The Canadian government fired back Wednesday at “inaccurate” claims from a group of influential American senators who are demanding the U.S. government support legal action against Canadian lumber exporters this October. B.C. Premier Christy Clark has already warned that “thousands” of West Coast jobs could be lost if the Canadian and U.S. governments don’t find a…
Like all Canadians, I watched the nightly news in disbelief as wildfires devastated the Fort McMurray region throughout the months of May and June. I read about how the blaze destroyed roughly 2,400 homes and buildings, and how 80,000 people were forced out of their residences for nearly a month. But I still wasn’t fully…
Logging blocks under discussion on the shoulder of Trophy Mountain and on the west side of the Clearwater River would yield about 200,000 cubic meters of wood – equivalent to between 20 and 25 per cent of Canfor’s Vavenby division’s annual allowable cut, according to Peter Baird, Canfor’s general manager for forest planning. Speaking at…
For years, it was known as the ugly duckling, cheaper alternative to plywood. One design maven described it as “like the turkey loaf of building materials.” But oriented strand board – OSB for short – has come into its own over the past 3 1/2 decades as a major player in North American wood-frame housing…
Thunder Bay city councillors have delayed a decision on whether to adopt a proposed action plan to combat the emerald ash borer in the city. Administration was looking for approval — as well as $550,000 in the 2017 municipal budget — to start treating eligible ash trees with an injected chemical that destroys the invasive…
The push to have a large swath of rare boreal forest designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has suffered a setback.The forest, called Pimachiowin Aki, spans 33,400 sq. km. on the Manitoba/Ontario border. The forest is also home to several First Nations territories, and the Pikangikum First Nation pulled their support, said the Pimachiwin…
A group of forest fire scientists are studying areas of forest in the Northwest Territories that have re-burned in the past 15 years to try and understand what the future boreal forest might look like. “We’re seeing more and more big fire years in the past decade or so,” said Daniel Thompson, a forest fire scientist…
City administrators in Thunder Bay, Ont. say they expect dealing with the arrival of the emerald ash borer in the city will cost millions over the next decade. A report slated to go to council Monday lays out several options for combating the invasive beetle, which destroys ash trees. The report, prepared by city forester…
A failed reforestation effort in the Kootenays has left B.C.’s logging watchdog concerned. Arrow Glenn Ltd, a private logging company with access to over 600 hectares of forested land in B.C., failed to reforest several clear-cuts near Creston — a direct violation of the regulatory Forest and Range Practices Act. According to a two-year random audit from the Forest Practices Board, Arrow Glenn had seven years…
The BC Forest Safety Council is working to reduce the number of logging truck accidents on BC roads. Director of Transportation Safety Dustin Meierhofer says the inherent risks associated with hauling any type of cargo makes the logging truck one of the most dangerous spots in the forest industry. “Overall within the industry, log hauling…