With memories of a 2009 fire, employees at Gorman Bros. united to defend their West Kelowna mill from a forest fire. In related news: wildfires are linked to increased covid deaths in the US West; and evacuations abound in BC’s Interior; California’s northeast; and southern France. 

Meanwhile, in BC’s old-growth debate: the TLA’s Bob Brash says BC’s forests deserve facts not fabrications; the RCMP’s use of ‘exclusion zones’ at Fairy Creek is disputed; and defining old-growth said to be key to resolving blockades in Revelstoke.

In Economic news: Ian De La Roche on growing new markets for wood; RBC’s Paul Quinn on what’s next for lumber; the CMHC on Canada’s slowing housing starts, and the NAHB says builder confidence falls to a 13-month low. 

Finally, a new book examines the revolutionary shifts in US forestland ownership.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor