Domtar is indefinitely idling Howe Sound Pulp and Paper in Port Mellon, B.C., along with its Bayview Fibre chipping facility — ~400 jobs and 380,000 t/y of NBSK pulp capacity, citing weak Asian demand, sustained poor global pulp pricing, and declining affordable domestic fiber (Domtar, CTV News)
Finch Paper's Glens Falls, NY pulp mill closure is spurring efforts to develop alternative markets for low-grade wood and forestry residues across Vermont and the Northeast (Biomass Magazine)
Forestry & Timber
USDA formally moved to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, filing the proposal in the Federal Register this week — it would open up to ~45 million acres of national forest (including the Tongass) to road-building and timber harvest; public comments run through Sept. 21, and legal challenges are expected (ABC News)
U.S. lumber prices have climbed to a four-year high as mill curtailments and closures tighten supply (Global Wood Markets Info)
Wood Pellets
Power Wood Holdings secured up to C$84M from London-based Chair Capital to build two black-pellet plants in northern Alberta (Peace River near La Crête, Hay Meadow near High Level) — 700,000 t/y combined, processing wildfire-damaged and diseased wood into a coal substitute; a binding 10-year offtake agreement is a gateway condition (Paper Advance)
