In Canada, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has allocated CA$2 737 764 in grants for four projects that will support forestry contractors and increase the use of wood fibre that othe1wise would have been burned. The announcement was made by the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson at the Western Forestry Contractors' Association (WFCA) conference in Prince George on January 30, 2020.

These projects will turn wood waste from slash piles into wood pellets and pulp products, and they will help achieve B.C. ‘s and Canada’s climate change targets. The grants are being allocated as follows:
- Skeena Bioenergy Ltd (CA$408 320) to use about 22 000 m3 of material from slash piles to make wood pellets in the Coast Mountains Natural Resource District
- Taan Forest Products (CA$1 080 000) to use about 51 000 m3 of material from slash piles to make pulp for use in paper products in the Haida Gwaii Natural Resource District
- Skookumchuck Pulp Inc. (CA$880 000) to use about 110 000 m3 of material from slash piles to make pulp for use in paper products in the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District
- RPP Holdings Inc. (CA$369 450) to use about 36 000 m3 of material from slash piles to make pulp for use in paper products in the Quesnel Natural Resource District
The most recent round of grants by the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), announced in November 2019, covered 38 different projects in British Columbia, with individual grant amounts ranging from CA$16 980 to CA$1.5 million.
Our government’s focus is creating jobs in the forest sector by getting the most out of the fibre that comes out of our public forests. Our partnership with the Forest Enhancement Society of BC is making sure that more fibre gets turned into viable products -supporting good jobs in rural B.C. -and less is left on the forest floor, said Minister Donaldson.
As of January 30, 2020, the FESBC has supported 250 projects valued at CA$233 million, in partnership with the British Columbia (BC) government and the Government of Canada.
As I’ve travelled around the province, I’ve seen first-hand how these grants from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC are making a difference in our communities. It’s encouraging to see wood debris diverted from slash piles and used to make value-added products instead, said Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
Projects funded by the FESBC help minimize wildfire risks, enhance wildlife habitat, improve low-value and damaged forests, re-plant damaged forests and utilize fibre for green energy production. Many of these projects also result in carbon benefits and contribute to climate change mitigation. ”
Assisting the Province to reduce greenhouse gases, add value to forest fibre and maintain jobs for workers and communities are some of our key objectives. There are many society-funded projects throughout B.C. that are making a difference right now. The amount of biomass that will not be burned as slash-but instead used this winter season to fuel a greener economy -is expected to exceed 1.6 million cubic metres by March 2020. Funding has been committed to continuing some of these projects to 2022 to further help forest workers and communities who are most in need, said Wayne Clogg, Board Chair, Forest Enhancement Society of BC.