A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has raised concerns about the growing use of British Columbia’s forests for the production of wood pellets, which are exported to Japan for use as fuel. The report alleges that pellet producers are increasingly turning to raw logs instead of scrap wood, raising concerns about the use of primary forest trees for overseas powerplant fuel.
Conservationists and the report’s analyst, Ben Parfitt, believe there is not enough scrap wood to meet the demand for wood pellets, and that using valuable primary forest wood for this purpose is unacceptable. They point to the rising exports of wood pellets to Japan, which have increased from just under 62,000 tonnes in the last 10 years to nearly 1.7 million tonnes.
The B.C. government and the company operating most of the province’s pellet mills deny the allegations, maintaining that pellets are primarily made from scrap wood such as sawmill shavings. However, Parfitt argues that the price difference between whole logs and scrap wood makes it more profitable for pellet producers to use raw logs.
The CCPA report concludes that the use of primary forest trees for wood pellets is not an acceptable use of our wood fibre. They call for the suspension of new wood pellet mills and a transition to more sustainable forestry practices.
