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ONE MAN’S GARBAGE . . .

EDMONTON, AB — The Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Network’s new Solid Waste Management Group is looking for innovative ways to use pulp and paper mill residue. In the Summer 2000 issue of Tomorrow’s Forests, the SFM newsletter looks at two projects the new group is studying. It met with an industry steering committee earlier in 2000. Canfor and Weyerhaeuser have had the most direct involvement thus far. One project led by Chris Zeiss, University of Alberta, is looking at how the use of pulp sludge can increase moisture circulation in municipal landfills. Lynda McCarthy, Ryerson Polytechnic University, and her team are determining any acute or chronic effects of land application of pulp sludge on soil ecosystems. The new solid waste management group falls under the SFM Network’s Legacy 3 or Impact Minimization umbrella of research. It is hoped the group will produce results within a year. The possibility of someday using pulp mill sludge as a source of biomass energy or applying it as an agricultural soil stimulant are two of the many possible scenarios. The new group will also explore ways to process materials left on the forest floor. One of the untapped residues is tree bark.