Business in Vancouver’s Nelson Bennett revisits the history and image problem of forest carbon offsets and why some experts say they’re worse than nothing. In other news: BC’s mill layoffs are not being replicated in Ontario; Canfor’s mill closure results in a logging asset sale; IKEA reports strong sales growth in Canada; and the China-NZ trade agreement is lauded by NZ timber exporters.

In Wood Product news: Canadian’s are willing to pay for sustainable packaging; Domtar adds manmade fibres to its paper mix; an Oregon paper mill creates paper from straw; KFC tests bamboo packaging for its poutine; and a Dutch timber design seeks to demonstrate the concrete of the future.

Finally, Heavens to Betsy — the environmental toll of cremating the dead.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor