Drax criticised over sourcing old-growth biomass in new Forest Eye research

New research published on 9 November by Stand.earth’s Forest Eye initiative alleges that Drax Group sourced whole logs from old-growth forests in British Columbia in 2024 and likely into 2025.
Using satellite imagery and data from British Columbia’s Harvest Billing System, Forest Eye found that Drax received at least 90 truck-loads of whole logs from cut-blocks in the Skeena region in 2024.
These included mountain hemlock and fir trees aged over 250 years and originating from areas classified as irreplaceable or high-priority in the province’s old-growth conservation framework. The report also identified an additional 425 truck-loads received in 2024 and 2025 that “likely included” old-growth timber.
The findings come amid growing scrutiny of the export and consumption of wood pellets for large-scale electricity generation. British Columbia supplies wood pellets to countries including the UK, Japan and the Netherlands. However, experts warn that harvesting whole trees from old-growth forests - ecosystems that store vast amounts of carbon and provide critical wildlife habitat - may take centuries to recover.
Forest Eye noted that Drax’s sourcing overlapped with wildlife-sensitive areas, including moose winter ranges, and that over 90 per cent of some timber marks involved old-growth forest.
On-site inspections in Drax’s Burns Lake pellet yard in June and August 2025 confirmed logs over 200 years old. Previous investigations and regulatory scrutiny had already flagged issues: in 2024 Drax was fined for incomplete disclosure of Canadian sourcing, and the UK National Audit Office questioned the sustainability of biomass subsidies.
Stand.earth warned that relying on whole old-growth trees for power generation, particularly when backed by public subsidies, could produce higher carbon emissions than coal while destroying rare ecosystems.
The organisation is urging policymakers to ban the use of whole trees and old-growth forests for pellets and to reconsider subsidies supporting such biomass operations.