In 2023, Drax is going through the re-certification process for it’s Princeton Division & Smithers Pellet Limited Partnership facilities. Part of this process requires the consultation of mitigation measures for any specified risk ratings identified in the Sustainable Biomass Program endorsed Regional Risk Assessment (RRA) of British Columbia.
Here you will find a detailed summary of how Drax intend on carrying out mitigation measures for risk identified in the SBP RRA relating to the Smithers & Princeton sites and we want your input. As an active member of the forestry community in BC, your input is valuable to us when designing mitigation measures and we want to ensure we capture as many perspectives as possible.
For context, Drax are not forest managers. We source wood fibre waste like sawdust, shavings, chips, and bark from sawmills and other wood processing facilities. We also source wood fibre waste direct from the forest from sources like slash or roadside debris piles, wildfire damaged or insect damaged stands, wildfire proofing or habitat enhancement projects and occasionally receive pulp quality roundwood where pulp markets do not exist. Our ability to influence “on the ground” forest activities is limited due to our dissociation from forest management activities. Our mitigation measures are focused on information gathering and sharing in the form of detailed supplier mapping packages, in addition to monitoring, policies, participation in conservation efforts, and advocating for forest certification.
We want to hear your thoughts and comments as to managing Princeton’s certification & the effectiveness of those mitigation measures and if there are any other factors we should consider. The comment period will be open until May 6th, 2023, however, if you have comments after that date feel free to pass them along anyway. They may not make it into the final draft for this year, but we will certainly consider your comment for next years review, encouraging the system to mature and refine over time.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration in reviewing our Smithers & Princeton supply base reports. We hope you will find the document informative, and we look forward to hearing some thought-provoking feedback.
Please feedback via email: [email protected] or [email protected]
