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“We looked at the data for almost every fiber truck for every pellet mill in the province and were able to retrieve forest residue to the logging block for every mill,” Bull said.
“The findings were clear: 85 percent of the fiber for pellets comes from the byproducts of sawmills and related industries, and the remaining 15 percent comes from grinding brush and low-grade logs, where the only other option is to burn the low-grade logs and brush piles at place to reduce the risk of fire.’
In addition, almost all pellets produced in British Columbia are certified under the internationally recognized Sustainable Biomass Program and the fibers are from sustainably managed forests in British Columbia certified by the Canadian Standards Association, the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative economy.
“The idea of harvesting entire stands of timber or displacing higher-value forest products for the purpose of wood pellet production runs counter to the overall economic and environmental goals of using wood pellets,” Thrower added.
The study also concludes the BC pellet sector:
- Uses and creates value from mill residues;
- Works with local and other communities to improve forest health, support local economies and strengthen community resilience;
- Creates an additional revenue stream for sawmills and other facilities;
- Eliminates smoke and particulate emissions associated with burners in hives or landfills;
- Uses low-quality biomass that comes from natural disturbances;
- Creates viable economic opportunities and employment;
- Contribute to forest fire risk management; and
- It increases the substitution of renewable energy (biomass) for fossil fuels (coal).
About three-quarters of the world’s renewable energy comes from biomass. Bioenergy accounts for about 10 percent of total final energy consumption and two percent of global electricity production. In the United States and the European Union, bioenergy accounts for 60 percent of all renewable energy. In fact, over the past 20 years, bioenergy has been responsible for the most greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, largely in the form of bioheat, which has a 90 percent share of the EU’s renewable heat market.
“Today, our sector is taking what was once considered waste and instead improving forest health, creating jobs and reducing the risk of wildfires and greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of waste,” said WPAC Executive Director Gordon Murray.
“Wood pellets from British Columbia are a vital solution in the global fight against climate change, replacing fossil fuels like coal and providing a gateway to the bioeconomy.”
The study also looks at the impact of pellets both in the wider forestry sector and in communities such as Burns Lake, where the pellet mill has played an important role in tackling the mountain pine beetle outbreak, providing an outlet for local sawmills and low-quality roundwood and strengthening the local economy.
“As a community forest that surrounds a large portion of the community’s recreation area, if we weren’t practicing full use, we would be hearing about it in town from the public,” said Burns Lake Community Forest General Manager Frank Varga. The community forest is owned by the Village of Burns Lake, which shares revenue equally with the Tsi’lKazKoh and Wet’suwet’en First Nations communities.
“Without the Burns Lake Drax facility, we would not have a home for a significant component of our low-grade mining profile and the level of waste would not be socially acceptable.”
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