Canadian wildfire prevention teams are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to manage wildfires with limited budgets. One speaker during the panel sessions at the International Bioenergy Conference and Exhibition in Prince George, B.C. put forth an interesting strategy that also has the potential to provide an economic stimulus for the region while servicing…
Community leaders are not as optimistic as they once were about the coastal forest industry, and most feel the industry is in worse shape now than it was just over a decade ago. Not surprisingly, mayors are concerned about job loss and the economic impact on coastal towns and cities. These are just a few…
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson is questioning the commitment that Canfor has to rehabilitate the land it gave to West Fraser in a license transfer a few years ago. Simpson was told at this week`s Joint Planning Committee meeting that while West Fraser got the timber, Canfor maintained the accrued obligation. He fears that Quesnel is…
Climate change is expected to have a dramatic impact on ecosystems across the world, creating winners and losers: Some species are likely to survive in a warming climate, and some simply won’t. A new study in Science examined more than 26,000 trees across an area the size of Spain (583,000 square kilometers) and found that…
Re: Ontario’s bold but somewhat vague climate-change plan, June 10 Ontario’s bold but somewhat vague climate-change plan, June 10 Thomas Walkom wrote that trees are an antidote to climate change “only if the trees aren’t cut down for lumber or pulp.” But study after study has shown that harvesting a mature tree after it has…
A Toronto arborist is urging members of the public to call the city if they see a tree in a poor health that could pose to a risk to any park visitors, after a man in his 30s was killed by a falling branch Friday in Trinity Bellwoods Park. Amy Turner said Monday that members of the public…
Our climate is changing; that is an irrefutable fact. And we need to deal with the implications of that fact. Our communities are surrounded by forests. We have always lived with the danger of wildfires, but as the effects of climate change become more pronounced, and these fires become more intense and more frequent, risks…
Vernon residents can learn how to protect themselves from wildfire. From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Vernon homeowners can join local and provincial fire officials at Deer Lake Park (9192 Tronson Rd.) to learn about the FireSmart program. “Residents play a key role in wildfire protection because when it comes to wildfires,…
The U.S. and Canada have “significant differences” amid talks toward a new softwood-lumber trade pact, according to the countries’ top trade officials. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Canadian International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland released a joint statement Friday stressing that negotiations continue on what they described as an important part of both economies. The…
Canadian jobs and sawmills across the country are increasingly at risk because of fading prospects they will avoid a new round of U.S. duties on imported softwood lumber, according to an industry analyst. RBC Capital Markets analyst Paul Quinn says he expects the United States will impose duties of at least 25 per 1cent in…