fuels with fibre from Canada that would otherwise be burned. We are prepared to tackle challenges head on. We are also prepared to address concerns and answer questions about our commitment to sustainability. We are also prepared to address concerns and answer questions about our commitment to sustainability. This was one reason WPAC launched a new study that confirms wood pellets in British Columbia are sourced entire-ly from sawmill and harvest residuals or from low-quality logs and bush grind re-jected by other industries. Respected forest experts and Regis-tered Professional Foresters, Professor Gary Bull, Dr. Jeremy Williams, Dr. Jim Thrower and Mr. Brad Bennett analyzed government and industry databases, confi -dential commercial data, and audit reports and conducted personal interviews with individual pellet plant operators and local communities. “We reviewed the data for virtually ev-ery truckload of fibre for each pellet mill in the province and were able to source forest-based residuals down to the forest harvesting block for each mill,” said Bull. “The find -ings were clear: 85 per cent of the fibre for pellets comes from the by-products of the sawmills and allied industries, and the remaining 15 per cent comes from bush grind and low-quality logs where the only other option is to burn the low-grade logs and brush piles on site in order to reduce fire risk.” In addition, almost all pellets produced in B.C. are certified under the international recognized Sustainable Biomass Program and the fibre is from sustainably managed forests in B.C. certified under the Canadi -an Standards Association, the Forest Stew-ardship Council or the Sustainable Forest-ry Initiative. The conference brought us together to address challenges like these and to explore opportunities, triumphantly ev-idenced in the power of the partnerships between Indigenous nations, industry and all levels of government in communities from coast to coast that benefit not just the region, but Canada and the world. Today, the internet has opened a whole new world of opportunities to reach an audience, but as the saying goes, ‘A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on.’ Senior industry communications con-sultant Karen Brandt urged us at the con-ference “To spend 90 per cent of our time doing the good work; living up to our commitment to a better world and 10 per cent responding to the critics.” We’ve done a lot of good work; let’s keep the focus up. An entire planet and future generations are depending on us. • Gordon Murray is the executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Cana-da, www.pellet.org. CB_Conception RP_Fall22_CSA.indd 1 Canadian BIOMASS 2022-09-08 9:19 AM 9
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