More than $27 million in project grants that will help create jobs throughout British Columbia will also help increase the use of wood fibre that otherwise would have been burned as slash.
This was done by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. (FESBC), which distributes the grants, in partnership with the B.C. government and the Government of Canada.
“Nothing frustrates people more than seeing piles of slash go to waste rather than be used to help create jobs,” said Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Kahlon made the announcement at the Pacific BioEnergy plant in Prince George and was joined by industry and FESBC representatives, and Mackenzie Mayor Joan Atkinson.
These projects will employ forestry contractors, some of whom might otherwise be unemployed. In addition, it will help to employ mill workers who produce electricity, wood pellets and pulp at mills that produce these products specifically. As result, more wood waste will be turned into electricity, heat energy and pulp products to help achieve B.C.’s and Canada’s climate change targets.
This latest round of grants by the society cover 38 different projects in British Columbia, with individual grant amounts ranging from $16,980 to $1.5 million (see backgrounder for details about the projects). As of Nov. 13, 2019, about $230 million have been provided by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. to support 251 approved projects.
Projects funded by the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. help minimize wildfire risks, enhance wildlife habitat, improve low-value and damaged forests, re-plant damaged forests and use fibre for green energy production. Many of these projects also result in carbon benefits and contribute to climate change mitigation.
“Supporting greater utilization of fibre and improving greenhouse gas management are two of our key objectives,” said Wayne Clogg, board chair of the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. “These 38 projects will help achieve these objectives while supporting rural communities. We are very pleased to work with the provincial government on projects that support important climate action goals.”
Learn More:
Forest Enhancement Society of B.C.: http://www.fesbc.ca
Background on projects funded can be viewed here
No comments:
Post a Comment