The College of New Caledonia in Prince George, B.C., and the regional forest industry in central British Columbia have partnered to establish a long-term industrial research chair in forest health. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has announced a $1 million grant for CNC, to fund the position for five years. The $1 million will be…

Faced with increasing losses of millions of trees being killed by the dramatic spread of the mountain pine beetle, Jasper National Park has come up with a new plan to halt the beetle’s infestation. A new management plan was released July 22 after a tripling of the beetle population in the park over the past two years….

Gardeners tend to look at earthworms as good helpers that break down fallen leaves and other organic matter into nutrients plants can use.But not all earthworms do the same work in the soil. New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that Asian jumping worms, an invasive species first found in Wisconsin in 2013, may…

Two industry leaders in the auction business have joined forces with the announcement that Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers will acquire its former rival IronPlanet for approximately US$758.5 million. Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. is the world’s largest industrial auctioneer and a leading equipment distributor, notes a media announcement issued Aug. 29. Ritchie Bros. is one of…

After years of environmental destruction, China has spent billions of dollars on the world’s largest reforestation program, converting a combined area nearly the size of New York and Pennsylvania back to forest. The government-backed effort, known as the Grain-for-Green Program, has transformed 28 million hectares (69.2 million acres) of cropland and barren scrubland back to…

Tree lover Ira Sutherland thinks Metro Vancouver should do a lot more to showcase the giant trees in a large North Shore recreational area called the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve. Sutherland, who has a masters in forest ecology, said he will suggest putting up viewing platforms when the region hosts an open house at Capilano…

Controlled fires could be ignited in Banff National Park later this week in hopes of preserving the long-term health of the forests, experts say. Six fires are planned inside the park this year, some as big as 6,800 hectares and some as small as 25. Erin Tassell, the acting fire and vegetation specialist at Banff…

A spruce budworm outbreak in Quebec could kill off trees spanning an area the size of New Brunswick in the next few years and fuel more forest fires, according to Natural Resources Canada. Yan Boulanger, a research scientist with the Laurentian Forestry Centre, said the impact of the budworm is most severe on Quebec’s North Shore, followed by…

A group of northern Alberta municipalities wants more discussion of a provincial plan to protect an extra 1.8 million hectares of wilderness in hopes of saving the woodland caribou. Caribou Communities of Alberta says a report by mediator Eric Denhoff that the government accepted in June could cost jobs and hurt the petroleum and forestry…

Tree planting is a job so demanding that when the BBC sent three young Brits to B.C. to give it a try, two didn’t even make it through the first week. “It really is the hardest job in the world,” said Dirk Brinkman, whose company, the Brinkman Group, hosted the three woefully unprepared twentysomethings at…