Forestry ministers and industry leaders from across Canada will be discussing innovation and sustainability during meetings this week in Kenora and Thunder Bay. Federal Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford will host provincial and territorial forest ministers, industry leaders, academic and research institutions and Aboriginal community leaders at a National Forest Innovation Summit on Wednesday…
A mass of unusually warm water in the northeast Pacific, christened the “warm blob” by researchers, is being partially blamed for British Columbia’s forest fires, California’s drought and an unusually active hurricane season. As it wreaks havoc, the blob provides a preview of what climate change holds in store for the West Coast, according to…
Holly Chandler booked a holiday in Whistler and she got Beijing instead. That’s how the Toronto realtor compared the air quality Tuesday as Whistler village choked on smoke drifting in from the Elaho and Boulder Creek forest fires. “It’s like Beijing,” she said in an interview. “I was there about 10 years ago. Just like…
Saskatoon firefighter Lieutenant Bruce Siemens is seeing and feeling the forest fires at close range in La Ronge. “It’s amazing how you can drive by an area that’s completely green,” he said, “and you’re forced out five minutes later.” He’s part of a 15 person crew from Saskatoon dispatched to La Ronge to help tackle a forest fire…
As noted in previous articles on 250 News, the Harper Conservative government promised $1 billion in funding for the BC Interior to address the devastation of the pine beetle epidemic but, according to its own budget figures, only delivered $200 million before the funding was suspended in 2009 (and folded into a country-wide “Community Adjustment…
One of Canada’s most protected industries — British Columbia timber — has been targeted by Japan in the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, The Canadian Press has learned. Japan is pushing Canada to eliminate or modify the controls it imposes on B.C. log exports — a practice that is heavily restricted by the federal and…
Preparing for Question Period by crafting questions and practicing the barbs and retorts is part of the process. The theatre is usually more important than the substance. But for all its profile and focus, the real work of parliamentarians mostly happens away from the cameras in other smaller forums such as House of Commons Committees….
A faint glow emitted from plants during photosynthesis could be key to measuring the health of large areas of forests and croplands in real time. The glow can be detected by spectrometers aboard orbiting satellites. Currently, the standard technique for measuring photosynthesis, called eddy covariance, relies on ground-based, tower-mounted detectors that monitor only smaller tracts…
Woodlot owner organizations are “about making change happen,” according to Canadian Federation of Woodland Owners (CFWO) President Peter deMarsh. He told the recent Federation of Nova Scotia Woodlands Owners’ annual meeting that the CFWO is working on developing a carbon credit program—for which there is no government support—to reward small woodland owners for reducing greenhouse…
Provincial fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek wasn’t encouraging when he said, a couple of days ago: “There’s no relief in sight in the weather forecast. We’re expecting temperatures in the mid-30s, and absolutely no rain in the near future. That’s definitely cause for concern.” But B.C.’s forest fire crisis, which led on July 3 to a province-wide ban…