Open-air fires either in or close to forests have been banned in certain areas across southern Quebec because of current weather conditions. The ban was put in place on Wednesday by Quebec’s ministry of forests, fauna and parks. Areas from Quebec City to the Outaouais region and everything south of that fall under the ban, including Montreal, Laval and parts of…
Interfor Corp. (TSX:IFP) is buying a sawmill in Monticello, Ark., for just under US$29.3 million plus the cost of log and lumber inventories and certain pre-closing capital expenditures. The mill, about 145 kilometres southeast of Little Rock, produced about 75 million board feet of lumber in the past year, Interfor said in a statement announcing…
While the prospect of Island Timberlands dropping trees in the PRSC Limited Partnership lands is generating controversy, a huge structure on those lands that milled trees for decades might be allowed to stand, at least in part. For more than 40 years, Kelley Spruce processed mighty conifers, some so enormous that the logs had to…
A record Canadian trade deficit in March caused by plunging oil prices has masked an encouraging trend – strength in non-energy exports that the central bank is counting on to revive economic growth. The report on Tuesday showing gains for sectors like auto parts and forestry, combined with encouraging outlooks from some company executives, suggest…
Wood is a popular material in interior design, but its water absorbency limits its use in bathrooms, where natural wood easily becomes discolored or moldy. Fraunhofer scientists and partners have developed a wood-polymer composite material for furniture that is resistant to humidity and has low flammability. Resource-saving wood-polymer composites (WPCs) are the latest trend in materials for…
During the past decade, production of biofuels has gained momentum largely due to policies and mandates aimed at addressing energy security and climate change. A number of concerns, however, remain the subject of an on-going debate. These include: (1) the effectiveness of first generation biofuels (such as corn ethanol) in addressing climate change, (2) the…
As the Department of Commerce continues its investigation of Canadian subsidies within the supercalendered paper market, a trio of legislators from the state of Maine — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, independent Sen. Angus King, and Republican Rep. Bruce Poliiqun — sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker outlining concerns that the investigation terms are…
Tembec relates some of the challenges of bringing the company’s new turbine online in its quarterly report for the period ending in March 2015. Total construction cost for the cogen project at the company’s Temiscaming pulp and paper complex in Quebec had reached $272 million by the end of March 2015, versus the expected construction…
The Northwest Territories is bracing for another hot wildfire season as a new report details last year’s record-breaking burns. “It’s grim,” Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger said. “This year could be as bad or worse than last year. “It’s hopefully not a precursor for the new normal.” According to the fire season report released Tuesday, about…
The municipality of Oliver Paipoonge could on the hook for a bill totalling more than $10,000 to fight Monday’s brush blaze in Stanley. Oliver Paipoonge Fire and Emergency Services chief Mike Horan last year submitted an article to the Oliver Paipoonge News outlining the costs of the Ministry of Natural Resources fire rangers to battle…