1 out of 3 Sawmills In The Region North Of 100 Mile House Face Timber Supply Shortages
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 @ 11:28 AM
Prince George, B.C.- The chairman of the Special Committee on Timber supply in the Province, John Rustad says a reduction of up to 20% in the overall supply of mature timber in the next 10-15 years would represent the supply required to operate 8 reasonably sized mills.
Rustad says there are about 24 mills operating in the beetle ravaged area which covers 100 Mile House, Bulkley, Kamloops, Mackenzie, Merritt, Morice, Prince George, Robson Valley, Williams Lake, The Lakes, Quesnel and Vanderhoof.
The province of BC cut for the year of 2011 was 60 million cubic meters; a reduction of 10 million cubic meters from the affected area would amount to reduction of about 16.5% in the total amount of wood harvested in the province of BC.
Rustad feels that measures that are being put into place will add more forest tenure to the affected areas.
The anticipated decrease in timber supply according to the report will have significant negative economic and social impacts on forestry dependent communities and present major challenges to industry.
The city of Quesnel has formed a committee to look for other possible non forestry investment as a means of offsetting the impacts which are expected to hit that city, which is likely to see a mill closure with a shrinking supply of fibre.
Comments
Really? Who would of thought to see that coming? So now any guesses whether they will rebuild The Sawmill in Burns Lake or Prince George!
Just cut it all down and ship the raw logs to China. Problem solved.
With all the sawmills that have already been shut down I’m surprised there isn’t enough wood to go around.
There should be a moritorium on raw logs going overseas. I see that as astgarting point.
Not all mills shut down because of a shortage of timber. A lot shut down because they were no longer competative, and because of the low price of lumber.
The collapse of the US Housing market was and is one big factor. China buys only S..t lumber and while it helps to keep the mills running, its debatable whether or not you can make a profit selling to China.
When the US Market bounces back, and the Japanese market picks up., then so will profitability return.
Some mills will close because of the fibre shortage, however thats the way it is. There is nothing that can be done.
I love maps. With TSAs and tenures and mill locations and dead stands and harvested areas and mature stands, etc., etc. once can get a visual “feel” for what is actually going on and what is projected to go on as opposed to what would have been the norm had the MPB not infested the timber stands.
1. how many mills have been shut down due to market downturn, where are they located, and is there enough licensed supply for them to continue if the market picks up.
2. how many have been destroyed and will they have enough supply and a market to rebuild or is it better to ea-alocate the supply.
The questions can start with a few and then the answers, I am sure, will beget more questions.
I want to read whatever report was put out. I hope that it may provide some meaningful answers. The media releases sure do not.
There is enough forest to go around; if we had to convert all logs ino lumber you could re-open at least 5 sawmills on Vancouver Island! And if no more raw logs were exported from the province there would be many many years of cutting left for all sawmills in the province of BC!
6 ships of raw logs go out of Vancouver for every 1 ship of finished lumber!!!
jetjamie,
you have proof of that claim?
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