Even though there’s still snow on the ground in some parts of the province, forest fire crews in Ontario are gearing up for another summer. This year’s fire season started April 1 — and officials are watching the weather closely. While the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is predicting a fairly slow start to…
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have taken off in popularity recently, with hobbyists and professionals alike using these small remotely-guided devices for everything from delivering packages to surveying wildlife populations, but one startup has a very ambitious plan for their drones, and one that could have a huge positive impact on global deforestation. “We…
B.C.’s forestry sector may not be as sexy as a potential liquefied natural gas industry in the north or all the high-tech companies that have been moving to Vancouver, but it is time the provincial government started showing it some renewed love. A report by the Business Council of B.C. touts the sector as highly…
It appears balancing budgets often means research programs are the first to disappear. My observation is specific to the research program in what used to be the Cariboo Forest Region. The research program has been reduced considerably and it doesn’t appear that any new staff have been hired to replace those who have left. A…
New wildfire management legislation has arrived in time for the province’s wildfire season, which typically runs from April 1 to Oct. 31. The Wildfire Act replaces The Prairie and Forest Fires Act, 1982, one of the oldest pieces of wildfire legislation in Canada. The new act, with the accompanying wildfire regulations, provides a modern regulatory…
For the first time in decades, pockets of the spruce budworm have been found in the Maritimes, prompting scientists to spring into action. Estimates suggest almost 80 per cent of balsam fir and white spruce trees were destroyed by the insect in Cape Breton in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as more than half…
Discovery Air Fire Services Inc. (“DAFS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air Inc., announced today that it has signed a new agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (“OMNRF”) to provide Birddog Aircraft Services and Detection Aircraft Services (including Detection Observers) in support of the OMNRF’s forest fire management requirements. This…
The Ministry of Natural Resources is ready for the 2015 fire season, which officially began April 1st Fire information officer Jonathan Scott said Tuesday that the ministry will have the same resources in place to fight fires as it did last year. There will be no changes in crew numbers, with 101 four-person crews, to…
Norbord Inc. (“Norbord”) (TSX: NBD) and Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. (“Ainsworth”) today announced the completion of their merger. Under the terms of the transaction, Norbord acquired all of the outstanding common shares of Ainsworth in an all-share transaction and Ainsworth shareholders received 0.1321 of a share of Norbord for each Ainsworth share. Ainsworth is now…
You might be aware of the looming skills gap in British Columbia, with tens of thousands of jobs expected to go unfilled in the coming years as companies in all sectors are unable to find people with the skills and training they need. Well, in the forestry industry, that skills shortage is not just looming,…