Canadian Biomass • Spring 2024 • Editorial

On a perfect 10 degree Celsius Sunday afternoon in April, my partner and I took our two dogs for a walk in the woods. We were looking for a new spot to explore and settled on Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Park, located not far from our home north of Toronto.

We loaded up Athena, our four-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, and Scout, our two-year old Labradoodle, into the car and set off. It’s not your typical provincial park, in that there are no staff and no facilities. “Currently, much of the reserve is planted to Red Pine, but future plans include restoring the native prairie ecosystem,” the Ontario Parks description reads

We saw some of the “future plans” in action, with part of the park fenced off and evidence of recent tree-clearing. In one open section, we ended up walking on top of what essentially looked like mulch — aka woody biomass.

This was just a few days after Canadian Biomass recognized the winners of its first awards program — so things like pellets and biofuels were a little more top of mind than usual. I also heard Gordon Murray’s voice echoing in my head.

Murray, executive-director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), was named 2024 Champion of the Year. In a panel discussion on the challenges facing the industry, one thing jumped to mind for him. “We’ve attracted some vocal critics who tend to ignore science and twist facts to their own purposes to show biomass in bad light. Often, these folks are skilled communicators who’ve succeeded in getting through to the regulators and are causing some stress.”

I’m not a tree hugger, nor am I devout forestry aficionado who takes joy in clear-cutting. If nothing else, I’m a pragmatist. Do we need wood? Yep. Lumber is one of the most practical (and renewable) resources we have. My house is framed with wood. The desk I’m typing this column on is wood. The floor under my feet is wood. It provides well-paying jobs for Canadians.

As we walked through the forest, the dogs darting around through the underbrush, I looked at the piles of woody biomass and thought about something Jamie Stephen, managing director of Torchlight and winner of honourable mention for 2024 Thought Leader of the Year, said: “Last year, our wildfires emitted 2.4 billion tons of CO2, which is 50 per cent more emissions than the entire history of the oil sands.”

Murray’s point on communication is worth repeating. The biomass industry will always have detractors, aggressively scouring for weak points and poor practices. Is the industry perfect? No. Are there bad apples? Sure, just like in any industry.

In an era where sustainability matters, where fully using resources and not wasting anything should be applauded and not skewered, this sector has a positive story to tell. Ensuring the industry’s voice is just as loud as the critics, and more accurate, can defuse a lot of the arguments. •