Recently opinions (May the forest be with you, Oct. 29) have generated public discussion about a number of forest practices and have questioned the science behind timber harvesting on Nova Scotia’s government owned Crown land and land owned by private individuals. I am responding so Nova Scotians will fully understand that the decision making in…
An original piece of theatre written by award winning Newfoundland playwright Megan Gail Coles about the logging industry is making its way to Grand Falls-Windsor. The show will be staged at the Gordon Pinsent Centre For the Arts Nov. 19. The play is contextualized with Newfoundland history, exploring themes of the exploitation of natural and…
The way long-time conservationist Vicky Husband sees it, American negotiators working on a new softwood lumber agreement with Canada are right to complain that the logging industry is subsidized in British Columbia. “They’re absolutely right,” Husband said in a phone interview. B.C. is responsible for about half of Canada’s production of softwood, which includes spruce,…
Norbord Inc. (TSX:OSB) and Louisiana-Pacific Corp. have agreed to exchange ownership of two wood panel mills in Quebec. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. Louisiana-Pacific’s mill in Chambord, Que., is bigger than Norbord’s oriented strand board mill in Val-d’Or, Que., but both have been idled for a number of years. Tennessee-based Louisiana-Pacific said the swap is part…
Wake up Nova Scotia. It matters little that well over 2,000 of you stepped forward in good faith a few years back, believing your input was valued in establishing a sustainable forestry plan for your province. Turns out the resulting 600 written submissions, submitted in large measure from your hard work, were mostly all for…
Approvals and policies for clearcutting in the east coast maritime province of Nova Scotia have been raising the ire of residents and environmental groups. A recent decision by the provinces Natural Resources Minister, Lloyd Hines, will allow clearcutting of almost 100 hectares of forest bordering Kejimkujik National Park. The decision on six hectares directly touching…
In the fight to save one of Northern Quebec’s last untouched boreal forests from logging, the Cree’s latest ally could be a group of fashion labels. Mandy Gull, deputy chief of the 2,000-member Cree community of Waswanipi, spoke to a gathering of 81 clothing companies in New York City on Oct. 26 in an effort to…
The Biomass North Development Centre acknowledged 10 key contributors to advancing the use of biomass across the province during its annual general meeting and inaugural conference in North Bay this week. From Oct. 24-26, stakeholders gathered for three days of workshops, lectures and plenary sessions to network and share best practices with the goal of…
On October 31, at the Forum Innovation Bois, the Quebec government will announce recommendations, probably accompanied by new programs, for encouraging innovation and investment in the forestry sector. Yet it is the government itself that is in large part responsible for the lack of investment in this industry and should review its practices before announcing…
The massive wildfire that destroyed much of Fort McMurray last May is under control and contained, but will likely burn underground throughout the winter. According to Lynn Daina of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, the flames have long been extinguished, but embers are still burning across an area estimated to be 589,552 hectares in size, including…