Nova Scotia premier holds off commenting on Northern Pulp’s future until tomorrow, drawing opposition ire and pundit conjecture. Meanwhile, despite the efforts of BC’s labour minister and premier Horgan’s hopes, the forestry strike drags on; US housing starts fail to spur lumber prices, US homebuilders applaud NAFTA 2.0; and analyst’s revise Canfor’s target price up after failed takeover bid.
In Climate/Forestry news: Canada’s top ten weather stories point to more extremes; Australia experiences record temperatures, declares wildfire emergency; the Sierra Club’s take on old-growth logging and greenhouse gas emissions.
Finally, is your wrapping paper recyclable? Try the AF&PA scrunch test.
Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Nova Scotia’s request for 
B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains said Wednesday afternoon that he plans to meet with both United Steelworkers Union and Western Forest Products following the breakdown in talks Tuesday.“I am disappointed to learn that talks for a renewal contract have broken off between Western Forest Products (WFP) and United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-1937,” said Bains.“I have arranged to immediately meet with representatives of both parties to discuss how to move forward and find a solution that helps the parties reach an agreement that supports sustainable forestry jobs in coastal communities.”On the picket lines on Wednesday, workers say they are frustrated but remain determined. …Port McNeill Mayor Gaby Wickstrom says families are suffering more and more every day. …The union says alternate shift schedules is one of its main outstanding issues and that contracting out is still a main issue for WFP.
Bothell, Washington, USA – Forisk Consulting, a leader in North American forest industry and timber market research, has acquired the North American Wood Fiber Review from Wood Resources International. The Review… will be published by Forisk as the Forisk Wood Fiber Review beginning in Q1 2020. Dr. Brooks Mendell, President and CEO of Forisk, says, “Adding the Review and 35 years of price data to our research portfolio strengthens our ability to serve the forest industry in the U.S. and Canada, as well as international firms with North American assets. Also, current subscribers can remain confident in the trusted price reporting, as we are thrilled to announce that Tim Gammell, the current Executive Editor of the Wood Fiber Review, will join our team.” Mr. Håkan Ekström, President and CEO of Wood Resources International, adds, “We are excited with this match and look forward to our continued work together.” 
When it comes to commercial and industrial buildings that need to stand the test of time, wood is proving it has the necessary resilience and strength, while offering unique advantages over steel and concrete. In retail and office spaces, wood not only offers remarkable durability, but introduces a much-desired aesthetic warmth once absent from such environments. Adding mass timber to these spaces is a kind of modern-day revival of the century-old timber post-and-beam buildings of the past. What’s old becomes new again, but with all the state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable features expected in today’s commercial buildings.
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To prevent gypsy moth populations from becoming established and minimize the risk they pose to forests, farms, orchards and trees, government is planning aerial-spray treatments in three regions of the province in 2020. The Ministry of Forests has applied for a pesticide-use permit to aerial spray 241 hectares of residential and municipal parkland in North Surrey, 231 hectares in the centre of Lake Cowichan townsite and 167 hectares of semi-rural properties and wooded area north of Castlegar. Trapping and monitoring results over the past several years show clear evidence that gypsy moth populations are becoming established in the proposed treatment areas. If left untreated, the invasive moth could spread to new areas of the province via vehicles, containers, rail and marine vessels. The North Surrey area was hand sprayed in 2017 and 2018, and aerially sprayed in 2019. It is now apparent that the treatments did not completely eradicate this infestation.
Montreal, Quebec — Lim Geomatics, a software and consulting company that leverages innovative technology to create geospatial products and services in the natural resources sector, and FPInnovations have developed a strategic partnership to continue blazing an exciting digital trail for the forest industry. Effective January 1, 2020, Lim Geomatics will assume the licensing, operation, and support of FPDat II and FPTrak – the integrated platform developed by FPInnovations to improve the performance of harvesting equipment and decrease the overall cost of forest operations. All existing customers who use the platform to plan, execute, and monitor harvests across Canada can expect a smooth transition without interruption or impact to their day-to-day operations. Lim Geomatics has unrivaled domain expertise with the development and maintenance of smart tracking geospatial systems for the forest industry.
Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales declared a seven-day state of emergency Thursday as oppressive conditions fanned around 100 wildfires. Around 2,000 firefighters were battling the blazes, half of which remain uncontrolled, with the support of U.S. and Canadian backup teams and personnel from the Australian Defence Force. The last state of emergency ran for seven days in mid-November amid “catastrophic” fire risk and was the first implemented in New South Wales since 2013. Central Sydney reached a maximum of 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, while outer suburbs scorched at 42 Celsius (108 F). …Around 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of land has burnt nationwide during a torrid past few months, with six people killed and more than 800 homes destroyed. …Sydney’s air pollution levels on Thursday ranged from poor to hazardous.