Clear Full Forecast

Forest Minister Says New System Will Reduce Waste

By 250 News

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 03:58 AM

Prince George, B.C. - The new timber sales system that is being tested this fall, will force companies to get as much as possible out of each and every tree that is cut.
The system that is being put in place will see sales on the whole block, rather than on cubic metres of wood. That change, says Minister of Forests and Range Pat Bell, will see companies putting their money up front, so they will want to get back that investment and more.
Bell says the new system will see less debris left on the forest floor. “It enforces the need to use every bit of every tree that is cut and that’s important because we are running out of timber and we have to be smarter about how we use it.”

Previous Story - Next Story

Email Email | Print Print | Share on Facebook Facebook | Tweet! Twitter | Digg Digg | Del.icio.us Del.icio.us

Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 03:58 AM in News by 250 News

Return to Home
NetBistro

Comments

Comment Posted by: herbster on September 23 2008 7:31 AM
No scaling means no timbermarks? Can you say free-for-all? Just make sure the blocks are GPS'ed afterwards. But I suspect there will be a whole bunch of midnight cutting and 2am hauling.
Comment Posted by: northman on September 23 2008 7:45 AM
Herbster.. It will probably be cruize based billing then scaled to see how acurate the volume is. Then they will decide on the most apropriate meathod of billing cruize vs scale billing. These projects are done to collect as much data as possible. Timbermarks and scaling are here to stay. The author of the article needed to re-enforce it with some more information.Read the forest act.
Comment Posted by: Don Wilkins on September 23 2008 7:54 AM
It is important to realize that leaving a large amount of debris on the forest floor is extremely important for wildlife and biodiversity. We spent many hours on this subject at the LRMP meetings and there are actual amounts that must be left behind. It is wrong to think of the wood fiber left after a cut as waste.
Comment Posted by: lmorg on September 23 2008 8:04 AM
Yeah, well can someone come up with a system to reduce the political waste in victoria?
Comment Posted by: northman on September 23 2008 8:14 AM
Don.. There is already course woody debris data collected with the cruize data to mitigate how much should be left behind. In large areas of beetle kill the last thing you want to do leave waste behind with beetles in it sitting for long periods of time. Burn and plant asap so a new forest can get going..
Comment Posted by: gus on September 23 2008 8:53 AM
Reduce political waste? Hire MLAs based on competency as with any other job. Political waste is the result of the selection method.
Comment Posted by: woodchipper on September 23 2008 10:07 AM
It will be interesting how this might work?
While it might be worth a try you would have to wonder how and what exactly will change.

I'm sure that exploring the options will demonstrate the reality that a much more diverse manufacturing sector is required, to use these otherwise wasted portions of the forest profile.

How can investments in alternative manufacturing be made when there is no security of supply.
Will the timber sales program continue to sell the particular profile which an inovative enterprise has found a means to economically process?

The majors do not want others in their berry patch even if they are only allowed to pick off the ground the rotten berrys.
The ministry of forests has not and seems to continue the notion that all they must do is provide security of supply to the majors and hence the mega specialized industry we have.

You cannot build an industry like this which can stand the test of time.