A major US housing affordability bill became law without President Trump’s signature. In other Business news: Mercer received a Nasdaq non-compliance notice; Hunt Forest Products begins shipments on new rail connection; International Paper temporarily suspends its Alabama mill; and the EPA requires hazardous chemical removal at shuttered Cosmo Specialty Fibers mill. Meanwhile: Numera Analytics says the Iran conflict has not derailed the global recovery; technology is changing homebuilding in BC; US homebuilders face shortage of skilled workers; Rebox Corp appoints Kyle Otting CEO; and the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau elected a new board.

In Forestry news: the Trump administration narrows Endangered Species Act protections; Californians debate the Fix Our Forests Act; BC outdoor groups prioritize resource roads for recreation access; and a European report says timber producers face fibre supply challenges. Meanwhile: a new warning for tick-borne disease; and why doctors say we need to take wildfire smoke seriously. 

Finally, in case you missed it, we reintroduced political risk expert Robert McKellar, who helps forest sector leaders make sense of today’s relentless news cycle and focus on what really matters.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor