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Skookumchuck carved piece of wood fibre funding
The B.C. government this afternoon announced it is spending more than $27 million to help increase the use of wood fibre that otherwise would have been burned as slash.
However, only $536,100 is coming to the East Kootenay, going to Skookumchuck Pulp Inc. for about 51,000 cubic metres of wood fibre in the Kimberley area.
The funding program was done by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC), which distributes the grants, in partnership with the B.C. government and the Government of Canada.
“Nothing frustrates people more than seeing piles of slash go to waste rather than be used to help create jobs,” said Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
“These projects will employ forestry contractors, some of whom might otherwise be unemployed. In addition, it will help to employ mill workers who produce electricity, wood pellets and pulp at mills that produce these products specifically. As result, more wood waste will be turned into electricity, heat energy and pulp products to help achieve B.C.’s and Canada’s climate change targets,” stated a joint Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development and Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. media release.
This latest round of grants by the society cover 38 different projects in British Columbia, with individual grant amounts ranging from $16,980 to $1.5 million.
Projects funded by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. help minimize wildfire risks, enhance wildlife habitat, improve low-value and damaged forests, re-plant damaged forests and use fibre for green energy production. Many of these projects also result in carbon benefits and contribute to climate change mitigation.
“Supporting greater utilization of fibre and improving greenhouse gas management are two of our key objectives,” said Wayne Clogg, board chair of the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. “These 38 projects will help achieve these objectives while supporting rural communities. We are very pleased to work with the provincial government on projects that support important climate action goals.”
The Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. is a Crown agency. It was established in 2016 to advance the environmental and resource stewardship of the province’s forests.
Lead image: Skookumchuck Pulp Mill. e-KNOW file photos
