Catalyst Paper has sold its Elk Falls industrial site and related assets to Quicksilver Resources Canada Inc., a Calgary-based corporation with extensive natural gas holdings.

The $8.6 million sale was signed and closed today.

Sale of the approximate 1,200-acre parcel includes a fully serviced, 400-acre industrial site and adjacent property near Campbell River, British Columbia.

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Lawyers for the Grassy Narrows First Nation have filed their appeal with the Supreme Court of Canada.

The appeal is concerning the recent Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision that the province has authority to issue logging permits on all public lands and forests in the province, including First Nations’ traditional lands.

“Grassy Narrows is determined to protect its treaty rights and to protect the integrity of our lands. (The lower court judge) made the right decision when she held the governments to the agreement they made with our people in 1873. We were gravely disappointed when the Court of Appeal disagreed. We hope that the Supreme Court of Canada will agree to hear our appeal and restore the trial judgment,” said Simon Fobister, the chief of Grassy Narrows.

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Nova Scotia has released a report that summarizes what Nova Scotians said are the best ways to use the 1.5-million acres of Crown land in the province’s western region to ensure sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for communities.

The report summarizes comments received at nine open-house consultations in March and April, at stakeholder meetings, and through online submissions.

“The responses we’ve heard confirm that Nova Scotians are passionate about land use,” said Natural Resources Minister Charlie Parker. “Overall, Nova Scotians have told us that they want to be involved in managing their land, that long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability is vital, and that they recognize different land uses need to be balanced.”

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Forestry professionals who want to practice in Saskatchewan’s public forests must now demonstrate their qualifications and competence through registration with their professional association, similar to other professions like engineers and agrologists.

On May 15, amendments to The Forestry Professions Act were proclaimed, legally establishing the right to practice for Registered Professional Foresters and Registered Professional Forest Technologists. Now, anyone practicing professional forestry on forested Crown lands must be registered with the Association of Saskatchewan Forestry Professionals (ASFP) or work under the supervision of a registered member.

The ASFP works to establish and maintain high standards of ethics and excellence for its members in the professional practice of forestry. The association is governed by a council of elected members and one public representative.

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Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is selling its controlling stake (51%) in Twin Rivers Paper Company to Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings.

Twin Rivers Paper Company operates paper mills in Edmundston, New Brunswick and Madawaska, Maine, USA, and a lumber mill in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.  The company was formed with the province of New Brunswick as a general partner and creditor after the bankruptcy of Fraser Papers in 2010.

Blue Wolf Capital Partners and Atlas Holdings previous owned the Northern Pulp mill in Nova Scotia.

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From ForestEthics:

On the third anniversary of the signing of the historic Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), environmental signatories are suspending further work with Resolute Forest Products. They remain committed to continuing their work with other signatory companies to plan for protection of critical Boreal woodland caribou habitat and sustainable forest management practices.

“We are very pleased with the groundbreaking solutions for conservation we have forged under the CBFA with companies such as Tembec, Alberta Pacific Forest Industries, and Millar Western Forest Products in northeastern Ontario and Alberta respectively,” said Janet Sumner of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

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Resolute Forest Products expressed the company’s disappointment that negotiations under the auspices of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) have broken down after three years of collaborative efforts.

Parties were unable to reach mutual agreement on a workable plan to jointly further conservation efforts while balancing environmental, social and economic considerations in the Canadian boreal forest.

The CBFA was signed by members of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), including Resolute, and a group of environmental organizations to establish a common framework to further support boreal conservation efforts while safeguarding the livelihood of thousands of citizens in communities that depend on healthy working forests.

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Saskatchewan has created a new provincial park, named Great Blue Heron Provincial Park.

The new park, Saskatchewan’s 35th, is located north of Prince Albert in the area of Anglin and Emma Lakes and protects a total area of 11,168 hectares and contains almost 300 campsites.

The area offers the best of both worlds in this meeting point of parkland and northern forests.  Located at the gateway to the boreal forest, the park allows for great wildlife viewing opportunities, activities ranging from picnicking and hiking in the summer to cross-country skiing or ice fishing in the winter.

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The investigation into the massive wildfires in Slave Lake two years ago is over and no charges have been laid.

On May 15, 2011, 40% of Slave Lake, Alberta was destroyed by wildfire.

Investigators believe the fire was likely caused by humans, but the RCMP have exhausted all their leads without being able to get enough evidence to press charges.

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No new brown spruce longhorn beetles have been found in New Brunswick since the single adult beetle was found in Kouchibouguac National Park in 2011.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will continue to monitor about 200 traps across New Brunswick.

There is still an infestation in Nova Scotia. There are restrictions in place to contain and restrict the movement of spruce materials leaving Nova Scotia.

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