Cherie Whelan
Since stepping into my new role as CEO of the BC Forest Safety Council, I’ve been listening closely to industry to get a better understanding of the emerging trends and concerns that keep us up at night. These conversations have reinforced just how essential safety is to every part of forestry, and how important it is that we continue learning from one another. What I see clearly is that our sector is resilient, and when we stay connected, communicate openly, and work together, we become even stronger.
We’re proud to be partnering with Tree Frog News to deliver our third annual Forest Safety Week from May 25–29. I encourage you to take some time to read through the safety‑focused articles featured throughout the week. They highlight key trends that are shaping the future of forestry safety and support our shared commitment to making sure every forestry worker goes home safe, every day.
OTTAWA — The Canadian Truck Dealers Association says it needs Ottawa to quickly fix a paperwork problem that will prevent dealers from importing new models from the United States next year, warning it will cause further economic pain if the issue isn’t solved. “If Canada faces a shortage of heavy trucks, the impact will extend far beyond our industry,” said Kevin Disher, the head of the association, at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday. “This issue affects every major sector of the Canadian economy. Shipping, infrastructure, construction, forestry, mining, agricultural. If trucks become more difficult or more expensive to access, those costs move throughout the supply chain and ultimately impact Canadian businesses and households.” The truck dealers said manufacturers have been flagging the issue to the federal government for a year, with little progress. Disher said the problem arose after the United States changed how it certifies emissions standards for trucks built there. 
There’s no need to make the explanation of the carbon pricing, carbon capture and bitumen pipeline deal announced Friday by the federal and Alberta governments too complicated. It’s actually pretty simple. After all, notwithstanding their political differences, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith have more objectives in common right now than they don’t, so it couldn’t have been that hard for them to reach an agreement. …Of course they weren’t going to have all that much trouble finding ways to grant the Canadian oilpatch its wish. …Carney needs to keep his coalition together as well. Instead of MAGA separatists on the right who would really rather be part of the US… he needs to appease moderate green voters in BC and Quebec and somehow hold the country together. …If Carney is sneakily giving Eby a veto, British Columbia’s premier doesn’t seem too happy about it.
VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor Corporation announced today that its 77%-owned subsidiary, Vida AB, will permanently close its sawmill operations in Urshult and Orrefors, Sweden. “While this was a difficult decision, the closures are necessary given the ongoing imbalance between production capacity and access to fibre in southern Sweden,” said Karl-Johan Löwenadler, CEO of Vida AB. “By concentrating production in fewer more productive and efficient facilities, we will strengthen Vida’s competitiveness and better position the business for the future.” The closures will reduce Vida’s annual lumber production capacity by approximately 265,000 cubic metres. Following the closures, Vida will operate 13 sawmills across central and southern Sweden, along with its other facilities in packaging, specialty finishing, and logistics.
The Supreme Court of Canada has decided it will hear BC’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that upended the Mineral Tenure Act and potentially gives the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act the force of law. No hearing date has been set by the Supreme Court of Canada. BC Premier David Eby has said the BC Court of Appeal’s 2-1 ruling in December, which found the Mineral Tenure Act “inconsistent” with DRIPA, could put too much power in the hands of judges regarding how reconciliation with First Nations should take place. The Act was intended to gradually bring provincial laws into alignment with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. But Eby has warned the decision brings it into place all at once. “It is absolutely crucial that it is British Columbians, through their elected representatives, that remain in control of this process, not the courts,” Eby said.
The global trade landscape is shifting rapidly, which has created uncertainty and challenges for workers, industries and communities across Canada. …Workers whose jobs have been directly or indirectly impacted by global tariffs will receive support to help them adapt, retrain and succeed, as a result of a partnership agreement announced today by Wayne Long, Secretary of State, alongside Jean-Claude D’Amours, New Brunswick’s Minister of Training and Labour. …Specifically, $13.8 million over three years will be invested through the new Canada–New Brunswick Workforce Tariff Response to support workers in the softwood lumber, mining, construction and transportation sectors, as well as other directly and indirectly tariff-affected industries. This new funding will help over 1,500 workers in New Brunswick build new skills and seize emerging opportunities.
Lumber futures have been trading below $600 per thousand board feet since early April, as weaker consumer sentiment and uncertainty surrounding developments in the Middle East weigh on demand. At the same time, supply constraints in several regions have partially offset the decline in demand. Profitability for Canadian mills remains under pressure from elevated duties and tariffs. The US has recently outlined preliminary antidumping and countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber, with the antidumping rate reduced from 20.6% to 10.7% and the countervailing duty trimmed from 14.6% to 14.2%, bringing the combined rate to about 25.9%. Including an existing 10% Section 232 tariff, total effective duties on Canadian imports are expected to remain near 35.9% once they take effect in August. Despite these measures aimed at supporting domestic producers, US sawmill utilisation remains relatively weak at around 64%, with capacity use trending lower since 2017.
TORONTO – Since 2023, communities across Canada and around the world have been experiencing record-breaking wildfires and working to help restore forested landscapes in their aftermath – but the best practices behind forest recovery in the wake of extreme wildfires are evolving. To better understand the decisions and approaches for post-wildfire forest restoration in Canada, Forests Canada surveyed and interviewed forest managers and tree planting practitioners and is presenting the findings in a report titled Forest Restoration After Wildfire: Knowledge Gaps and Future Needs Analysis. “The aim of the report is to identify how decision-making processes for post-fire recovery are changing in the wake of the increasing intensity and severity of wildfires,” Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Canada, says. “How are practices changing to maximize the successful establishment of forests…? We know the vast majority of Canadians believe that forests are a vital part of our national identity, so these questions are very important.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. and OTTAWA, ON — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), along with others worldwide, shares the commitment to ensuring the health and resilience of forests. The European Union has identified the 
Despite budget cuts and extensive restructuring, the US Forest Service says it is ready to support Canada with any requests for wildfire assistance. The British Columbia Wildfire Service is also prepared to do the same, irrespective of strained trade relations, said BC Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, who is responsible for the province’s wildfire service. …”Let me be very clear when it comes to fighting fires, we will always be there to support Americans in their time of need.” Parmar said that despite strained trade relations, he expects Americans will respond if called upon for support. …The US and Canada have a long history of supporting one another during difficult fire seasons, but this year the US Forest Service is facing budget cuts and restructuring. …”Any budget changes do not affect our firefighting capacity or limit our ability to provide support under our long-standing agreements,” the US Forest Service said.
A province-wide public tour this June will bring a citizen-led proposal for forest management reform to communities across BC, with stops in Campbell River on June 11, Quadra Island on June 13 and Courtenay on June 15. Jennifer Houghton, campaign director of the New Forest Act Proposal, will lead a series of public presentations called the 2026 New Forest Act Roadshow on the future of B.C.’s forests, watersheds and forest-dependent communities. …“Right now, B.C.’s forest laws are built around maximizing timber extraction,” Houghton said. “The New Forest Act is a proposal to shift forestry toward ecological limits, stable communities, and long-term ecological function instead of short-term liquidation. …Spearheaded by the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, the proposal has been developed with contributions from forest ecologists, including forester Herb Hammond. …More information the full 
ALBERTA — West Fraser says its proposed Mount Tecumseh Harvest Plan would cover 474 hectares and is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the company stating the work is part of a broader approach to sustainable forest management and wildfire risk reduction near communities. In an emailed response to the Crowsnest Pass Herald, Joyce Wagenaar, director of communications for West Fraser, said harvest planning is a key part of the company’s work and allows it to source timber for renewable wood products used in home construction and other purposes. “Harvesting plans are a key component of our work at West Fraser enabling us to responsibly source timber to produce renewable wood products to support home construction and other uses,” Wagenaar said. She said West Fraser views sustainable forest management as an approach that balances environmental, social and economic values over multiple generations. …Wagenaar said questions specifically about the provincial program would be best answered by the Government of Alberta.
The biggest comprehensive literature review to date has confirmed that Indigenous stewardship bolsters conservation goals. The literature review was published recently in People and Nature and found “a clear, positive relationship” between conservation and Indigenous stewardship, said lead author William Nikolakis, associate professor at the University of British Columbia faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship. “The evidence is clear that Indigenous Peoples’ lands do deliver conservation outcomes that are superior to, or at least equal to, state-run protected areas,” he told The Tyee. This is despite Indigenous lands largely not being protected by or formally recognized by their country, and Indigenous Peoples around the world largely not being paid for their stewardship by the state, Nikolakis said. In Canada, the federal government helps fund Indigenous Guardians who steward their traditional lands. Indigenous stewardship has a “value to humankind globally,” he said, and there’s an opportunity to boost it even further.
…forests absorb roughly 7.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year—double what they emit. That number hides some worrying trends. In Canada, logging and wildfires flipped Canadian forests from a net carbon reservoir to a net source about 25 years ago, according to the federal government. British Columbia responded by launching one of the world’s first large-scale projects designed to generate revenue for local communities by not logging old-growth forests. The model, which began in the Great Bear Rainforest in 2009 … created market value by putting a price on carbon locked in and absorbed by trees. …Cheakamus Community Forest forest raised $600,000 in forest carbon offsets in a single sale to a mining company… But while Cheakamus celebrates rising demand and higher prices, Gary Bull, a professor emeritus of forestry at the University of British Columbia, said B.C.’s decision to regulate the carbon market has made it nearly impossible for others to take part.
Sooke residents are being urged to prepare for an elevated wildfire season as dry conditions, low snowpack and an early campfire ban raise concerns across Vancouver Island. A campfire ban was implemented May 7 across the Coastal Fire Centre region, prohibiting all open burning and campfires until Oct. 31 or conditions improve. Officials say human-caused fires remain the leading cause of wildfires in British Columbia. At the same time, forestry company Mosaic Forest Management says it is expanding wildfire detection and mitigation efforts across its Vancouver Island land base, including areas around Sooke. According to the company, Vancouver Island entered the 2026 wildfire season under “precarious conditions,” with snowpack levels at 44 per cent of normal and forecasts calling for warmer and drier weather through June. Mosaic also noted that there is a 62 per cent chance of a strong El Niño developing later this summer, increasing the likelihood of prolonged heat and drought.
NEW BRUNSWICK — NB Power says it has green lit a plan to buy 300,000 tonnes of wood pellets this year in efforts to convert its largest power plant in northern New Brunswick from coal to biomass. The Crown utility says it’s now in procurement talks with five potential suppliers, all within Eastern Canada, to supply the Belledune Generating Station. That’s as the Holt government has quietly issued a Crown timber sub-licence to one of those five, a partnership between Eel River Bar First Nation, Pabineau First Nation, and Arbec Forest Products. The trio, together behind what’s being called the Belledune Biocoal Joint Venture Group, has also recently filed an environmental impact assessment with the Department of Environment and Local Government to build a torrefied wood pellet production facility at the Port of Belledune in support of NB Power’s transition away from coal burning power generation.
As cooler, rainier weather has eased wildfire risks in northwestern Ontario, a number of travel restrictions have been lifted in the region. An implementation order was first issued Saturday near a wildfire known as Fort Frances 5 in the Dryden, Fort Frances and Atikokan district, limiting travel and certain activities. On Sunday, a second implementation order was put in place due to a fire called Fort Frances 4 in the same district “to ensure public safety and/or to ensure effective fire suppression.” Both orders were lifted Tuesday evening. “All travel and the use of roads and lakes in the areas previously identified are available and residents may return to their properties. Wildland fire suppression activities are ongoing on Fort Frances 4 and Fort Frances 5, but public safety relating to these fires is no longer a concern,” according to the province’s 