News in timber

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) is investing in 12 new wildfire risk reduction projects in BC. The FESBC has approved a total of 34 new wildfire risk reduction projects to be completed by March 2024.

The Oregonian is reporting that, according to as-yet unpublished research conducted by the US Forest Service, fir trees in Oregon and Washington died in record-breaking numbers in 2022. The drought-driven “mortality event,” labeled “Firmageddon” by researchers, is the largest die-off ever recorded for fir trees in the two states.

Natural Resources Canada announced a $12.7 million contribution to Forest Ontario to plant 7.2 million trees through the 2 Billion Trees Program, which is aimed at partnering with governments and organizations to plant two billion trees over the next 10 years.

A plan adopted by the New Jersey Pinelands Commission on October 14 and set to begin in April of 2023 has split environmental groups. Created by Congress in 1978, the Pinelands district occupies 22% of New Jersey’s land area, is home to 135 rare plant and animal species, and is the largest body of open space on the mid-Atlantic seaboard.

While addressing the 7th annual workshop of the Montana Forest Collaboration (MFC) about forest conservation, recreation, and resource utilization, US National Forest Service Chief Randy Moore announced that $10 billion will soon help fund work in forests around the US.

On Wednesday, the British Columbia government unveiled a new approach to provincial forestry agreements that will lead to faster action on harvesting areas damaged by wildfires, which in turn will provide more timber for mills and set up faster reforestation through the leadership of First Nations.

On Wednesday, the New Brunswick provincial government reported that it was investing $600,000 (CAD) in forest research in northern New Brunswick. The forestry sector—through Groupe Savoie, AV Group, J.D. Irving, and Forest NB—also committed to matching the province’s funding.

The BC Government announced that it is investing as much as $33 million (CAD) in 2022–23 to support projects that promote economic diversification, resilience, clean-growth opportunities, and infrastructure development.

A year ago, environmental groups sued the Bureau of Land Management over rule changes made during the Trump administration that allowed the agency to log large areas of forests after a wildfire without first doing an environmental review.

The Black Hills local timber industry received some welcome news last week when a formal review of the findings from a critical general technical report (GTR) found flaws in the methodology used to determine its conclusion.