Daily Archives: August 30, 2019

Today’s Takeaway

Kelowna first to allow 12-storey wood fame construction

August 30, 2019
Category: Today's Takeaway

Kelowna, BC is first to approve 12-storey wood construction, touts safety and flexibility benefits. In related news: Ontario’s first CLT plant opens in December; and mass timber makes headlines in Victoria, Ottawa and Portland, Oregon.

In wildfire news: despite the lack of headlines, Canada’s 2019 wildfire season is called ‘average‘; 60 per cent of BC fires were human-caused and two models of US wildfire prevention are compared. Elsewhere: ENGOs and wildlife advocates express concern over Amazon deforestation; CPAWs calls for more biodiversity protection; and five countries pledge new monies for Green Climate Fund.

Finally, companies in the news include: Norbord (100 Mile House closure); Western Forest Products (benefits dispute); Tolko (Aboriginal award); and Weyerhaeuser (Columbia plant fire).

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor

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Froggy Foibles

Smokey Bear sketches find a home in the Falls

By Hannah Olson
The International Falls Journal
August 29, 2019
Category: Froggy Foibles
Region: United States, US East

On Oct. 13, 1954, the day the beloved statue of Smokey Bear was erected in International Falls, Christine Anderson…and her brother sat posed together with their mother, at the concrete base of the newly installed statue, which was designed by their father, Norman Anderson. Nearly 65 years later, the siblings once again sat together at the base of Smokey Bear. The Anderson siblings were back in the Falls this week, after making the trek to Koochiching County Museums to deliver original sketches made by their father for the construction of the Smokey Bear statue. The drawings and photographs were rediscovered after their mother, Ardys Anderson, died last August. …Smokey Bear himself has held up over the years but was victim to fire damage in the 1970s, when local vandals lit his rear-end on fire.

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Business & Politics

Domtar Joins Formal Request to Enforce and Regulate Paper Imports

Accountability Central
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Domtar, the United Steelworkers (USW) union and other domestic paper producers have filed a request with the U.S. Department of Commerce to address the circumvention of existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders on uncoated paper imports. The request seeks effective enforcement of the duties ordered by the Commerce Department in 2016. These came following a ruling by the International Trade Commission that dumping of uncoated paper by Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia and Portugal, as well as government subsidies to producers in China and Indonesia, had unfairly harmed the U.S. industry. The original case covered uncoated paper imported in sheets for use primarily as copy paper. 

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Will our forest industry survive?

By Evan Saugstad, former mayor of Chetwynd, BC
The Alaska Highway News
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Evan Saugstad

…Writing about the state and survival of our current forest industry generated a wide range of views. There are those who want to keep on logging until the last tree is cut, no matter the repercussions; at the other end of the spectrum are those who say we have cut enough and now is the time to stop. While neither view is practical or realistic, there are some good reasons why people have come to these conclusions. …So, which will it be? Management by opinion, or management in support of rural B.C. and those who derive their living from our forests? Will decisions involve local people making local decisions on how our public lands are managed, or will it be dominated by big money NGO’s? …I don’t know the outcome, but I do have a hard time believing this government will favour locally led processes.

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Western Forest Products to cut health benefits for striking staff

By Cassandra Williamson-Hopp
Benefits Canada
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

As the labour dispute between Western Forest Products Inc. and United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 heads into its third month, tensions are running high over health benefits. …The company said it would cease covering health benefits during the strike as of September. Up to this point, Western Forest Products had continued to pay the premiums to keep the benefits intact. …Western Forest Products said the trustees of the USW-Coastal Forest Industry Health & Welfare Plan confirmed that the company has no obligation to provide benefits during the strike. The union maintains this is untrue, pointing to a 1993 motion that established union members would reimburse their employer… once the work stoppage had concluded. In its bargaining update, the union said it doesn’t have the resources to cover health benefits.

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Norbord ceases production, employees out of work as of Aug. 27

By Raven Nyman
100 Mile Free Press
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

With the exception of a team of 10 millworkers, all other employees at Norbord’s 100 Mile House OSB Mill are out of work as of Tues. Aug. 27. “There is a small team of less than 10 employees who are responsible for the care and maintenance of the mill…storing materials, and securing the site. All other employees will be off work as of August 27, 2019,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email to the Free Press …Norbord has stated that they are taking a number of steps to support [their] employees during this transition period. “We have provided onsite training for all employees wishing to upgrade their skills… In addition, we are continuing to provide schooling support for current apprentices, including books, tuition, and cost of living expenses.” …Nonetheless, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that Norbord cannot speculate on future market conditions and therefore cannot predict the length of the curtailment.

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Tolko achieves bronze-level Progressive Aboriginal Relations certification

Tolko Industries Ltd.
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vernon, B.C. — Today, we are proud to announce that the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) has awarded Tolko Industries Ltd. Bronze-level standing in their Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification program. Obtaining certification in the PAR program signifies an organization’s commitment and performance in four key areas: Leadership Actions, Business Development, Employment, and Community Relationships. “We are very pleased to have achieved Bronze-level certification in the PAR program,” said Bob Fleet, Vice President, Environment and Forestry. “Tolko is committed to diversity and inclusion and creating partnerships with Indigenous communities based on trust and mutual respect. This accomplishment demonstrates our successes, such as procuring over $65 million annually from over 100 Indigenous suppliers and provides us with a framework to ensure greater prosperity for the Indigenous communities we work side by side with every day.”

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Houston council’s voice added to call for federal forestry aid

By Rod Link
Houston Today
August 30, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The District of Houston has added its voice to a wide-ranging call for federal assistance to response to a number of factors resulting in a large number of permanent and temporary closures of sawmills in B.C. …The letter follows one of similar wording signed earlier by 21 northern B.C. mayors and regional district directors. That letter was sent before Houston council had a chance to meet. …Both letters were sent to Amarjeet Sohi, federal Minister of Natural Resources, Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patricia A. Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, and Jeffrey Biggs, Director of Natural Resources Canada. Beginning late last year and continuing into this spring and early summer, there have been more than 40 temporary shutdowns or announcements of permanent closures of B.C. mills. “Managing through this crisis will require a collective effort…” said the Houston letter.

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EACOM ratifies a new five-year collective agreement at Val-d’Or sawmill in Canada

Wood Biz Forum
August 28, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

EACOM Timber Corporation informed about ratification of a new five-year collective agreement between Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs de scierie Val-d’Or-CSN and management of the company. EACOM employs 200 people at its Val-d’Or mill and regional administrative centre, 110 of whom are members of the Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs de scierie Val-d’Or-CSN.

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Fire causes minor damage at Columbia Falls plant

NBC Montana
August 29, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

COLUMBIA FALLS, Mont. — Four people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries after a fire at the Weyerhaeuser plant in Columbia Falls last night. According to Weyerhaeuser officials, a small fire started around 8 p.m. Plant officials said there was no explosion, although there were reports of one on social media. Employees and first responders “quickly extinguished” the fire, Weyerhaeuser Montana Region resource manager Tom Ray wrote in a statement to NBC Montana. …Four employees were brought to a local hospital, treated for smoke inhalation and released, Ray said. …“We expect the plant to be operating again soon,” Ray wrote.

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N.Z. Future Forest Products Ltd acquires Claymark Group

By Future Forest Products Ltd.
Scoop Independent News
August 30, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Claymark is pleased to announce that its controlling shareholder has entered into an agreement with N.Z. Future Forests Products Ltd (NZFFP) to acquire the Claymark Group including all the operations in New Zealand and the United States. This transaction is the start of a new and exciting chapter for Claymark. Mark Clayton has led Claymark for 30 years and transformed the company into a global leader in high quality radiata pine wood products. Claymark has approximately 600 employees, operates six manufacturing sites in New Zealand and generates revenue of approximately NZ$185 million. NZFFP is committed to the Claymark brand and continuing the focus on world class manufacturing, value-add wood products, global growth and product quality. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Kelowna approves 12-storey wood construction

The Journal of Commerce
August 29, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Mo Bayat

Kelowna, B.C. – The city of Kelowna is aiming to get ahead of the National Building Code by allowing wood frame buildings to be built up to 12 storeys. Currently, wood framed buildings are capped at six storeys but an early adoption initiative is allowing municipalities to move ahead with tall wood buildings. “We’re excited to see Kelowna leading innovations in the construction industry,” said Mo Bayat, development services director for the city. …City officials explained that mass timber buildings can be one-fifth the weight of comparable concrete buildings. …“Given the economies of scale with steel or concrete these buildings tend to be high-rises,” said Bayat. “Allowing for taller wood construction creates more flexibility for housing forms and types, particularly in infill projects.”

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Tallest mass timber building on Vancouver Island could come to Colwood Corners

By Shalu Mehta
BC Local News in Victoria News
August 29, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Sukh Johal

A new affordable housing development that would be the tallest mass timber building on Vancouver Island might be coming to the Colwood Corners area. The Greater Victoria Housing Society has submitted a rezoning application to the City of Colwood for a building planned to be up to 15 stories. …Kaye Melliship, executive director of the Greater Victoria Housing Society, said they are hoping it will be “an environmentally sustainable building that will be a zero carbon dioxide emission building.” They are also hoping to lower utility bills for tenants. Prefabricated mass timber panels will be used to build the tower. According to Sukh Johal of the Canadian Wood Council, the mass timber product replaces concrete and conventional wood construction. …“Ultimately, the decision to design a mass timber tower stemmed from costing, land use and environmental implications,” Melliship said.

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Sound won’t be issue in timber towers: Kelowna building manager

By Caitlin Clow
Kelowna Capital News
August 29, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Now that Kelowna city council has shown their interest in jumping on board the province’s early-adoption initiative to increase storeys in wooden buildings from seven to 12, the question arises: will noisy neighbours be an issue? …But the city’s building and permitting branch manager Doug Patan said noise and wafting smells won’t be an issue thanks to the changes in the building code. …“Before you had to meet a sound coefficient in the walls,” he said. “Now, it’s everything that embodies that unit; the floors, ceiling and the walls.” The updates to airborne sound transmission provisions regulate flanking noise—or sound that transmits between space indirectly by travelling around or over, rather than through it. …“It’s a bit costly for the developer, but for life safety it’s a great thing in case of a fire because it insulates in between the walls,” he said.

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Element5 developing Ontario’s first CLT plant for $50M

By Rich Christianson
The Woodworking Network
August 29, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

ST. THOMAS, Ontario – Element5 plans to construct Ontario’s first cross laminated timber plant in St. Thomas. The operation is scheduled to open in December 2020. The company said the new 125,000-square-foot facility “will house a fully automated CLT and glulam production line”. …Element5 said the operation will employ 50 full-time staff while creating an additional 240 new jobs in related manufacturing, sawmill, transportation and logging sectors. The $50 million project received almost $5 million in funding from Ontario’s Forestry Growth Fund. In addition, the government has committed to increasing the use of timber in the home building industry through the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan and the Housing Supply Action Plan.”We’re grateful for the support,” said Frank Dottori, Industry Leadership at Element5.

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How the ‘missing middle’ can create affordable infill housing in Ottawa

By Toon Dreessen
The Ottawa Business Journal
August 29, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

We have a housing supply problem. …We need more development within our urban core, especially on our traditional main streets. Most of these streets are zoned to permit six or eight-storey developments. This building scale is often referred to as the missing middle (#missingmiddle) and is faster to market: design to occupancy could be as little as one to two years, instead of five years or more for tall buildings. This matters when we’re talking about housing affordability. …There’s also a huge leap in construction costs and complexities going from low-rise housing to four-to-eight-storey buildings. For example, wood (as mass timber) can only be used in buildings of up to six storeys. And above three storeys, residential buildings require sprinklers. But go a bit higher, and building codes see little difference between a seven and 70-storey building. 

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The Nature Conservancy turns to protected habitats and LEVER for its Portland headquarters

By Jamie Evelyn Goldsborough
The Architect’s Newspaper
August 16, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

The Oregon Conservation Center in Portland, Oregon has reopened a new 15,000 square foot nature-centered expansion and renovation courtesy of LEVER Architecture. …The original, dull landscape and 1970’s-era building were not representative of the organization’s identity as a global nonprofit headquarters. The building’s exterior has been reenvisioned and entirely clad in a combination of materials vulnerable to weathering, such as… Juniper siding, and Cedar decking both harvested from nonprofit’s conservation sites. …Targeting LEED Gold certification, the new rooftop photovoltaics produce 25 percent of its electrical supply. …Central to the upgrade is a new, highly visible 2,000-square-foot building addition built with domestically-fabricated cross-laminated timber panels, the first of its kind built in the U.S. and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

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Forestry

1.8 million hectares of Canada burned by forest fires so far this year

By Ryan Flanagan
CTV News
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

…On this day two years ago, thousands of people from across Western Canada had been ordered to leave their homes as fires threatened their communities. On this day three years ago, people with homes in some parts of Fort McMurray, Alta. had been kept away from their properties for more than three months because of the still-notorious fire that tore through the area. …BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Hannah Swift described the year as being average, or slightly below, for fire activity. …In total, Canada has seen 3,873 reported wildfires this year. They have combined to burn more than 1.8 million hectares of land. The total amount of land consumed by fire is roughly in line with what was seen in 2018. …Over the past 10 years, Canada has experienced 5,670 forest fires and lost nearly 2.7 million hectares of land by this point.

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Terrace Community Forests moves forward on forest-thinning project

By Brittany Gervais
Terrace Standard
August 30, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A Terrace Community Forest (TCF) project to thin out high-density second-growth forests in the area, to access underutilized timber, is moving forward. The TCF, an independently operated logging company owned by the city, covers more than 25,000 hectares within the Coast Mountains Resource District. TCF holds a long-term Community Forest Agreement with rights to harvest crown timber within the area, 10 per cent of which is comprised of overcrowded second-growth forests. Purpose-driven growing and cultivation, harvesting and spacing plans could increase the number of trees available for harvest, says TCF general manager Kim Haworth. …The project to thin out these commercial trees is funded by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC) and currently in the planning and development phase, with the aim of being operational in the near future. …A final report will be produced for feedback from the public, First Nations, and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development.

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‘Living laboratory:’ Ecological surprises in Waterton two years after wildfire

By Lauren Krugel
Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
August 30, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

WATERTON, Alta. — Trees are charcoal black on one side and bone white on the other, evidence of the path a wildfire took as it tore into Waterton Lakes National Park in southwestern Alberta nearly two years ago.  …The wildfire, sparked by a lightning strike in British Columbia, forced everyone out of Waterton on Sept. 8, 2017. …The wildfire, sparked by a lightning strike in British Columbia, forced everyone out of Waterton on Sept. 8, 2017. …Already, researchers have encountered some surprises. Wood-boring beetles which have shown up after past wildfires in the area haven’t in Waterton. Neither have woodpeckers that feed on those bugs. …Pearson says scientists will also be watching to see whether the forest regenerates into its earlier state, or into grassland or another type of ecosystem, since the climate is warmer and drier now than it was when the trees first took root.

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District of 100 Mile House discusses current challenges with B.C.’s new parliamentary secretary of forests

By Millar Hill
100 Mile Free Press
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Kahlon

B.C.’s new parliamentary secretary for forests has been mandated to focus on the many challenges Interior communities are facing. Earlier this month, Ravi Kahlon was appointed to the position. Kahlon is joining Forests Minister Doug Donaldson and his deputy minister, John Allan, as they work to support rural communities through layoffs, mill closures and curtailments. Kahlon has been travelling to rural communities to speak with municipal governments, industry professionals and local residents. “I didn’t want to waste any time, so I got on the road,” said Kahlon. …Kahlon said he felt it was important to hear from the people directly in order to address the short-term challenges while working towards the future of the industry. …While the industry continues to face these challenges, it is an industry that will remain a cornerstone for the economy. Last week, Kahlon stopped in 100 Mile House seeking input from the mayor, council and industry professionals.

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Nearly 60 per cent of B.C. wildfires caused by people this summer

By Adam Chan
CTV News
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC Wildfire Service is reminding residents to be careful with their campfires this Labour Day long weekend, saying the majority of wildfires this summer were sparked by humans. According to the province, the BC Wildfire Service responded to 696 wildfires between April 1 and Aug 28, which burned through over 21,141 hectares of wilderness. In total, 57 per cent of those fires were caused by humans, according to the service. The province recommends that people keep a shovel or at least eight litres of water on hand to extinguish campfires, and to avoid lighting fires in windy conditions. The province also reminds residents to keep campfires smaller than a half-metre wide and a half-metre tall. “I hope that all British Columbians can enjoy the Labour Day long weekend with friends and family,” said B.C. Forests Minister Doug Donaldson a statement.

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‘We all have an air addiction:’ Northern Sask. residents express concern over forestry practices

By Jayda Noyes
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE ALBERT — Sylvia McAdam, a co-founder of Idle No More, was among about 30 people who attended Tuesday’s meeting. She said logging should not be happening in the area’s forests. Her concern stems from a 20-year plan from Sakâw Askiy Management that was released last year. The corporation — which is monitored by the provincial government — plans to harvest millions of hectares of forest, including the trees surrounding Ness Creek and Nesslin Lake. The meeting was organized by Bryan Lee, president of the Fish Lake Métis. “We, the citizens, need to have a voice. It should not be left up to just government and industry to make the decisions as to what’s happening to our forests by way of clear-cutting,” he said. Chris Brown, an area forester with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, said that forests are managed with modified clear-cutting. The intent, he said, is to mimic natural disturbances…

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B.C. First Nation gets $16M to protect site of proposed ski resort

By Bill Metcalfe
Cowichan Valley Citizen
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The federal government will contribute $16 million …to the Ktunaxa Nation to create an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in the Qat’muk area…in the Purcell Mountains of southeast B.C. “We were just advised of this, and of course we are excited about it,” said Kathryn Teneese, chair of the Ktunaxa Nation Council, “but we have had no opportunity to finalize the details and our council has not had a chance to discuss this.” …An Aug. 26 letter from Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, to Kootenay-Columbia MP Wayne Stetski, states that the project will include mapping, assessment of cultural and biodiversity values, negotiations to buy out conflicting land tenures, and a stewardship plan. The letter states that the offer of funding is conditional on the successful negotiation of the project details and the signature of a contribution agreement. …A proposal for a year-round ski resort … has been in various stages of … controversy for three decades.

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Two models of wildfire prevention: Flagstaff and the White Mountains

By Peter Aleshire
The White Mountain Independent
August 30, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

ARIZONA — Call it the tale of two cities – or regions, if you want to get technical. Both Flagstaff and a cluster of White Mountains communities have tried different approaches to saving their communities from the next megafire. In Apache and Navajo counties, the White Mountains Stewardship Project sought to thin the forest to reduce the threat of wildfire with the help of local industry and federal subsidies. Now Flagstaff has launched the Flagstaff Watershed Project, with money from a voter-approved, $10 million bond issue as well as a close partnership with the Forest Service. What’s the right approach? …Overall, the White Mountain Stewardship Project had the biggest impact. …However, the more recent Flagstaff Watershed Project has already cleared thousands of acres on the edge of Flagstaff and does not rely on the fitful support of the Forest Service.

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Study: Beetle-kill only one factor in how elk use the Elkhorn Mountains

By Tom Kuglin
The Missoulian
August 28, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The aura of the Elkhorn Mountains near Helena may be perfectly captured by the long odds of drawing one of its limited permits to hunt a trophy bull elk. …The Elkhorns are unique as the only federally designated wildlife management area. …It is with that background that four years ago researchers embarked on a study of the range’s elk in the face of major changes to habitat. Along with much of the West, the Elkhorns’ forests have seen significant impacts from insects, particularly the mountain pine beetle that has killed vast swaths of lodgepole pine. …A major question facing Montana researchers was whether elk are abandoning public lands where most beetle kill persists. …“The mountain pine beetle has had an effect, but less than I think some people envisioned,” Pengeroth said.

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Thirsting, ill and ablaze, Germany’s forests in critical state, minister says

By Thomas Escritt and Rene Wagner
Reuters
August 29, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BERLIN – Forest fires, drought and insect infestations have left Germany’s forests in a critical state, agriculture minister Julia Kloeckner said after forest owners demanded 2.3 billion euros in emergency aid to tackle the crisis. Kloeckner was speaking on Thursday after talks to lay the ground for next month’s “forest summit” at which foresters and the government will develop plans for responding to what has come to be termed the “forest die-off”. …“We’ve lost over 100,000 hectares,” she said, adding that an area equivalent to 3,300 soccer fields had been lost to forest fires. …Last year’s exceptionally hot and dry summer weakened millions of trees, undermining their defenses against the bark-beetle, which often prove fatal to trees that have stood for centuries. This summer has been even hotter.

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What Is Deforestation? Here’s Why Conserving Our Forests Matters.

By Nick Visser
HuffPost
August 28, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Wildlife advocates have responded with grave concern to reports of rampant fires throughout the Amazon rainforest. Tens of thousands of blazes this month are tearing through the pristine wilderness, the largest tropical rainforest on the planet that covers an area roughly the size of the contiguous United States. Many of those fires have been linked to farmers clearing vegetation to make room for crops and cattle… But deforestation isn’t an Amazon-only problem, and many of the world’s forests face rampant threats. So, what’s going on, and are the lungs of the planet really in such dire straits? …Yes. The Amazon is at the forefront of deforestation, but dozens of other environmental bastions around the globe face similar threats. In Canada, the boreal forest covers some 60 per cent of the country’s landscape and is home to around 600 Indigenous communities. 

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How The EU, Greenpeace, And Celebrities Worsen Fires And Deforestation By Dehumanizing The Amazon

By Michael Shellenberger
Forbes
August 28, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Gisele Bündchen

…But telling Brazilians that they must not cut down the Amazon because of its role storing carbon only strengthens the sense in which Europe’s supposed concern with the Amazon and climate change are really a form of neo-colonialism….Greenpeace, a $350 million per year non-governmental organization, demanded that Brazilian farmers comply with a far stricter regulation than had been imposed by the Brazilian government. …What happened was a tragedy, in Amazon forest expert Dan Nepstad’s view, because the soy farmers were increasingly willing to cooperate with environmental restrictions before Greenpeace started making more extreme demands. …As such, Greenpeace’s seemingly ideological agenda fits neatly into the agenda by European farmers to exclude low-cost Brazilian food from the EU. …powerful forces as the EU, Greenpeace, and the world’s most famous celebrities, aided by the news media, show few signs of letting up with their dehumanization of the Amazon.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Global climate fund to get boost as five wealthy nations pledge almost $6-billion

By Megan Rowling
The Globe and Mail
August 29, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, International

Five wealthy nations have promised new contributions worth almost $6-billion to the UN-backed Green Climate Fund, which is seeking to refill its coffers this year to ramp up efforts to help poorer countries combat climate change. The donations come ahead of an official pledging conference planned for the end of October… in Ottawa this week. At last weekend’s summit of powerful G7 nations, Britain, France and Canada announced fresh support for the Green Climate Fund. …But U.S. President Donald Trump refused to deliver two-thirds of a $3-billion promise made by his predecessor. …Germany and Norway already announced in late 2018 they would double their initial contributions, and the new pledges from Britain and France are also twice what they first gave.

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‘A double whammy’: CPAWS calls for more protection of biodiversity as a way to also fight climate change

CBC News
August 29, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society wants the federal government to pay more attention to protecting the country’s biodiversity — a goal it says dovetails with existing efforts to combat climate change. “It’s kind of a double whammy,” said Florence Daviet with CPAWS. …Daviet said there are numerous human activities “that are directly impacting biodiversity and directly causing greenhouse gas emissions” and Canada needs a better plan to mitigate both types of environmental damage, simultaneously. …To that end, CPAWS is calling for a billion-dollar fund for projects that would protect ecosystems and plant and animal life while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from land-use change. …The report adds that better management of Canada’s forests, grasslands, oceans and wetlands is “part of the climate change solution.”

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