The B.C. Liberals are increasingly concerned that the rising threat of lumber tariffs in the United States could generate a punishing fallout for the dozens of B.C. communities and thousands of workers dependent on the forest industry. “I’m worried,” Finance Minister Mike de Jong conceded during a media scrum this week, reacting to news that…
Island Timberlands has begun logging on a parcel of private managed forest land it owns in the upper Lockyer Road area of Roberts Creek, and the group Elphinstone Logging Focus (ELF) is asking the company to protect a section of its cutblock. In a release this week, ELF said it was “in discussions with [Island…
Re: “We must protect waterways,” Stephen Legault, Opinion, Jan. 7. There has been a lot of talk about our headwaters recently – and that’s a good thing. The very lifeblood of our communities deserves the best stewardship we can give it. Alberta’s forestry producers commend MLA Cameron Westhead for his efforts to pass a motion…
The federal government is appealing a decision by a special claims tribunal to award $13.8 million in compensation to a Vancouver Island First Nation over a historic logging dispute. The Huu-ay-aht First Nation, based in Anacla near Bamfield, received notice of appeal on Thursday. The specific-claims tribunal, which hears claims by First Nations against the…
To a casual hiker, one bit of North American forest may seem like any other. But look more closely and a mysterious patchwork of diversity emerges. Some stands of forest are clearly dominated by a single kind of tree. Others are a diverse mix of species. Now, a multiyear effort to understand these differences has…
Wetlands and waterfowl in Canada’s boreal forest will be the beneficiaries of a new program launched by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and forestry sector leaders. The partnership is a visionary approach to sharing knowledge and resources to advance sustainable forest management and wetland stewardship in the boreal forest, an area that offers one of the…
U.S. lumber manufactures want restrictions on Canadian lumber so they can make more profits. American home owners and industries involved in building houses want fair lumber prices which include Canadian lumber. An article in the Globe and Mail this fall is already out of date because of some recent events but does a good job…
Canadian beavers are wreaking havoc in an unexpected location: a swath of forest in South America. Some 200,000 dam-building creatures are creating harmful floods that threaten Patagonian forests and nearby lakes that cover parts of Chile and Argentina. In 1946, 25 pairs of beavers were brought to the Chilean and Argentinian archipelago of Tierra del…
William Angus and Thomas Logan chose Windsor, Que., as the site of Canada’s first wood-based pulp mill in 1864. Today, with more than 150 years of continuous operation, the site now known as Domtar’s Windsor mill is the city’s largest employer. Advances in technology and sustainable forestry over the past 152 years have dramatically changed…
As president-elect Donald Trump begins to shape his trade agenda, there are concerns about the effect on the Canadian economy, in particular because of our reliance on trade with the United States. However, there may be opportunities, too, and Canada must take full advantage where it can. This is particularly true when it comes to…