FPAC Bio-pathways Carbon Neutrality Forest products industry aims to reduce its carbon footprint. By Isabelle des Chenes, Vice-President Market Relations, FPAC C arbon dioxide, that simple chemical compound of two oxygen and one carbon atom, has been rebranded as the greenhouse gas believed to be a major culprit in causing global warming and cli-mate change. The forest products industry has a complex relationship with carbon – on the one hand storing it in the forest ecosys-tem and on the other spewing it out when burning fossil fuels at its mills. Now, as part of its environmental leadership, the industry is working hard to rebalance that equation to limit its carbon footprint and help mitigate climate change. The Canadian forest products sector is globally recognized for its accomplishments on the environmental front: having the most third-party certified forests in the world by far; regenerating forests; attempting to maxi-mize the value of every tree harvested; re-ducing greenhouse gas emissions and using cleaner energy. The forest products industry is a leader in co-generation, also known as com-bined heat and power, which is far more effi-cient than conventional electricity generation because smaller amounts of fuel are required and fewer greenhouse gases are emitted. To top it off, the industry has set a new bar for environmental responsibility and action on climate change by pledging to be carbon neutral through the life cycle of its products by 2015, without the purchase of offset credits. Achieving carbon neutrality generally involves three steps: measure the existing carbon footprint; develop targeted goals to reduce emissions; and buy offsets to achieve zero net emissions. Canada’s forest products sector has completed the first step, is working on the second step – and aims to avoid the third. In 2007, FPAC commissioned the Na-tional Council for Air and Stream Improve-ment to produce a groundbreaking research report, The Greenhouse Gas and Carbon Air System Experts Biomass ◆ Boardplants Power generation ◆ Pulp & Paper Sawmills ◆ Materials handling ◆ Mining Allied brings 35+ years experience in industrial air systems. Allied’s combination of design, supply, installation & maintenance services provides lower project cost, on-time completion, smoother start-up and less downtime – adding value and safety to your operation. Profile of the Canadian Forest Products In-dustry. Canada’s forest industry became the first in the world to assess its total carbon profile throughout the entire value chain. Investigators analyzed direct emissions from mills, most resulting from the combus-tion of fossil fuels. They also explored indirect emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, as well those related to harvesting and transporting raw materials and products. They looked at carbon sequestration, both in the forest products industry value chain and in carbon stored in forest products. The carbon profile has provided FPAC, its members and its partners with a roadmap on how to reduce emissions and store more car-bon through the entire carbon cycle – from the forest to product manufacturing to end use through to disposal. This includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by switching to re-newable energy sources in mills or by improv-ing transportation networks. In the forest, car-bon storage may be increased by planting faster growing trees, or through alternative harvesting and planning techniques that consider carbon along with other values such as biodiversity. As emerging economies improve the standard of living and quality of life for their citizens, demand will increase for many wood-based products. This will exert even greater pressure on global ecosystems. However, markets can be comforted by the fact that forest products from Canada come from an environmentally responsible industry striving to be carbon neutral. And Canadians walking in the woods can feel proud that Canada’s forest products industry is a world i>`iÀÊÊÀi`ÕV}ÊÌÃÊV>ÀLÊvÌ«ÀÌ°ÊU Isabelle Des Chênes is vice-president of market relations and communications for FPAC. With more than two decades of ]ph]ja]f[]$k`]akj]khgfkaZd]^gjÚd]kY^^][laf_l`]]fnajgf -mental reputation and market acceptance of Canadian pulp, paper and wood products in international markets. She is also j]khgfkaZd]^gj>H9;kljY\]Úd]k& SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 Safety Quality Value Surrey,BC ◆ Vernon,BC ◆ WilliamsLake,BC ◆ Edmonton,Alberta ◆ Prince Albert, Sask www.alliedblower.com ◆ Phone: 800-576-3611 10 Canadian BIOMASS
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