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Harvesting
Lumber output up in BC, down in QC and NB
 Jan 28, 2012, Ottawa - Canadian lumber production fell noticeably in November
2011, according to recently-released numbers from Statistics Canada. Year over year numbers were only slightly off.
Swedish wrap supplier talks residue optimization
Jan 19, 2012, Sweden - Nordic harvest residue cover system supplier Walki has a system and new website dedicated to the optimization and maximization of the use of harvest residues for bioenergy production.
Bandit's small stump grinder solution
 Jan. 13, 2012, Remus, MI - Bandit Industries has unveiled a new self-propelled stump grinder that uses a beltless hydrostatic drive.
Dust Control Technology unveils new suppression ring
 Jan. 10, 2012, Peoria, IL - Dust Control Technology has introduced a new product to be used specifically at conveyor discharge points and maximize particle containment.
LeMar Industries acquires Riley Equipment
Jan. 5, 2012, Des Moines, IA - Moving forward in its plan for strategic growth and expansion, LeMar Industries has acquired leading material handling manufacturer Riley Equipment.
Exports to help wood profits double in 2012
December 23, 2011—Profits for Canada’s wood producers are expected to double in 2012 compared to this year, and employment is forecast to grow by more than 6,000 positions next year.
WSI expects increased cold in NE United States
Dec. 20, 2011, Andover, MA - Weather Services International (WSI) expects January-March to be colder than average in the northeastern US, with above average temperatures in the southeast.
Oregon Biomass credit good for business
Dec. 19, 2011, Eugene, OR - A year after its implementation, the Oregon tax credits for biomass producers and businesses is considered a success, according to a new report.
Helping optimize biomass feedstock harvesting
Dec. 12, 2011 - Harvesting biomass can be very time-consuming, which is why producers are looking for the next innovation to increase productivity while minimizing losses.
Freightliner launches new biomass wagon
 Dec. 12, 2011 - Freightliner Heavy Haul has unveiled its new prototype covered hopper wagon that has been developed for the biomass market.
Small Is Beautiful: Microchipping Woody Biomass
Although the use of microchipping in wood pellet manufacture is just catching on in North America, European pellet makers discovered “small is beautiful” some time ago.
Forest products sector improved, PwC
Nov. 18, 2011, Vancouver - The world's forest products companies showed some recovery in their financial performance during 2010 following two previous exceptionally challenging years, with Canadian revenues up 16%.
Does growing biofuel turn a profit?
Nov. 8, 2011, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN - Can biofuel reduce water and nutrient runoff from farm fields, cut down on soil erosion and turn a profit for the farmers who grow it?
Forestry of the Future
Recent media reports have suggested that one of Canada’s oldest economic sectors, the forest products industry, is becoming a bit tarnished
Tense wood makes better biomass
Oct. 27, 2011 - Oak Ridge, TN - Taking a cue from Mother Nature, researchers at the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center have undertaken a first-of-its-kind study of a naturally occurring phenomenon in trees to spur the development of more efficient bioenergy crops.
Farmers switching from corn to poplar?
Oct 25, 2011, West Lafayette, Ind - Purdue University researchers are studying how poplars might be turned into cellulosic ethanol in a large-scale field trial.
Global sawlog prices hit record high
Oct 18, 2011, Seattle, WA - The Global Sawlog Price Index reached a 16-year high in Q2 2011 according to Hakan Ekstrom of Wood Resources International, with large gains in Europe, Canada and Russia.
Community Wildfires
A new management approach could empower communities to protect themselves from wildfire while encouraging bioenergy development.
Cold Climate Cures
Designing material handling systems for use in extreme northern environments requires special care.
Take It or Leave It?
Woody biomass retention guidelines were developed recently for Maine’s forest industry to proactively address some concerns associated with woody biomass harvesting.
Ontario: Yours to Discover
Last spring, I participated in a field visit organized by the Canadian Forest Service in Ontario.
Early Adopters
Harvesting forest residues for biomass means new hope for many sawmill owners and contractors, and many such projects have been announced recently. However, some four years ago, before this strong tendency to develop diversification strategies, an idea was born in the minds of the leaders of two organizations in eastern Quebec:
Back to the Future?
During the 17th century, there was a high level of commercial activity around wood ash in Nouvelle-France. Settlers were clearing forestland for crop cultivation, creating large amounts of residual wood that was not needed for fuel or construction material.
Big-volume Producer
Biomass is often associated with new and innovative sources of fuel for power generation, but at Acadian Timber, it has been a big part of the company’s business for over two decades.
Battle for Fibre
With biomass-powered energy production becoming mainstream, fibre allocation and supply have become hot topics.
Feeding Frenzy
The boiler at Kruger Inc.’s Corner Brook Pulp and Paper (CBPP) mill in western Newfoundland has a big appetite for biomass – 713 tonnes/day to be precise.
Slash Solutions
For operations that get biomass straight from the forest, the first step in the supply chain is deciding how to collect and transport the leftover slash from logging or thinning. Efficient slash handling can be difficult because the material varies in shape and size and lacks density. In an effort to make slash recovery cost effective while maintaining a clean, high-quality product, three machines are going where none have gone before: into the forest.
Beetle - Wood Mania
British Columbia is abuzz with bioenergy. Of the 68 municipalities, 103 First Nations, and numerous rural settlements in the region of the mountain pine beetle (MPB) epidemic, not many are ignoring the possibilities of turning “beetle wood” into pellets, direct heat, and/or electricity – and at the same time, into profit, jobs, and hope.
Growing Woody Biomass
Coppice cropping has been used in Sweden since the 1970s to produce biomass, and it’s now gaining attention elsewhere in Europe and in places like the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. Intensive willow coppice cropping seems like an efficient way to produce a consistent supply of purpose-grown fibre.
From Forest to Fuel
As the North American housing market fights to stay alive during these tough economic times, some Canadian loggers are rolling with the punches and taking advantage of environmental incentives from the government to stay ahead of the game.
Have Grinders, Will Travel
It seems an unlikely location, but just inside the town limits of Truro, Nova Scotia, is the Verboom family’s small sawmill and home base to a substantial biomass grinding operation. Here, Verboom Grinders processes multiple source streams of non-timber-quality wood to supply two biomass markets: wood fuel and landscaping mulch.
Slash harvest demo a success
 Payette National Forest, ID – In August 2008, the U.S. Forest Service provided a well-attended demonstration of woody biomass chipping and hauling using newly developed equipment.
Back to the Grind
This grinder update provides an overview of some of the large-scale stationary grinders that are available for processing mill residue, construction debris, and other sources of waste wood into useable biomass or hog fuel. All information has been provided by the equipment suppliers.
Residues to Riches: Times have changed
There is no doubt that the use of forest biomass is expanding across Canada. I have been researching forest biomass since 1978, albeit on an on-and-off basis as forest bioenergy has been a hot-and-cold topic for the forest industry over the past 30 years.
Operational Research: Loggers’ Input Key
Many studies have examined the harvest of biomass (dead and nonmerchantable wood) for energy production or to reduce fire hazards, but few have included the lessons learned from the loggers.
A Chip off Any Block
“Our operations are a little bit different,” admits Robin Barrett of Barrett Enterprises with a smile, as if the 22-year-old forwarder-mounted Bruks chipper working over his shoulder weren’t a clue enough. |
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