The Emerald Ash Borer is headed to the Muskoka Forest accroding to the Muskoka Conservancy. They’re already in Barrie and it’s only a matter of time until they get here. On Monday, July 20 at 9 a.m. in front of the Visitor Information Centre (Bird’s Mill) in Bracebridge, the Muskoka Conservancy, along with BioForest Technologies,…
The premiers of British Columbia and Saskatchewan would like to see a national approach to fighting forest fires, fearing this year’s wildfires are the new normal. Saskatchewan’s Brad Wall said Thursday he is grateful for the help his province has received from across the country and called for a partnership between the provinces and the…
A cut to Canada’s key lending rate isn’t expected to affect housing sales much but it could improve the bottom line for Island forest companies. The Bank of Canada cut its target for the overnight rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.5 per cent, sending the Canadian dollar tumbling to its lowest…
The British Columbia government is seeking public comments on proposed amendments to land use objectives for the Great Bear Rainforest. The draft order offers a unique solution for this globally significant area. It was developed by the Province, the Coastal First Nations and the Nanwakolas Council using technical recommendations from the Joint Solutions Project, a coalition of major…
Sometimes, when Nelson is unrolling yet another smoky, soot-soiled fire hose, he finds a burnt, blackened stick trapped inside. “That’s what gets me,” he says. The charred twigs are a reminder of the reality of B.C.’s forest fires, of the wildlife fleeing the flames, of the exhaustion of the firefighters, of the homeowners left wondering…
Canada’s wood products industry is benefiting from the ongoing recovery in the U.S. housing and a weaker Canadian dollar, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s latest outlook for Canada’s wood products industry. “The continued recovery in the U.S. housing market is supporting increased demand for Canadian wood products, leading to a 8.7 per cent increase…
This is not the forestry recovery that was hoped for. B.C.’s lumber production has long been considered a sector that would contribute positively and significantly to provincial economic growth in the post-recession period with U.S. economic growth and increased home building the key triggers for higher lumber export demand. Despite U.S. housing starts rebounding to…
The newly signed forestry agreement between the province of Quebec and the Grand Council of the Crees is a remarkable accomplishment. Six months of challenging negotiations, mediated by former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard, have yielded a set of compromises that will put limits on logging in a 7,245-square-kilometre tract of land, completely protect an additional 9,134 square kilometres…
The forest industry, much like the forests we rely on, is in a perpetual state of transition. Markets swing, customer demands shift, new research and experience informs, practices and technology evolve, climate patterns change, and people, politics and the law transform. This myriad of factors means the industry is in a perpetual state of adaptation. …
Cool, wet weather this weekend helped dampened some forest fires, but didn’t prevent new ones from starting. The province’s fire count now stands at 221, up from 180 fires that were active last week. Fire crews have made little headway subduing two large fires near Pemberton. The Boulder Creek and Elaho fires are 0% contained,…