Increased Fibre Utilization in Kispiox TSA

This project ensured the utilization of residual waste fibre that would otherwise have been burnt in the Kispiox Timber Supply Area (TSA) near Hazelton. Instead, the fibre was delivered to Kitimat and then barged to the coastal pulp mills. Since the closure of the last local pulp mill in the early 2000s, forestry in Northwest B.C. has been a very difficult business. A combination of high operating costs and low value fibre means that, in order to sustain a viable business, they often have to make the difficult decision of leaving the pulp on the block to be burned. Leaving the pulp is, in many cases, the only solution as there is not enough profit made from the sawlog portion of the profile to justify the incremental costs of skidding, processing, loading, and hauling pulp (along with the increased road maintenance costs). This is especially difficult within the Kispiox TSA, where there are minimal processing facilities and a timber profile that is dominated by low value hemlock. This project helped to avoid pile burning so there were fewer greenhouse gas emissions. This contributed to the achievement of B.C.'s and Canada's climate change targets.