British Columbia’s Forests are a Green Energy Powerhouse
Forests are sometimes called the ‘lungs of the earth’ because growing trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air while releasing oxygen. However, when trees die or burn in wildfires, they release greenhouse gases, including methane and nitrous oxide. Utilizing forest biomass for energy can help reduce emissions while creating economic opportunities. Countries like Sweden and Finland have successfully used bioenergy to reduce wildfires and fossil fuel dependence, a model that British Columbia could learn from.
New forestry advocate society presses for working forest legislation
In a mandate letter to B.C.’s new minister of Forests, Premier David Eby directs Ravi Parmar to create a ‘sustainable land base’ for an annual harvest of 45 million cubic metres of timber while protecting old growth forests. The newly formed society, Forestry Works for BC, advocates for legislative protection of working forests, akin to the Agricultural Land Reserve, to provide stability and certainty for the forestry sector. The society emphasizes the need for public awareness about the benefits of forestry, including clean energy production and ecosystem restoration, amidst the growing challenges of access to timber and increasing wildfire risks.
