Canadian Biomass Awards: Project of the Year, Palmer Project

By Canadian Biomass Staff

In 2017, B.C. wildfires destroyed approximately 1.2 million hectares of forest. The devastation left behind in the Palmer Lake, B.C. area was severe. More than 100,000 hectares of dense pine forest burned during those fires. Afterwards, the combination of massive buildups of fire-killed pine trees along with dense new growth – at levels as high as 100,000 pine seedlings growing per hectare – were creating an unhealthy environment for forest recovery. It was also creating a stockpile of potential kindling for the next round of wildfires. 

“It’s been a mess left behind from those wildfires. The trees are starting to fall over. Animals won’t go through there. You can’t use the area,” explains Daniel Persson, forestry superintendent for Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd. (CCR) based in Williams Lake, B.C.

To improve these conditions, CCR developed a treatment plan that would optimize the recovery of useable wood fibre while reducing future wildfire risk and creating an environment where the forest could thrive once again.  

“We started brainstorming internally on how we could find a way to utilize this fibre. Tŝi Del Del Biomass, in partnership with CCR, made some significant investments on new equipment, including a flail chipper, and then trialled an area to see if we can make pulp products on top of the hog products that we’re making with the grinder. It proved itself pretty successful,” Daniel says.

To date, CCR has treated approximately 1,000 acres of the dead pine forests and another 1,000 hectares of fire-killed fir stands. 

“We’re going full tilt, treating as much as we can, creating employment, too,” Daniel says. “We’ll have only treated roughly two per cent of this dead area of pine. So, we’re hoping that we can continue this for a long time to come.”

One of the ways that CCR has found a home for the fire-killed fibre is through pulp mills, which Daniel says was a huge breakthrough.

“Nobody’s really done that before, and the pulp mills were reluctant at the start to buy any loads of pulp, but we got them to trial it with us. The more we sent them, the happier they got. Now we’re doing it on a large scale,” he says.

Since the areas that CCR are harvesting are largely single-species stands, it makes harvesting operations much simpler. However, the company is regularly running into the challenge of running out of permits.

“The hard part for us is getting government agencies on board where the land needs to be treated,” says Joe Webster, manager of Tŝi Del Del Biomass. “For us, starting and stopping all the time, we can’t fulfill our contractual obligation that the pulp mill gave us.”

He adds that it’s difficult to retain an experienced team if you’re constantly forced to lay people off due to unnecessary work stoppages.

“Operationally, it’s really difficult when you stand on a hill, and all you see is 100,000 hectares around you of pine trees, and you wonder why you’re not continuing on,” Joe says.

Initiatives like the Palmer Project, which pairs fibre utilization and wildfire risk reduction, is the only scalable solution to wildfire risk reduction, Daniel says, adding that additional public funding will be needed to continue operations past its current contract end date of March 31, 2028.

“The only part that would need any public funding is the treatment of the land. For the rest of it, industry will look after the rate, that’s there, but they can’t do it all. The fibre isn’t worth enough,” Joe explains.

While the Palmer Project is reliant on some public funding, CCR stated that the project has contributed approximately $14 million in GDP to the province’s economy to date.

“The Palmer Project demonstrates how biomass recovery can play a critical role in wildfire rehabilitation,” says Aleece Laird, founder of Amplify Consulting. “CCR removed dense fire-killed pine and recovered previously unused fibre for Canada’s pulp and bioenergy markets. The project reduced extreme wildfire risk, restored forest health, and created employment for Indigenous workers. At a time of limited fibre supply, it established a practical model for utilizing wildfire-damaged forests to support Canada’s biomass and forest products sector.”