Daily Archives: February 16, 2018

Today’s Takeaway

Secret Valentine’s Day meeting adds to NAFTA intrigue

February 16, 2018
Category: Today's Takeaway

Canada’s Chrystia Freeland’s unexpected Valentine’s Day meeting with US trade czar Lighthizer was “just a bilateral check-in”. Readers will recall that “there was no love lost” the last time the two met. Elsewhere: Trump’s team drops a hint that NAFTA-end not imminent; and “it’s time for Canada to reveal its Plan B“. Apparently it has one.

In Forestry news: a hybrid mountain pine beetle is “poised to wreak havoc” in Jasper National Park; the BC auditor general says climate adaptation is needed; a “high amplitude mountain wave” of wind knocked over 100 gigantic trees in Olympic National Park; Science Magazine says vast bioenergy plantations could stave off climate change; and Borneo has lost 100,000 orangutans due to hunting and deforestation.

In other news: Unifor has selected Resolute as its target as labour negotiations for eastern pulp and paper get ready to commence.

Finally, a BC forester pitches his “tablet friendly” cruisers’ vest to the Dragons’ Den.

— Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

Read More

Froggy Foibles

Products pitched at Dragons’ Den auditions in Nanaimo

By Chris Bush
Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle
February 15, 2018
Category: Froggy Foibles
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brian Saunders

…Brian Saunders, of Ladysmith, a former full-time forester who now works as a forestry consultant, was ready to pitch Tablet Gear, essentially a vest that multiple pouches and other accessories and equipment can be easily attached to, but its main feature is a chest-mounted, zippered pouch designed to allow the wearer to easily work with, store and carry a tablet. “Foresters, geologists, biologists, engineers, municipal government, anyone who has to walk more than 20 minutes and carry a tablet or a computer is one of our customers,” Saunders said.

Read More

Business & Politics

As NAFTA talks falter it’s time for Canada to reveal Plan B

By Thomas Walker
The Toronto Star
February 16, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The federal government says it has a Plan B in case the North American Free Trade Agreement talks fail. Now is the time to reveal it. The talks themselves are mired in confusion. …Those thinking of investing in Canada want to know what kind of access they would have to the giant U.S. market should NAFTA talks fail. …All of which is to say that it’s time for Canada’s Plan B to be unveiled. Up to now, the government has refused to say. But there are some things it can build on. First, almost half of Canada’s exports to the U.S. are outside of NAFTA entirely. …Second, the WTO… performs some of the same functions as the North American trade pact. …Third, there are other markets for Canadian goods and services. 

Read More

Freeland and Lighthizer’s secret Valentine’s Day meeting in Washington

By Tonda Maccharles and Allan Woods
The Toronto Star
February 15, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

OTTAWA—Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland met unexpectedly with Donald Trump’s trade czar out of the public eye Wednesday, a meeting her office described as “cordial and constructive.” Freeland met with United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer at his office at the end of the afternoon on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. – a meeting his office confirmed but refused to discuss in any detail. The last time Freeland met with Lighthizer there was no love lost. …The secret meeting on Valentine’s Day in Washington, D.C. comes in a week when official comments on both sides of the border offered strikingly different views of… the North American free trade deal.

Read More

Renegotiation, not cancellation: Trump team drops hints NAFTA end not imminent

By Alexander Panetta
The Canadian Press in CBC News
February 15, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Steven Mnuchin

Members of the Trump administration have dropped several hints in recent days that withdrawing from NAFTA is not in their current plans — and latest such example came Thursday. A congressional gathering heard Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin express some optimism about getting a deal. He based that on what he said were weekly meetings with U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer. “I’m cautiously hopeful that … (he) will be renegotiating this deal,” Mnuchin told the House of Representatives’ budget committee. “It is a major priority of ours to renegotiate the deal.”

Read More

Tariffs on Canadian Lumber Are Hurting American Homebuyers

By Patrick Tyrrell
The Heritage Foundation
February 15, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The import of softwood lumber from Canada, such as pine, spruce, and fir, into the United States is an issue of contention dating back to the 1980s. …The ongoing dispute between the two countries is providing additional stress to already-tense NAFTA negotiations, and is hurting American homebuyers. Prior to the December decision to impose the tariffs, anticipation of the ruling had already had an impact on the U.S. housing market—the largest consumer of Canadian softwood lumber. Since the plan was announced, the average cost of building a home in the United States has increased by an estimated 7 percent, with the actual price per house rising by $1,360. …Only time will tell if policymakers allow for such a welcome turn of events to occur.

Read More

Feds names five ‘superclusters’ that will share $950M in government cash

By Andy Blatchford
Canadian Press The National Post
February 15, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Navdeep Bains

The federal government named the five winning bids Thursday of its high-tech “superclusters” sweepstakes that will divvy up $950 million of public funding in hope of stoking economic growth and job creation in return. The Liberal’s big bet on government-designated superclusters was designed to encourage academia, not-for-profit organizations and companies of all sizes to work together on strategies to boost high-growth sectors. …“What is a supercluster? It is a made-in-Canada Silicon Valley that will create tens of thousands of jobs — that’s what a supercluster is,” Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains said Thursday as he unveiled the winners in Ottawa.  …“Superclusters — it’s a job magnet.”

Read More

Eastern pulp and paper bargaining target will be Resolute

By Unifor
Cision Newswire
February 16, 2018
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL – Over 120 Unifor delegates kicked off bargaining preparation for the pattern agreement in the pulp and paper industry in Eastern Canada by selecting Resolute Forestry Products as the target company. “I’m eager to get forestry workers what they deserve: a fair collective agreement that reflects their contributions to the industry,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The forestry industry in Canada is well-positioned for a pattern agreement that reflects workers’ priorities.” Unifor delegates met over the past few days to prepare the list of priorities and select the target company. “One of our top priorities is renewing the forestry workforce in the coming years,” explained Renaud Gagné, Unifor Quebec Director.  …”We are not going to let anyone impose anything on us based on temporary factors,” said Dias, speaking of the controversial U.S. duties on forestry products levied in 2017.

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Construction Corner: ‘Superdense’ wood could revolutionize materials

By Korky Koroluk
Journal Of Commerce
February 16, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

…What’s most amazing to me, is that after thousands of years of history, we are still looking for — and finding — new ways to use wood. In recent years we’ve heard a lot about cross-laminated timber, CLT, and its growing use in highrise construction. Now comes word of something called superdense wood that could be used to build everything from bridges to cars. …Huajian Gao, a professor at Brown University… says the paper “provides a highly promising route to the design of lightweight, high-performance structural materials, with tremendous potential for a broad range of applications were high-strength and toughness…are desired.” But none of this means you can expect this superdense wood to be commercially available anytime soon. 

Read More

Fire Scientists: Wildfires Don’t Have to Destroy Homes

By Vicky Nguyen, Jeremy Carroll, Anthony Rutanashoodech and Kevin Nious
NBC Bay Area
February 15, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

But scientists tell the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit that state and local emergency planners have been slow to support critical retrofits that could help save lives and property [from destructive wildfires]. …California’s building code sets strict guidelines requiring fire resistant materials for homes built within a wildfire hazard zone after 2008. …But older homes are not subject to the same standards, and neither are homes in neighborhoods that border a hazardous zone …QAI Laboratories in Rancho Cucamonga is one of a handful of labs approved by the California State Fire Marshall to certify fire resistant building materials. Lab technicians opened their doors for NBC Bay Area to show how quickly fire can penetrate the average home. …Cal Fire is currently in the process of redrawing the state’s wildfire hazard maps that determine which neighborhoods require fire resistant homes.

Read More

Maine Technology Institute awards $10.5 million in grants

Press Herald
February 15, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The Maine Technology Institute approved six grants totaling $10.5 million for businesses trying to grow and gain market share. The money, awarded from the $45 million Maine Technology Asset Fund approved by voters last June, is intended to help bolster the global competitiveness of some of Maine’s traditional industries, and foster growth in emerging industries, according to a statement from MTI announcing the grants. All recipients must match the grant with private or federal funding. …The grants went to: …SmartLam, a Montana manufacturer of cross-laminated timber, is expanding to Maine. The company won a $3 million grant to apply toward a total project cost of $22.5 million. It expects to make a decision on a manufacturing site within two months.

 

Read More

East Village office will be 1st in Iowa to use eco-friendly mass timber building material

By Kim Norvell
The Des Moines Register
February 15, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

A group of local developers is bringing the first speculative office and retail building in downtown Des Moines in more than a decade. The mixed-used building will also be the first in Iowa to use an eco-friendly building material called mass timber. …The development team is considering using a technique called shou sugi ban. Shou sugi ban is a form of waterproofing that is created by burning the wood, making it a dark charcoal color. The building’s structure will be an eco-friendly building material called mass timber — the first in the state and only the second in the Midwest to use the product, manufactured in Canada by StructureCraft. …Mass timber is expected to last at least 100 years, Hayes said.

Read More

UMass Design Building on track for LEED certification

By Geoff Warren
Amherst Wire
February 15, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

…UMass mandates that all new buildings constructed after 2008 have at least a silver certification, and the Design Building is no exception, as it is currently targeted for a LEED gold certification. But the building’s sustainable construction techniques and materials make way for the possibility of a platinum credential — the highest form of achievement, typically given to smaller buildings that don’t use a lot of energy, or larger, more expensive buildings with state of the art sustainability features that are efficient enough to achieve it. UMass’ Design Building — a $52 million, 87,500 square-foot structure — is made almost entirely of wood, features unique sustainability features, and produces half the carbon emissions for a building its size.

Read More

Japanese wooden skyscraper plan sparks debate in the UK

By Greg Pitcher
Architects Journal
February 16, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

British architects and timber building specialists have hailed plans by a Japanese company to build a 350m-tall mainly wooden tower – but questioned the need for such buildings in future. …Founding director [Waugh Thistleton Architects] Anthony Thistleton-Smith said the Tokyo proposal was ‘positive’. ‘Projects like this demonstrating the far reaches of timber’s potential should surely convince all clients that mass timber is part of a new normal to be appraised on every site,’ he said. …However, Thistleton-Smith questioned whether the prototype would be followed by a sustained programme of timber towers. …Alex de Rijke, founding director of dRMM Architects [said] “The considered answer to this century’s architecture is not the tallest timber tower but clever composite structures as well as new high-density six to twelve storey building typologies.”

Read More

Belarus’ Domostroenie to sell 650 wooden houses to France in next 5 years

Belarus News
February 15, 2018
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

MOGILEV – The Domostroenie branch of the Shklov-based Newsprint Mill plans to export 650 wooden houses to France in the next five years, Pavel Marinenko, Deputy Chairman of the Economy Committee of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee, noted at the third Belarusian-French business forum on 15 February, BelTA has learned. …“Our houses are in demand in France. When delivered to the customer, they are almost ready to use. They boast good thermal properties, and their installation and construction works take up to three months. Our French customers commend the high quality of our products and their competitive price,” Deputy Director for Construction at Domostroenie Aleksei Molchanov noted.

Read More

Forestry

Canadian Forest Service research in Yukon tracks climate influences on forest recovery from forest spruce beetle outbreaks

By Lara Van Akker and Elizabeth Campbell, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada
Natural Resources Canada
February 14, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Yukon is home to extensive boreal forest that covers an area of approximately 28.1 million hectares (ha) and plays an integral role in the regulation of climate locally, regionally and internationally. Yukon’s forests contribute to the territory’s economy by providing wood and other forest products, local employment, regional development, tourism and recreational opportunities in addition to being valued as a vital cultural, social, historical and educational resource. …Boreal ecosystems are especially vulnerable to climate change. Melting permafrost, increased severity of insect outbreaks and drought are driving major forest changes …Potential exists for rapid ecosystem transitions, with parts of the boreal forest nearing ecological “tipping points” by the end of the century. Scientists are already beginning to see evidence of climate associated declines of spruce, pine and aspen in some parts of the boreal forest. 

Read More

Hybrid mountain pine beetle poised to take out more Jasper National Park forest

By Nicole Bergot
The Edmonton Journal
February 16, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A hybrid mountain pine beetle is poised to wreak more havoc in the forests of Jasper National Park, warn University of Alberta researchers. Researchers Jasmine Janes and Stephen Trevoy uncovered the hybrid population as they traced the origin of the beetles in the park. “What we discovered is an eye of the storm where we see a sort of mixture of two genetic populations coming together in Jasper National Park,” Janes said in a news release. “The Jasper beetles have a different genetic signature from the ones in the Grande Prairie outbreak from 2009 and also different than the ones in the outbreak in British Columbia in 2005. …The mixture of an already adaptive species means increased genetic diversity, which may provide even more opportunity for the insects to adapt to and survive in different environmental conditions, said Janes.

Read More

Logging planned for Cottonwood Lake and Apex areas

By Bill Metcalfe
Nelson Star
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The private land to be logged is owned by Nelson Land Corporation headed by Mike Jenks.  The president of a local ski organization is worried about proposed private land logging at the Apex ski area. “They are going to clearcut the mountain, and this is not something the ski club wants at all,” said Louise Poole, president of the Nelson Nordic Ski Club. She said the club is concerned that the logging will create an avalanche hazard. “Besides being a beautiful piece of land it is very steep, and our concern is for our trails and the rail trail.” The area to be logged is a swath of privately owned forest beside Highway 6 from Cottonwood Lake past the Apex ski area and partway up Whitewater Road. 

Read More

Local forestry industry concerned about caribou range plan

By Erica Fisher
My Grande Prairie Now
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The roughly $200 million a year Weyerhaeuser contributes to the Grande Prairie community could be in jeopardy. The company says it’s not confident it will be able to re-invest in the area based on what’s been asked of them to help recover woodland caribou population. Manager of forest stewardship for Weyerhaeuser Timberlands in Canada Wendy Crosina says their concern lies in the federal requirement to reduce how much of their range is considered disturbed to less than 35 per cent. Right now it’s around 80 per cent. …“That means we may lose the opportunity to harvest in roughly 35 per cent of our range.” …Weyerhaeuser has been working with several partners to come up with a plan it believes will keep their timber supply, maintain caribou population, and satisfy the federal government. 

Read More

Ontario First Nation and province to remove caribou from wolf-infested island

By Liam Casey
The Telegram
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Members of an Ontario First Nation say they plan to continue the relocation of an endangered herd of caribou off a remote island where they’re being slaughtered by wolves. The Michipicoten First Nation is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to move up to nine caribou from Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior to Caribou Island, near the U.S. border, by helicopter as soon as the weather permits. The latest effort comes after the province relocated nine caribou in mid-January to a different location —  the Slate Islands. The caribou population on Michipicoten Island had been decimated by wolves that made their way there several years ago using an ice bridge. The ministry feared the entire herd would be wiped out if they didn’t intervene with the move to the nearby Slate Islands.

Read More

Mixed reactions to marbled murrelet endangered listing

By Emily Hoard
The News-Review
February 16, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The endangered listing of the marbled murrelet last Friday has been met with mixed reviews. While proponents of the listing say it will help the rare seabird and other species that share its habitat, opponents claim the decision was made too quickly, without enough scientific evidence to support it. The marbled murrelet spends much of its life foraging at sea, but flies up to 55 miles inland to nest in Pacific Northwest trees that are at least 80-years-old. …Toby Luther, president of Lone Rock Timber Management Company in Douglas County, said he thinks the endangered listing was a result of political pressure, not current research. “We’re all for doing whatever is right by the science, but it’s really disappointing when you have a political decision and people are ignoring the active science on the ground,” Luther said.  …Wildlife biologist Fran Cafferata agreed.

Read More

Montana won’t allow Yellowstone grizzly bear hunts in 2018

By Matthew Brown
Associated Press in Bozeman Daily Chronicle
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana won’t hold a grizzly bear hunt in 2018 after state officials said Thursday they want to avoid complicating lawsuits over the animal’s legal status. Federal officials last year lifted Endangered Species Act protections for about 700 bears in and around Yellowstone National Park, opening the door to potential hunting in the three-state region. Montana wildlife commissioners said letting hunters kill some of those bears could give momentum to pending legal challenges that seek to restore protections. Wildlife advocates and Native Americans who brought the lawsuits had argued that hunting would reverse the species decades-long recovery. Commissioners voted unanimously against a hunt this year. But Commission Chairman Dan Vermillion said Thursday’s action doesn’t preclude a Montana grizzly hunt in the future.

Read More

What knocked over 100 giant trees in Olympic National Park?

By Craig Sailer
The Longview Daily News
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

During the early hours of Jan. 27 more than 100 gigantic old growth trees fell on the north shore of Lake Quinault. The resulting thud at about 1:30 a.m. was strong enough to register as a small earthquake, according to a seismic monitor at Quinault. …Officials from Olympic National Park knew some sort of wind event was the culprit but nearby weather stations reported only light breezes that night. …“The strong winds were not from UFOs, an angry Sasquatch, a microburst from convection, or some errant meteor,” Mass wrote. “An approaching front produced just the right conditions to produce a high amplitude mountain wave on the upstream ridge, which resulted in a strong rotor that produced powerful reverse flow.”

Read More

High winds fan 500-acre forest fire in Taney County; evacuations ordered

By Wes Johnson
Springfield News-Leader
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Winds gusting to 25 mph and very low humidity are hampering efforts to contain a large wildfire in the Mark Twain National Forest in Taney County. The fire was estimated to be about 500 acres in size at midafternoon Thursday, and at least one helicopter was dropping water onto burning areas. A tanker plane has also been called in to help douse the fire, and a spotter plane was flying overhead to help direct fire crews in the hilly terrain. “The wind was really pushing it around,” said Cody Norris, Forest Service spokesman. “There was no lightning in the area, so it’s likely it was human-caused. Investigators are still working to determine the cause.” Norris said law enforcement officials evacuated between 15 and 20 people whose homes potentially could be in the path of the blaze. He said one home was destroyed by the fire.  

Read More

ScotGov lays out its forestry plans

By Gordon Davidson
The Scottish Farmer
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: International

SCOTGOV has set out further details on how it will manage and administer its forestry responsibilities following the completion of devolution of forestry. Releasing this latest statement, before stage three of the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Bill, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “It explains why a dedicated forestry division (Scottish Forestry) and agency (Forestry and Land Scotland) is the best way to deliver our ambitions to increase the positive economic, social and environmental benefits of forestry for Scotland and sets out our intention to build on the skills and expertise of Forestry Commission Scotland and Forest Enterprise Scotland staff when they transfer to the Scottish Government.

Read More

Borneo Has Lost 100,000 Orangutans Since 1999

By Merritt Kennedy
Oregon Public Broadcasting
February 15, 2018
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The world’s largest species of orangutans is rapidly disappearing. Borneo has lost more than 100,000 orangutans in the last 16 years – that’s more than the number of the critically endangered species remaining. This species — the Bornean orangutan — is only found on the island, which is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It has seen dramatic deforestation, as lush jungle is converted into palm oil and paper pulp plantations. But deforestation doesn’t full explain the great apes’ rapid decline. Maria Voigt, a scientist at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, says hunting is “at least a major driver if not the major driver.” …Forest fires are also a recurring threat to orangutans, Voigt says. …And it’s worth noting that… areas that are selectively logged have seen the highest absolute number of orangutans lost.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

BC ill prepared to cope with climate change: auditor general

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
February 15, 2018
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Carol Bellringer

B.C. will not meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emission targets and is not adequately prepared to mitigate the impact of fire, flooding and drought precipitated by climate change, says B.C. Auditor General Carol Bellringer. In an audit of B.C. climate change policies and the province’s ability to address both risk and adaptation, Bellinger confirmed what the B.C. government already has admitted: it is not on track to meet its interim 2020 targets of reducing greenhouse gases by 33% below 2007 levels by 2020. But it’s also unlikely to meet its longer-range targets either, Bellringer concludes, with its current climate change policies, and says carbon taxes alone are insufficient tools for reducing GHGs. …Bellringer said that the province needs to do a better job of reducing “fuel” (i.e. dead wood) in B.C. forests in areas most at risk for fires.

Read More

Climate adaptation needed, B.C. auditor general says

By Tom Fletcher
BC Local News
February 15, 2018
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

B.C.’s adaptation plans to deal with climate change haven’t been updated since 2010, and support for local government efforts to prepare for wildfire and flooding need more attention, B.C.’s auditor general says. Auditor General Carol Bellringer’s report, released Thursday, agrees with previous government estimates that B.C. will not meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target. It also questions whether the more ambitious 2050 target to reduce emissions can be met.  Bellringer emphasizes the need for adaptation to a world-wide change that B.C. has only a small role, with only nine per cent of Canada’s human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Last year’s B.C. wildfire season burned the largest area on record, and new research highlighted the decades of forest fire suppression that eliminated frequent small fires that removed wood debris from the forest floor.

Read More

Vast bioenergy plantations could stave off climate change—and radically reshape the planet

By Julia Rosen
Science Magazine
February 15, 2018
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

On a sunny day this past October, three dozen people file into a modest, mint-green classroom at Montana State University (MSU) in Bozeman to glimpse a vision of the future. …Paul Stoy, an ecologist at MSU… describes how a landscape already dominated by agriculture could be transformed yet again by a different green revolution: vast plantations of crops, sown to sop up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the sky. …One particular technology has quietly risen to prominence—thanks to global models—and it is the one on tap in Bozeman. The idea is to cultivate fast-growing grasses and trees to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere and then burn them at power plants to generate energy. But instead of being released back into the atmosphere in the exhaust, the crops’ carbon would be captured and pumped underground.

Read More

Fungal enzymes could hold secret to making renewable energy from wood

By The University York
EurekAlert
February 16, 2018
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the University of York, has discovered a set of enzymes found in fungi that are capable of breaking down one of the main components of wood. The enzymes could now potentially be used to sustainably convert wood biomass into valuable chemical commodities such as biofuels. As an alternative to coal and oil, wood is increasingly one of the more promising sources of advanced biofuels . However, despite its potential, it is a difficult material to breakdown. …The research, reported in Nature Chemical Biology, has shown that the family of enzymes, called lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), are capable of breaking down xylans – carbohydrate molecules commonly found in wood biomass that are particularly resistant to degradation.

Read More

Researchers use new laser scanning tech to ‘weigh’ trees

St Helens Star
February 15, 2018
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

New laser scanning technology is being used to “weigh” trees, in a project which could help more accurately assess the role forests can play in tackling climate change. Lasers are used to collect hundreds of thousands of points of data a second from the canopy, which are processed to build a three-dimensional picture of the tree revealing its structure and its volume, which allows estimates of mass. …It is hoped the information will give a more accurate picture of the amount of carbon absorbed by forests, as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, as well as help predict how trees might respond to climate change. …Dr Mat Disney, from University College London said: “How heavy a forest is tells you how much carbon it’s got in it, as around half the weight of a forest is made up of carbon.”

Read More

Health & Safety

Canadian take on forestry safety

TImberbiz.com.au
February 15, 2018
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, International

On 18 October, 2017, a logger was killed in a tragic incident near Mackenzie in northern British Columbia, Canada. The operator was using a feller buncher to cut timber on a slope when the machine tipped over backwards, cutting off his escape route when the machine caught fire. The logger’s death was devastating for his family, his community and his co-workers. While the cause of the incident is still under investigation by WorkSafeBC, the question arises: What can we do now to try to prevent this from happening again? That was one of the key issues discussed when WorkSafeBC’s Forest Industry Advisory Group met in November 2017 to talk about concrete steps that employers can take to make remote mechanized logging safer. Here are some of the considerations discussed.

Read More

Prince Rupert woman killed in logging truck collision

By Shannon Lough
The Northern View
February 14, 2018
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

Empty logging truck west of Terrace struck moose before colliding with the eastbound SUV. A Prince Rupert woman has died as a result of a serious Hwy 16 collision last night, Feb. 14. Terrace RCMP have confirmed the woman was a civilian employee with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. According to police at approximately 7 p.m. near the 100-km mark of Hwy 16, an eastbound empty logging truck struck a moose before losing control and colliding with the government SUV travelling in the opposite direction. The victim, a passenger in the vehicle, died at the scene. …The driver of the SUV was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the logging truck was also taken to hospital with minor injuries. The highway was shut down in both directions until 4 a.m. this morning. RCMP are continuing their investigation.

Read More

Foresters get transport safety training

Australasian Transport News
February 16, 2018
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

Workshops to cover truck rollover, load restraint risks and Chain of Responsibility issues. Safety workshops for forestry contractors will take place across Queensland, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia in coming months as part of a campaign hosted by the Australian Forestry Contractors Association (AFCA). AFCA general manager Stacey Gardiner tells ATN that the three-hour workshops …provide training on truck rollover, load restraint risks and Chain of Responsibility. The training modules, developed in consultation with engineering firm Engistics, are expected to be rolled out to more than 300 operators and loaders across the forestry supply chain. …”Industry participants have commented that this has allowed them to improve their understanding of Chain of Responsibility laws and hear about recent research and findings regarding key risks specific to industry, especially relating to load restraint,” she said.

Read More