Comment
I live near what is left of Ontario's old-growth boreal forest. I've viewed the destructive forestry industry's clear-cuts, lack of tree replanting, the vast garbage dumped and left by cutters for close to 70 years. Now, to learn of the Ford government's plan to allow expansion of the wood pellet industry to provide alternative employment for fossil fuel workers. This is complete convoluted thinking (or total lack of thinking) just to provide jobs in an industry that dumps more carbon into the atmosphere than what it's replacing. That is NOT in the best interest of Ontarians, or anyone, other than for the profit margins for the forestry industry.
I constantly view truck loads of chipped wood headed to my local mill for pellet production or to provide energy to run the pulp mill. I also view MASSIVE piles of 'waste wood'-a few were 1-1 1/2 stories high that are left in the 'bush' and are burned during the winter. Yet, forest industries claim to be utilizing waste wood for pellet production. I believe that's not truthful in the least, having seen otherwise.
I would truly like the present Ontario government to view an article published by the Yale School of the Environment https://e360.yale.edu/features/wood_pellets_green_energy_or_new_source_…. Also, the Rachel Carson Center has a study regarding what it calls “the fallacies and economic and political injustices surrounding the industry,” at https://rachelcarsoncouncil.org/clear-cut/.
I insist that the present provincial government should immediately start to re-examine the Draft Forest Biomass Action Plan and pay attention to the long-term outcome of cutting forests to produce wood pellets. It reflects extremely poor judgement for all Ontarians, and does not produce nor keep significant numbers of forest industry employment - despite what ministries claim.
Submitted June 16, 2021 11:56 AM
Comment on
Ontario’s Draft Forest Biomass Action Plan
ERO number
019-3514
Comment ID
55474
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status