Bioeconomy

Forest bio-economy research supports the government and industry’s needs associated with new technology. As traditional pulp demand for paper products has decreased with the advent of Internet-based media, new and innovative ways are being researched to build out a circular supply chain that utilizes renewable wood product.

Commercially Important Wild Mushrooms and Fungi of British Columbia - TR6

Information collected from wild mushroom buyers in British Columbia in early spring indicated that over species of mushrooms have been commercially harvested from the forests of the province. Currently, however, two species-pine mushroom and Pacific golden chanterelle-dominate, and seven other species or species groups are handled by half of the buyers responding to the survey. Some of the fungi previously thought to be commercially harvested in British Columbia are in fact brought in from elsewhere. Also, misidentifications and taxonomic uncertainty in some cases mean that the exact identity of the fungi being harvested is not known. Nonetheless, this survey confirms that a variety of edible wild mushrooms from B.C. forests are commercially marketed.

Non-Timber Forest Products, Tourism, and Small Scale Forestry Income Opportunities and Constraints - TR63

The purpose of this guide is to assist owners and managers of small-scale forest operations in assessing whether, and how, tourism services combined with non-timber forest products may provide a more marketable "package" than products alone. This guide also provides a list of references and other resources for those interested in pursuing NTFP-based tourism opportunities.

Understanding Non-timber Forest Products Activity on the Land Base - LMH62

The guide provides a reference for land managers interested in the NTFPs currently or potentially harvested from their forests. It is written for all forest land managers in British Columbia, including those looking after forest land in community forests, native claim areas, tree farm licences, woodlot licences, parks, municipal forests, and private lands. The guide may also be a useful reference for associations of forest industry participants and for government and policy makers.

Compatible Management of Timber and Pine Mushrooms - LMH64

Compatible management is the practice of managing forests for both timber and non-timber values, including non-timber forest products (Titus et al. 2004). This series of guidebooks developed out of a survey conducted in 2006, in which a wide range of participants in the forestry sector provided their views on the opportunities for, and barriers to, compatible management (Cocksedge et al., [2010]). Incorporating non-timber forest products within forest management can provide social, ecological, and financial benefits for land managers and surrounding communities and ecosystems. The purpose of the guidebook series is to provide a concise overview of the key issues and concerns for each topic, and to suggest resources that can help forest managers overcome some of the barriers to the compatible management they have identified.

To manage two or more forest resources on a specific land base, reliable inventories of each resource must be available. Although pine mushrooms are an important and highly sought-after forest resource, unlike other forest resources, there are no provincial standards or collection of inventory for this species.

The purpose of this guide is to describe the scientific and technical approach to understanding pine mushroom habitat and the compatible management of pine mushrooms and timber. To actually implement compatible management also takes integration of social, economic, and other ecological values, which are beyond the scope of this paper. However, a well-designed harvest plan as presented in this report should allow for both timber and pine mushrooms with little impact on timber supply.

Non-timber Forest Product Development in British Columbia’s Community Forests and Small Woodlands: Constraints and Potential Solutions - LMH67

The British Columbia Inter-agency Non-timber Forest Resources (IANTFR) Committee was established in January 2006 to facilitate a co-ordinated approach to non-timber forest resource management in the province. The Ministry of Forests and Range and Ministry of Agriculture and Lands co-chair the IANTFR Committee. Other government partners include or have included what are now the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and the Ministry of Community and Rural Development (names of some Ministries have changed since 2006). Representatives from the First Nations Forestry Council and the First Nations Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative have participated in committee meetings. The Centre for Livelihoods and Ecology (formerly the Centre for Non-Timber Resources) at Royal Roads University provides expert advice and support services to the Committee. The Ministry of Forests and Range also contributes to the Committee by providing staff time and expertise, and resources to produce publications.

The goals of the Committee are (1) to improve communication and co-ordination across the provincial government, and (2) to advise government on issues related to non-timber forest resource management in British Columbia. The IANTFR Committee members have produced a communication strategy that includes the production of publications designed to improve awareness about non-timber forest resources so that they are managed appropriately.

Our Logs’ Story from Truck to Product - EN107

Industry and government agencies are looking to diversify the mix of products from British Columbia¡¦s timber harvest as part of industry renewal and to improve sector competitiveness. To get the greatest value from every tree, we need to understand the current and historical use of logs, the supply and demand dynamics of different products, and the supply of wood fibre for potential new uses. However, there are conflicting estimates of the amount of fibre available from mill or harvest residues.

There is one estimate of 6.5 million tonnes production of mill residues in 2004, with 1.8 million tonnes per year surplus. A different study estimated 9.3 million tonnes per year production of mill residues in British Columbia. An older study estimated 7.9 million tonnes of wood and pulp residues, of which 2.2 million was surplus.

Traditionally, trees, logs, and different products have been measured in unique units, such as board feet for lumber, square feet for plywood, or gigajoules (GJ) for energy. In this report, we include the traditional units and a common metric of tonnes of oven-dry biomass. Biomass is the weight of organic material, be it wood or paper.

It varies for different volumes of wood depending on the density and moisture content. Price provides a good example of a common metric that allows comparison across product lines.

By using biomass as a common metric, we can follow the fibre in a log from the hauling truck through different types of mills and into various products. We can use this information to assess efficiency and opportunities for higher-value or longer-lived products. We can also attribute a value (e.g., price per tonne of biomass) to help inform us on the optimal use of wood. For example, does an increase in the total value of forest products indicate that more biomass was used or that the price of one or several products increased?

Because we know how much biomass is harvested from British Columbia’s forests each year, the sum total of the products and waste should add up to the same amount. If they do not add up, then we can use that information to identify gaps in our data and opportunities to improve our knowledge of the forestry sector.

Using Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Sustainability of British Columbia’s Forestbased Bioeconomy - TR101

There is a growing interest world-wide in an economy more firmly based on bioenergy and bioproducts (i.e., the bioeconomy). Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the standard approach for evaluating environmental effects of bioeconomic activities, and therefore is a key component of product certification, market acceptance, and policy development. Given the importance of LCA as an evaluation tool, we provide an overview of LCA principles and methodology with respect to the wood-based bioeconomy in British Columbia, Canada and discuss the evolving efforts within the LCA community to address questions of carbon footprints, land-use change, soil productivity, and biodiversity. Considering the integration among global, national, and local bioeconomies, we conclude that opportunities to benefit from British Columbia's significant biomass resource would be furthered if LCA approaches are developed and incorporated into planning, investment, and decision making. Furthermore, British Columbia's highly regarded forest management regime provides a starting point for evaluating sustainability, but additional information would be needed to carry out the types of assessments that are needed within LCA. A co-ordinated effort by government, academia, and industries who participate in the bioeconomy to explore life cycle thinking would encourage the development of expertise with LCA techniques and improve Life Cycle Inventory databases.