Feed aggregator

The US Department of Commerce says it has made a final decision to more than double countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports, a move business groups in British Columbia say will harm communities on both sides of the border. Source: The Global News A statement from the American department says the duty for most Canadian companies is being increased to 14.63%, up from 6.74%, after it determined softwood lumber from Canada was being unfairly subsidized. The increase is on top of a recent jump in anti-dumping duties to 20.56%, bring the total duty level for Canadian softwood to 35.19%. The department says it will now instruct US Customs and Border Protection to begin collecting the money. Kurt Niquidet, president of the BC Lumber Trade Council, said in a statement that the decision places unnecessary strain on forestry-dependent regions in Canada while driving up construction costs for American builders. The council says both the Canadian and US governments need to make resolving the long-standing softwood lumber dispute a top economic priority. “In the absence of a negotiated settlement, BCLTC will continue working closely with the Government of Canada and industry partners to defend Canadian interests through all available legal channels, including proceedings under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” the statement says. The BC Council of Forest Industries says the provincial government needs to take action including streamlining permitting processes, activating provincial timber sales and removing cross-ministry bottlenecks. “With the right policy tools, British Columbia (BC) can send a strong message that it is committed to creating a climate where primary and secondary forest manufacturers want to invest, ensuring a steady supply of wood products for BC, Canada, and beyond,” President Kim Haakstad said in a statement. Prime Minister Mark Carney was in BC promising Can $700 million in loan guarantees for the industry and Can$500 million for long-term supports to help companies diversify export markets and develop their products.

The post With 35% duties Canada must look elsewhere for exports appeared first on Timberbiz.

A German company is building sturdy, low-carbon buildings using substandard wood, by making wooden bricks. This innovative construction method has already been used in many buildings including a major supermarket in Germany. Source: Timberbiz TriqBriq is the start-up that is making the bricks that fit together using wooden dowels rather than motar or glue. So far, the company has built 15 building including the supermarket and it is working to move to full automation. For the first time, a supermarket was built entirely with TriqBriq’s timber construction system. The 1,100 square metre store sets new standards in resource-saving construction. The load-bearing wall construction consists of around 11,000 micro-modular wooden building blocks – known as BRIQs – which are made from industrial and calamity wood as well as reclaimed wood. This innovation allows wood to be used that would otherwise have been quickly burnt – this conserves resources and is good for the environment. The BRIQs are stacked dry on the building site and connected with beech wood dowels – completely without adhesives or other artificial fasteners. This means that the building can be completely dismantled and offers maximum flexibility for future conversions. Thanks to the innovative structural concept, it was also possible to realise smaller foundations and significantly reduce CO₂-intensive concrete. As a result, the new building saves around 50% of emissions compared to conventional construction methods. This store shows how modern retail architecture and genuine sustainability can go together. Circular construction means that what is a market today can be something completely new tomorrow – without any demolition or waste.

The post TriqBriqs building wooden bricks for construction appeared first on Timberbiz.