Girl alive after eight years as captive /16

Softwood sector faces problems /6
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2006

Outsider gets Emmy nod /26

Organic products for tots attract parents /46
$1.25 (HOME DELIVERED: 59 CENTS A DAY)

Experts examine pine beetle issues
by STEPHANIE MORGAN Citizen staff A research session Thursday at UNBC allowed participants to see the possible future of mountain pine beetle-killed wood. "The first few times we would go out, we would talk about the basics of the beetle. What we've got to do now is (show) `OK, here's what we're doing to try to keep your mills operating,'" said Dr. Bill Wilson, director of the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative (MPBI). "That's a big part of what the research is focused on." The project is developed by Natural Resources Canada. Thursday was their third session in Prince George since 2002. Major topics being discussed included: changes to ecosystems, shelf life processing, effects on the water table and manufacturing processing. A majority of the studies that were discussed are still being researched. "It's important to bear in mind when you compare a green lodgepole pine to a salvaged dead lodgepole pine, they are very different creatures. The dead one has a lot more resin in it, it's going to be very dry, it's going to have splits, cracks, twists, it's going to have blue stain. All of those present challenges to mills that are not familiar with using that as their fibre source," said Wilson. His words were echoed by scientist Dr. Paul Bicho from Paprican, Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada. "When the beetle infests a tree, the trees' response is to produce extractants, these are basically components like resin acids," Bicho said. "That's its defence mechanism and, because of the uplift, these infected trees are being harvested at a more accelerated rate than is the historical norm. The pulp and paper industry is getting a lot of chips that have elevated levels of these extractants, and they can cause problems in the pulping process." Bicho said there is no one solution to the problems, but research allows them to discover what kinds of issues affect the industry. "It's been a bit of a trail and error. What the MPBI has done is allowed us to take a broader view, across the industry, so we can come up with some common solutions. There's no one specific solution, but very often it may just be some slight changes in processing." Other than solutions to economic and environmental issues, they have been looking at possible social issues from the epidemic. -- See NEGATIVE on page 3

Beetle wood has five year shelf life, study finds
Citizen photo by David Mah

MODES OF TRANSPORTATION -- While Tanner Kinsley, 10, left, rode his wagon, Adam Horswill, 14, Tysen Marrelli, 13, and Cruz Kinsley, 13, sat on their skateboards to glide down the sidewalk Thursday at Heather Park middle school.

Pipeline review proposed
Citizen staff The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council has submitted a proposal to the federal government outlining a First Nations review process for Enbridge's Gateway pipeline project. The process would parallel any federal review processes and would invite all affected First Nations to participate throughout the process. "We are submitting this proposal to the federal government to inform them of how we wish to be engaged in decision making for the Gateway pipeline," CSTC tribal chief David Luggi said in a press release. "From the outset we have requested meaningful involvement in any decision on the pipeline, but there has been little indication that the federal process is open to our involvement." The proposal calls for a public hearings in First Nations communities along the pipeline route, in conjunction with hearings hosted by the federal government in more central locations, such as Prince George, Edmonton and Kitimat. In addition to the hearings, a panel would be established to investigate the project's potential impacts and evaluate its possible costs and benefits. The panel would consist of at least three people, at least two with a First Nations background, and would be supported by a staff and legal counsel. The Carrier proposal said an estimated $2.4 million would be required to fund the panel for a year to 18 months. -- See LINK on page 3

Students shopping for September
High : 20 Low : 11 page 2

INDEX
Ann Landers . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Business . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-50 City, B.C. . . . . . . . 3,5-7,13,41 Classifi ed . . . . . . . . . . .17-22 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Coming Events . . . . . . . . . .42 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Entertainment . . . . . . .25-27 Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Nation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,7,14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15,16

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by STEPHANIE MORGAN Citizen staff Although there is a discrepancy as to which exact colour is "in" for the fall season, some styles have stayed the same around back-to-school fashion. "Layering is always going to be in, it's here to stay," said Bootlegger shift manager Derek Lovell. Jeans are still the norm, but the style of jeans seems to be swinging back toward a skinnier cut, following star styles, according to Bootlegger assistant manager Melissa Fields. "The skinny jean look is really hot right now," said Lovell. For women, this means a jean that is tighter to the ankle and skinny in the leg. For men, it means there's less bagginess to the material, especially at the top. The neutral brown, green and beige are still a mainstay for clothing, but more vibrant colours and materials seem to be vying for attention as well. "Black (and) red. The London look is really in this year," said Lovell, pointing out cranberry- and maroon-hued cloth-

ing around the store. Over at The District, another Pine Centre clothing store geared more toward youth, sales associate Sonja Gower noticed a large amount of plaid and purple come in. "I think camo (camouflage print) is out, just to let everyone know," she laughed. Another not-so-new trend has made its way into a new medium. Binders are now displayed in the clothing store, loudly emblazoned with the brand name Roxy on each one. Bags, too, have been hugely popular in the store, and only a few are left hanging against the wall. At West 49, people have been coming in to get new shoes. According to sales associate Jonny Kyrein, Vans and DC brand shoes have been a favourite so far. Band shirts, too, have been fairly popular. "There's lots of long sweaters, and everything has hoods on it," said Cindy Engler, manager of Bluenotes. "For girls, specifically, lace trim tanks."

Citizen photo by David Mah

Colleen Kavanaugh, 16, left, and Madison Lindstrom, 16, checked out some jeans Thursday during a visit to Bluenotes.

by STEPHANIE MORGAN Citizen staff Loggers will have at least five years to get to mountain pine beetle-killed trees, according to a study presented by UNBC professor Kathy Lewis. Initially, people thought there would be only three to five years of shelf life for the wood, but in the first phase of the study, trees up to five years old were found to be, though dry and cracked, still standing in the forests. "We found that wit hin t he f irst two years there's substantial change in the wood's properties, which relate to the amount of moisture in the wood. As a result of that, it affects a number of other properties LEWIS such as the degree of checking or cracking of the wood, and somewhat to the amount of decay," said Lewis, before speaking at a mountain pine beetle information session at UNBC Thursday. According to Lewis, the trees can remain standing 10 to 15 years in drier ecosystems, but if the trees fall to the ground they will decay at a much faster rate. However, when still standing, the bottom of the tree retains more moisture than the top. "Within our five-year time frame we found less than 0.25 per cent of the trees were falling over (and) it's looking pretty good. I suspect, though, that we'll see an increase in the rate of fall between the five and 10 year post mortality. That is where you'll start having very serious problems with decay." Lewis conceded that the shelf life issue for different industries is product depending. "If we're looking at bio-fuel, the shelf life may be 25 years. If we're looking at high quality two-byfours, the shelf life is very, very short." They will be moving into the next phase of their study, and will focus on what happens to beetle-killed trees after the five-year mark. Another concern is on rates of decay in wood that is "decked" after it is salvaged, especially with an increase of moisture to already cracked and dry wood. "When I look around at the log inventory in various mill yards, I see lots and lots of mountain pine beetle kill trees all laying down," said Lewis.

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