Global pulp leaders are set to gather in Vancouver this May for International Pulp Week, hosted by The Pulp and Paper Products Council. Widely recognized as the premier event for the market pulp sector, IPW brings together producers, customers, suppliers, and analysts for a deep dive into the forces shaping global markets. This year’s program tackles everything from economic uncertainty and trade dynamics to fibre optimization, specialty cellulose, and emerging opportunities in carbon capture. With expert insights from leading companies and analysts, the conference offers a comprehensive look at both current challenges and future directions. Beyond the sessions, delegates can explore real-world innovation through optional tours—including carbon capture technology at Svante and forest restoration in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. For anyone connected to the global pulp value chain, International Pulp Week remains a must-attend event.
Premier David Eby delivered the closing luncheon keynote at the 2026 COFI Convention on Friday, addressing a packed room of delegates and committing to a range of actions on fibre access, market diversification, value-added manufacturing, and reconciliation. The session, moderated by COFI President and CEO Kim Haakstad, included a substantive question-and-answer period. Eby opened by acknowledging both the challenges facing the sector and the role provincial policy has played in them — including restrictions around old growth and other policies that he said the government needs to do a better job of consolidating to ensure the fibre supply industry requires can actually be delivered. He described the conference theme of “Forestry is a Solution” as accurate across multiple dimensions — economic, environmental, and community — and said the province is committed to ensuring a sustainable forest sector for the long term. On tariffs, Eby said the US cannot produce enough wood to meet its own domestic demand and has been increasing imports from Europe and Russia to fill that gap — at higher cost to American consumers and at the expense of housing affordability.
The Tree Frog News has been featuring the panels and speakers from the Council of Forest Industries 2026 Conference over the last week. For those who missed the coverage, here are all of our summarized stories.
TORONTO – Worried about wildfires sending claims soaring this year, Canada’s property and casualty insurers are pushing owners to flood- and fire-proof homes and urging the government to take climate issues more seriously despite economic turmoil. Insurers Intact Financial, TD Insurance, Wawanesa and Definity Financial face financial pressure as claims surge and in turn push up home-insurance premiums, which rose about 6% last year in Canada. They worry Prime Minister Mark Carney’s prioritization of energy and the economy over risks from climate change could contribute to more wildfire- and flood-related damage over time. Canada has seen record wildfire and flood damage in recent years. But calamity-prone regions are still insurable in Canada, unlike in some other countries where companies will not insure houses for wildfires. This year is expected to be among the hottest years on record.
OTTAWA — The Canada Border Services Agency has launched a probe to determine if plywood is being subsidized or sold at unfair prices in Canada. A news release from the agency says the investigation began on April 10 and focuses on imports from producers operating in or exporting from China. It says the practices can harm Canadian industries by undercutting Canadian prices and undermining fair competition. The investigation comes after a complaint was filed by Columbia Forest Products and the Canadian Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Association, which say they’ve faced lost sales, poor financial results and reduced employment. The CBSA and the Canadian International Trade Tribunal are both involved in investigations of Chinese plywood. The tribunal will issue its decision by June 9, while the CBSA’s probe into unfair prices will reach a preliminary decision by July 9.
SALMON ARM, British Columbia — Forsite Consultants Ltd. today announced the launch of 
VANCOUVER — Ottawa must make a case of “mutual benefit” with the United States as it advocates for Canada’s softwood lumber industry during trade negotiations, BC Premier David Eby said Friday… “the US cannot produce enough wood to meet its domestic demand.” …The premier’s remarks came after the U.S. Department of Commerce posted its preliminary tariff determination for the sector, with total duties estimated at just short of 25%, lower than the current rate of more than 35%. …COFI’s Kim Haakstad, agreed with the premier, saying it’s important for B.C. to ensure softwood lumber doesn’t “get lost” among other industries based in Eastern Canada. …The Independent Wood Processors Association said the US ruling was “further evidence” the softwood lumber dispute mechanism has become a “broken process”. The BC Lumber Trade Council said Canadian lumber producers continue to face “unjustified and punitive trade measures.” BC Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the province was disappointed.
TORONTO — Kevin Holland, Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products; Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources; and Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued a statement in response to a preliminary indication from the US which suggests that softwood lumber duties may decrease from the current rate of approximately 35% later this year: “Ontario’s forest sector has a global reputation as a leader in the G7 in the production of high-quality wood and wood products. …While this preliminary indication suggests some relief for softwood lumber producers later this year, Ontario remains firm that duties are unwarranted and not supported by the evidence. We continue to call for the full removal of all duties that raise costs for both American and Canadian families. These ongoing duties and tariffs reduce productivity, disrupt supply chains, drive up the cost of construction and make housing less affordable.”
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada, together with the FSC Canada Indigenous Chamber, the FSC Indigenous Foundation, and Indigenous communities across the country, is proud to announce the launch of the Indigenous Knowledge Networks, a new Indigenous led initiative designed to strengthen community-driven forest stewardship, knowledge sharing, and rights-based governance. The Indigenous Knowledge Networks will serve as a collaborative platform where Indigenous communities can connect, share wise practices, and advance their own stewardship priorities in ways that reflect local governance systems, cultural protocols, and community-defined goals. As part of the launch, Wahkohtowin Development GP has been named the first regional Network, supporting sister Nations across the Northeast Superior Region. Wahkohtowin will lead in-person gatherings, virtual learning opportunities, and community-driven activities that strengthen relationships and build capacity across the region. …The first phase of the Indigenous Knowledge Network will include a visioning process…
Recently, the phrase “active forest management” has come into usage by the forest industry in numerous countries. In Australia, the equivalent terms are “forest gardening” and “cultural thinning.” …The concept is convenient for the forest industry because it allows companies to continue doing what they have done since the onset of industrial logging. Better yet, the industry is promoting the idea that logging is a solution to the wildfire problem we now face. Actually, the massive cutting down of forests in B.C. and elsewhere has created the problem that the industry wants to solve by more cutting down of what is left of our primary or unlogged forests. Clear cutting forests creates several problems. First, it dries out the land. Without the shade that trees create to cool the land, and without tree roots holding back the water from snow melt and precipitation, the land becomes highly susceptible to fire. 
It didn’t take long for the smoke to clear following 2017’s horrendous wildfires for the BC government to respond with a plan to log more forests and plant more trees. The scale of what had just happened exceeded anything on record. Fires burned more than 12,000 square kilometres of the province’s forests and grasslands. No wildfire season over the previous half century had come remotely close. Yet, it would take just one more year for a new record to be set. In its 2017 post-fire response plan, BC’s Ministry of Forests promised to replant the forests that had burned. …But a look at what actually burned in the worst fires of 2017 suggests that aggressive logging and “reforestation” — essentially just tree-planting — sets the stage for even more frequent wildfires to come. …Science shows that young stands of trees, with their branches lower to the ground, are more vulnerable to burning in catastrophic fires. 
Mosaic Forest Management wants a more informed discussion on wood-fibre security and log exports with North Cowichan’s council before the municipality decides if it wants to move forward with a motion on the issue. Coun. Christopher Justice had made a notice-of-motion that, if adopted, would encourage senior levels of government to review and strengthen their policies, including those governing raw log exports from private managed forest lands on Vancouver Island. … Karen Brandt, at Mosaic, said the motion does not accurately reflect how the coastal-fibre system operates, and risks unintended consequences for the local mills, workers and communities that council is seeking to support. Brandt said… “The motion suggests international log sales from private-managed forest lands reduce fibre available for domestic manufacturing when, in fact, the opposite is true.” …Brandt said that if the objective is to improve fibre availability, the primary issue is the decline in Crown harvest levels.
District of Squamish staff are asking Council to endorse a new wildfire strategy with 53 specific actions to protect residents, homes and critical infrastructure. According to staff, the 2026 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan, prepared by Blackwell Consulting Ltd., must be adopted by April 30 for the District to remain eligible for up to $400,000 in provincial FireSmart grant funding over the next two years. The plan is Squamish’s first major wildfire strategy update since 2017. In the years since, rapid population growth, increased tourism pressure, and new development pushing into forested terrain have changed the risk picture considerably. It was developed in collaboration with Squamish Nation, Squamish Community Forest, BC Wildfire Service, BC Parks, the Ministry of Forests, and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. …The plan identifies hiring a full-time FireSmart Coordinator as a high-priority step with a three-month timeline. …The plan also calls on the District to review Squamish Fire Rescue staffing levels…
Local residents are invited to share their input on the development of the Cariboo-Chilcotin forest landscape plan (FLP) to guide long-term forest management decisions in the area. People can share their thoughts through a survey, which will run from Monday, April 13 to May 30, 2026. The Ministry of Forests will also hold two open houses (April 29 and May 2) so the community can learn more about forest landscape planning and ask questions. …FLPs are developed in partnership with First Nations to ensure meaningful participation in forestry planning and long-term decision-making. …Engagement with forest licensees, subject-matter experts and the public is a key part of every FLP. …Through early collaboration with First Nations partners and initial engagement with forest licence holders, key themes have emerged that will be integrated into the survey for public feedback to reflect community priorities. Developing FLPs is a new approach to forest stewardship that establishes clear direction for the management of forest-related values…
Alberta’s environment minister has expanded the province’s definition of “protected lands” in a bid to reject Ottawa’s nature strategy. This comes after Canada, along with 195 other countries, announced plans to protect 30 per cent of its land by 2030, an objective known as 30×30. But Grant Hunter, Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas, said that the province already protects 60 per cent of its land based on its own definition. “Federal reporting measures do not capture the full picture, focusing on narrow definitions of protected land,” he said. “Alberta takes a different approach. Our province includes all publicly owned and regulated lands, including those protected from development.” …Alberta rejects Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all approach to conservation and expects recognition and provincial jurisdiction of all national conservation targets, Hunter said. Alberta’s claim to have already achieved the 30×30 commitment is “concerning” and “disingenuous,” said Kecia Kerr, of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern Alberta.
Peachland residents are once again fighting against logging in their watershed. Following the proposal of three new BC Timber Services (BCTS) cutblocks overlapping with Old Growth Deferral zones in the Peachland Community Watershed, the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance (PWPA) have started a petition to halt old growth logging entirely. The petition, created in late March, calls to stop commercial and partial clear-cut logging in the Peachland watershed’s old growth and primary growth forests. …Taryn Skalbania, one of the founders of the PWPA, has ran the organization for over a decade to fight against logging in her community. She said this isn’t the first time the PWPA has opposed logging in their community, but that this is the “line in the sand.” …ecologist and former member of the old growth TAP Rachel Holt said there is only two per cent of old forest the IDFdk2 forestry zone – which covers the Okanagan area – remaining.
New life is sprouting in Rose Valley Regional Park, where crews and volunteers have begun restoring areas damaged by the devastating McDougall Creek wildfire back in 2023. At a community tree planting event held Saturday, hundreds of new trees were planted to help the park recover. The effort is part of a larger plan led by the Regional District of Central Okanagan to bring the forest back to life. Wayne Darlington, RDCO’s manager of parks capital planning, said the work marks an important turning point. “After 2023 McDougall Creek wildfires, we’re now at a point now where we’re actually putting some more trees back and plants back in the ground,” Darlington said. Volunteers spent the day planting hundreds of trees in some of the hardest-hit areas.
Domtar says WorkSafeBC is investigating after a worker was injured at its Port Alberni mill last week and taken to hospital in serious condition. CHEK News reported that the man had a burn injury. “A full investigation is underway with WorkSafeBC, and we intend to share more information as it becomes available,” Domtar said in a message to employees. It also recognized coworkers who responded quickly to help the man “and ensured that he received immediate care.” B.C. Emergency Health Services said it was called at 5:44 a.m. April 9 for the incident. [END]
…Hawaii Mars is one of two remaining Martin JRM-3 Mars water bombers. It flew cargo between Hawaii and the Pacific Islands during the Second World War and supported the Korean War with medical transport between Hawaii and California before transitioning to cargo operations. They were sold to a consortium of B.C. timber companies in 1958 and converted into the world’s largest water bombers to fight forest fires, carrying 27,000 litres per drop. Coulson Aviation bought them in 2007, marking the start of its fixed-wing air tanker operations for aerial wildfire support. Coulson retired its Mars water bombers in 2015.