After imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum, President Donald Trump took aim at Canada’s softwood lumber and agriculture policies, describing them as examples of how America is being treated poorly. According to Susan Yurkovich, president of the BC Lumber Trade Council, these types of “disputes aren’t about fact, subsidy or national security. They’re about protectionism.” In other Trade news: US hardwood lumber exports continue to rise; while Brexit is making timber less competitive relative to concrete in the UK.

In Forestry news: 

• The BC government is blamed for failing to save old-growth giants from logging
• BC’s community forest leaders are positive about the govt’s expansion plans
• Logging truck safety is called a “colossal problem” in Power River, BC
• A US Forest Service researcher says Oregon’s overgrown forests are a ticking time bomb
• New Mexico and Colorado wildfires force hundreds to evacuate their homes

Finally, BC’s Coulson Aviation has scored a first in aerial firefighting worldwide: official approval to suppress wildfires at night using night vision goggles.

–Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor