Biomass in the Yukon Myles H Thorp RPF Executive Director Yukon Wood Products Association 867-335-1914 http://www.yukonwoodproducts.org/index.html

Yukon Wood Products Association The Yukon Wood Products Association (YWPA) is a non-profit society formed in 2007 to represent Wood Products industry in the Yukon We are unique because we are a local grassroots association with strong commitments to the communities we live and work in. Our membership is committed to an economically viable forest industry that promotes healthy forests and sound forest management regimes

Mission Statement Be the voice of the forest industry in the Yukon. The association works with all levels of Government, stakeholders, fellow members and the public to advance a strong and viable forest industry, The YWPA will represent its members in policy development with all levels of Government, (regulation streamling and biomass strategy)

Mission cont’d The YWPA will be the forest industry representative at public forums such as land use planning commissions, forest resource management planning and any other forum that affects the association and its members, The association will promote effective communications throughout its membership, stakeholders, and Governments.

Biomass perspectives Four things to think about: Where we have been Influences for success Where to from here A little bit about climate change

Where we’ve Been The OLD is becoming The NEW

The clearcut

note regenerated tree to right

Influences for Success what government does At Devolution on April 1, 2003 Forest Management came under Territorial control and management Pre devolution Forest Management was done under the authority of a regulation attached to the Federal Lands Act Clearly inadequate for a modern forest management regime and the social expectations for forest management in the 21st century

Governments: Create certainty for industry and citizens alike By making forest management policy 2011 Forest Resources Act Planning = consultation processes AAC Determinations and TSA Authorizations (licenses and permits) Stumpage and fees Compliance and enforcement (rules)

Consultation and Planning Planning Level   Strategic Forest Resource Management Plans Broad strategic direction; at the Traditional Territory scale Tactical Landscape and Timber Harvesting Plans Planning at the watershed level shows where cut blocks and roads will be located in the context of other values Operational Prescriptions Site plans, Resource harvesting blocks and personal use areas, Specific to resource harvesting units. (cut block) Outlines soil conservation, reforestation, season of harvesting etc. Planning is consultation forest resources is all forest resources

FRA brings Regime certainty regime uncertainty is more than normal business investment uncertainty Planning identifies (If forestry - where) Provides for success in YESAA reviews (mitigations and sustainability) Provides social acceptance of Annual Allowable Cuts (how much) Provides access to resources with certainty that feed stock (timber) is available and accessible (rules and certainty) Provides certainty to citizens of the Yukon that rules will be obeyed and there are consequences for breaking them (enforcement)

Where are we headed Three Forest Resource Management Plans approved: Haines Junction, Teslin and Dawson Whitehorse Southern Lakes FRMP is underway with Three First Nations and FMB AAC completed in Teslin (25,000 m3) and AAC process in HJ CAFN developing forest policy and legislation for settlement lands

Biomass Strategy Adopted in February 2016 $60,000,000.00 spent on fuel and electricity for heat 75% or $50,000,000.00 on imported fossil fuels for heat The forest industry in Yukon is a biomass energy industry

1999 Yukon Housing Survey House Heating in Whitehorse Southern Lakes Region Per cent Households Wood primary heating fuel 15.7% 1,339 Pellets primary heating fuel 0.6% 52 Wood secondary heating fuel 17.9% 1,526 Pellets secondary heating fuel 1.4% 119 (In 2012 there were 11,000 households identified ) 100.0% 8,540

Fuel/energy source Units per GJ Efficiency Price Cost/GJ Wood 0.053 cords/GJ About 7 ft3 60% $275/cord $24.51 Electricity 277.8 kWh/GJ 100% $0.15/kWh $41.67 Fuel Oil 26.2 litres/GJ About 7 gallons 80% $1.10/litre $35.99

Harvesting authorizations District and Who Number of tenures Cubic meters or Cords Whitehorse Personal Use Commercial Fox Lake 889 24 12,139m3 or 5,353 cords 5,302m3 or 2,305 cords Haines Junction Commercial 259 43 3,774 m3 or 1,665 cords 30,330 m3 or 13,345 cords Totals 1,215 51,545m3 or 22,668 cords

Why Optimistic about the future Wood is a renewable, sustainable and carbon neutral source of energy Harvesting it creates local jobs, contribute to the economy Lower cost and stable cost fuel for energy production Demand for biomass is growing Reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels

Optimism cont’d Wood chip boilers next step towards energy independence in the Yukon There are YWPA members working on combined heat and power systems for Watson Lake right now

Done differently now In 1938 the industry was labour intensive

2015 Hurlburt Firewood decks and distribution yard

Log processing and splitting

Today: We can and do receive licenses to harvest Potential for long term tenures (10+ 10yrs) This provides certainty that we can deliver the wood/biomass These are jobs in the Yukon Estimate about 86 commercial operators in the Territory about 65 in the Whitehorse market

Today cont’d The Market is growing and will continue to grow Because it is renewable and carbon neutral Cheaper in the long term Today we can deliver the firewood in quantity, the next level of diversification will be providing manufactured wood chips for heat and electricity

Market Diversification

In closing some thoughts about Climate Change

Climate effects

The reset is coming Whitehorse is surrounded by old forest ready for reset Fire hazard risk management critical in warmer dryer climate Large scale hazard reduction required The biomass removed needs a home (cordwood and chips)

10 minutes

Whitehorse Clearcut in 1930’s to 50’s

What the forest looked like 50 years ago

Summary Biomass use has been around in Yukon for a long time Forest are ecologically resilient to disturbance Fire, wind, insects, logging New Forest Resources Act and Biomass strategy. Provide regime certainty Demand for wood/biomass is growing

Summary cont’d Future is for more heat and some electricity from wood Climate is changing and we have a renewable, carbon neutral source of energy in the Yukon Carbon capture cycle already started in our second growth logged forests along the Yukon River We will reduce fossil fuel dependence and contribute to reduce carbon emissions

Thank you for listening