Britons should EAT grey squirrels to keep population down and stop them killing trees, says Forestry Commission boss. Sir Harry Studholme said growing more trees is vital to curb climate change but Sir Harry said it was being hindered by the grey squirrel which strip bark. He said if other control measures fail we should cull them and use them for food.

Article featured on the Mail online by COLIN FERNANDEZ, ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 01:06, 4 December 2019 | UPDATED: 08:03, 4 December 2019

Commission chairman Sir Harry Studholme, who is backing the Mail’s Be A Tree Angel Christmas campaign, said growing more trees is vital to curb climate change.

But he said it was being hindered by the grey squirrel – and if other control measures fail we should cull them and use them for food.

Squirrels damage trees by stripping bark, which can lead to deadly fungal infections.

Grey squirrels are killing trees and we should consider eating them to control numbers, according to the Forestry Commission.

‘Ring barking’ – where all the bark is removed in a circle around a trunk or branch – causes trees to die from that point up.

Sir Harry said: ‘Grey squirrels are very damaging to trees, particularly when they ring-bark oak, beech and sycamore…which can easily kill it. They make the growing of broadleaf timber in the UK virtually impossible’.

Commission chairman Sir Harry Studholme (pictured) said growing more trees is vital to curb climate change

The Forestry Commission has reintroduced a squirrel predator, the pine marten, in the Forest of Dean.

But Sir Harry said if that approach does not succeed we should eat ‘grey squirrels in London restaurants’.

Red squirrels are also known to ‘ring bark’ but to a lesser extent than greys.

There are 2.5million greys in the UK, compared to 140,000 reds, which have been killed off by a disease greys are immune to, squirrel pox.

Sir Harry told environment journal The ENDS report that another destructive species, muntjac deer, which also damages growing trees, might also be hunted for food to control numbers.

Grey squirrels are native to North America, and were first introduced to Britain in the 1870s by aristocrats for their country estates.

Our campaign – organised with the Tree Council – started on November 23 and so far readers have planted or pledged to plant more than 24,500 trees.

Currently just 13 per cent of the UK is woodland – experts say we need to increase this to help combat carbon dioxide emissions.

Would you eat a Grey squirrel? Join the conversation.

Södra Wood has invested into a pilot plant for CLT production. The idea behind the pilot plant is to explore the different possibilities of the product and create a marketing and production strategy. As Södra operates their own saw mills the utilisation of different timber sizes and grades is also crucial.

The line has been placed in an available building on Södras industrial area (Saw mill & Pulp mill), which was completely renewed and upgraded. The size of the CLT panels is limited to 12 m x 3,0 m x 0,36 m. In the same building is installed also a CNC router to machine the ready pressed CLT elements. This is the first complete Turnkey CLT Line delivered to Sweden. After commissioning is completed the plant goes into test production.
The complete line is integrated under the X-Lam manager developed by Ledinek Engineering.
A PC based master computer system for production management, production flow control and visualization, statistics, instant information’s and production analysis tools.

Location: Väröbacka / Sweden
Project Leader: Mattias Wallman
Production Manager: Krister Norberg
Employees: 600
Species: Spruce
Operators: 3+2
Production capacity: 10,000 m³ / y

This is what the unprecedented wildfires on Australia’s east coast look like from space. Around 12,000 square kilometres have burned in New South Wales and Queensland since July, an area larger than Jamaica. The fires have caused four deaths, injured more than a hundred and destroyed more than 300 homes.

And this is just the beginning of the Australia region’s usual fire season. These fires have revived the debate about the climate crisis in the country, which is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal. A dozen Australian mayors have signed a manifesto asking the government to recognise the link between the climate crisis and the fires amid this year’s extreme temperatures and drought.

“The catastrophic conditions of these fires were, at least in part, caused by climate change,” says the manifesto, signed by mayors of several towns affected by fires, such as Bellingen in the state of New South Wales and Noosa Shire in Queensland.

The Liberal-National Executive, a strong advocate for the exploitation of coal, the fossil fuel that contributes most to the climate crisis, has tried to avoid the global warming debate. Australia’s hottest summer was recorded last year, with temperatures of almost 50℃ in some parts of the territory.

The force of these fires has motivated a part of the public, politicians such as those from the Green Party and experts to ask Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government to put aside the country’s ideological debates and listen to the warnings of scientists.

Morrison has refused to acknowledge the link between the climate crisis and forest fires, arguing that attention should be on victims and control of the flames. “There is a time and place to discuss controversial and important issues; it is now important to focus on the needs of Australians who need help,” he told reporters last Tuesday.

A group of more than twenty ex-chiefs of Australian firefighters has tried to meet with Morrison since April because they knew a fire crisis was coming and thought that the climate crisis is making the summer seasons be longer and more deadly.

“Climate change has ‘super-changed’ the problem,” former South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Chief Greg Mullins told reporters in Sydney, stressing that “an increase in a temperature degree implies that extremes be more extreme and put lives at risk”.

Source: www.euronews.com

Enviva Break Ground Onwood Pellet Export Terminal – Jackson County, Mississippi—November 7, 2019

State and local leaders and Governor Phil Bryant gathered 7th November at a ground breaking ceremony for Enviva’s new marine export terminal in the Port of Pascagoula’s Bayou Casotte Harbor. The ceremony marks the beginning of construction of the $90 million terminal.

Upon completion of construction, wood pellets produced in George County, Mississippi and other Enviva plants in its strategic asset cluster in the Gulf region will be exported through the Pascagoula Terminal to markets in Asia and Europe. Site preparation is underway and actual construction will commence in the next few weeks. Construction time for the terminal is expected to take15 months and it will be built simultaneously with Enviva’s new woodpellet production plant in Lucedale, in George County.The new Pascagoula terminal is expected to directly employ approximately 30 full-time workers and support about 150 direct and indirect jobs during construction.

When completed, the export terminal will be capable of receiving product by rail, barge, and truck. Two on-site domes will provide storage capacity for up to 90,000 metric tons of wood pellets. All handling equipment and storage facilities will be state-of-the-art. Enviva expects that the number of vessels calling the port will increase as it further develops production capacity in the region.“I am thrilled to have Enviva Biomass as a Mississippi business partner. Their work in renewable energy is vital to the global economy,” said Governor Phil Bryant. “This terminal at the Port of Pascagoula will help export wood pellets from the largest wood pellet plant in the world to markets in Asia and Europe. This project proves that Mississippi’s diversified network of infrastructure allows opportunity for companies to export products throughout the world.” “The terminal and the associated rail relocation project have received tremendous support over the years from organizations and individuals too numerous to list but entities that contributed funding deserve special mention: in addition to Enviva,the Port, in conjunction with the Jackson County Board of Supervisors, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Mississippi legislature, the Governor’s office, and the Mississippi Department of Transportation all contributed funds towards the terminal project.

The total investment is approximately $90million, of which Enviva will fund about $60million and the Jackson Port Authority will fund about $30million.We have also received overwhelming support from our Mississippi delegation in Washington, D.C.,” said Mark McAndrews, Port Director. Enviva’s Executive Vice President, Human Capital Nic Lane said, “Today we take a major step in helping to meet the increasing global demand for sustainable biomass fuel, and to ensure greater security of supply to our customers, particularly for the rapidly growing demand from our Asian customers. We are thrilled to be partnering with one of the top-ranking ports in the U.S., the Port of Pascagoula, a major commercial engine and key driving force in local, regional, and international economies.”The Pascagoula terminal and the Lucedale plant are an additional boost to Mississippi’s posture in the international trade arena.

Enviva joins other major industry players that have operations in the Port of Pascagoula including Chevron Pascagoula Refinery, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Chemours, Gulf LNG Energy, VT Halter Marine, and ST Engineering Halter Marine Offshore.

A major link in North America’s transportation system and Mississippi’s gateway to global markets, the Port of Pascagoula continually ranks as one of our nation’s top 25 ports in foreign trade. A mix of public and private terminals, all berths in the Port are located within 15 miles of the Gulf Shipping Lanes via 42 ft. deep channels.

Contact: Betty Ann WhitePort of Pascagoula
Phone:228-990-7514
cell: 228-762-4041
office Email: bwhite@portofpascagoula.com

Tree Planters – It takes the stamina of an athlete to run up the side of a steep mountain the way Lann Dickson does. “Nothing about it is easy,” said Dickson. “A lot of people quit in the first week or two, it definitely breaks a lot of people.”

The veteran tree planter zig-zags across the mountainside in Fraser Canyon near Boston Bar, B.C., dodging stumps and branches, with 300 seedlings tucked into pouches strapped around his waist. Without losing a beat, Dickson pierces the ground with his shovel and slings a seedling into the ground. Then he’s off to the next spot he eyes several metres away.

Dickson has been tree planting in B.C. for 24 years, and skilled workers like him are in extremely high demand right now. And that’s before the ambitious campaign promises by federal parties to plant billions more trees across Canada are even factored in (Sound familiar?).

B.C. alone needs to plant an estimated 48 million more trees in 2020 than it did last year in an effort to restore massive areas burned in the province after two record-breaking wildfires, and to promote carbon sequestration.

The Western Forestry Contractors’ Association estimates the increase may be the largest leap in planting volume in the industry’s 50-year history, going from 270 million seedlings this year to as many as 318 million seedlings next year. The industry estimates it employs roughly 4,500 workers. It will require 500 to 1,000 more planters to sow all those extra seedlings next year.

“It’s going to be a challenge for sure, [with] a lot more trees coming to market this year than past years,” said Timo Scheiber, CEO of Brinkman Reforestation.

Source & Photo: ca.news.yahoo.com

C3, part of LINX Cargo Care Group, has commenced operations under a five-year softwood clearfell harvest contract with Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) in the Walcha Management Region in NSW.

This is the first contract that C3 has secured with the company and C3 is looking forward to delivering on its promise to FCNSW in Walcha and furthering the new relationship should the opportunity arise in the future.

In Australia, C3 is one of the country’s largest forest products logistics providers offering both in-field chipping and cut to length harvest and haulage solutions along with bulk and containerised export log marshalling and stevedoring services.

“We are excited and privileged to be awarded this inaugural contract with FCNSW and look forward to delivering and growing employment opportunities with them now and into the future” said Anthony Jones, Group CEO LINX Cargo Care Group.

C3’s harvesting operations have predominately focused on hardwood but the company is now moving into softwood. All operations employ sustainable plantation forestry and harvesting practises, ensuring efficient supply chains for domestic and exported products.

Lumber is becoming an increasingly expensive commodity. Pressure from environmental concerns as well as processing costs demand that lumber manufacturing be done in the most efficient way, getting the maximum amount of quality product from every tree that enters the mill. Nature, however, does not make this an easy task, with every tree being different in terms of size, shape, and quality.

The proven solution to these challenges in wood optimization is to employ 3D laser and color scanning. Laser and colour scanning provide dramatic improvements in yield and quality in all areas of lumber manufacturing.

Log Optimization (Primary Process)
The first operation in a mill is cutting logs into semi-finished boards (flitches). These operations can occur at up to 30 logs per minute, requiring a large amount of data to be collected and analyzed in a short time. The scanner configuration implemented for 3D log scanning depends on the layout of the log transport system.

When logs travel on a sharp chain into the mill, the common scanner configuration mounts 3, 4, or more laser line scanner heads in a ring layout spaced to provide full coverage. As the log moves through the scan plane, a full 3D map of the log surface is generated. Cutting patterns are then computed and sent to a downstream gang saw that strips away the outer flitches and a center cant.

Logs can also be loaded onto a headrig carriage—a kind of moving platform that positions, rotates, and transports the log through a single bandsaw. In this design, multi-line laser scanner heads are mounted along one or two sides of the carriage along the entire log length such that a single capture produces profile data every 6″. This snapshot data can immediately be used to make decisions on the next cut for the current opening face.

The cutting decisions are an accumulation of multiple scans and back and forth passes through the bandsaw until the final cant is dumped for downstream processing.

Board Optimization (Secondary Process)
After logs have been reduced to flitches and cants, secondary operations are required to edge pieces for width and to trim to length at two different machine centres—an edger and a trimmer optimizer.

In both machine centres, transverse 3D scanning is introduced to digitize each piece into 3D shape, 2D surface colour, and tracheid data. This information is then used to determine the best cutting patterns that yield maximum value based on a constantly changing demand for certain dimensions and grades.

Transverse conveyor systems use multi-point scanners (with the highest available data rate of 3000 scans per second using coplanar triangulation for excellent data quality). Speed of data acquisition is very important for secondary operations where part rates of 70 to 300 boards per minute are common.

Modular Board Scanning Systems for Finished Grading
With the Gocator® 200 series multi-point scanners, a modular board scanning system can now be designed mixing 3D profiles, tracheid, and colour. Colour, for example, may be used only on the wane-up surface, while profile and tracheid is used on both top and bottom board surfaces.

Multi-Point Scanning for Tracheid
In addition to multi-point scanners minimizing scanner frame space and seeing both edges of a board, these scanners achieve another critical capability—the measurement of tracheid effect.

When a laser spot is projected onto healthy tracheid wood cells, laser light is scattered into the cells in the direction of cell growth. If the wood fibre is dead (as in a knot), then the laser light does not scatter. This effect can be measured to identify good wood from defective wood and even determine grain angle.

Adding Color Vision for Defect Detection
The introduction of colour scanning to identify surface defects such as knots, splits, rot, speck, beetle damage, etc., has led to grade-based recovery optimization, where lumber is cut into boards to obtain the highest grade as opposed to extracting the highest volume. Higher grade output leads to higher dollar returns from the input wood fibre.

Colour scanning requires the addition of white light to illuminate the board surface and megapixel colour cameras to build high resolution colour images. Resolutions down to 0.25mm are typical in today’s high performance colour scanners.

The bolt-on Gocator® 205 vision module (along with a white LED light bar that is strobed to maximize efficiency and lifetime) provides Gocator® 200 scanners with color vision for detection and measurement of surface defects including knots, splits, and rot. Gocator® 200 scanners also have the ability to identify defect size and location, which is key in effective grade-based recovery optimization.

Lumber Optimization with Gocator®
The Gocator® smart sensor feature set offers onboard processing to configure triggering, exposure, resolution, board detection, filtering, stitching, measurement, builtin communication protocols to other factory equipment using Ether/IP, and advanced
visualization. With an open source SDK, customers can build sophisticated scanning solutions and deliver unique capabilities that are specific to mill requirements.

For more information on 3D scanning for wood optimization applications, visit LMI wood industry page at http://www.lmi3d.com/solutions/industries/wood

Photo: Ring layout of Gocator® 2880 laser line scanners scanning a log travelling along a lineal transport system.

Press Releases

Governor Kay Ivey joined executives with Enviva and local leaders recently to announce that the company expects to invest approximately $175 million to construct a wood pellet production plant in Sumter County that would provide an economic boost to West Alabama.

The proposed facility, to be located at the Port of Epes Industrial Park, is expected to create a minimum of 85 full-time jobs and generate an estimated 180 additional jobs in logging, transportation and local services in the region.

This milestone was officially announced today at a ceremony held on the square of the Sumter County Courthouse in Livingston.

“We are very excited about the prospect of Enviva joining Alabama’s business community with a very important manufacturing project in Sumter County,” Governor Ivey said. “Enviva is the world’s largest producer of wood pellets for energy, and Alabama is proud to support the company’s efforts to provide a renewable fuel solution for worldwide power generation.”

“This project will create quality jobs for West Alabama’s citizens, improved timber markets for local landowners, and enhanced economic activity for the entire region,” she added.

Enviva, whose industrial wood pellets are used for low-carbon, renewable power generation, expects construction to be ready to begin on the Sumter County facility in early 2020, subject to receiving the necessary permits. Enviva expects construction to take between 15 and 18 months.

“We are privileged to have been invited by the people of Alabama to invest in a remarkable community like Epes,” said John Keppler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enviva.

“With its thriving forest resources, great local workforce and favorable transportation logistics, we look forward to the opportunity to grow sustainably in West Alabama for decades to come.”

Bethesda, Maryland-based Enviva expects the wood pellet production plant in Epes to become the next facility in its strategic asset cluster in the Gulf region, which envisions other pellet plants in the states of Mississippi and Alabama, and a future deep-water marine terminal at the Port of Pascagoula.

Enviva said the proposed production facility would principally utilize a mix of softwood and scrap from mills sourced from within a 75-mile radius. The sustainably sourced pellets produced at the plant would be transported by barge via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway to the terminal at Pascagoula, then exported to Europe and Asia.

“Enviva’s announcement that it expects to build a new wood pellet plant at the Port of Epes represents a major win for West Alabama,” said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, whose district includes the area. “The jobs and economic development this project would create would serve to uplift not only individuals and families but the entire Sumter County community.”

Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the Enviva project aligns perfectly with the Ivey Administration’s strategic goal of sparking job creation in rural communities across the state.

“We’re committed to helping create jobs through economic development in Alabama’s rural areas, and the opportunity for Enviva to locate this wood pellet plant at Epes is a significant development for Sumter County,” Secretary Canfield said. “Enviva is expected to make a major investment in this facility, which would drive economic growth in the area through the creation of direct and indirect jobs.”

Dr. Ken Tucker, president of the University of West Alabama in Livingston, said university representatives, community leaders and state officials teamed with business and industry partners for more than a year and half to help bring the Enviva project to fruition.

“We are excited to have a company of Enviva’s international reputation interested in Sumter County. The significant number of jobs created, and the large amount of capital invested would truly be transformational for our region,” Dr. Tucker said.

Sumter County Commission Chair Marcus Campbell said local officials are looking forward to working with Enviva to create jobs and improve the region’s quality of life.

“The benefits this company and project would have on our county and region cannot be overestimated,” Campbell said. “Great things happen when we work together with shared goals for the betterment of our county and region.”

Enviva owns and operates eight plants in the Southeast that produce over 3.5 million metric tons of wood pellets annually. The expected Sumter County facility would be constructed to initially produce 700,000 metric tons of pellets annually, though production could eventually be increased to 1.15 million tons per year.

Enviva does not own forestland but works with suppliers that meet its strict sustainability criteria. The company’s sourcing practices ensures it takes only wood from responsibly managed working forests and it does not take wood from forests that are being converted out of forest use. It has several procedures in place to ensure it does not source wood from high conservation value bottomland forests and has created a proprietary monitoring system that works with its supply chain partners to verify and document the origin of all of their wood.

Pinnacle Renewable Energy (“Pinnacle” or the “Company”) (TSX: PL) has announced that it has entered into a new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contract with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (“Mitsui”), a large, diversified trading company in Japan. Under the terms of the contract, Pinnacle will supply 100,000 metric tons per annum of industrial wood pellets to Mitsui beginning in Q3 2023. The industrial wood pellets will be used by a biomass power generation plant in Japan.

“We are pleased to enter into this new relationship with Mitsui and our fourth contract with Asian customers this year,” said Robert McCurdy, Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle. “Our growing order book in Japan underscores both Japan’s strong commitment to decarbonization and the strength of our competitive position in this market. We are also pleased to support the B.C. economy through our growing exports of industrial wood pellets to Asia.”

“I am excited about this new partnership between Pinnacle Renewable Energy and Mitsui & Co, which uses B.C. wood waste to generate good jobs in B.C. and power clean, renewable electricity in Japan,” said John Horgan, Premier of B.C.

Japan is a supportive market for renewable energy, targeting 3.7% to 4.6% from biomass or 20 million MTPA in pellet equivalent terms, providing Pinnacle with a compelling opportunity to continue growing in this market.

About Pinnacle
Pinnacle is a rapidly growing industrial wood pellet manufacturer and distributor and the third largest producer in the world. The Company produces sustainable fuel for renewable electricity generation in the form of industrial wood pellets. This fuel is used by large-scale thermal power generators as a greener alternative to coal that allows them to produce reliable baseload renewable power. Pinnacle is a trusted supplier to its customers, who require reliable, high-quality fuel supply to maximize utilization of their facilities. Pinnacle takes pride in its industry leading safety practices.

The Company operates eight industrial wood pellet production facilities in western Canada and one in Alabama, with a further plant under construction in Alberta. The Company also owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.  Pinnacle has entered into long-term take-or-pay contracts with utilities in the U.K., Europe and Asia that represent 100% of its announced production capacity through 2021 and 108% of its announced production capacity through 2026.

Holmen is now taking another step towards more resource-efficient and digital forestry. Through an advanced three-dimensional image analysis of the forest company’s wood deliveries, Holmen will be able to increase the efficiency of transport and boost the added value of the wood. “This is a climate-smart solution that makes wood scanning more accurate and the whole process more efficient. Unmanned measurement terminals offer the possibility to be open around the clock, creating greater accessibility and fewer queues. In this way, we can make better use of transport resources, which is good for both the work environment and the climate,” says Andreas Rastbäck, Marketing Director at Holmen Skog.

During wood scanning, the timber truck drives in through an unmanned measuring rig where the logs’ diameter and solid volume percentage are read digitally. The information is immediately sent on to a log measurer, who then quickly informs the driver that the load has been scanned and whether it has been approved for the plant it is heading to.

This means more accurate scanning of the volume on which payment is based and faster unloading of the load. The first measuring rig will be installed at the train terminal in Vännäs. Then a rig will be installed at Holmen’s paper mill in Hallstavik, followed by one at the paper mill in Braviken.

Holmen has signed an agreement with the Jönköping company Cind for the supply of measuring rigs, cameras and technology. “Holmen’s strategy to digitise and streamline its wood measurement process fits well with our offering. They will be the first to use our new solid volume calculation function, and I look forward to upcoming joint development efforts in other areas where machine learning will be an important component,” says Marcus Schelin, CEO at Cind.

Digitisation of the forest value chain creates opportunities to gather and process data, making it easier to improve support for intelligent planning and decision-making for the forest industry. In the long term, Holmen expects to fully automate wood handling. With the help of Artificial Intelligence, scanning can become more accurate and lead times further reduced.

Photo: Andreas Rastbäck, Marketing Director at Holmen Skog.