Kara McCurdy has 23 years of firefighting under her belt. And her lengthy experience is perhaps why she’s still smiling after some scary experiences during two weeks in Alberta’s wildfire region. The Department of Natural Resources fire prevention officer led a crew of 20 firefighters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Their task: putting out hot spots around the only…
Tom Harbour of the U.S. Forest Service readily admits he doesn’t know all that much about climate change. But the folksy and plain-spoken Harbour knows plenty about fighting wildfires. And since he first joined the service in 1970, Harbour, the agency’s national director for fire and aviation management, has witnessed “longer seasons” and “bigger fires.”…
A shortage of skilled tradespeople could put a damper on the upswing in the forest sector, according to Unifor. The union says steady jobs, with pay up to $42 per hour at some northwestern Ontario mills, are hard to fill because there are few qualified candidates. Mills in the region are now competing for employees, a situation…
An offhand remark about the shortage of wood pellets has translated into a new enterprise for the Haley Street Adult Services Centre. “With all the press around the shortage of wood pellets, somebody said well why don’t we make wood pellets,” explained society executive director Debra MacLean. “Our wood production officer Randall Finnigan came into…
There was nary a frown – or parking space – in sight at the Algonquin Logging Museum on Saturday. The 20th annual Algonquin Loggers’ Day hosted by the Friends of Algonquin Park, Parks Ontario and Algonquin Forestry Authority packed the museum on July 25. More than 1,000 visitors made their way through the museum as…
Premier Brad Wall has put a price tag on fighting this season’s wildfires: $100 million — so far. Speaking after Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to the Saskatchewan legislative building on Friday, Wall said the province will apply to the federal government for monetary assistance to offset that cost. Wall also took Harper’s visit as…
In what could be one of the worst wildfire seasons in history, scientists at the Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria are trying to find a way to forecast forest fires. Researchers are developing a model that they hope will predict where forest fires will occur up to two weeks before they happen. “We know the conditions…
Two are in Sudbury, two in Chapleau, and one is in Timmins As of the early afternoon Saturday, five new fires have been confirmed in the Northeast region in the last 24 hours, says a news release from the Ministry of Natural Resources. “Two of these are in Chapleau, two are in Sudbury and the…
Howe Sound Pulp and Paper is cutting about 180 employees – more than a third of its workforce – and permanently shutting down its paper production operations, parent company Paper Excellence announced Thursday. The closure is effective immediately. The cuts affect about 140 unionized workers and 40 salaried staff at the Port Mellon mill, the…
Vancouver Island University is expected to use $1 million from the federal government to enhance hands-on training for trades students. The university will use the Western Diversification Program money to purchase equipment for a mobile forestry skills training program. It is expected to benefit students associated with the forest industry, including hand fallers, logging truck…