Timber harvests have increased 14% over the past five years, driven by increased sales to Asia, according to a report from the Wood Resource Quarterly and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. More than 90% of log exports from Western Canada went to Asia over the period, with the total volume shipped…
Japan did not succeed in getting B.C. log export restrictions relaxed during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, but the issue could resurface if and when Canada and the United States sit down to renegotiate the Softwood Lumber Agreement. “It has played a role in the past and it could come up again,” said Harry Nelson,…
A question from the consumer advocate at a Utility and Review Board public hearing on fuel costs Monday revealed another benefit or possible subsidy to Port Hawkesbury Paper, as well as the added cost to Nova Scotians. The question forced Nova Scotia Power to disclose that ratepayers are charged $7 million each year for a…
he two most important new trends to emerge from the Vancouver Regional Construction Association’s (VRCA) 27th Annual Awards of Excellence that are more wood is being used by major contractors and their commitment to sustainable construction. “One of the trends that the judging committee picked up on was the increasing use of wood,” said VRCA…
Architectural science and civil engineering students from Ryerson University were recently put to the test in this year’s TimberFever Design-Build Challenge. Presented by Moses Structural Engineers, the challenge involved designing and building an emergency relief medical aid shelter prototype out of wood. Students were placed into eight teams that were all named after types of wood….
Resolute Forest has added its voice to Nova Scotia’s complaints against a U.S. duty imposed on a certain type of Canadian-made glossy paper products. The Montreal-based company says it believes the U.S. Commerce Department failed to consider all the relevant factors and incorrectly applied the rules when it calculated the duty on Resolute. The duties…
B.C.-based Catalyst Paper has been hit with punishing duties on its U.S. exports of a specialty paper because American companies say Canadian producers are subsidized and dumping the product at below-market prices south of the border. However, Catalyst argues the tariff has been unfairly slapped on its exports without having been given due process in…
British Columbia’s Chief Forester Diane Nicholls announced Thursday that Canfor Corp.’s annual allowable cut (AAC) for a cut block near Chetwynd will increased by 72 per cent from 900,000 cubic metres to 1.5 million. The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said the increase is necessary to salvage dead trees affected by mountain…
Results of a new survey show the grizzly bear population in western Alberta is making a strong recovery. The number of bears in the Foothills east of Banff and Jasper National parks has doubled over the past decade, the study by fRI Research found. Between 2004 and 2014, the grizzly bear population in Bear Management Area…
Manitoba is moving forward with a 10-year boreal woodland caribou recovery strategy to create an environment where herds can thrive, the provincial government announced on Thursday. The strategy’s key goals are to maintain self-sustaining local populations and create the opportunity for effective management and protection of their habitat, Conservation Minister Tom Nevakshonoff said in a…