The BC Advantage
British Columbia’s forests cover 60 million hectares, an area bigger than France. Operating in BC provides Pacific BioEnergy with several key operating advantages, including:
Ready availability of fibre
- • Large primary sawmilling industry generates significant residual fibre
- • MPB infestation and decadent coastal hemlock provide significant additional fibre that is suitable for wood pellets
Security of supply
- • Fibre can be secured by long-term contract with forestry companies or directly through forest licenses
- • Approximately 95% of BC’s forests are publicly owned “Crown forests”. Harvesting rights are granted to forest industry participants through a licensing system; once granted, licenses are tradable assets
Well-established and maintained infrastructure, including roads (forestry and primary), rail and port facilities
Low fibre costs compared to other global regions
Attractive environmental characteristics
- • BC has established itself as a leader in forest management through stringent forest policies and innovative forest practices; BC’s Forest and Range Practices Act is widely held by policy experts as a world-leading model of forest management
- • Less than one percent of BC’s forests are harvested each year; a sustainable pace that maintains strong forest resources for future generations
- • BC has more independently certified forest land than any jurisdiction in the world, other than Canada as a whole
- • Low-cost, renewable hydroelectricity results in comparatively lower carbon footprint of operations
Political stability
