Thu, September - 9 - 2010 |
(on a truly global perspective)
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The previous PIRC newsletter featured a description of the state of the paper industry in China. One of the points made in the column was the dependence of China on outside sources of fiber. The rapid increase in consumption of paper in China has resulted in significant amounts of fiber being imported by China. The need to import fiber is a result of the lack of Chinese forest resources. The demand for fiber in China has influenced the price and availability of global supplies of virgin and recycled fiber. While China is investing heavily in reforestation efforts, fiber from domestic sources will not be available for some time.
Attendant with the increase in Chinese paper production is an increase in the Chinese demand for lumber. This demand results from the rapid growth of the furniture and construction products industries in China. In the article “China and the Global Market for Forest Products,” by A. White et al., (available at: http://www.forest-trends.org/documents/publications/China%20and%20the%20Global%20Forest%20Market-Forest%20Trends.pdf ), the authors note that China has become the world’s wood workshop. The production of furniture, wood moldings, flooring, plywood and structural lumber has increased dramatically. Much of the furniture and wood products end up as exports to the US and EU. Between 1997 and 2005 exports of manufactured wood products to those two markets increased 700 to 900%! Production of plywood went from2.6 million cubic meters in 1994 to 21.0 million cubic meters in 2004. China is now the global leader in supplying plywood to the rest of the world! This appetite for wood and fiber will continue to strain resources and provide upward pressure on fiber prices whether it is in the form of timber or pulp for paper and board products.
The February issue of Wired Magazine included an article about an invention that allows for efficient harvesting of underwater timber. While most everyone knows that money doesn’t grow on trees and trees don’t grow underwater, it turns out that there are significant timber reserves that exist in lakes created by dams. In British Columbia there are three lakes that are estimated to hold almost $2 billion worth of standing timber submerged by dams built for producing hydroelectricity. The cold, anoxic environment of the lake bottom prevents the decay or decomposition of the wood. Although there have been ongoing efforts to salvage timber and logs that sank in rivers and lakes while on their way to processing plants, the harvesting of standing submerged timber is relatively recent.
Development of remote controlled underwater devices capable of carrying cameras, lights and other sensors has led to the development of remote control underwater timber harvesting equipment. While the origin of these underwater robots resides in ocean exploration, adaptation of the technology now provides for lake exploration. Triton Logging of Vancouver Island, B.C., is at the forefront of underwater logging. Using a patented (US # 6,789,587, issued 9/14/04) remote control submersible, Triton is able to harvest trees submerged in up to 300 feet deep. The submersible has been likened to a Zamboni without wheels. It is a 7,700 pound 6 foot by 6 foot by 12 foot box called the “Sawfish.” Along with lights, cameras and sonar it sports a set of grappling arms and a 55 inch electric chain saw. The Sawfish is capable of cutting up to 100 trees per day. Descriptions as well as pictures of the Sawfish are at: http://www.tritonlogging.com/engineering.html
Although there have been other efforts to harvest underwater forests, these have depended upon divers using underwater chainsaws, or devices that crawled along the bottom of the lake. Some harvesting has been accomplished by simply pulling the trees to the surface, roots and all by using barges, cables and winches. In the case of using divers, there is a limit to the depth that can be endured plus the danger inherent in trying to cut large diameter trees underwater. Simply pulling the trees up or using a crawler raises concerns about disturbing the lake bottom, thereby increasing turbidity and stirring up pollutants and interfering with the ecology of the lake.
There are a number of advantages to harvesting underwater trees. In most instances, the trees have been submerged long enough to have lost all of their foliage and many of their branches. Because many of the dams built in the US and Canada were constructed more than 50 years ago, most of these submerged forests contain old growth trees. These trees are certified as SmartWood by the Rainforest Alliance as part of their Rediscovered Wood program. Being submerged, the trees are not subject to forest fires or toppling by windstorms. Because it is not possible to grow new trees underwater, there should be little concern about clear cutting and of course there is no need to replant.
There are some difficulties in harvesting these underwater forests. Since the wood has been submerged long enough to be saturated with water, the trees once cut do not float. Triton solved this problem by incorporating a system to attach flotation bags to the trees, so that when cut they float to the surface where they can be collected and brought to shore. It was also necessary to devise a system to deal with a stuck chain saw. The remedy for this is to have a detachable saw assembly that can be broken off and left in the tree while the Sawfish returns to the surface for a new saw assembly.
In British Columbia there are up to 20 million underwater trees. Worldwide there are likely more than 35,000 square kilometers of submerged forests. It is estimated that over 100 billion board feet are contained in submerged forests. While it is not likely that this wood would be used for making paper pulp, by using it for solid wood products, it could relieve the pressure on wood for pulping.
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