Washington paper mill disaster feared among deadliest industrial accidents in decades

The Tree Frog Forestry News
May 28, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

The presumed death toll from the catastrophic chemical tank rupture at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview, Washington has risen to 11. In other Business news: chemicals from the mill spill have reached the Columbia River; CPKC received 72-hour strike notice; Canfor’s former Fort St. John sawmill may soon be sold; and Ontario says multiple buyers are circling the idled Terrace Bay pulp mill. Meanwhile: rising prices are adding pressure to housing affordability; BC’s economy sends mixed signals as housing weakens.

In Forestry news: BC urged to halt logging in the Tsitika watershed; Ontario turns to Microsoft cloud technology to modernize its forest inventory; Cowichan Bay prepares for a major wildfire training exercise; and ENGOs challenge a Montana logging project near Yellowstone. Meanwhile: BC moves to require dashcams in trucks; the growing danger of tick nymphs; and a Bill Gates-backed company wants to bury compressed wood to store carbon.

Finally, on Day 4 of Forest Safety Week: updated first-aid requirements, the value of sharing safety alerts, and safer practices around mobile equipment.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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