Canada’s lumber producers say they expect the softwood lumber agreement with the United States will be allowed to expire in October. As the clock ticks away to the deadline, West Fraser Timber noted in its first-quarter earnings report that the likelihood of an extension or replacement agreement becomes increasingly remote. Industry analysts agree, with one…
Canada raised its softwood lumber exports by 5% last year to roughly 40.2m m³. The decisive factor for the increase was higher exports to the USA, Canada’s main market. These were 11% higher than the 2013 level at around 28.5m m³. The provisional figures from Statistics Canada of Ottawa show that in contrast the exports…
Nova Scotia Power recently reported that the biomass boiler used to generate electricity for the province consumed 393,423 green tonnes of biomass in 2014, its first full year of operation. Not all the biomass originated in Nova Scotia; almost one quarter was imported. Nova Scotia Power spokesperson David Rodenhiser told CBC News the company went outside…
Wood pellets have been at a premium over the last two years because of back-to-back severe winters. Local retailers had to place a limit on the number of bags anyone can purchase in order to be able to provide some pellet supplies to as many customers as possible. One of Atlantic Canada’s main producers of…
Ontario is investing in two projects to help Rentech Inc., a Northern Ontario fibre company, to convert two idle wood product mills into facilities that manufacture wood pellets, a sustainable energy source. The two facilities have created over 60 jobs in Northern Ontario, as the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines said in the press release…
The biomass boiler near Port Hawkesbury consumed 530,000 tonnes of woody biomass last year, with nearly a quarter of that imported from outside the province, CBC has learned. The total consumed by the plant in 2014 amounts to about 50 large pulp trucks a day. It includes low-grade hardwood, bark and wood chips. The numbers are…
Perhaps anyone who takes a minute to stare at the mountains, forests or rivers understands the natural amenities Montanans enjoy have a value with no discernable price tag. While the intangible values may remain in the memories of family hunting camps or river floats, recent studies continue to show that our natural backdrop makes for…
One of New Brunswick’s largest producers of wood pellets plans to double production for the domestic market this year to address what’s been described as a severe shortage. Jonathan Levesque says Groupe Savoie, of Saint-Quentin, in the northwestern part of the province, is committed to growing and expanding the market. The company doubled production for the…
A recent (2014) and very detailed report provides the current status of forest biomass policy in Canada. According to the authors, B.C.’s harvest in 2009 was about 48 million cubic metres and covered an area of 122,620 hectares. It was estimated that we had the largest volume of roadside harvest residuals (tops, branches and cull…
The (Wood Pellet Association of Canada“WPAC”) announced the resignation today of Mr. Brad Bennett as President and Director. WPAC’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointments of Michele Rebiere as President and Director, Rene Landry as Vice President and Director, and Wayne Young as Director. Mr. Bennett stepped down for personal reasons. The Board of…