Daily Archives: November 1, 2019

Today’s Takeaway

Wolf kill, not backcountry bans, saving caribou: Tom Fletcher

November 1, 2019
Category: Today's Takeaway

Wolf kill, not backcountry bans, saving caribou, writes Tom Fletcher… a relief to many BC communities. In other Forestry news: Alberta’s pine beetle battle gets more bucks; BC ups TFL 61’s allowable cut, Oregon cuts deal to protect fishers; California’s new wildfire normal; and Tobi Lutke and Elon Musk make ‘tree planting for the climate’ news.

In Business news: Western Forest Products calls for binding arbitration, as BC Truck Loggers call for an end to the strike. Meanwhile: Simpcw First Nation urges BC to come to the table with Bill 22; Acadian Timber and Mercer announce Q3 results; and Resolute’s stock falls to a new low. 

Finally, is nothing sacred. NHL goalies switch to composite sticks.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News

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Business & Politics

Mercer International Reports Third Quarter Results and Announces Quarterly Cash Dividend

By Mercer International
Global Newswire
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

NEW YORK — Mercer International reported third quarter 2019 Operating EBITDA decreased to $50.8 million from $86.7 million in the third quarter of 2018 and from $70.0 million in the second quarter of 2019. In the third quarter of 2019, net income was $1.2 million, or $0.02 per share, compared to $41.2 million, or $0.63 per share, in the third quarter of 2018 and $10.3 million, or $0.16 per share in the second quarter of 2019. …Mr. David M. Gandossi, the Chief Executive Officer, stated: “Our third quarter results reflect continuing weakness in the pulp markets. …However, late in the quarter we saw softwood producer inventories begin to fall and demand began to increase in China. We have announced an NBSK price increase of $10 per tonne for October in China.

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Nanaimo based forestry consultant seeks Business Development Manager

DR Systems Inc.
November 1, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Are you looking for a unique position in natural resources where you can use your experience and knowledge to contribute to a successful team? DR Systems, Inc. is a small sized firm that offers flexibility, a wide range of client types, and a growing product base – a perfect place to put down your roots and grow your career. Our products help clients to successfully compete on the land base while leaving behind a softer environmental footprint in a landscape that will flourish for generations to come. Specializing in software that helps forestry firms, consultants, First Nations, private landowners, and government agencies to manage their land sustainably, our clients are North America-wide and we are looking to grow to a larger international base.  To do this, we need a special person to join our team as our Business Development Manager. With a blend of technical expertise, knowledge of sales and an engaging personality, we think you will find a perfect fit at DR Systems. Submit your credentials today, and let’s discuss our futures!

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Western Proposes Binding Arbitration Process

By Western Forest Products
Global Newswire
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER — Western Forest Products announced that the Company has invited the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 to join a binding arbitration process with independent mediators Vince Ready and Amanda Rogers. Active negotiations between the Company and the Union have stalled and no future mediation dates have been scheduled at this time. Progress was made on several proposals during mediated talks this month and the Company remains available to resume discussions at any time. …Don Demens, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western… “While we were encouraged by the progress we made during previous mediated talks, with no future dates scheduled, this step demonstrates our commitment to getting employees back to work and products to our customers.”

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Truck Loggers Association visits Powell River for meeting and event

The Powell River Peak
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

On Tuesday, the Truck Loggers Association held one of its regular board meetings in Powell River, where its 17-member board spent much of the day discussing the current Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers strike, and forest policies that are impacting local timber harvesting contractors and the entire forest industry. Later that evening, approximately 80 Powell River timber harvesting contractors, workers and suppliers turned out for the TLA-hosted member networking event. …The topic of greatest concern discussed at the evening’s event was the Western Forest Products and United Steelworkers strike, which is having a “devastating effect on the already-struggling forest industry on the coast.” …Contractors shared their worries and struggles, concerned that if the strike goes on much longer, it could potentially put many of them out of business.

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Simpcw First Nation urges Province to “come to the table in a good way”

The Clearwater Times
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Shelly Loring

On Oct. 31, days after Bill 41, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, was introduced in the BC legislature, Simpcw First Nation issued a warning to other Indigenous Nations in the Province: “it’s likely lip service – nothing has changed”. “Minister Doug Donaldson is expected to make his decision to approve Interfor’s purchase of Canfor’s forestry assets within Simpcw Territory for a price of $60 million. …Shelly Loring, Chief of Simpcw, said… “We’ve had some good progress with Interfor and Canfor and are close to coming to an agreement. …The missing piece is the Province. …“Our proposal is in the public interest: the transaction stays intact, we diversify the forestry industry in Kamloops TSA and reduce the further concentration in the hands of major licensees, create economic opportunity for our community and take on a management role of our title lands – it’s a win-win.”

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Acadian Timber Corp. : Reports Third Quarter Results

By Acadian Timber
The Market Screener
October 30, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

VANCOUVER — Acadian Timber reported financial and operating results for the three months ended September 28, 2019. Acadian generated sales of $25.4 million, compared to $26.6 million in the prior year period. …Operating costs and expenses were $20.6 million during the third quarter, compared to $21.2 million during the prior year period. …Adjusted EBITDA was $5.1 million during the third quarter, compared to $6.1 million in the prior year period, while the Adjusted EBITDA margin for the quarter was 20%, compared to 23% in the prior year period.  

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Is Huron Central Railway important to the North?

By Elaine Della-Mattia
The Sault Star
October 30, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

A Sudbury-based locomotive repair company says government shouldn’t be handing over millions of dollars to a short-line rail company without looking at other operating alternatives from other stakeholders. Diesel Electric’s general manager and vice president of business development says while the company is saddened to hear of the potential closure of Huron Central Railway, as ratepayers, they also question whether millions of taxpayer dollars should be invested into a line where its parent operator is making millions of dollars of profit. …Algoma Steel, Domtar and Eacom are the three largest users of the freight service between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. …Over 3,400 direct and indirect jobs depend on the railway’s continued operations.

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Resolute issues statement on Ignace sawmill shutdown

Thunder Bay News Watch
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

IGNACE, Ont. — Resolute Forest Products says multiple factors are contributing to the ongoing shutdown of its sawmill at Ignace. The mill hasn’t operated since last April. The mayor of Ignace and a Steelworkers union official both said this week they have been told Resolute will not resume operations before next spring. In a statement Thursday, the company said it has not made that declaration. However, the statement did not provide any anticipated date for restarting the mill. Seth Kursman, Vice President/Corporate Communications, said a cyclical downturn in the lumber markets has created a “very challenging” situation for many months, resulting in downtime at mills, including Resolute’s Ontario and Quebec sawmills. Kursman also outlined a series of other issues affecting the Ignace mill, including: initially weather conditions and, in turn, a serious wood supply deficit, a tight labour market…, and currently, a wet fall with record precipitation.

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Resolute shares fall to new low after forest products producer swings to Q3 loss

The Canadian Press in Ottawa Matters
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL — Shares of Resolute Forest Products Inc. dropped to an all-time low Thursday after the pulp, paper and lumber producer missed expectations as it swung to a third-quarter loss. The Montreal-based company’s shares fell to a low of $4.51 before closing down $1.27 or 21.2 per cent to $4.72 in Thursday trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Resolute says its net loss attributable to shareholders was US$43 million or 47 cents per diluted share for the period ended Sept. 30, compared with a profit of US$117 million or $1.25 per share a year earlier. …Resolute was expected on average to post an adjusted loss of four cents per share on $796 million of revenues, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

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New loggers co-op enters agreement with mill in Quebec

The Associated Press in LMT Online
November 1, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East, US East

Troy Jackson

AUGUSTA, Maine — The newly created New England Loggers Cooperative has entered into an agreement with a paper mill in Quebec that calls for any lumber from Maine to be cut and shipped by Maine workers. Senate President Troy Jackson said a “majority” of softwood cut in northern Maine goes to the Materiaux Blanchet Inc. mill in Quebec. He said Thursday the agreement “just makes sense.” A bill sponsored by Jackson was adopted in the last legislative session allowing loggers and logging truck drivers to organize into cooperatives. Gov. Janet Mills signed it into lawJackson, a Democrat from Allagash, said that for too long the wood products industry “has been missing the voices of hardworking harvesters and haulers.” [END]

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Interveners set in Port Hawkesbury Power rate case

By Nancy King
The Vanguard
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

POINT TUPPER, N.S. — The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board has set the list of participants for an upcoming hearing into a proposed new power rate for Port Hawkesbury Paper. The deadline to file for intervener status in the hearing recently closed. …Last month the provincial regulator approved on an interim basis the proposed new power rate for the Point Tupper papermaker and set dates for a hearing where a final determination on the tariff will be made. Port Hawkesbury Paper and Nova Scotia Power Inc. have filed an application with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for a new electricity rate for the mill, the utility’s largest single customer. Opening statements in the hearing are scheduled for Feb. 5, while the hearing begins Feb. 10. Because the current load retention rate paid by the papermaker is due to expire at the end of the year, the mill and utility asked the board to grant the new rate on an interim basis beginning Jan. 1.

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The Top Performing Timber REITs in 2019

By Carisa Chappell
The Motley Fool
October 31, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Believe it or not, betting on companies that harvest and sell timber is a type of real estate investment. Timber real estate investment trusts (REITs) have a strong connection to the housing market and their fortunes rise and fall with other real estate investments. Although they’re not your traditional investment in brick-and-mortar buildings, timber real estate investment trusts (REITs) have become a popular asset class. There are currently four timber REITs — together, they own more than 17 million acres of timberlands: Potlatch (Spokane, Washington), CatchMark  (Atlanta, Georgia), Rayonier (Wildlight, Florida) and Weyerhaeuser (Seattle, Washington). Timber REITs have had a tough time in recent years resulting in negative returns. Uncertainty in the housing market coupled with rising interest rates and worrisome regulations all wore on timber REITs in 2018.

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Finance & Economics

Freddie sees U.S. housing market strong as global slowdown looms

Seeking Alpha
October 31, 2019
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

The housing market will stay solid with home sales rising to 6.0M for 2019 and to 6.1M in 2020, according to Freddie Mac’s October Forecast. While economic growth has slowed globally, the effect is more muted in the U.S. Forecast highlights include: Average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate at 3.7% for the rest of 2019, ticking up to 3.8% in 2020. House prices expected to appreciate 3.3% in 2019 and 2.8% in 2020.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

National Hockey League goalies embracing switch to composite sticks

By Kevin Woodley
NHL.com
October 31, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, United States

Goalies are keeping wood sticks alive in the NHL, but perhaps not for long. Composite sticks have been popular for a while among forwards and defensemen, who have embraced the lighter weight and stiffer shaft to increase the power on shots. After years of resisting the trend, goalies are switching from wooden and foam-core sticks at a rapid rate. Roughly half the NHL was using the old technology in 2016. Today, five NHL goalies still use a wooden stick. “Once you switch, it’s amazing to hold a wood stick and wonder how you played with it,” Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton said. …Hutton said weight is the biggest difference between a composite stick and traditional blends of wood, fiberglass and foam. …Last season, there were 21 NHL goalies using composite and 11 remaining with wood. This season, 24 are using composite sticks. The remaining four still using a foam-core wooden stick this season are using a Warrior Swagger.

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Wood use rises in residential buildings and hotels

By David Wylie
The Journal of Commerce
November 1, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Advancements in construction technology, modernized building codes, and a demand for sustainable design are making wood the right choice for a variety of residential and hotel projects. …One way to build economically with wood is modular prefabrication, which can speed up construction schedules and reduce overall costs. Manufacturing wood-frame modular units off-site means there’s less noise and less disruption for neighbours at the building site. “A lot of time and energy is put into planning how we’re going to build before we even start. That means the timeline is shorter,” said Tim Epp, director of manufacturing at Metric Modular, based in Agassiz, B.C. …These projects and others are featured in a newly released book, Naturally Wood.

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Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo opens to large crowds

By Karen Koenig
The Woodworking Network
October 31, 2019
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Day 1 saw thousands of attendees streaming through the halls of the Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo, getting a closeup look at the more than 200 machines and thousands of supplies on display by 180-plus exhibitors. Canada’s largest woodworking show, the biennial WMS takes place Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. …Jump starting the 2019 show was an opening keynote by Mike Holmes Jr., professional contractor, and star of DIY Network’s Holmes & Holmes. …”This is the largest show in Canada in more than 15 years,” said Tim Fixmer, CEO of CCI Canada, the show’s organizer. CCI Canada is owned by CCI Media, owner of Woodworking Network.

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Forestry

Nature’s own sustainable timber harvest rate

By Bruce Ellingsen
Watershed Sentinel
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Bruce Ellingsen

[Author, Bruce Ellingsen is a 70-year resident of Cortes Island with a family background in forestry and a lengthy interest in sustainability.] For the Cortes Island community, obtaining a community forest tenure on crown lands and managing it sustainably, while allowing for a modest timber harvest, has been a priority since the 1990s. But how can we determine a rate of timber harvesting that will ensure the community forest is sustainable? On the surface this appears challenging, considering the complexities of forest ecosystems and the many different approaches to forest harvesting and management. However, if we step back and look at the underlying dynamics of any healthy ecosystem, we find that, large or small, complex or simple, all ecosystems must be able to acquire or generate the nutrients required to maintain their metabolic functions, plus a “surplus” to cushion the system through lean times.

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Wolf kill, not backcountry bans, saving caribou

By Tom Fletcher
BC Local News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

It would have come as a relief to many B.C. communities when Forests Minister Doug Donaldson told me in September his latest management plans for 20 endangered caribou herds will not require further industrial or backcountry bans. Now I understand why Donaldson was able to make that decision after intensive study and community meetings …with people worried about the future of their already fragile resource economies. …Donaldson acted on the latest report from ministry biologists, showing the first glimmer of hope. …This is after the maternity penning program was extended from Kootenay herds to the South Peace and the wolf kill was stepped up over four years. …The existing set aside areas are enormous and their effectiveness is questionable. …As the B.C. Council of Forest Industries pointed out last year, banning forestry and mining is no magic answer. 

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Tree Farm Licence 61 allowable annual cut increased

By Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development
Government of British Columbia
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The new allowable annual cut (AAC) for Tree Farm Licence (TFL) 61 near Sooke is 121,000 cubic metres, announced Shane Berg, deputy chief forester. This new AAC is an 11.5% increase from the previous AAC of 108,500 cubic metres set in 2010. The increased AAC for TFL 61 is the result of new, improved inventory information indicating the TFL’s forests are growing faster than estimated in the previous timber supply review. “After reviewing all relevant factors on timber and non-timber resources and taking into consideration First Nations’ interests in TFL 61, I am satisfied that the new AAC reflects new information on growth rates, current forest management practices and accommodates socio-economic objectives of the Crown in the TFL,” said Berg. TFL 61 is held by the Pacheedaht Andersen Timber Holdings Limited Partnership, which was formed in 2010 between the Pacheedaht First Nation and Andersen Timber. The licence is managed by Queesto Community Forest Ltd.

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Province has acted on 92% of wildfire, flood response recommendations

By Ashley Wadhwani
BC Local News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The B.C. government says it has addressed all but nine recommendations made in an external report that looked into how the province could have been better prepared after the devastating wildfire and flood season of 2017. Ninety-nine of the 108 recommendations made in the Abbott-Chapman report have been acted on, Forest Minister Doug Donaldson said in the province’s second progress update on its action plan for responding to natural disasters Thursday. Of the remaining nine recommendations, four require further analysis and discussion, the update reads, while alternative approaches are being used to address the other five. …The report, led by George Abbott and Maureen Chapman and released in 2018, made it clear that the province needed to improve how to prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from wildfires and floods.

Read the Ministry of Forests Press Release here.

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Saik’uz First Nation forest licence gets good audit result

BC Forest Practices Board
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – An audit of non-renewable forest licence A91154, held by the Saik????uz First Nation, near Vanderhoof, has found compliance with the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act, according to a new report. The forest licence is held by the Saik’uz, but all planning and activities were carried out by the Sinclar Group on behalf of the Nation. “Our audit found that all activities met the legal requirements,” said Kevin Kriese, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “We were also pleased to see that Sinclar Group is working with biomass companies in the Vanderhoof area to allow them access to wood waste. Waste piles were ground on site and transported to the biomass facilities and the work was done promptly to ensure that the fire hazard was abated within the required time period.”

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Alberta’s pine beetle battle far from over as $5M funding boost announced

By Jeff Lawrence
CTV News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

As the mountain pine beetle epidemic spreads in Alberta, the province is stepping up funding to fight the forest-devastating pest. Forest Minister Devin Dreeshen announced a $5-million increase in the pine beetle management program, raising it from $25 million to $30 million through 2022-23. “That’s to protect the $11-billion worth of forests that we have in the province of Alberta,” Dreeshen said. The increased funding will pay for more monitoring, falling and burning of affected trees. “If we don’t stop the spread of the pine beetle here in Alberta, we don’t stop it from decimating forests in the rest of Canada,” said Paul Whittaker of the Alberta Forest Products Association. …He and Dreeshen criticized the federal government for denying a previous request for $20 million. …Natural Resources Canada said it invested $11.7 million into mountain pine beetle-related research in Alberta between 2010 and 2018.  

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Forest Talk Radio wins provincial award

By Eric Taschner
CTV News Northern Ontario
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NORTH BAY – A smart phone app developed in North Bay is now the winner of a prestigious innovation award. The app is called Forest Talk Radio, which tells the story of the Laurier Woods. David Merleau never could have imagined it would be such a huge hit. …The GPS triggered app is the first of its kind, telling the story through the ‘voices’, ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ of the trees along the Laurier Woods hike. …”We’ve seen people using it, but we also see it as a new way of communicating to people… there’s a traditional way of doing things, but then there’s Forest Talk Radio that people can use,” says Fred Pinto, Friends of the Laurier Woods President. …Merleau is currently developing a similar app for the White Bear Forest in Temagami.

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Trenton Woodlot Conference set for Batawa

By Susan Moore
Belleville Intelligencer
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

On Friday, November 22, attend the 30th Annual Trenton Woodlot Conference for an opportunity to Return to Our Roots with Down to Earth Forestry – hosted by the Ontario Woodlot Association (Quinte and Limestone chapters) and Hastings Stewardship Council. This premier forestry event is designed to inform woodlot owners and those who love forests in our community. If you have ever wondered about how to manage your woodlot more sustainably, what’s in the soil, or how to deal with beavers on your property, come to the Conference for some answers and new resources. Sebastian Belliard, Soil Management Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs will present “What’s Under the Leaf Litter” and Thom Snowman, retired professional forester will present “The Inclusive Forest: Wetlands, Water, Wildlife and Wood.” 

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Fisher focus of private, federal agreements on 2 million acres in Oregon

By Jessica Burns
The Herald and News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Federal wildlife officials have entered into agreements with timber companies and the state of Oregon to protect the rare Pacific fisher on nearly 2 million acres of forestland in Oregon. Five companies — Green Diamond, Weyerhaeuser, Roseburg, Lone Rock and Hancock — have signed conservation agreements with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the past few months. …The agreements puts on-the-ground conservation measures in place while still allowing timber companies to inadvertently kill fisher though a provision called “incidental take,” a commonly employed allowance in federal species protection plans. The agreements’ conservation measures include things like maintaining a quarter mile radius of undisturbed buffer around known den sites, leaving downed trees in place to provide habitat and lengthening the time between cutting trees.

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The thicker the tree bark, the less the fire’s bite

By Bill Hathaway
Yale News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

A new Yale-led study suggests a key variable in trees’ ability to survive fires is the thickness of their bark — the thicker it is, the more likely trees will survive. The researchers, who analyzed trees in fire-ravaged regions of the Amazon rainforest, found that trees in wetter areas of the rain forest have thinner barks. The differences in thickness are substantial — ranging from as low as 0.5 mm of bark in the wetter regions to as much as 4 cm for trees in drier regions. This makes wet forests more susceptible to the ravages of fire than thicker-barked trees in drier forests. As droughts worsen in wetter regions of the basin, increasing the likelihood of fire, this may make the effects of fire on the environment much worse, the authors say. Trees store carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere, and exude oxygen.

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New Rotorua Forestry Hub for Te Uru Rākau

By New Zealand Government, Ministry of Forests
Scoop Independent News
November 1, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Shane Jones

The Government has committed to a strong regional presence for Te Uru Rākau (Forestry New Zealand), with the construction of a new Forestry Hub in Rotorua announced by Forestry Minister Shane Jones today. Speaking at a blessing ceremony at the site of the new building, Scion’s Rotorua campus, Minister Jones said the Forestry Hub, which will be shared with the Department of Conservation, will ultimately house some 50 Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff, with 25 of those from Te Uru Rākau. …“The purpose-built facility will be constructed with sustainable construction techniques, including using New Zealand grown timber for both the structural and visible parts of the building. A new build provides an opportunity to demonstrate the value of wood for building and will show case the opportunity to use timber grown and manufactured in New Zealand more extensively.

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European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers call for total certified wood sourcing

Packaging News UK
November 1, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) president Rob van Hoesel has challenged European wooden pallet and packaging manufacturers to ensure all the timber they use is certified as sustainably produced. Speaking to delegates at the FEFPEB congress, Van Hoesel said that, against a background of increasing worldwide attention on the environmental credentials of businesses, pallet and packaging companies should seek to guarantee that 100% of the wood they use originates from sustainably managed forests, by purchasing only from certified sources. …Van Hoesel said he would like all members of FEFPEB’s national associations to aim for 100% sustainability within a limited period of years, advising that they should start dialogues with customers and other partners, such as PEFC, in the supply chain to help it reach this goal.

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2 timber executives, 3 loggers charged with 2014 killings of anti-logging activists in Peru

The Associated Press in CBC News
October 31, 2019
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Five men who worked in the timber industry in Peru have been charged with the 2014 killings of four Indigenous activists who had battled illegal logging in the Amazon jungle. Two timber executives and three loggers have been charged with the shooting deaths of the activists, prosecutor Otoniel Jara told The Associated Press Wednesday. Environmentalists say the case is unprecedented in Peru, where years of illegal logging and, on occasion, suspected attacks by those carrying it out have often been met with an ineffectual response from authorities. …Tom Bewick, of Rainforest Foundation US, a group that funded efforts to bring the alleged killers to justice …said he hoped the case will “set an example for other Indigenous environmental defenders across the world.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Tobi Lutke Changes Name to Lorax on Twitter After Pledging to Plant 1,000,001 Trees

By Paul Farrell
Heavy
October 30, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Tobias Lutke

Tobi Lutke pledged to plant 1,000,001 trees to beat Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s pledge to plant 1,000,000, trees at the behest of YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson. Lutke made the pledge on the afternoon of October 30. Tobias Lutke is the German-Canadian founder and CEO of e-commerce business Shopify. Following his pledge, Lutke changed his name on Twitter to Lorax. Lorax is a reference to the titular character from Dr. Seuss’ 1971 book of the same name who considered a guardian of the forest. Lutke’s philanthropic pledge came shortly after he announced that his company had reached one million users in the third quarter of 2019. …Lutke has said that his plan to donate 1,000,001 trees had hit a stumbling block as the online forms make it impossible to pledge that much, an obvious attempt to prevent against pranksters.

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Sorry, Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey: There’s so much CO2 in the atmosphere that planting trees isn’t enough to save us

By Aylin Woodward
Business Insider
October 31, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Elon Musk has pledged to donate $1 million to a campaign that hopes to plant 20 million trees around the world starting on January 1. He even changed his Twitter name to Treelon. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey followed suit with a $150,000 pledge of his own. The campaign, #TeamTrees, is spearheaded by the YouTube influencer Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation. It hopes to plant the trees on every continent except Antarctica between January and December 2022. According to the campaign website, #TeamTrees and the Arbor Day Foundation are focused on planting new trees because “forest restoration has the most global climate mitigation potential compared to all other natural climate solutions.” They cite a 2017 study …that suggested reforestation would be the best means of keeping Earth’s temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius.

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California’s new normal: How the climate crisis is fueling wildfires and changing life in the Golden State

By Ray Sanchez and Brandon Miller
CNN
October 30, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

It’s the new way of life in the Golden State. More than a dozen wildfires displace hundreds of thousands of Californians. …Utilities throw entire communities into darkness in hopes of reducing the risks. More than 94,000 acres have already burned. …Here’s why deadlier and more destructive wildfires have become the new normal — and it’s all related to climate change: …Park Williams, a professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, said human-caused warming of the planet has caused the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) to increase by 10% since the late 1800s, meaning that more evaporation is occurring. By 2060, he expects that effect to double. …VPD — which measures dryness, or aridity, near the Earth’s surface — is directly related to the rate at which water is transferred from the land surface to the atmosphere. …”The northern part of the world is warming faster … the heat is drying out forests and making them more susceptible to burn.”

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Wood fibre to unlock our low emissions future

By New Zealand Government
Scoop Independent News
November 1, 2019
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Trees can play a lead role in New Zealand’s transition to a low emissions economy, and this is reflected in a new request for research into innovative ways to use wood fibre, announced by Forestry Minister Shane Jones at the blessing of the new government forestry hub site in Rotorua today. Te Uru Rākau (Forestry New Zealand), the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group have today issued a ‘request for proposal’ – worth $250,000 to $300,000 – seeking a commercially-oriented report on viable opportunities for investment in biobased products and biorefinery processing technology. These investments must use wood and wood fibre and be internationally competitive.

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