Traction-assist equipment has been gaining traction in B.C.’s forestry industry in recent years. In recognition of the health and safety considerations that arise from new technology, WorkSafeBC has created an equipment inspection checklist to help employers ensure safety requirements are being met. The checklist is available on worksafebc.com, and is divided into eight sections according…
OTTAWA – Canada’s lumber industry has been able to survive the impacts of preliminary duties, largely thanks to soaring lumber prices. While industry production will remain virtually flat this year, industry revenues are on pace to grow by 8 per cent, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s Canadian Industrial Outlook: Wood Products Manufacturing –…
Like a wisp of smoke, a waft of alcohol, or a tiny pill, it’s difficult to measure the exact size of the problem of substance abuse in the workplace, but a group of sawmill industry workers and managers has placed the issue firmly at the top of their safety agenda. Last June 2017, a volunteer…
These are the last few days for consultation on the Forest Stewardship Council’s ecosystem services procedure and guidance. The two drafts are open for consultation until December 23, 2017. The Ecosystem Services Procedure aims to provide FSC certificate holders with a process to measure the positive impact that their management has on ecosystem services, such…
An article in The Globe and Mail says recent innovations have sent a throng of firms back to the forest to take advantage of the efficient, sustainable, fashionable and functional architectural ancestor: wood. Citing Brock commons, a Quebec condo and a tall wood building planned for Toronto, the author says “These projects are signs of…
In Wood Markets’ new five-year softwood lumber forecast, the continuation of U.S. duties on Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. is expected to cause more short-term market and price volatility. The preliminary duties launched earlier in 2017 rocked the U.S. market and more of the same is expected in 2018. The Wood Markets outlook report…
VANCOUVER – Globally, inventory mapping for foresters has benefited considerably from developments in drone and lidar technologies. Several international experts and foresters are coming together from countries with strong technical networks to a new forestry technology conference in early March 2018. The ForestTECHX 2018 conference will provide managers and technical staff from key forestry companies…
A commentary by Kate Lindsay of the Forest Products Association of Canada appeared in The Chronicle-Journal recently, responding to a previous article in the same newspaper on Nov. 27, “Boreal Caribou: Scientists refute forestry claims.” Lindsay noted that the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) and its members have been involved in caribou research and…
The Pacheedaht First Nation and TimberWest Forest Corp. signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize a long-term collaborative commitment in support of First Nation culture, environmental stewardship and restoration projects, and forestry education, mentorship and business opportunities. “TimberWest believes strongly in collaborative approaches with our neighbours,” says Jeff Zweig, president and CEO of TimberWest. “The…
CBC News reports that the New Brunswick Forest Products Commission agreed with J.D. Irving and other companies that the SNB marketing board overstepped its authority when it issued an order saying all wood had to be sold to the board and bought from the board. According to CBC, JDI and the SNB board have been…