Timber inventory a guessing game, critics chargeThe B.C. government is not adequately keeping track of its inventory of timber lands, according to NDP Leader Adrian Dix. And that means the province is putting off some tough decisions, he says, on managing what’s left of pine-beetle-ravaged forests.
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B.C. risks becoming a silvicultural slumRe: B.C.'s resources need support, Column, Feb. 17, Province fails to protect, restore beetle-ravaged area: report, Feb. 17
Both Stephen Hume and Auditor-General John Doyle have pointed out in spades the neglected state of B.C.'s forests.
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Foresters join warning cry over risk to forest sustainability
B.C. forest inventories are so far out of date that the foresters' professional association is questioning whether provincial forestlands can still be managed sustainably.
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Auditor General report on forestry - A trust betrayed
The Auditor General of British Columbia has released a report that is sharply critical of the BC Government and Ministry of Forests’ management of BC forests. Indeed, it would be hard to find a government report that is more withering in its criticism.
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BC Government Killing Forest Industry: Auditor GeneralWorse, the government lacks reliable information on the state of the forest and has no plan for what to do about it, he said.
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Warming to Ignite the Carbon BombRising temperatures are drying out northernforests and peatlands, producing bigger and more intense fires.
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Release of the 'Case for Tall Wood Buildings'VANCOUVER, March 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Guests at the Wood WORKS!
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Wood WORKS! BC presents 2012 Wood Design AwardsLeadership and innovation in wood use was celebrated this evening at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, as more than 350 distinguished design and building professionals, including architects, engineers, project teams and industry sponsors and guests gathered to
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Forest industry applauds move toward free trade with JapanThe Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is welcoming the announcement that Canada intends to develop a free trade agreement with Japan.
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SMART Christmas Tree Research Co-operative raising money to fund their researchThe Christmas Tree Research Centre at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College is researching how to grow a balsam fir that will stay fresh for longer periods of time.
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Growing criticism of B.C.’s raw log exportsBritish Columbia‘s Forest Minister Steve Thomson has rejected the recommendations his own Timber Export Advisory Committee dozens of times in the past 3 months, resulting in millions of dollars worth of raw logs being sent to Asia
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British Columbia makes regulatory change allowing the removal of private land from woodlot licencesBritish Columbia has made an amendment to section 47.1 of their Forest Act that will allow private land to be removed from a woodlot.
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Canada’s plan for Forestry Innovation in Canada’s 2012 BudgetThe Government of Canada presented their Budget today for 2012 and beyond.
Here is the information from today’s budget for “Forestry Innovation and Market Development Support“.
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Transforming forest management in B.CThe recent auditor-general's report on government mismanagement of our forests should serve as a wake-up call to the people of British Columbia to demand transformation of forest governance and management. Healthy forests provide us with clean water and clean air.
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A crisis of neglect in the province’s forestsIn 1985, the rapidly growing amount of not-satisfactorily-restocked (NSR) land in B.C. forests became a crisis. This resulted in a joint provincial and federal $300-million funding plan, the Forest Resource Development Agreement (FRDA) that restocked many thousands of hectares.
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Politics trumps reason as B.C. eyes bid to raid protected forestsThe fire that destroyed the lumber mill in Burns Lake this winter was sudden and catastrophic, sending a small town into shock. Overnight, 250 jobs vanished.
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Wood pellet exports from the US and Canada to Europe reached a record highWood pellet exports from the US and Canada to Europe reached arecord high in the 4Q/11 thanks to increased demand in the United Kingdom, reports the North American Wood FiberReview
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Allowed harvest levels on Haida Gwaii cut in halfThere is a new joint council, called the Haida Gwaii Management Council, that has been established between the Haida and the British Columbia government to govern the forest management of Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands).
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Panic in the government should not descend into head-over-heels panicMinister Bell
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4
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Logging in forest reserve areas within MPB epidemic areaHonorable Steve Thomson
Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
PO Box 9071 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E9
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British Columbia releases new Forest Sector StrategyBritish Columbia released its Forest Sector Strategy today.
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Opposition mounts to government talks on opening forest reserves to loggers
The B.C. government is holding talks with the forest industry over ways to supply more timber to beetle-hit Interior sawmills, including the option of opening forest reserves that have until now been out of bounds to loggers.
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Confidential report warns pine beetle set to destroy B.C. forestry jobsThe full, devastating impact of the pine-beetle epidemic that has swept across British Columbia will be felt in the next few years when up to half the forest-industry jobs in the province’s interior will vanish, according to a government report meant to be confidential.
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A Shocking Glimpse of BC's New Forest PlanFor more than a quarter century, logging companies at the government's blessing have been on a tear through British Columbia's expansive interior forests.
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B.C. plan would open Interior’s protected woods for logging Old-growth forests, wildlife corridors and other long-protected timber zones in the British Columbia Interior could be opened up to logging in order to keep mills operating, according to a cabinet document detailing a proposal under consideration by the provincial government.
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Power Grab Eyed by Clark Gov't to Set Logging LevelsA leaked provincial cabinet document indicates that the provincial government is contemplating "suspending" the powers of one of its most powerful public servants in order to expedite a controversial logging program that has raised alarm bells in the professional forestry community.
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Thousands of forestry jobs on the line in central British ColumbiaA confidential report was leaked this week indicating the British Columbia government is expecting north-central B.C.
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British Columbia: Mid-Term Timber Supply ProjectIn response to concerns expressed by local communities, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations staff have been analyzing potential opportunities to increase timber supply.
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Province considers 'option' of over-riding chief forester to supply mills with timberA leaked Ministry of Forests document reveals a proposal that the B.C. government override the top official charged with managing the province's forests to find a timber supply for Burns Lake.
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Leaked Cabinet document reveals how far government was willing to goWhen I was home during the Easter break I caught wind that the government was contemplating a “Burns Lake Recovery Act,” legislation designed to guarantee a log supply for Burns Lake to ensure Hampton Affiliates would rebuild the mill that burned down in January.
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CANADA: The most experienced country in sustainable forest management!The global rate of deforestation has begun to decline in recent years, but each year, an area of forest the size of Costa Rica, approximately 50,000 sq km, is still destroyed, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
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New committee formed in British Columbia to examine mid-term timber supplyBritish Columbia’s Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson applauded today’s decision of the Legislative Assembly to form a Special Committee on Timber Supply to examine and make recommendations about mid-term timber
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The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement … what was that again?Recently, the most common question ForestTalk is asked is, “Whatever happened to that Boreal Forest Agreement?”, and “Have you heard anything about that Boreal Forest Agreement lately?”
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Devon Lumber in Fredericton has wood chips piled 2 storeys high and no buyersHarry Gill, president of Devon Lumber Company in Fredericton, New Brunswick, said he has no market for his wood chips now that so many pulp mills are shut down in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Maine, and Quebec.
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B.C. Forest Minister reappoints 4 Forest Practices Board membersBritish Columbia Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson has announced the reappointment of four board members to the Forest Practices Board for terms of two years each.
The appointees are:
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British Columbia’s Special Committee on Timber Supply consultation scheduleThe British Columbia Special Committee on Timber Supply has announced its plans for conducting community and provincial consultations.
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Wood demonstration project openings and events in BC
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PPWC takes stance against BC’s proposal to log protected areasThe Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada (PPWC) union has come out against British Columbia’s proposal to open up protected areas to logging.
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British Columbia makes regulatory changes to provide access to logging slash to bioenergy producersBritish Columbia‘s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson announced today regulatory changes that provide access to logging slash and wood waste fibre needed by bioenergy producers and manufacturers of wood pellets and other bio-
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Nova Scotia providing $1 million fund for building and maintaining private woodlot roadsThe province of Nova Scotia is making $1 million available so private woodlot owners, including those in Queens County and the South Shore, can access more of their forest land.
The provincial fund is helping woodlot owners build and maintain woodlot roads.
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Opinion-Editorial from British Columbia’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource OperationsEnsuring a sustainable timber supply, with the right mix of tree species, is a top priority for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
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More about the Ontario Wood program Last year, Ontario unveiled a new “Ontario Wood” program to promote Ontario grown wood to consumers.
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Is aggressive salvage logging in B.C. causing the crash of the moose populations?The Vancouver Sun is reporting that the salvage logging (Kalamitätsnutzung) of the beetle-killed pine forests in British Columbia is being blamed for moose populations in the interior crashing by up to 70%.
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More old growth forest protected in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is now protecting an additional 14,750 hectares of old growth forest on the Sunshine Coast.
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Atikokan Generating Station converting to biomass from coalConversion of the Atikokan Generating Station in Atikokan, Ontario to biomass rather than coal burning is to begin later this year.
The conversion will create 200 construction jobs and should be complete in 2014.
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British Columbia Lumber Trade Council pleased with softwood lumber decisionThe British Columbia Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC) responded today to the decision by the London Court of International Arbitration that Canada and British Columbia were not in breach of the Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) in the pricing of British Co
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Quebec releases new 2012-2017 Forest Sector Transformation StrategyQuebec‘s new 2012-2017 Forest Sector Transformation Strategy was unveiled Monday by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF).
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Resolute Forest Products logging under heavy police presence at Barriere LakeMontreal riot police have been sent 5 hours north of Montreal to the area where the Algonquin First Nation of Barriere Lake are protesting Resolute Forest Products‘ logging activity.
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B.C. Timber Supply committee releases report with recommendations to increase timber supplyThe Special Committee on Timber Supply today released its unanimous report making 22 recommendations to increase the supply and value of mid-term timber and to strengthen future forest management in the B.C. Central Interior.
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Nova Scotia finally defines clearcuttingThe province of Nova Scotia has a goal of reducing clearcutting to no more than 50% of the total tree harvest in the province by 2016.
However, that goal proved to be difficult to implement without a technical definition of clearcutting.
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FPAC urging Canada to deepen economic ties with ChinaThe Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is urging the Canadian Government to follow through on the conclusion of the Canada-China Economic Complementarities Study which states that Canada and China should continue to strengthen their bilater
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Forestry’s shrinking talent poolThe National Post made mention today of the shrinking talent pool for Canada’s forestry sector.
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More logging won't cure trade's ills
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Committee recommends measures to increase timber supplyVICTORIA –The Special Committee on Timber Supply today released its unanimous report making 22 recommendations to increase the supply and value of mid-term timber and to strengthen future forest management in the B.C. Central Interior.
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MLAs aren't facing the truth: B.C. forests are tapped outSince May, when a special committee of the legislature was appointed to address a looming "timber supply" crisis, questions have arisen about what the committee would say about one community in particular.
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MLAs Blow Chance to Help Us See BC's Next Forest IndustryThe Special Legislative Committee on Timber Supply has completed their report intended to help the forest sector and communities impac
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The unanimous decision of the special committee on timber sup-ply to support an increase of logging in "marginally economic forests" and in old-growth reserves previously ruled off limits to logging is outrageous.
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Manage forests for the futureAs it looks for ways to shore up the province's timber industry, the B.C. government is in danger of not seeing the forest for the trees.
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Long-term plan needed for B.C.'s forests Re: "Manage forests for the future," Oct. 17.
The editorial is spot-on in many respects.
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Wisconsin tribe has much to teach usRe: "Manage forests for the future," Oct. 17.
The editorial correctly observes that B.C.'s public forests must be managed for the future. The Menominee native Americans in Wisconsin are an excellent example of people doing this.
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Letter from Steve Thomson, BC’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations regarding timber supply action planWith the release of ‘Beyond the Beetle: A Mid-Term Timber Supply Action Plan’, we have outlined a clear strategy to help our forests recover from the damage done by the mountain pine beetle infestation.
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Canada records forestry export boostCanada has seen a massive surge in demand for exports of its forestry products, particularly in the Far East.
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Noble Provides Project 81 Carbon SequestrationNoble Mineral Exploration Inc. (the "Company" or "Noble") is pleased to provide an update, further to its press releases of August 22, 2012 and September 10, 2012, on the carbon sequestration modelling undertak
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Greenpeace leaves Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, claims Resolute logging activity in off-limit areasGreenpeace is leaving the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA).
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Are we heading back to landfills?A Canadian forester recently transplanted to the States asked what sweeping federal policies exist concerning utilization of wood biomass for energy, to which I could only answer, "None." What we do have is a schizophrenic regulatory landscape, in which about 30 states have
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North American lumber prices forecast to soar in 2013New five-year outlook shows that supply and demand conditions in wood products for the long-awaited ‘super-cycle’ are now taking hold, with the full impact still some 3+ years away!
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How the Great Bear project is a leader in carbon offsets
As concepts go, carbon offsets are a simple thing: for every ton of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere, a ton can be “offset” by, say, using wood waste instead of coal in a cement manufacturing plant.
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Steps taken to improve coastal forest economyTo increase harvesting activity on the coast, government is exploring the use of new scanner technology for scaling logs, accelerating the auction of an additional 500,000 cubic metres by BC Timber Sales, improving the log-export system and exploring ways to better harvest the timber profile.
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Rayonier selling wood products divisionOn Tuesday, real estate and timberland management company Rayonier announced it is selling one of its four operating divisions, its wood products division, to Vancouver, Canada-based International Forest Products Limited (Interfor).
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100 Mile House timber supply review underwayThe British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is inviting public review and comment until March 9, 2013, on a public discussion paper released today as part of a comprehensive timber supply review of the 100 Mile House timber sup
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Ben Parfitt: Sneaky Liberals are planning a B.C. forest giveawayGiven the short duration of the upcoming legislative session and the provincial election to follow, a government plan to introduce a scant two-paragraph bill granting it powers to fundamentally alter the course of forestry in B.C. is disturbing, to say the least.
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Forests minister launches boost for timber industry at Victoria conventionIn a bid to spur timber harvesting on the coast, the provincial government announced it will look at new technology for scaling logs, fast-track the auction of an additional 500,000 cubic metre of timber and make improvements to the log-export system.
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The other side of the climate story
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