Climate change could mean Alberta cuts more fire-killed trees for timber

When a natural disturbance hits Alberta's timber supply — like forest fires — forestry companies may decide it's still economically worthwhile to go and salvage the burned trees. 

There's a small window of about two years to harvest, before the wood fiber twists, cracks and rots, making it economically worthless. 

Since 2016, Alberta has harvested approximately 20 million cubic metres of timber each year, which is enough to fill 8,000 Olympic swimming pools, but the proportion of that from salvaged logging can vary, according to data from the Alberta government. 

Some years, fire-killed trees make up less than one per cent of the total harvest, but some years it's substantially more. Between May 2019 to April 2020, fire-killed trees were almost 20 per cent of the total harvest. 

[GRAPH]

The reason it varies is due to economics, said Ken Greenway, executive director of Forest Stewardship and Trade with the Ministry of Forestry and Parks.

It can depend on whether the burned wood is easily accessible or if there's a high price for lumber. 

"The biggest thing is what kind of wood burned," he said. 

"It may have never been harvestable, so it may never have been salvageable."

While cutting through the char can damage equipment, there are economic benefits for companies, such as less government royalties. 

"It's explicit recognition that there's extra costs to harvesting burned timber and potentially a lower product value," said Greenway. 

The intensity of the burn also impacts what the wood can be used for. In most cases, using it for pulp can be tricky, as char can contaminate it, said Aspen Dudzic, director of communications at the Alberta Forest Products Association.   

While fire-killed timber is not always top quality, Dudzic said it's great for smaller projects, like fence posts and garden boxes. 

It's also frequently used for wood pellet products and biomass to energy opportunities, said Dudzic.