Canadian Forest Service Publications
Pulp fibre availability in British Columbia: A case study of the 1995 price spike. 1997. Nelson, H.; Wilson, W.R.; Delcourt, G. Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria, BC. Working Paper WP-97.03.
Year: 1997
Issued by: Pacific Forestry Centre
Catalog ID: 4783
Language: English
Series: Working Paper WP (PFC - Victoria)
Availability: PDF (download)
Abstract
This study is based on a direct mill survey of solid wood processors and pulp mills in British Columbia. The focus of the study was on the supply and disposition of pulp furnish in the year 1995. In this particular year the markets produced a strong price spike for pulp and paper products. The analysis shows that the BC Coastal pulp mills rely on the Interior for a substantial portion of their fibre needs; the Coastal region acquired an estimated 845,000 BDU's from the Interior in 1995. However, the ability of inter-provincial fibre flow to meet pulp mill furnish needs will be increasingly challenged in periods of tight demands. Based on the anticipated reductions in BC harvest levels (arising from recent policy initiatives including the Forest Practices Code, the Protected Areas Strategy, and the Timber Supply Review) and an assumption of the pulp industry operating at full capacity, the province could face an aggregate shortfall of 3.3 million BDU's (approximately 9 million cubic metres or the annual consumption of six 'average' pulp mills). While both the Coast and Interior regions would need to import substantial quantities of fibre, the Coastal industry would face the greater supply deficit.