Category Archives: Misc.

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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Nova Scotia author Libby Broadbent has written a novel about life in a forestry town after the mill closes.

ForestTalk asked Libby to describe her book for us:

I am a high school teacher and author living in Liverpool, NS where it has been almost a full year since Resolute Forest Products shut our Bowater Paper Mill. It’s been tough, but we’re still kicking, because that’s what we do here in Nova Scotia. Big corporations pull the plug on industries we have relied on for decades, hundreds of people are suddenly jobless, the oil sands beckon our men away… but we still laugh, we still pay our bills, and sometimes we enjoy a little karaoke on the weekends.

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Resolute Forest Products (formerly known as AbitibiBowater) closed its Gatineau, Quebec operation in August 2010, laying off 330 employees.

The mill will reopen in June as a lower cost operation with just 1 paper machine and a co-generation power plant. Only 130 workers will be employed.

The newsprint will be sold in North American and overseas.

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Catalyst Paper’s President and CEO, Kevin J. Clarke, will step down from his position later this spring.

Clarke told the company that with the company’s recent restructuring completed successfully, now is the right time for a leadership transition.

“Kevin steered Catalyst through a pivotal three years and the Board of Directors extends its appreciation to him,” said Chairman Les Lederer. “Under his leadership, the company intensified its focus on stakeholder relationships which culminated in the rapid completion of a reorganization plan that significantly improved Catalyst’s balance sheet and cost structure.

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Two Nova Scotia mills have formed an agreement to work together.

Port Hawkesbury Paper will be renovating its wood room this spring.  During that same time period, Northern Pulp will be down for a 10 day maintenance shutdown.

So, the companies have agreed to word together.  Northern Pulp will provide wood chips for Port Hawkesbury Paper while their wood room is under renovations.

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M. Jack Sanders has taken over as president and chief executive officer of Sonoco following his election by the company’s board of directors. Sanders, 59, succeeds Harris E. DeLoach Jr., who retired as CEO after a 27-year career with the company. As announced in December, DeLoach, 68, remains Sonoco’s executive chairman of the board.

“I’m extremely proud and honored to be elected to lead such a great company,” said Sanders, who is only the company’s eighth CEO in its 114 year history. “Sonoco was founded on creativity, hard work, a spirit of innovation and a focus on satisfying our customers while creating value for our shareholders. We want to continue building on past successes and defining a new future for this exceptional company.”

A graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, Sanders joined Sonoco in 1988 as national sales and marketing manager for the company’s Reels business. In 1992, he was asked to build and lead the development of Sonoco’s new Protective Packaging business as its general manager and in 1998 was promoted to division vice president and general manager.

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Mario Plourde has been named as the successor to Alain Lemaire, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cascades.

Plourde is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Cascades.  The transfer will take place on May 9, following a two-year transition period.

Lemaire will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors.  Alain Lemaire’s brothers, Bernard and Laurent, will also remain active in the company,  continuing to serve on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, and participating in the company’s strategic planning.

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Resolute Forest Products’ Board of Directors has nominated Michel P. Desbiens and Jennifer C. Dolan to stand for election as new board members.

Desbiens and Dolan will join 7 other current members of the board standing for re-election at Resolute’s upcoming annual meeting of stockholders on May 16, 2013 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Richard B. Evans, currently the company’s non-executive chairman, has determined that he would retire, and would not stand for re-election. The board has recommended Bradley P. Martin, a current member, to serve as Resolute’s new [non-executive] chairman, and Alain Rhéaume, also a current member, as lead director.

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Town hall meeting
Thursday February 28, 2013
6pm – Nechako Room, Coast Inn of the North, 770 Brunswick St, Prince George, BC

Organized by the BC Federation of Labour, with the support of the BCGEU, United Steelworkers, CEP and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

BC’s unionized forestry workers are inviting concerned Prince George citizens to a town hall meeting on Thursday February 28 starting at 6pm to discuss and find solutions to the ongoing crisis in BC forests.

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The U.S. Lumber Coalition has released the following press release:

The U.S. Lumber Coalition is seriously concerned by the recent announcement of log export policy changes in British Columbia (BC), particularly an increase in the “fee in lieu of domestic manufacturing” applied to many log exports that will take effect on March 1.

Log export restrictions have the effect of insulating BC lumber mills from world market prices for logs, which have increased significantly in recent years as China and other countries have increased their demand for North American logs. The recent announcement of measures to tighten log export restrictions on the BC Coast will allow BC lumber producers to pay even further below-market prices for their log inputs.

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