Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

Tolko Industries Ltd. near Revelstoke passes BC Forest Practices Board audit

BC Forest Practices Board
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board announces the completion of its audit of Tolko Industries Ltd.’s operations on timber licence T0816 in the Okanagan Shuswap Natural Resource District. Based on the field audit conducted from Oct. 23-27, 2023, the Forest Practices Board confirms Tolko’s adherence to the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA) and the Wildfire Act (WA) across all significant aspects of these operations. The audit examined activities between Oct. 1, 2021, and Oct. 26, 2023, including operational planning, timber harvesting, road and bridge construction and maintenance, silviculture, and wildfire protection. “Our audit found that Tolko complied with all requirements of the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act,” said Keith Atkinson, chair of the Forest Practices Board. “We are pleased to see the efforts made by Tolko to carry out their operations consistent with provincial regulations and sound forest practices.” 

Additional coverage in the Salmon Arm Observer, by Jennifer Smith: Vernon-based Tolko cleared of Revelstoke forestry audit

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B.C. isn’t getting an endangered species law. Maybe that’s okay

By Arno Kopecky
The Narwhal
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nathan Cullen, BC’s minister of water, land and resource stewardship, has confirmed what many suspected: the NDP isn’t interested in an endangered species law. A federal Species At Risk Act has been in place for decades, and has immense power when enforced. But it almost never is, and has done nothing to protect B.C.’s ever-growing list of endangered species. Provincial legislation has therefore long been a key demand of conservation groups. But last week… Cullen finally acknowledged species-specific legislation is officially off the table. Then he spoke about what we’re getting instead. …“It’s the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework.” That wonky phrase invokes a vast new architecture of land-use legislation that Cullen’s ministry is now drafting: since conservation and species at risk protection is inextricably linked to Indigenous Rights, it’s being done, in close collaboration with Rankin’s ministry and the more than 200 First Nations in B.C. 

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Despite pushback, Stanley Park tree removal necessary: Vancouver Park Board

By Hana Mae Nassar and Robyn Crawford
City News Everywhere
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Calls are mounting for the Vancouver Park Board to stop clearing trees in Stanley Park, with a petition gaining momentum online. Those behind the change.org petition claim the removal of trees is “causing irreversible damage to our environment.” …Officials have said the work to remove roughly 25 per cent of the trees in the park is necessary, noting they have been destroyed by a hemlock looper moth infestation. However, those behind the petition question this “narrative,” saying the city has “failed to provide scientific evidence to substantiate its claim; further, many living seemingly-healthy trees are being cut down.” …Despite the criticisms, Vancouver Park Board Chair Brennan Bastyovanszky is doubling down that the felling has to be completed. …Bastyovanszky says aside from safety concerns, the dead trees also pose an elevated fire risk. 

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Move over, Tesla – B.C. company rolls out electric semi truck

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new hybrid electric heavy duty truck developed by Edison Motors in Merritt, B.C., is now officially road-worthy. Edison ‘s L500 semi prototype — dubbed the “Topsy” — has been granted a vehicle identification number and registration. The company now has four orders for the truck, which uses regenerative braking for much of its power, and will soon be opening a new manufacturing plant in Terrace to build the trucks. “We have officially built the first truck in British Columbia… in over 30 years,” Edison Motors founder and CEO Chace Barber said in a press release. “We’ve officially built a truck that passes all the government certifications, a truck that can be driven on the road.” Edison Motors was started by Chace Barber and Eric Little, who started a truck-logging company in 2016 in Merritt. After putting in an order for a Tesla electric semi truck in 2017, and waiting four years, they decided to just build their own.

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Wildsight encourages council to cease old growth logging in region

By Lys Morton
The Revelstoke Mountaineer
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight conservation specialist and Kristi Chorney, Wildsight board president met with council to request an immediate cease of old growth logging in the Goldstream CP 310 Block L area, currently managed by Revelstoke Community Forest Corporation (RCFC) until council can tour the area with Wildsight. Wildsight also asked that council look into alternative economic streams for RCFC, following the direction of other municipalities throughout B.C. “Municipalities in B.C. are making more money managing carbon than logging,” Petryshen told council, breaking down economic alternatives Revelstoke could adapt to replace old growth logging in the region. In an interview, Petryshen said there are only two options for the forestry industry in Revelstoke and B.C. “We can continue to log them until there’s very little left … or we can decide to transition the industry. I think there’s a huge opportunity for jobs and a restoration based economy.”

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B.C.’s wildfires helped feed glacier meltdown across western Canada: report

By Wolf Depner
The Interior News
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A new World Meteorological Organization study finds that last year’s wildfires caused glaciers in western North America including British Columbia to lose a record amount of mass. The report titled State of the Global Climate found that “above-average summer temperatures and record wildfire activity in western Canada” contributed to the “extreme melt” as particulates from the wildfires further darkened the surfaces of glaciers. The darker any surface, the more heat it absorbs. Glaciers, sea ice floats along with polar caps, contribute to the ‘albedo effect’ by reflecting sunlight back into space. The more they melt, the less sun gets reflected back. Using pulsating radars to measure distances remotely, researchers including Brian Menounos of the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and the Airborne Coastal Observatory of the BC-based Hakai Institute, found that, western North America experienced record glacier mass loss in 2023. 

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Are you concerned about an earlier, and longer, wildfire season this year in B.C. due to the milder than normal winter?

Castanet
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Although it’s unseasonably warm across the B.C. Interior for a few days this week, BC Wildfire Service says conditions aren’t alarming, despite two wildfires sparked on Sunday. A wildfire was sparked burning outside of Lumby, near Creighton Valley Road just after 2 p.m. on Sunday. The wildfire grew to three hectares in size. The Lumby Fire Department confirmed the fire was a burn pile that got away from a resident. A small fire that sparked near Fish Lake Road in Summerland just before 4 p.m. was quickly ‘held’ by fire crews. That fire was also deemed human-caused. …”Wildfire risk is higher than normal this spring. BCWS is preparing for what could be a very challenging season. At this time most wildfires are started by human activity, said B.C.’s Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston at a press conference on Monday afternoon.

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Ntityix Resources LP Enhances Wildfire Mitigation Work in West Kelowna

Forest Enhancement Society of BC
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

West Kelowna, B.C. – Ntityix Resources LP, fully owned by Westbank First Nation, has been busy working to proactively reduce wildfire risk in the West Kelowna area. With funding support from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, Ntityix has successfully undertaken various initiatives around the community, specific to this wildfire mitigation work. The work itself contributes to a long-term mitigation strategy being undertaken to enhance the fuel modification zone, which will help slow down and, ideally, prevent the spread of wildfires in the area. “The continued revitalization of cultural and prescribed fire helps to create healthy, safe and resilient forests, and I applaud Ntityix and the Westbank First Nation for continuing to take on wildfire risk reduction projects year after year, including working with the Province last year on prescribed burns,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. 

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Prescribed burns begin in BC to manage wildfire season

By Danielle Paradis
APTN National News
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Williams Lake First Nation and Tsilhqot’in Nation communities, along with the BC Wildfire Service and other government agencies are beginning cultural and prescribed burns to help manage the upcoming wildfire season. Carly Desrosiers, a fire information officer with the wildfire service explains how the prescribed burn fire program works. “Prescribed fire program plans are made well in advance … there’s a lot that goes into them, working with our partners, and local governments and First Nations to understand their objectives,” said Derosiers. Despite the planning, the decision to go ahead with a burn is decided in the moment depending on factors like weather, site conditions and wind speed. …Sarah Budd, the communications and engagement lead for the cultural and prescribed fire program says that only the First Nations communities can determine whether a burn is cultural. “In terms of implementation…on the ground [a cultural and prescriptive] burn can look very similar,” said Budd.

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Climate activist’s deportation could have ‘chilling effect’ on political speech, says lawyer

By Stefan Labbé
Sunshine Coast Reporter
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Zain Haq

A lawyer for a Vancouver-based climate activist says government plans to deport his client could have a “chilling effect” on international students looking to exercise their right to political speech. Zain Haq co-founded the Vancouver-based group Save Old Growth. In 2022, he caught the attention of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) while protesting and speaking to the press about Canada’s climate policy. That’s when CBSA sought to declare Haq retroactively inadmissible to Canada for failing to make enough progress as a student while attending Simon Fraser University, said Haq’s lawyer, Randall Cohn. According to Cohn, the border agency failed to communicate with the university and carry out a full investigation, a procedural shortcut he worries could intimidate other international students looking to speak up for what they think is right. …“If they remove him, then what they’re doing is they’re saying they don’t want people like Zain in the conversation,” said Cohn. 

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Unions want more say in decisons that shape BC’s forestry policy

By Ted Clarke
The Prince George Citizen
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

…About 80 representatives of the Public and Private Workers of Canada, United Steelworkers and Unifor attended the March 12 conference in Victoria to highlight worker concerns about the ailing forest sector and how it is being managed by the provincial government. … “We want a say in what’s happening in our industry. We’ve been left out of the table and as workers we want to have our voice heard. For the three unions to get together that really tells you the state of our industry right now and we’re going to make sure we’re part of that solution going forward,” said Chuck LeBlanc, president of PPWC Local 9. …The three unions want the province to form a permanent Forest Sector Council that would formulate forest strategies and policies drawing from the expertise of leadership from all stakeholders, including business leaders, service sectors, union members, postsecondary schools, public utility operators and representatives of all levels of government.

 

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Shuswap’s burnt forests – to log or not to log?

By Jim Cooperman, Shuswap Passion
Salmon Arm Observer
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Fed by extreme winds and extreme drought, the Shuswap Firestorm tore through thousands of hectares of forests leaving behind blackened sticks and fried soil, with nary a green leaf or stem where the fire was intense. …There is now a rush to salvage log the burnt trees that are merchantable before the timber dries and splits, which renders the wood unusable for lumber and plywood. However, there is a growing amount of scientific literature and research that insists logging burnt forests is harmful to the ecosystem and it is far better to let natural processes bring the forests back as what happened after previous wildfires. One of the major concerns with salvage logging, is the site disturbance caused by the heavy equipment, which often results in erosion and damage to streams. …Some studies show that the slash left after logging increases fuel loads to encourage more severe fires in the future. 

 

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West Fraser and the Woodland Cree First Nation Sign Good Relations Agreement

By West Fraser
LinkedIn
March 5, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

West Fraser and the Woodland Cree First Nation recently signed a Good Relations Agreement to mark a new era of partnership, mutual respect, and exploration of economic opportunities. The agreement solidifies a commitment to build a positive, sustainable, and mutually beneficial relationship based on respect, trust, and recognition of each other’s roles, rights, and responsibilities. “The signing of this Good Relations Agreement is a testament to our shared commitment to building a future of collaboration. By working hand in hand, we aim to work on economic opportunities, foster environmental stewardship and contribute to the well-being of Woodland Cree First Nation” stated Jed Begin, General Manager, Slave Lake Veneer. “On behalf of myself and Council, we are proud of this precedent-setting agreement. It is rooted in the principles of meaningful collaboration, accommodation and co-management,” said Chief Isaac Laboucan-Avirom, Woodland Cree First Nation.

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Enhanced technology will help better predict wildfire movement, growth

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC Wildfire Service is expanding the use of wildfire predictive technologies. “By adding more technology to the BC Wildfire Service’s tool kit, our talented firefighters will be able to make critical decisions faster when it matters most,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. In advance of the 2024 wildfire season, B.C. is introducing technology that can produce real-time wildfire behaviour predictions and incorporate information directly from the field. This is aligned with feedback from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies and follows last year’s successful trial of the software. The wildfire predictive technology will first be introduced in the Coastal and Kamloops Fire Centres, where it has already been trialled to ensure compatibility with forest and fuel conditions. Collaborative efforts with jurisdictions using similar technologies, including California and Australia, have allowed the BC Wildfire Service to quickly operationalize and expand the use of these tools. 

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B.C. officials warn of early, ‘challenging’ wildfire season

By Moira Wyton
CBC News
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Government and wildfire officials in British Columbia are warning that the province could see an early and active spring wildfire season due to persistent drought conditions that have left soil parched and snowpack levels low. …Officials say early outlooks indicate a “high probability” of above normal temperatures across B.C. in the coming months, but added that drought and wildfire conditions this year will depend on the actual weather in the spring and summer. The chance that the province will see enough spring “rainfall to alleviate drought conditions is unlikely but possible,” according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). …On Monday, the province announced BCWS will be launching predictive software to model fire risks using existing maps and weather models with observations from staff in the field. The technology was already piloted in the Coastal and Kamloops fire centres last year, and will roll out provincewide by the end of 2024.

Additional coverage by Ashley Joannou (Canadian Press) in the Victoria Times Colonist: Active spring wildfire season may be in store for B.C. as drought persists

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Province takes early action to prepare for wildfire, drought season

By Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
Government of British Columbia
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Province is taking several early steps to prepare for the wildfire and drought season, including working proactively with local governments and First Nations to help keep people and communities safe and informed. …Stemming from the ongoing work of the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, the Province has enhanced wildfire preparedness and support for evacuees across B.C. This work includes incorporating advanced wildfire predictive technologies, expanding the number of firefighting tools available to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews and streamlining training for Emergency Support Services (ESS) responders. …Current forecasts indicate that British Columbia may experience an active spring-wildfire season due to persistent drought conditions. …“Many communities experienced severe drought conditions last summer. The potential for drought conditions this year is very real and we are taking steps to help people prepare,” said Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

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Lantzville mulls FOG (future old-growth) zones

By Carla Wilson
Victoria Times Colonist
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Lantzville, British Columbia is preparing to establish havens for future old-growth forests, where West Coast trees can thrive for hundreds of years. The district plans to set up two areas within its Foothills parkland, donated by developer Lone Tree Properties, under a new “future old growth” (FOG) zone that would be permanently ­protected. Council members have voted unanimously in favour of the first two readings of the new bylaw, and a public hearing is set for April 10. …Planned new FOG zones are in environmentally ­sensitive habitat and were already ­earmarked by the district’s ­official community plan for preservation. The initial two FOG areas will total 10 to 12 acres, said Coun. Ian Savage, who believes the new zone is the first of its kind in the province. …Savage said he came up with the idea a few years ago while looking for solutions to combat the loss of old growth on B.C.’s coast. 

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Quantifying forest disturbance regimes within caribou range in BC

By James Maltman, Nicholas Coops, Gregory Rickbeil et al
Nature
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER — Habitat disturbance is a major driver of the decline of woodland caribou in Canada. Different disturbance agents and regimes negatively impact caribou populations to different degrees. …In this work we use recent advances in satellite-based disturbance detection to quantify polygonal forest disturbance regimes affecting caribou ecotypes and herds in British Columbia from 1985 to 2019. Additionally, we utilize this data to investigate harvesting rates since the implementation of the Species at Risk Act and publication of recovery strategies for caribou in BC. Southern Mountain caribou herds are the most threatened yet experienced the highest rates of disturbance, with 22.75% of forested habitat within their ranges disturbed during the study period. Over the study period, we found that in total, 16.4% of forested area was disturbed across all caribou herd ranges. Our findings indicate that caribou in BC face high, and in many cases increasing, levels of habitat disturbance. 

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Mississauga proudly earns 2023 Tree Cities of the World Designation

City of Mississauga
March 25, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The City of Mississauga has received the 2023 Tree Cities of the World designation, renewing recognition of one of only 200 cities worldwide to be recognized for its commitment to urban and community forestry. Since 2020, this is the fourth time the City has received this prestigious honour. The program, on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation, acknowledges cities that ensure their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed and celebrated. Mississauga is among 18 Canadian municipalities to receive the designation this year. 

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Ford government to give out $5,000 bonuses to wildland firefighters

By Liam Casey
National Observer
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — Ontario plans to give front-line wildland firefighters and pilots a $5,000 bonus and make 100 of those jobs permanent in an effort to recruit and retain more workers. But the union representing those fire rangers says it’s little more than a drop in the bucket and will not fix the “dire and ongoing crisis.” Natural Resources and Forestry Minister Graydon Smith says the province wants more people fighting wildland fires and is planning a recruitment blitz ahead of the start of the wildfire season that begins in April. The majority of the 660 forest firefighters in the province are part-timers and the union representing them has long said that part-time work, along with low pay, are major problems in retaining them. Smith says the government is working on longer-term plans to stabilize the workforce, which will include the purchase of new equipment, including water bombers.

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‘Be vigilant’: Northwestern Ontario municipalities prepare for upcoming wildfire season

By Kris Ketonen
CBC News
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

As a warm winter with little precipitation gives way to a dry spring, municipalities in northwestern Ontario are getting ready for a potentially intense wildfire season. Preparations for the season — which begins in less than two weeks — are underway in Red Lake, a municipality in the western reaches of the province that has faced several environmental challenges, including a full evacuation due to a wildfire in recent years. …The fire season officially begins on April 1. Mota said there’s “some general anxiety for a lot of our population, and of course for myself and council, in regards to having those preparations done.” “I’m hopeful that the MNRF will be hiring lots of crews. I know there’s been shortages of crews, and especially crew leaders, to take on new MNRF firefighters, so that’s also a concern for me as well.”

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Ontario needs to press reset on the forestry sector

By Jeremy Williams, Bud Knauff, Tom Clark and Don Huff
Northern Ontario Business
March 22, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The state of Ontario’s forest industry, particularly the pulp mills that anchor it, is a matter of concern that demands immediate attention from the provincial government. There has been inadequate public and private investment in the sector causing a significant loss of production capacity. The industry has seen a continuous decline over the past few decades. …Job losses have unfortunately been a consequence of this downward trend. The recent announcements that two of Northern Ontario’s remaining four pulp mills have been idled indicates that the sector is not well. …Neither the government nor the forest industry seem to have a response to this situation. Ontario deserves better. …In light of this, it is imperative for the Ontario government to establish an independent expert panel to delve into why there has been a lack of major investment in Ontario’s forest sector for the past two to three decades.

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Quinte Conservation Contributes 10,357 Hectares to Canada’s Protected Areas Target

By Ontario Nature
Cision Newswire
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

BELLEVILLE, ON – Quinte Conservation Authority (QCA) proudly announces its contribution of 10,357 hectares of conservation areas and reserves towards Canada’s international commitment to protect 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030. Commonly known as the 30×30 target, it was adopted by nations around the world as part of the Global Biodiversity Framework at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP 15). The target aims to protect biodiversity, mitigate impacts of climate change and ensure the sustainability of ecosystems. Based on an assessment completed in partnership by Ontario Nature and QCA, it was determined that 66 properties meet the rigorous pan-Canadian standards, warranting their designation as protected areas in the national database that is monitored and maintained by Environment and Climate Change Canada. …The celebration of International Day of Forests on March 21st acknowledges the critical role that forests play in sustaining life on Earth. 

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A Noah’s Ark to Preserve Canada’s Forests

Blue Dot Living
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The National Tree Seed Centre houses a collection that now represents 273 of Canada’s 720 tree and shrub species. Preserving this genetic diversity is an ongoing job. A Nova Scotia mountain now has 110,000 more trees than it did in 2023. …But these weren’t just any seedlings. Throughout the preceding year, a conservation team collected millions of seeds from these species. Beginning in the fall of 2022 and through 2023, the team has harvested seeds from twenty-one different species in the park and shipped them to the National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) in neighboring New Brunswick. There, tree seed specialists cleaned, dried, cataloged, and stored them indefinitely — depending on the species, seeds are viable for decades — so the park can access them anytime in the future for growing and planting. The NTSC then sent some of these seeds to a private forestry company that grew those 110,000 seedlings for planting in the park.

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Canada is logging Ontario’s forests too fast and the environment is suffering

By David Suzuki
Streets of Toronto
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Canada is regarded as a country of spectacular nature, with magnificent forests. The boreal forest alone makes up 55 per cent of Canada’s land mass. In Ontario, 66 per cent of the land is made up of forests. The government wants you to think our forest management practices are beyond reproach. They aren’t. New research confirms that industrial logging isn’t ecologically sustainable. Rather, it’s rapidly degrading forest habitats and threatening species. A study by Brendan Mackey, from Griffith University in Australia, looked at forestry in Ontario and Quebec and found, “The Canadian Government claims that its forests have been managed according to the principles of sustainable forest management for many years, yet this notion of sustainability is tied mainly to maximizing wood production and ensuring the regeneration of commercially desirable tree species following logging.” …It’s past time to put words into action and do better at protecting forests. 

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Fired New Brunswick forestry college instructor seeking thousands more in compensation

By Aidan Cox
CBC News
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Rod Cumberland

A forestry college instructor who was found to be entitled to more than $50,000 for the way his employer fired him is seeking another $230,000 in damages. Rod Cumberland is appealing a May 2023 decision by New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare, who ruled he was only entitled to payment equalling seven months’ notice for his firing from the Maritime College of Forest Technology. On Tuesday, Paul Champ, Cumberland’s Ottawa-based lawyer, argued before three New Brunswick Court of Appeal judges that his client should have also received compensation for aggravating and punitive damages. “With the greatest respect to the chief justice and trial judge, this is a very troubling precedent for employment law,” Champ said in his opening arguments. “A very troubling precedent.” …The lawyer for the college, Clarence Bennett argued Cumberland is not entitled to punitive damages, as there’s no evidence the college’s conduct caused him to suffer “mental distress.”

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Critical reservoir thinning project has a not-so-secret Santa

By Peter Aleshire
The Payson Roundup
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The effort to save the C.C. Cragin Reservoir watershed is finally ramping up, even as the larger 4-Forests Restoration Initiative faces a crisis. A series of projects this year and next will make headway on thinning the 64,000-acre reservoir on which both Payson and Valley cities rely for their water supply, the Natural Resources Working Group learned last week. The progress relies on extra funding from the Salt River Project, the Valley utility that manages the reservoir. The plan calls for logging, firewood, thinning projects and prescribed burns on more than 10,000 acres on the watershed of the reservoir this year, said Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management project coordinator Christine Mares. “We’re hiring like crazy right now” to start cutting when the forest dries out, said Mares.

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Dead and dying trees in the watershed present fire hazard, council told

By Morgan Rothborne
Ashland News
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Ashland, Oregon — Wildfire Division Chief Chris Chambers presented a case for a far reaching and expensive helicopter logging project in the Ashland watershed to the Ashland City Council during its study session Monday. Chambers sketched a series of grim predictions for the forest and big numbers for the scale of the project. “Forests are vanishing all across the west,” he said. Throughout drought stricken western states such as California, climate change is transforming forests into grassland. The rapid die-off of Douglas fir trees in the Ashland watershed in recent years has reached a level that requires action to preserve the forests, he said. The helicopter logging project would remove a carefully chosen number of dead or dying trees to give the remaining healthy trees a better chance at survival. Leaving high numbers of dead trees in the watershed increases the fuel load and wildfire risk for the city of Ashland.

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Biologists Urge Natural Grizzly Recovery in the Bitterroot

By Laura Lundquist
The Missoula Current
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

As the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers ways to reintroduce grizzly bears into the Bitterroot ecosystem, both biologists and politicians are encouraging plans to allow the bears to move in on their own. On Tuesday, more than two-dozen conservation organizations and scientists released the details of a citizen alternative that they sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during public scoping on options for restoring grizzly bears to the Bitterroot ecosystem. The public comment period closed on Monday. The citizen alternative encourages the agency to enable natural grizzly recovery through migration from other ecosystems rather than human-aided translocation. They point out that attempts to repopulate the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem with bears translocated from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem have mostly failed. …The Ravalli County Commissioners submitted a letter expressing concern about grizzly bear restoration. They support using migration compared to translocation, although they emphasized that they preferred no action.

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Investing in Idaho’s forestry workforce

By Shawn Keough and forest products businesses in Idaho
The Sandpoint Reader
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

It’s no secret that forestry is an important part of Idaho’s economy. A 2023 University of Idaho study found that the forest products business sector contributed $2.5 billion to Idaho’s gross state product in 2022. The vast majority of the $61 million in state endowment lands money that went to public schools in 2023 came from timber harvesting proceeds. …While vital to Idaho’s economy, the forest products sector faces uncertainty due to workforce challenges. …But there’s reason for optimism. Recent investments through Idaho’s new Career Ready Students program represent an infusion of both energy and capital in cultivating new pipelines of young talent into Idaho’s forest products sector. …Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield and the 11-member Career Ready Students Council have awarded grants totaling more than $43 million to Idaho schools. Grants will be used to teach students new skills that prepare them for successful careers here in Idaho. 

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Arizona officials warn of potentially ‘explosive’ wildfires this summer

By Martin Dreyfuss
The Tucson Sentinel
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Forestry officials said Arizona is on the verge of a volatile wildfire season, and they urged state residents to be prepared and to take steps now to head off the worst of it. Aaron Casem, the prevention officer at the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management spoke at a news conference Monday where state officials said a wet winter spurred excessive growth of vegetation that has the potential to become a “heavy fuel load” for fires as the state dries out this summer. That wet winter should delay the start of fire season in high country, where heavy snows fell, but at lower elevations there is the potential for “explosive” fire behavior this summer. …The warnings follow several years of relatively mild wildfire seasons in Arizona. The state recorded 1,837 wildfires in 2023 that burned about 188,000 acres – well below 2020 when 2,519 fires over 978,519 acres.

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Boise, Payette forest staff receive recognition

By Brad Carlson
The Capital Press
March 20, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The staffs of the Boise and Payette national forests have received a national award for their work to mitigate extreme wildfire risk and promote sustainability. “With a goal of reducing wildfire risk to our mountain communities, it is exciting to see the hard work of our employees and partners recognized on a national level by the chief of the Forest Service,” Payette National Forest Supervisor Linda Jackson said in a news release. The Honor Award, from Forest Service Chief Randy Moore, “is validation that the work we have accomplished together is important and meaningful to the people of Idaho and to the preservation of our public lands,” she said. “Our efforts to focus on increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration and fuels reductions is truly paying off,” Boise National Forest Supervisor Brant Petersen said. “This work will help reduce the likelihood of future catastrophic wildfires threatening our communities and natural resources.”

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CalFire announces $10 million available for forest conservation

Lassen County Times
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is announces up to $10 million in funding for Forest Legacy Grants to conserve and protect environmentally important privately-owned forestland. This funding supports California’s goals of conserving working forests to help protect natural landscapes threatened with conversion to other uses, promote sustainable and resilient forest practices, and encourage long. term stewardship in line with the goals of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force. Under this competitive grant program, CalFire purchases or accepts donations of conservation easements or fee titles of productive forest lands from willing sellers, to encourage long-term conservation throughout the state.

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Forest economy initiative helps launch new products, spurs $14 million private investment

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

GREENVILLE, S.C. — New products from a centuries-old industry are making their way to the marketplace. This is thanks to a five-year initiative designed to generate market demand for sustainably sourced wood from the Northern Forest of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. Included in the initiative were two projects in Vermont: Steam-based heating project in Burlington and for the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund’s “Wood-Based Textiles in the Northeast.” The Future Forest Economy Initiative (FFEI) funded 13 projects that generated substantial economic development opportunities within the region’s forest sector and in economically distressed rural communities across the area. …The FFEI-funded projects benefitted 219 businesses across the forest supply chain, improved the quality of 1,500 jobs, leveraged more than $14 million in private investment into the forest economy and funded projects that support market demand for more than 8 million tons of wood from the region. 

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St. John Valley tech center acquires new forestry equipment to train students

By Christopher Bouchard
The Bangor Daily News
March 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

FRENCHVILLE, Maine – A $946,140 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission has enabled the St. John Valley Technology Center to purchase a 2024 TimberPro TF830D Forwarder Combi-Unit for the school’s forestry program. The machine is worth over $800,000, according to school officials. The Frenchville-based center offers 11 different programs for high school and middle school students in the St. John Valley. … Prior to obtaining the machine, students were using machinery from as far back as 1990. The new machine is versatile and a staple of the logging industry, which should help students learn the technology necessary to find employment. …Students interested in forestry will have a chance to use this machine in the field. The SJVTC recently entered into a collaborative agreement with Irving Woodlands which will let them cut on about 100 acres of their land. This will give students an experience nearly identical to work in the field.

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Greek authorities overhaul wildfire response plans ahead of summer fire season

By Elena Becatoros and Lefteris Pitarakis
Associated Press
March 21, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

ATHENS, Greece — Greek authorities presented new plans Thursday for tackling wildfires which often ravage the country during its hot, dry summers, including changes in the deployment of firefighting aircraft and increased staffing in specialized forest firefighting units. The new plans come after massive fires last year killed more than 20 people and decimated vast tracts of forest and farmland, including a blaze in northeastern Greece which raged out of control for about two weeks, growing into the largest wildfire recorded in a European Union country since the European Forest Fire Information System began keeping records in 2000. The government has pointed to a changing climate and extreme weather that has included drier winters and more frequent summer heatwaves as contributing to an increased risk of forest fires.

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Increased risk of major bark beetle outbreaks in Norway

By Lars Sandved Dalen, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research
Phys.Org
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European spruce bark beetle has killed several hundred million spruce trees in Sweden and Central Europe in the last five years. A warmer climate will ultimately result in more damage also in Norwegian spruce forests. Fewer spruce trees and softer clearcut edges can prevent and mitigate future bark beetle outbreaks. …The last years, however, the spruce forests in southern Sweden and Central Europe have experienced catastrophic bark beetle outbreaks. Areas with much planted spruce are particularly hard hit by the ravages of the European spruce bark beetle. In just one year (2019), 118 million cubic meters of spruce were killed by the spruce bark beetle. …NIBIO researcher Jostein Gohli is studying fluctuations in spruce bark beetle populations. He says we now may be experiencing “the calm before the storm” in Norwegian forests. …Together with colleagues at NIBIO, Gohli recently published a scientific article identifying factors that increase the abundance of spruce bark beetles.

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Fighting fire with forests across the Mediterranean

United Nations Environment Programme
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Wael Mostafa is a programme manager—and a volunteer firefighter—for the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation in Lebanon. The non-profit group is devoted to protecting and restoring forest landscapes, including its famed cedar trees. The association’s work falls under the banner of the Restoring Mediterranean Forests initiative, an ambitious effort to revive woodlands that span from Morocco to Lebanon. The initiative has restored 2 million hectares of forest, creating economic opportunities and helping to counter devastating wildfires in the process. The United Nations recently named the effort a 2024 World Restoration Flagship, an award that recognizes outstanding efforts to rekindle nature. The honour, which makes the initiative eligible for funding and technical support from the UN, is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a global movement to prevent and reverse the degradation of the natural world. 

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Why businesses should stop planting trees and start protecting forests

By Alex Novarro
GreenBiz
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Tree planting pledges have become a near-universal sign of corporate environmental commitment, despite widespread project failures, negative unintended consequences and a lack of accountability. Over 100 companies from 148 countries have pledged to the World Economic Forum’s Trillion Tree campaign. And a recent study found that 98 percent of Fortune 500 companies in France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have been involved in tree planting projects over the past two decades. … [Tree planting is] a winning issue for businesses and politicians looking to gain favor with key stakeholders. But is it the right strategy to solve the biodiversity and climate crises? Evidence suggests no, and here’s why. Tree planting programs often lead to a loss of biodiversity. …Tree planting programs are often pitched as providing economic benefits to local communities, including smallholder farmers. But they fail when planted trees are not maintained. …Planting trees is not the same as protecting or restoring forests.

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Unbridled wildfires are threatening a collapse of the Amazon rainforest

By Quentin Septer
The National Observer
March 19, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Amazon Rainforest is on fire. Or much of it, at least. On February 28, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research announced that 2,940 fires had burned in the Brazilian Amazon over the course of that month—a record-breaking number for a February. Many of them are still blazing. Real-time satellite monitoring shows that so far in 2024, more than 10,000 wildfires have ripped across 11,000 square kilometers of the Amazon, across multiple countries. Never have this many fires burned so much of the forest this early in the year. Scientists worry this is pushing the region closer and closer to a tipping point, where widespread degradation and repeated burning of the forest will become unstoppable. …“Fire is a contagious process,” says Bernando Flores, a researcher at Brazil’s Federal University of Santa Catarina, who studies changes in the Amazon. “If nothing is done, the system may eventually collapse from megafires.”

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