When a wildfire that had flickered for days in the forests of northern Alberta suddenly changed course and started careening towards Fort McMurray this May, the city’s entire population was told to flee. The order came just as Spike Baker was brewing a pale ale. But there was little time to spare: the flames could…
If Nova Scotia implements the right cap-and-trade system, it could mean millions for woodlot owners and rural communities. Dale Prest of non-profit Community Forests International predicts a major shift for the province’s forestry industry. “From one that rewards a low cost of production that results in clear cutting, to one that rewards maintaining and growing…
More than 100 kilometres from the mouth of the Romaine River, far from the public eye, an estimated 1,500 tractor-trailer loads of logs, cut and stacked, have sat decaying for the past three years — ever since the shutdown of a sawmill co-owned by the Natashquan Innu and forestry giant Rémabec. Local residents have asked Hydro-Québec to allow them to use the wood for heating,…
For Skeena Sawmills in Terrace, the next efficiency tool is a CT scanner, similar to those found in hospitals. With old hemlock and balsam trees dominant in the area, the mill has struggled to remain competitive with the ups and downs of lumber export markets and currencies. By scanning logs to identify flaws and decay…
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), in partnership with the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), presented the Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth to Gregory Daniels and Christian Francis today in Ottawa. The Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth is open to First Nations, Métis or Inuit individuals aged 18 to 30 who are enrolled…
Times are tough for the forest industry in northern and central B.C., and every efficiency loggers and mill operators can find makes a difference. With timber stands heavily damaged by the mountain pine beetle across the region, companies have to haul longer distances than ever, and new technology offers ways to increase productivity and reduce…
Brazilian forestry company Fibria has entered a strategic partnership with CelluForce, a Canadian manufacturer of cellulose nanocrystal. Fibria has invested $5.3 million to become a strategic shareholder in the company, joining Domtar, FPInnovations and Schlumberger as shareholders. The partnership provides Fibria with the exclusive right to sell and manufacture CelluForce NCC in the South American…
Canada and Mexico say they are ready and willing to reopen NAFTA – if that’s what Donald Trump wants. Are they happy about it? Most definitely not. The North American free-trade agreement has been the glue that has bound the economies of the three countries since 1994. And before that, there was the 1989 Canada-U.S….
With the election in the United States now over and the incoming administration of Donald Trump beginning to take shape, industries across Canada are trying to figure out what the president-elect’s promise to overhaul the United States’ trade deals and relationships for his country’s benefit will mean for them. This is true for the lumber…
Just months after a developer made headlines for taking down 40 mature trees on a North York building site, CBC Toronto has learned of a second illegal “clearcut” – this time in an affluent Etobicoke neighbourhood. Coun. John Campbell (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre) and city forestry officials say that in September, a homeowner on North Drive cut…