North American softwood lumber prices shot up spectacularly last week as lean inventories forced large-volume buys in advance of the construction season. In other Business news: Northern Pulp tables its plan for effluent treatment; Catalyst shuts its Powell River mill due to boiler leak; Haddock Lumber will build a state-of-the-art lumberyard in Maine; and Interfor reports 2018 growth despite challenging fourth quarter.

The BC professional foresters conference in Kamloops dominates today’s Forestry news as Minister Doug Donaldson announced: the completion of the forest inventory program review, funding for enhanced fibre utilization, and his phased approach to forest practices changes; while emphasizing the importance of building public trust via BC’s new Professional Governance Act. In other Forestry news: BC drops the Clayoquot Sound AAC and an update on NRCan’s Indigenous Forestry Initiative.

Finally, a fatal wood dust explosion in Belgium and how the humble tree is making a  tall-wood comeback in Toronto.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor