Forest fire impacts timber destined for proposed wood pellet plant in Enterprise
Burned trees along Highway 6 to Fort Resolution may still be harvestable
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, July 13, 2015
DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION
A forest fire along Highway 6 to Fort Resolution has burned trees destined for a proposed wood pellet mill in Enterprise.
Don Harrison: General manager of Timberworks Inc. in Fort Resolution. |
Don Harrison, general manager of Timberworks Inc. in Fort Resolution, said the fire impacted about 27,000 cubic metres of timber in a 3.92 square-kilometre area.
"Now, whether or not it can be used for the pellet operation, we're uncertain of that," he said on July 3. "It depends on when the pellet mill gets up and running."
Harrison explained that when such burned wood gets two-or-three-years old, it becomes very dry and develops cracks and flaws.
"What happens when you harvest it, it just breaks up," he noted. "It just goes to chunks of wood."
Hay River businessman Brad Mapes, who is behind the mill in Enterprise, hopes some of the burned timber can be harvested.
Mapes also said it would have to be harvested in three years at most.
"It also depends on how severe the burn is," he pointed out.
Harrison said the timber can still be harvested as firewood if it is not suitable for the pellet mill, but it cannot be used as saw logs to make lumber.
The fire is in the Pine Point area, about 65 km from Fort Resolution, and it has burned on both sides of the road.
Harrison said the timber in the area - pine and black spruce - is to be for the first year of harvesting for the pellet mill.
"It's accessible and the volumes were there," he said, adding the fire impacted about one-tenth of that specific area targeted for harvesting.
Timberworks Inc. has harvesting planned in five areas, each with about five years worth of work.
"We don't have any plans on moving to another area right now," Harrison said, adding the burned area will be assessed to see if the timber is salvageable.
As of July 6, the fire, which is believed to have been started by lightning on June 24, covered 109 square kilometres and was out of control. It was being fought by 25 firefighters, four helicopters and four bulldozers.
Mapes is worried about other forest fires over the summer impacting harvesting plans.
"Definitely it's a concern," he said, although he added his first concern is for the safety of communities.
"Secondly, the harvest areas in Fort Resolution, some of the fires are on there and it is an issue with our harvesting."
However, Mapes said he has confidence in the firefighters with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Plus, he said other areas can be harvested if a fire affects an area.
Mapes said the timber along Highway 6 will be the first area to be harvested for the wood pellet mill.
"All the other fires in the last two years, none has been in our harvest areas," he said. "It's pretty amazing."
Despite some recent rain, Harrison said Timberworks Inc. is also worried that a hot, dry fire season could mean some of the wood supply may be lost.
"It's a concern, that's for sure," he said.
Timberworks Inc. is a joint venture of Deninu Ku'e First Nation and the Fort Resolution Metis Council to supply the wood pellet mill with raw material.
Mapes said the proposal to build the plant in Enterprise has been delayed a little bit by the process of purchasing land from the hamlet. However, he is still hoping to do some land clearing this summer, and the target for the mill to be operational remains 2017.
When the mill is in operation, harvesting in Fort Resolution will create 36 direct jobs.
Other jobs will be created at the mill itself and at another harvesting effort in Fort Providence for an estimated total of 110 direct jobs in the region.
