The National Interagency Fire Center reported today (9-27-21) there are 65 large wildfires burning nationally on over 3,154,071 acres. Two new large fires were being reported on Sunday (9-26-21), with one located in Oklahoma and the other in Texas.
News in timber
B.C.’s 2021 Wildfire Season Ranks Third Worse on Record with 8,680 Square Kilometers Burned
British Columbia’s 2021 wildfire season is in the process of winding down. The B.C. 2021 wildfire season to date has burned an area of 8,680 square kilometers (3,352 square miles) and ranks as the third highest on record but is only 61% of the all-time high reached just 3-years ago.
Ikea’s Owner Purchases 5500 Hectares of New Zealand Farmland with Plans to Plant it into Forestland
Ingka Group, which owns retail giant Ikea, has purchased 5500 hectares of Otago, New Zealand farmland that it plans to plant into forest. In August, the Overseas Investment Office approved the purchase of Wisp Hill buy the Ingka Group.
Hurricane Ida Hits the Louisiana Timber Industry
Unlike with Katrina, during Ida a lot of small, scattered trees as well as big ones went down. “Anything 15 years and up that was on commercial forest land that was planted and thinned before Ida hit, those stands have been pretty much totally devastated.”
British Columbia Ends Provincial State of Emergency for Wildfires
The B.C. wildfire season came one step closer to coming to an ending with the province’s announcement on Tuesday evening (9-14-21) that it was lifting the provincial state of emergency. The state of emergency, which was put in place on July 20, 2021, came into effect to co-ordinate the response to one of the worst wildfire seasons on record.
B.C. Ministry of Forests Releases Strategic Review Entitled “A New Future for Old Forests”
British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests on Saturday (9-11-21) released the government mandated old growth strategic review, entitled “A New Future for Old Forests.” It was written by two retired foresters, Garry Merkel and Al Gorley, who spent months touring the province talking to stakeholders about how the trees, some more than 1,000 years old, should be logged and protected.
Two More Saskatchewan Mills Receive Province Timber Allocations
The forestry industry in Saskatchewan received additional good news on Friday (9-10-21), with the announcement that two more timber mills will be receiving timber allocations from the province. These latest allocations come at the end of a week that saw two mills in Prince Albert receive timber allocations as well.
81 Large Wildfires Continue to Burn in the Western US — Only 1 Currently Listed as Contained
The National Interagency Fire Center reported today (9-13-21) that there are 81 large fires or complexes currently burning in the West and Minnesota. As of today, the total number acres actively burning are at 3,150,696. Fires listed as contained are now down to 1.
Dunkley Lumber Company to Expand Production at Carrot River, Saskatchewan Sawmill
Dunkley Lumber Company, a privately owned Canadian forestry company with three sawmills in western Canada, has announced a $100 million (C$) expansion at their Carrot River, Saskatchewan sawmill facility. The expansion is expected to create 240 new direct and indirect jobs through growth in lumber sales and exports.
Proposed Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Timber Mill Receives Province Timber Allocation
A proposed timber mill in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada that is expected to create 700 new jobs in the area moved one step closer to becoming a reality when One Sky Forest Products OSB received its timber allocation from the province. The province did not say how much it was allocating but said the majority of the timber would be from the province…