Research (yale.edu) shows…

Research (yale.edu) shows that burning wood pellets releases as much or even more carbon dioxide per unit of energy as burning coal, so in order for burning pellets to be carbon-neutral the carbon emitted into the atmosphere has to be recaptured in regenerated forests. It has recently been reported that Canada's forests now emit more carbon than they absorb. We are obviously not doing a good job in the regenerated forest department.

I understand that many Canadian provinces including Ontario are logging whole trees from primary forests to meet the growing demand for wood pellets. One of the key objectives (objective 3) of this action plan includes, “streamline permitting and reduce regulatory burden for all sectors which use forest biomass,” which is concerning because that essentially means there would be fewer environmental checkpoints.

Expanding the forest-biomass industry, particularly the wood pellet sector, to provide low-carbon jobs in replacement of fossil fuel jobs isn’t valid. Amidst an ever growing climate crisis, we simply can’t afford to keep chopping down forests to make a fuel that emits immense amounts of carbon dioxide. Moreover, it can take centuries for forests to regain the majority of their carbon storage after being logged. Once again, wood pellets are a false climate solution.

Please stop the expansion of the wood pellet industry.