Study Conducted by Forest Industry Experts Confirms BC Pellets are Responsibly Sourced

A study commissioned by the Wood Pellet Association of Canada has confirmed that wood pellets in British Columbia are sourced entirely from sawmill and harvest residuals or from low-quality logs and bush grind rejected by other industries.

The study was conducted by respected forest experts and Registered Professional Foresters including Professor Gary Bull, Jeremy Williams, Jim Thrower, and Brad Bennett. The group analyzed government and industry databases, confidential commercial data, and audit reports, as well as conducting personal interviews with individual pellet plant operators and local communities.

In remarks prepared to accompany the report, Professor Bull said:

“We reviewed the data for virtually every truckload of fiber for each pellet mill in the BC and were able to source forest-based residuals down to the forest harvesting block for each mill. The findings were clear: 85% of the fiber for pellets comes from the by-products of sawmills and allied industries, and the remain 15% comes from bush grind and low-quality logs where the only other option is to burn the low-grade logs and brush piles on site in order to reduce fire risk.”