It’s been a brutal forest fire season in California. But there’s actually a greater threat to California’s trees — the state’s record-setting drought. The lack of water has killed at least 60 million trees in the past four years. Scientists are struggling to understand which trees are most vulnerable to drought and how to keep…
Domtar beat expectations as it recorded higher profits in the third quarter despite weaker overall revenues. The Montreal-based maker of pulp, paper and personal care products said it earned US$59 million, or 94 cents US per diluted share, for the three months ended Sept. 30. That compared to US$11 million, or 17 cents US per share, a…
The Canadian government is warning U.S. politicians about the consequences of a possible new softwood-lumber dispute. A letter from International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and David MacNaughton, the Canadian ambassador to Washington, went out today to two dozen senators — with a copy to President Barack Obama. The letter says American lawmakers are being misled…
A Kirkland Lake entrepreneur is discovering new green uses for what was once thought to be an industrial waste by-product. Brian Coghlan has the only licensed wood ash landfill in Ontario where he has stored more than 300,000 cubic metres of the material from the nearby Kirkland Lake Power co-generation plant. The former Kirkland Lake…
The building boom for new houses in the U.S., a jump in plywood prices and steady shipments of pulp and fibreboard to China spell good news for West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., one of Canada’s largest forest product companies. West Fraser earned $1.45 per share in the third quarter, compared with 42 cents a share…
The Truck Loggers Association of BC says there is still time for an agreement to be reached in the softwood lumber dispute. The United States became free to roll out trade action earlier this month, but Association President David Elstone says they haven’t started the process quite yet. He says any protective tariffs are usually…
Catalyst Paper, which owns the Crofton pulp mill, is now considering its options if the deal to sell the company to the Indian-based Kejriwal Group International falls through. The four principal stakeholders in Catalyst, who own 79 per cent of the B.C.-based company, announced on Oct. 26 that they are considering an alternative recapitalization proposal…
Ontario’s moose population is under threat with “rapid declines” in numbers over the past decade, warns the environmental commissioner in a new report that urges the government to take better care of the province’s wildlife and forests. “It matters that moose are in decline . . . moose are key forest species in most of…
Imagine what it would be like to buy or sell a house without the frame of reference provided by a real estate market. The value of your property would be unknown and you wouldn’t be able to price-check comparable houses, because that information wouldn’t be available. If someone knocked on your door and made you…
The Netherlands currently shares with Ireland the title of Europe’s least wooded country—trees currently cover just 11 percent of its surface area. But following an announcement Monday, Mainland Europe’s most densely populated country should start getting a lot leafier. Holland’s State Forestry Commission, the Staatsbosbeheer, just unveiled a plan to boost the country’s forested area…