and out of the port’s terminals in 2016, generating $1 billion in economic activity, about one-quarter of which was wages. In 2016, the port and related activities in trucking, rail and logistics directly employed 3,100 people – more than double the 1,300 in 2009.. …Container traffic accounts for about 39% of the value of all goods moving through the five terminals. About 33% of the container traffic is for lumber and other wood products, 31% is for grain, 13% for pulp and paper and 5% for agricultural products.

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Hampton Lumber CEO prefers talks, not tariffs, on Canadian lumber imports

By Edward Stratton
The Daily Astorian
December 12, 2017
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Steve Zika

Eight years ago, Hampton Lumber purchased a mill along the Skipanon River employing nearly 100 people from fellow wood products company Weyerhaeuser. Hampton invested an estimated $18 million renovating the mill and now directly employs about 150 people there turning out up to 200 million board feet of Douglas fir and hemlock lumber.  Steve Zika, the CEO of Hampton Lumber since 2006, recently met with The Daily Astorian and detailed the company’s local presence. …The U.S. International Trade Commission recently upheld tariffs of more than 20 percent on lumber imports from Canada, ruling the neighbor to the north subsidizes and dumps timber on the American market. Overseeing mills on both sides of the border, Zika provided his take on the issue of Canadian subsidies and tariffs. …The U.S. coalition says that the lumber producers up there are subsidized with cheap logs. I don’t believe that’s the case.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

2017 Global Buyers Mission

BC Wood
November 14, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The 14th annual Global Buyers Mission™ (GBM) took place in Whistler, September 7th to 9th, 2017. Over 850 delegates from around the world came together to participate in this three-day, invitation only networking/tradeshow event. The GBM brings together qualified international buyers of wood products, with Canadian manufacturers of that include finished materials, building supplies and remanufacturing products.

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New wood technologies optimize passive design and construction

ReThink Wood
Global Newswire
December 12, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Washington — Durable, high quality wood buildings are the new standard for high performance construction. Aligning the construction efficiency and environmental benefits of modern wood technologies with passive design principles can create energy-efficient and carbon neutral buildings that reduce energy bills and benefit architects, developers, owners and cities. …“We must consider more than just how energy efficient a building is  – we also need to look at the energy required to actually build it,” explained Stas Zakrzewski, Principal at ZH Architects. “While typical Passive House Design certifications don’t necessarily focus on this aspect, decreased energy expenditure throughout the construction process is a byproduct of building with wood. …“The Passive House Building Standard is the world’s most energy-efficient certification and can dramatically reduce our carbon footprint,” said Michelle Apigian, practice and sustainability leader at ICON Architecture. 

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Fire Chief Says They Have A Good Handle on New Construction in City

By Sue Ellen Woodcock
Revere Journal
December 11, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

With the Beach House under construction on Revere Beach Boulevard, and the new construction on the site of the old Shaw’s Market, people are seeing a lot of wood go up and wonder about safety before and after construction. Revere Deputy Fire Chief Paul Cheever deals with these buildings, new and old, every day. As a licensed engineer and a firefighter, he is uniquely positioned to work with builders to make sure fire safety is addressed. …The sites under construction currently in Revere have amped up security with cameras and security guards on site.“As the construction moves along so does the protection. As the building is framed, we want to make sure they have the stairwell in place and the standpipe (which supplies water). We have to make sure they put in a fire department connection.”

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Architect constructs foldable house that withstands earthquakes

By Shazma Khan
Business Recorder
December 12, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Italian architect Renato Vidal has created a foldable house, which he calls the M.A.Di home. The earthquake-proof house comes prefabricated and could be installed in less than a day. The sole purpose of constructing the house was to survive earthquakes by building it with cross-laminated timber (CLT). The house is build like an A-shape and can be folded down completely flat, making it convenient to be shipped. The house can be constructed in different sizes that include a 290-sq ft tiny home, a 495-sq ft or 603-sq ft double home, and a 753-sq ft or 904-sq ft family home. In all the sizes, there are two levels, a kitchen, a dining area, a bathroom, and bedroom(s), reported Futurism. …The wood specialist Domenico Antonucci that manufactures the M.A.Di informed New Atlas, “Thanks to the home’s steel profile and steel hinges, we can open and close this module with ease.”

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Understanding the influence of wood substrates on the permeability of coatings

European Coatings
December 11, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The shift towards waterborne coatings makes coatings more sensitive to water. As a consequence, the durability of both wood and coatings can be negatively affected. The aim of a study was to elucidate the influence of wooden substrates on the water permeability of the coating applied to it. Pine sapwood, oak and teak were selected as the wood types, covering a whole range of low to high density wood. Three types of coatings were formulated: a solventborne alkyd, a waterborne alkyd and a waterborne acrylic. For all wood-coating combinations water transport appeared to be externally (i.e. coating) limited. The loss of bound water started only after evacuation of free water, which showed a local thermodynamic equilibrium associated with bound and free water. 

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Cascading use of wood to ensure sustainability

By Michael Risse
Phys.org
December 12, 2017
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building

…In Germany and Europe, new concepts are therefore being discussed for more responsible and efficient industrial use of wood, but resources are still limited. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are using data from a European research project to analyze the potential efficiency of multiple use between harvesting and combustion of wood. Does the cascading use of wood really lead to increased resource efficiency? For example, if the raw wood is first used to make construction elements, then slats for a table, and finally chipped and turned into chipboard before being burned for energy in a power plant? Michael Risse and Professors Gabriele Weber-Blaschke and Klaus Richter from the Chair of Wood Science at TUM set out to find suitable assessment methods. …The result: In cascading use, the wood is utilized significantly more efficiently at a rate of 46 percent, compared to single use at 21 percent. 

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Forestry

Ontario regulations are jeopardizing species at risk, report says

By Miriam Katawazi
The Toronto Star
December 12, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Some of the most harmful industries to Ontario’s wildlife are able to carry out activities and projects with no government oversight or public accountability, a new report by three environmental groups says. The report states that a 2013 amendment to a previous regulation is allowing certain industries to be exempt from certain laws under the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits any harm to species at risk and their habitats. “I think that it’s fairly terrifying,” said Sarah McDonald, a lawyer at Ecojustice, one of the three organizations that developed the report. “Many of the industries that are exempted engage in activities that have widespread harmful impacts on endangered species and are not subject to any sort of oversight or public accountability.”

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Youth video contest aims to capture forest industry’s positive impact

By Marcia Love
The Whitecourt Star
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Grab a camera and show the world what Alberta’s forest industry means to you. The Alberta Forest Alliance (AFA) is seeking help from the next generation of filmmakers in producing a promotional video on the forest industry. It’s calling on youth in grades 6 to 10 with a keen interest in video production to create a piece showcasing the positive impact the forest industry has on their lives, community and province. Ray Hilts, executive director of AFA, emphasized the importance of forestry to rural communities and said the contest is a way of highlighting that.

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Skeena Sawmills Achieves Sustainable Forest Management Certification

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Press Release
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Teddy Cui

VANCOUVER – Skeena Sawmills’ mill and forest operations near Terrace, British Columbia, have earned certification to the globally respected and independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards. “One of our core commitments is to consistently improve our sustainable forest practices,” said Teddy Cui, President and CEO of Skeena Sawmills. “Certification to the SFI and PEFC standards is proof that we are delivering on that promise and meeting the highest environmental, social and economic standards possible.” Mr. Cui added that the certification is important to global customers and aligns with the company’s plans to invest $40 million and double capacity over the next few years. Independent auditors from KPMG, an accredited certification body, recommended the certification after inspecting Skeena Sawmills’ planning, procedures and processes in its woodlands operations and its mill.

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Forest inventory tools enhance decision support say experts

ForestTECHX
December 7, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vancouver, BC – Internationally, inventory mapping for foresters has benefited considerably from developments in drone and lidar technologies. Many senior forest managers are now focused on how the new systems deliver better deicsion-making by foresters on the ground out in the woods. Service providers understand that forest managers need a way to tailor the data being collected to the questions they need answered. …Forestry technology solutions are now widely available and well-supported internationally. Several international experts and foresters are coming together from countries with strong technical networks to a new forestry technology conference in early March 2018. The ForestTECHX 2018 conference will provide leading managers and technical staff from key forestry companies with a timely and independent overview of lidar, geomatics and data collection tools.

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Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry yet to determine cost, timeline for Lake Superior caribou airlift

By Erik White
CBC News
December 12, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is busy making plans on how to move caribou from one remote Lake Superior island to another. The goal is to keep some of the last remaining Lake Superior caribou from being wiped out by wolves, who crossed to the island on a rare ice bridge a few winters ago. Natural Resources Minister Kathryn McGarry says the plan is to transport the caribou by helicopter, but the details, including when and how much it will cost haven’t been worked out yet. ” …McGarry says there were several competing opinions and plans on what to do, including those who wanted nature to take its course.  …Lands and resources consultation coordinator with the Michipicoten First Nation, Leo Lepiano, says the ministry’s action came after extensive lobbying from the community. “It is very unfortunate that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Foresty allowed the situation to get to the point where the translocation of caribou is required,” he said.

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Editorial gets the facts wrong

By Nick Smith, Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities
Payson Roundup
December 12, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Nick Smith

The Payson Roundup’s characterization of efforts in the U.S. House to fix fire borrowing and expedite certain forest projects are simply not true. The Resilient Federal Forests Act gives the Forest Service new categorical exclusions to expedite treatments on forests that are at immediate risk of catastrophic wildfire, insects and disease. A categorical exclusion is something that already exists under the National Environmental Policy Act. It is nothing new, is commonly used for infrastructure and public lands projects (including forestry), and has been proposed by Republicans and Democrats in both houses of Congress to increase the pace and scale of forest management. The bill does not mandate logging or any specific management activity. A forest project under the bill may use a number of tools — such as mechanized thinning and prescribed fire — that are appropriate to a given landscape, supported by science, and consistent with the existing forest plan.

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Why Your Future Christmas Tree Might Be Hard To Find

By Anna King
Oregon Public Broadcasting
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Mike Gerdes

…Believe it or not, it might be hard to find a Christmas tree eight years from now. That’s because of a tree seedling shortage happening right now across the West. …It’s a common story this year in Washington, Oregon, California and beyond. There aren’t enough baby trees to plant back what people want to cut down or what has burned in recent wildfires. It’s a seedling shortage. …The seedling shortage appears to be nationwide, although it’s more acute in states like in Washington and Oregon. That’s according to Diane Haase, the head seedling nursery expert for the USDA Forest Service in the West and Pacific islands. …Making the shortage worse is the fact that many state-run tree nurseries have been shuttered. …One big problem has been a pure shortage of seed. Trees produce massive numbers of cones for seed only about every seven to 10 years.

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Sierra National Forest hardest hit by tree mortality, now at 129 million statewide

By Kelly Rausch
Sierra Star
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Today, Dec. 11, The U.S.D.A. Forest Service announced that an additional 27 million trees, mostly conifers, died throughout California since Nov. 2016, bringing the total number of trees that have died due to drought and bark beetle infestation to a historic 129 million on 8.9 million acres. According to the report The Sierra National Forest is home to the most damaged acres, recorded at just over one million acres. It also houses the largest numbers of dead trees at nearly 32 million. Tulare, Fresno and Madera are the three hardest hit counties. “The number of dead and dying trees has continued to rise, along with the risks to communities and firefighters if a wildfire breaks out in these areas,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region.

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Hemlock Hospice is an elegy for the dying New England hemlock forest

By Renee Loth
Boston Globe
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

YOU’RE WALKING ALONG in the vast Harvard Forest in Petersham, the air sharp and redolent of fallen leaves, when suddenly you reach a brightly painted wooden barrier. “Trail closed,” it reads. “Safety hazard.” It’s the first stop of the Hemlock Hospice, an art installation and interpretive trail by designer David Buckley Borden and his team of forest ecologists. As its name suggests, the mile-long project is an elegy for the New England hemlock forest, which is dying. “People who walk these trails expect a certain experience and then they run into this,” said Borden. “It’s meant to jar them, to say, ‘You have to think about your woods in a whole new way.’” …These tiny beetles suck all the nutrients out of the hemlock’s needles and leave ghost trees, bare and vulnerable to toppling over in the wind.

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Tree plantations could help Peru meet forest restoration goal

By Barbara Fraser
CIFOR Forest News
December 11, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Peru has set a goal of restoring forest on some 3 million hectares of degraded land, but the country still lags behind its neighbors when it comes to scaling up tree plantations to meet both environmental and societal needs. Although tree plantations could provide ecosystem services, as well as income for communities and businesses, there is a need for more research, training, financial and fiscal incentives, and secure land tenure… “At present, it is estimated that about one-third of the global demand for sawn timber is satisfied by commercial tree plantations, and this proportion is expected to increase over time,” says Manuel Guariguata, CIFOR principal scientist and leader on forest management and restoration.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

We in wood pellet industry are helping forests and the environment

By John Keppler. CEO, Enviva
Charlotte Observer
December 11, 2017
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

John Keppler

In response to “N.C. forests are under assault; Cooper can help” (Nov. 15 Opinion) and other articles: Leaders from nearly 200 countries met in Bonn, Germany, last month for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to advance the global effort to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and build on the 2015 Paris Agreement.  As these nations seek sustainable and reliable sources of energy that enable the phase-out of coal and other fossil fuels, biomass produced sustainably in North Carolina is playing an increasingly important role in improving the environmental profile of energy generation and in providing economic benefits to communities. …These nations see the benefits of using biomass energy, which offers a 74 to 85 percent lifecycle reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared with coal, while providing a reliable source of energy that complements the intermittency of wind and solar energy.

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After the fire, charcoal goes against the grain, with the flow

By Rice University
Phys.org
December 11, 2017
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

When a forest fire decimated more than 3,000 acres of Rice University-owned timberland in 2011, biogeochemist Carrie Masiello saw a silver lining in the blackened trees. Masiello is an expert on how carbon behaves in soil, and she noticed a vexing problem in both the scientific literature and findings from her lab: Charcoal is abundant in soil, particularly in fertile regions like Europe’s breadbasket and America’s Corn Belt, but while it’s clear that most soil charcoal came from wildfires, it wasn’t at all clear why it stayed there so long or how it got into the soil after a fire. In a newly published study in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Masiello and colleagues, including current and former graduate students Lacey Pyle and Kate Magee, analyzed soil samples collected after the fire and found that charcoal behaved very differently from other forms of soil carbon as the land rebounded from the fire.

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