The latest statistics from WorkSafeBC show some lumber mills appear to be ignoring risks caused by dangerous buildups of potentially explosive wood dust. The agency has posted administrative penalties levied for various infractions, including several involving sawmills where unsafe levels of sawdust have been found. A $75,000 fine was imposed at the Conifex pellet mill…
Quebec announced on Tuesday a series of measures aimed at protecting woodland caribou, a species that has been designated as vulnerable in the province since 2005. Under the action plan, the government will maintain 90 per cent of intact forests, create protected areas in the Broadback Valley and in the Montagnes Blanches and preserve the habitat…
Merritt’s Tolko lumber mill isn’t expecting to have to make any more job cuts due to a lower allowable annual cut (AAC) now in effect for the Merritt Timber Supply Area. Last November, Tolko laid off 29 full-time employees and curtailed their small log production in response to expected reductions to the annual allowable cut….
Officials are crossing their fingers in the hopes of harvesting less than half of their allowable cut from the Cheakamus Community Forest this spring. In April of 2009, the Lil’wat and Squamish First Nations and the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) signed a joint 25-year tenure with the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range to…
Air Canada today announced it will participate in Canada’s Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI), a three-year collaborative project with 14 stakeholder organizations to introduce 400,000 litres of sustainable aviation biofuel (biojet) into a shared fuel system at a yet to be determined Canadian airport. Previous Air Canada biofuel flights used biojet that was segregated and…
Wood cost is the factor that often determines the competitiveness of a pulp manufacturing plant or region, because it is the largest cost component when producing wood pulp. During the past few years, this cost has varied between 45% and 70% of the total cash cost, depending on product grade and the costs of other…
Dramatically increased fines for a variety of wildfire-related violations went into effect Friday across B.C. The penalty for ignoring a fire restriction is now more than triple what it was a year ago, up to $1,100 from $345. Failing to properly put out a burning substance, such as a cigarette, has jumped to $575. The fines apply to a total of…
When you hold your annual convention in an MLA’s riding, it’s often easy to get that MLA out to speak. When the riding belongs to B.C.’s premier, sometimes that can be more difficult. But when the subject is forestry, one the largest industries in the province, the group gathering is the Council of Forest Industries…
Northeastern Ontario stands to benefit from a FedNor investment in the Canadian Wood Council’s Ontario Wood Works initiative. The $907,875 contribution was announced Friday morning by Nipissing-Timiskaming MP Anthony Rota at the Metric Aid office on McIntyre Street W. in North Bay. “This is for work right across the country,” Rota explained. “It’s going to…
Structurlam Products LP is literally reaching new heights in its latest construction projects. That includes the 55-metre, 18-floor Brock Common student residence at the University of B.C. which will be the tallest wood structure in the world. The company is providing the structural components made from its innovative, state-of-the art solid cross laminated timber (CLT)…