Daily Archives: March 8, 2019

Today’s Takeaway

International Women’s Day, gender equity and diversity

March 8, 2019
Category: Today's Takeaway

International Women’s Day. Dating back more than 100 years and spurred by labour movements across North American and Europe—today we celebrate the individual achievements of many women in the forest sector as well as related gender equity and diversity strategies.

In other news: David Suzuki speaks out on climate change and concrete; the Wall Street Journal on the impact of biomass protests on investors; The Hill on industrial wood burning and climate change; Biomass Magazine on the sector’s explosive growth; and the Wood Pallet Industry on packaging recycling rates. Elsewhere, two BC MLAs on banning glyphosate; and Oregon’s new slash-burning smoke rules. 

Finally, the next line of defence against wildfires—the fire-resistant home.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Business & Politics

International Women’s Day 2019 Summary

Wood Business – Canadian Forest Industries
March 8, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Here’s a summary of the Canadian Forest Industries stories celebrating Women working in the pulp, paper and forestry sector. Thank you for highlighting these influential and inspirational people!

 

Advocating for change: Q&A with FPAC’s Kate Lindsay
Career change: Q&A with Conifex electrician Jillian Pritchard
Getting outdoors: Q&A with EACOM chief forester Jennifer Tallman
Bush life: Q&A with silviculture supervisor Rashelle Lala
Diversity wins: Q&A with Tolko’s Michelle Mercer
Embracing the job: Q&A with Canfor senior forester Judy Vasily
Breaking the glass: Q&A with Tolko trader Judy Johnston
Making connections: Q&A with senior forester Cheryl Hodder
At home in the mill: Q&A with sawmill supervisor Estelle Setterland
In her blood: Q&A with West Fraser shift co-ordinator Jessica Williams
Road to management: Q&A with Interfor’s Marlene Hall
Editorial: Learning from women in the forest sector

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Gender Equity in Canada’s Forest Sector

By Canadian Institute of Forestry
You Tube
March 6, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC), in collaboration with the Centre for Social Intelligence, is pleased to announce an initiative to promote gender equity in the forest sector!

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Canadian Women in Timber Celebrate 30 years and #IWD2019

Canadian Women in Timber
March 8, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Canadian Women in Timber is a registered non-profit, charitable society whose goal is to enhance and foster public understanding of BC’s forest resources and sustainable forest management. This October we will celebrate our 30-year anniversary! We encourage sound management and wise use of our forest resources and believe a viable forest industry and healthy forests go hand-in-hand. We are dedicated to informing the public regarding our forests and the forest industry by promoting forest awareness through education. A good deal of this education is focused on school children as they are the decision makers of the future. Given this knowledge we hope to inspire future generations to cherish our forests and lead a thriving forest industry for Canada. Canadian Women in Timber was established in 1989 and is a truly grassroots organization.

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Availability of newly built and presale condos skyrockets in Metro Vancouver

By Joannah Connolly
The Prince George Citizen
March 7, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

…In its quarterly State of the Market report for the Urban Development Institute, real estate research firm Urban Analytics said that the number of concrete condos that were either released for presale or completed and unsold, at the end of 2018’s fourth quarter, was quadruple that of one year prior. …The number of available new wood-framed condo units… did not climb as much as concrete condos, but they account for a much smaller share of the market. Urban Analytics said that there were 1,013 released and unsold new wood frame condos at the end of Q4 2018. This is only a nine per cent increase from the previous quarter but a 164 per cent increase year-over-year. However, when compared with the many more units available five years ago, at the end of 2013, this is a 68 per cent decline.

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Diversity Strategies in Action

By Tanya Wick, Tolko, VP People and Services
Forest Products Association of Canada
March 8, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Tanya Wick

Does the diversity strategy in your workplace amount to posters in the lunchroom? I hope not. Don’t get me wrong – I believe communication has an important role to play in shifting culture and increasing diversity. But if our strategies start and finish with communication campaigns, we won’t create the real change we need. We have done a good job in recent years to raise awareness about how important diversity is to the bottom line and to the future of the forestry industry.  If we are to continue to grow, it will be crucial to have a diverse, engaged workforce. More than that, we know that diverse companies are more profitable, more innovative and more sustainable. What we need now is to translate that knowledge into execution. It’s time to go beyond awareness and take action.

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A reflection on women in the paper and wood products industry – an interview with our retiring President & CEO

American Forest & Paper Association
March 8, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Donna Harman

The month of March is dedicated to the celebration of women and the remarkable contributions they make to our world. In that regard we thought it would be fitting to honor the many women throughout the paper and wood products industry. To start us off, we interviewed one of our very own, AF&PA President & CEO, Donna Harman, whose steady leadership has made our association what it is today. Now on the verge of retirement, she reflects on her journey navigating this industry and offers advice both to emerging female leaders within the industry, and those looking to join it.

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The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance Files Trade Remedy Petitions on Imports of Wooden Cabinets and Vanities from China

By Thompson Hine LLP
Lexology
March 7, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

On March 6, 2019, the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission against imports of wooden cabinets and vanities from China. The Alliance consists of U.S. producers of wooden cabinets and vanities. …According to the Alliance, from 2016 to 2018, imports of wooden cabinets and vanities from China increased 19.9 percent. The Alliance further alleges that these products are unfairly subsidized by Chinese government programs, including preferential loans and interest rates, grant and tax benefit programs, VAT program and export credit subsidies. …Commerce will determine by March 26, 2019, whether to formally initiate the investigations and, if Commerce does, decide within 25 days after that whether there is a reasonable indication of existing material injury… that will require continuation of the investigations.

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Weed Water War Wages On

By Henry Houston
Eugene Weekly
March 7, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

…the city of Weed, California, is known for… is its pure spring water …[bottled as] Crystal Geyser. The city of Weed [is] fighting the multinational company Roseburg Forest Products over access to its water resources. Water for Citizens of Weed filed a complaint Feb. 27 against Roseburg Forest Products with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The group alleges that the timber company… has violated their human rights by trying to control the city’s primary water resource and abusing the legal process to silence their protests. Roseburg, however, says it’s just trying to claim the water rights that it bought in the 1980s. …The city is a former company town. International Paper, when it owned the water resources, made an agreement with the city that dedicated 2 cubic feet per second of water for 50 years, priced at $1 per year. International Paper left no clear documentation that clarified who owned the water resources…

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The Global Forest Industry in the 4Q/2018

By Haken Ekstrom
Wood Resources International LLC
March 7, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Global Timber Markets: In early 2018, the Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) reached $80.73/m3, its highest level since 2014. Sawlog prices generally increased in local currencies during 2018, but with a stronger US dollar, the dollar-denominated GSPI index fell by about five percent during the year. • Mixed price movements in Europe resulted in fairly small changes in the European Sawlog Price Index (ESPI-€). In the 4Q/18, the index was up 1.8% q-o-q, but was practically unchanged from the 4Q/17.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Architect Michael Green tells AD all about his wooden skyscrapers

By Tarini Sood
Architecture and Design
March 7, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Michael Green

Globally renowned for his wooden skyscrapers, the architect talks about his early days as a carpenter and his vision for the future. …It was when I moved back home to Canada that I began to remember the forest and the importance of using wood. It’s been 20-22 years ever since I started using wood in my projects. …What would the durability of these buildings be? It’s actually the same or even better than other materials; when I say better, I mean in certain areas or situations like in an earthquake, Wood buildings actually perform better than steel or concrete. Do you see India as a good market for wooden talls? Yes Of course, I’ve been in talks with a lot of people during my visit here. India seems like a great market for wooden structures like the kind we build.

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Carbon, climate, and corruption coalesce in concrete

By David Suzuki
The Georgia Straight
March 7, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Concrete is the foundation of modern society—from roads, buildings, and bridges to the economy, political power, and crime. We use more of it than anything except water. …But it’s one of many innovations we adopted wholesale without fully understanding the consequences. Producing and transporting it emits enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. It also destroys natural ecosystems—including carbon sinks like forests and wetlands—and consumes huge amounts of water and other resources. Even global sand supplies are dwindling, thanks to its use in concrete. …One problem is that we’re basing economic decisions and government policy on economic systems that were designed when natural resources were abundant and built infrastructure was lacking. The opposite is now true… The Carbon Disclosure Project estimates that cement production produces six percent of global emissions, slightly behind steel production. …We also have to find alternatives to massive concrete-based infrastructure projects and the economic systems that drive them.

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Share the Good News about Wood Pallets

The Pallet Enterprise
March 7, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Brent McClendon, president of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association… Wood pallets and packaging are a great success story when it comes to recycling and sustainability. Ninety-five percent of wood pallets are recycled at their end of their life cycle, according to a study by the U.S. Forest Service. The wood fiber is reclaimed and recycled to make mulch, biofuel, animal bedding, and other products. That 95% recycling rate is better than other common packaging materials. The rate for paper and paperboard is 75%. Steel is 72%, aluminum is 38%, and glass is 32%. The recycling rate for plastic is only 14%. More than nine billion board feet of lumber is used annually to produce pallets – 43% of U.S. hardwood production, and 15% of softwood production. …Pallet production continues to grow, a reflection of the U.S. economy. …The wood packaging industry… is a $31 billion industry that provides jobs to more than 173,000 people.

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Forestry

Morris calling for ban on glyphosate in B.C. forests

By Mark Nielsen
The Prince George Citizen
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mike Morris

Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Mike Morris is working on a private-members bill to ban the use of a controversial chemical on provincial forests. Morris is targeting herbicides containing glyphosate, which forest companies use to kill aspen and other broadleaf plants in areas that have been logged and replanted with trees of commercial value. Their use creates troublesome side effects, according to Morris. …Morris cautioned he wouldn’t do anything that wouldn’t be supported by the entire B.C. Liberal caucus and has been working Nechako Lakes MLA and forestry critic John Rustad on the bill. Rustad said he also would like to see a ban in place but added a process for ending its use needs to be put in place, as well as determining ways that will allow “timely and effective reforestation.” Both Morris and Rustad suggested mechanical brushing as a possibility.

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Forestry fair opens doors for students

By Richard Froese
The South Peace News
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Career opportunities in the forest industry were presented to junior high students at a forestry career fair in High Prairie. Employers and industry partners presented options in the fair at the Edmo Peyre Hall, organized by the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society. Students from High Prairie schools Prairie River junior high and St. Andrew’sl, Grouard Northland School, Gift Lake, and Atikameg and G.P. Vanier in Donnelly took part. Various career options were featured by local employers Tolko Industries and High Prairie Forest Products, a division of West Fraser. “We want to attract local youth to pursue careers in the forest industry,” says Bronwyn Dunphy, Tolko human resources business partner.

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Up from the ashes

By Monte Sonnenberg
Simcoe Reformer
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Ron Casier

DELHI – Foresters in southern Ontario are not ready to give up on ash trees just yet. The Forest Gene Conservation Association (FGCA) has asked woodlot owners to report the rare ash trees that survived the passage of the emerald ash borer several years ago. The goal is to collect seed for the eventual regeneration of ash in southern Ontario and other areas the pest devastated. “That would count as a best practice,” Norfolk County arborist Adam Biddle said this week at the annual general meeting of the Norfolk Woodlot Owners Association in Delhi. “Any time you’re faced with the extinction of a tree species, the best thing to do is try to preserve the genetics.” Working in partnership with the Canadian Forest Service’s National Tree Seed Centre, FGCA has collected seed in southern Ontario from trees that withstood the ash borer onslaught.

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Remembering US Forest Service’s first female fire lookout on International Women’s Day

Associated Press in Newscenter1.tv
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

RAPID CITY, S.D. — March 8 is International Women’s Day, an annual event that raises awareness about gender inequality and celebrates strides women have made throughout history to close gender gaps. Hallie Daggett was one of those women. In 1913 she was hired as the first female fire lookout for the U.S. Forest Service. Daggett started work at the Eddy’s Gulch Lookout Station on top of Klamath Peak in Oregon. Many of the other Forest Service men thought that Daggett would be too frightened by the danger and loneliness involved in the work.

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New Oregon rules in place for controlled burns

KTVZ
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

SALEM, Ore. – Revised rules that are intended to protect air quality in areas of Oregon susceptible to smoke from controlled forest burns have gone into effect just as the spring burning season gets underway, the Oregon Department of Forestry said Thursday. The new rules were adopted in January by the Oregon Board of Forestry and approved by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, following a multi-year review process by a broad-based committee. The rules call on communities at risk for smoke to voluntarily develop response plans to protect especially vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly and people with heart and respiratory conditions. ODF and DEQ will collaborate with the Oregon Health Authority to identify communities ready to begin developing a response plan this year.

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Spruce beetle infestation worsens in Colorado forests

Associated Press in San Francisco Chronicle
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

DENVER — Colorado forestry officials say the state’s spruce beetle infestation worsened in 2018. The Colorado State Forest Service said Thursday the pest was active on 278 square miles of high elevation lands last year. Since 2000, the beetle has damaged about 2,800 square miles. The agency said the roundheaded pine beetle and Douglas fir beetle damaged a combined 64 square miles last year. The agency’s annual report said that wildfires consumed the second-largest area in state history in 2018 but did not say how much land was affected. The report blamed dense, unhealthy forests, drought, and warmer temperatures linked to climate change.

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This fire-resistant home is the next line of defense against climate change

By Diana Olick, Erica Posse and Lisa Rizzolo
CNBC News
March 7, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

…It is impossible to build a fully fireproof home, but researchers are now focused on making homes at least fire resistant. They have to, because climate change is increasing the intensity of wildfires around the world, putting billions of dollars’ worth of real estate literally in the line of fire. Wildfires destroyed more U.S. homes and buildings last year than at any other point in recorded history, and the eight most destructive years for wildfires ever have been in the last 13 years. …Roughly 14,000 homes burned to the ground in just two of the enormous California wildfires last year. Wildfire damage to residential and commercial property in California alone last year totaled nearly $19 billion …”Fire resistance means you’ve incorporated building materials and design features that will get the ember exposure, will get the fire exposure, but would resist it,” said Daniel Gorham, research engineer with the institute.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Biomass Mess Shows Trouble with Sustainable Investing

By Jon Sindreu
The Wall Street Journal
March 7, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Investors focused on environmental trends may be more vulnerable to changing tastes than they think. An industry considered sustainable today can seem nefarious tomorrow—just look at biomass. The Partnership for Policy Integrity, a U.S. environmental group, has launched an all-out attack on biomass—energy generated from burning living matter, like sugar cane, wood and waste. This week it helped file a lawsuit against the European Union for accelerating climate change by subsidizing biofuels. …Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is a form of renewable energy. …Who is right may not even be investors’ main concern. …So far, both the EU and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have tended to look kindly on many kinds of biofuels—especially those that can play a role in waste and forest maintenance. …Maybe regulators will stand their ground, but the fact that lobbying against biofuels has intensified should still give investors pause. [to read the full story a WSJ digital subscription may be required] 

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Industrial wood burning is adding to climate change

By Peter Raven and Mary S. Booth
The Hill
March 7, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

America is exporting huge amounts of our forest wood for burning in European power plants and other places around the world, even though science shows this wood is worse for climate change than the fossil fuels it is replacing. This is ironic — and self-defeating — since both the U.S. and European Union falsely count wood as environmentally beneficial. In fact, wood pellet exports have grown by nearly 80 percent over the last five years alone precisely because they receive financial and regulatory subsidies E.U. and Asian governments, incentives that are intended to fight climate change. But in truth, wood burning actually emits more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated than coal. Now the promotion of wood is being challenged by scientists and other advocates, both in the U.S. and Europe.

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Feedstock Sourcing for Project Success: US South Advantages

By Stan Parton
Biomass Magazine
March 7, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Just how large is the global wood bioenergy market as we close in on 2020? …In 10 years, U.S. wood pellet exports have increased from less than 200,000 tons in 2008 to over 5 million tons in 2017. U.S. pellet exports have played a significant role in facilitating large-scale coal-to-biomass conversions and cofiring projects in the U.K., but growth in the European industrial pellet market… will likely plateau within the next five years. The near-term opportunity for further development in industrial wood pellet exports lies within Asia. …With over 100 wood fiber pulping and pelletizing mills and 200-plus solid wood manufacturing facilities, southern forests are the most utilized, yet the most sustainable forests in the world. …As such, the U.S. South offers global bioenergy producers ample resources and minimal feedstock volatility.

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Green airplanes? Not on the horizon yet

By John Ryan
KUOW News and Information
March 7, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

Nearly half the planes flying out of Seattle and Portland airports could — some day — run on plant-based fuel made in the Northwest. But don’t expect that day any time soon. Kicking aviation’s climate-harming carbon habit is likely to be a long, slow process. …“The only way, then, to do it is through decarbonizing the fuel,” engineering professor Michael Wolcott with Washington State University said. …Wolcott said, in theory, there’s enough raw material in the Northwest to produce 400 million gallons of renewable jet fuel a year. …For the towering piles of logging “slash” left behind after timber operations around the Northwest, supply isn’t the problem. …Collecting them and processing them into fuel could tackle the smoke problem as well as provide a new source of energy. But building a refinery to process forest residue into fuel can be a risky, billion-dollar venture, according to Wolcott.

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