Funding Awarded to Valley Carriers for Forest Enhancement Project

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) has recently awarded Valley Carriers with funding for the Bush Grind Project, which is a partnership with the First Nations forestry company Stuwix Resources Joint Venture. This innovative initiative seeks to harness the untapped potential within B.C.’s forests, addressing the dual challenge of sustainable residue management and the rising demand for wood fiber-based products. The Bush Grind Project will focus on grinding waste materials that would have traditionally been burned in the forest and will instead recover the forestry residuals and maximize the resource by transforming them into value-added products.

The Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) funds projects that encourage diversity and innovation by the forest sector to utilize uneconomical residual fibre located on provincial crown land. FESBC is committed to fund projects that increase residual fibre utilization by non-lumber producing facilities, utilize fibre from fire and insect damaged stands and minimize emissions associated with open burning. Steve Kozuki, Executive Director of the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), said at a press event that the funding provided by FESBC is proof of the provincial government’s “drive to foster environmental sustainability and community wildfire risk reduction.”

“Their support of these transformative projects demonstrates their commitment to helping communities reduce their risk of catastrophic wildfire events and transforming waste wood into green energy and sustainable products.”

Ben Klassen, CEO at Valley Carriers, said the funding will allow the maximum utilization of important resources.

“Partnering with Stuwix, we are able to provide five to seven additional local jobs and fulfill the value of maximizing their resources through non-traditional markets,” he said. “Further, this will help us transform logging residuals into value-added products utilized by the agricultural, pulp, and clean energy industries in B.C.”

This project is a significant stride toward sustainable forestry practices in our province and showcases our unwavering commitment to a more environmentally responsible and resource-efficient future. 

 

 

Excerpts from original press releases: FESBC, Merritt Herald