The US Department of Commerce decision to raise duties on Canadian Softwood lumber is widely condemned:
- BC Minister Ravi Parmar: Duties will hurt both sides of the border
- Gov’t of Ontario: Duties put our shared competitiveness at risk
- Council of Forest Industries: Calls for a resolution to the softwood dispute
- The BC Lumber Trade Council: Disappointed in ongoing US protectionism
- BC Independent Wood Manufacturers: Retroactivity of duties will force small producers to close
Meanwhile: the US lumber Coalition applauds the duty announcement; the Wall Street Journal points to Trump’s timber revival goal; while Russ Taylor and David Elstone say Canadian lumber is not a threat to the US lumber sector’s businesses’ success. In other Business news: Kruger is negotiating support for its Corner Brook revitalization plan; and the US and EU strike a new trade deal imposing a 15% tariff on most European goods.
In Forestry/Wildfire news: Unifor calls for a coordinated strategy to support Canada’s forest sector; MLA Ward Stammer questions BC’s harvest targets; and an interview with UBC wildfire expert Lori Daniels. Meanwhile: wildfire goats take to the hills in Reno, drones drop fire-starting ping pong balls in California, Washington’s funding cut stokes wildfire concern; and fires continue to rage in Greece and Turkey.
Finally: Doug “The Duke” Dyson—is remembered as a larger-than-life BC logger.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor