Region Archives: Canada

Special Feature

BC Premier declares Global Buyers Mission open, emphasizes importance of market diversification

By Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
September 12, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Wood’s 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) opened in Whistler, BC on Friday morning, with Premier David Eby declaring the tradeshow floor open and underscoring the value-added sector’s critical role in British Columbia’s economy and its importance to international markets. …Nearly 600 participants attended this year’s gathering, including specifiers, government representatives, and international buyers from across Asia and beyond. BC Wood CEO Brian Hawrysh welcomed the attendees… and Board chairperson Kelly Marciniw of Zirnhelt Timber Frames, introduced the Honourable Premier of British Columbia, David Eby. …Eby emphasizing the importance of BC’s international buyers, pointing to his recent experience at Expo 2025 Osaka. …At the same time, he acknowledged the dual challenges of natural and man-made disruptions, from wildfires and the mountain pine beetle to softwood lumber duties.

“Our friends and allies in the United States, who remain friends and allies, but are under the leadership of an individual who somehow sees affordable BC timber products as a threat to the United States, at a time when the government is simultaneously recognizing a housing crisis in the United States and a need to improve affordability for people,” he said. He argued that Canada and the US have an opportunity to reset their relationship, suggesting that the $8 billion currently held in a tariff account could be used “to promote wood products across North America for a net win for everybody.”…Eby also outlined steps the provincial government is taking to support the industry, including a pause on stumpage payments. …”There are so many opportunities for us right now, and they are matched, unfortunately, by threats. But we will be successful as a group if we push together in ensuring we’re expanding those markets.”

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Business & Politics

Canada’s Forest Sector Welcomes New Measures to Strengthen Strategic Canadian Industries

Forest Products Association of Canada
September 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Ottawa — Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the federal government’s announcement of new measures to support trade-exposed Canadian businesses and employees and to enable economic transformation. The measures announced today — ranging from the Strategic Response Fund to procurement reforms, tariff-response financing, workforce supports, and biofuels incentives — if well executed, can provide hope for the future for Canada’s forest sector and its 200,000 employees. In addition to the measures announced today, FPAC continues to call on the federal government to extend Clean Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) to include biomass for heat and electricity generation as part of Budget 2025. Introducing the biomass ITCs will create new jobs, improve energy security, lower carbon emissions, and help reduce wildfire risks. …“While a negotiated agreement on softwood lumber is the sector’s number one priority, today’s announcement is about trying to create stability as we modernize and innovate for the future,” said FPAC President and CEO Derek Nighbor.

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Carney unveils billions in funding, Buy Canadian policy to combat Trump’s tariffs

By Peter Zimonjic
CBC News
September 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Mark Carney

Prime Minister Mark Carney rolled out a series of measures on Friday that he says will transform Canada’s economy into a force that can withstand the trade shocks of the Trump administration. The measures announced in the strategy have been targeted to specifically help workers and businesses that have been most impacted by US President Trump’s tariffs and trade disruptions. …”We are charting an economic strategy to move Canada from reliance to resilience, from uncertainty to prosperity.” A noteworthy part of the plan is to pause the electric vehicle (EV) mandate. …The measures are wide-ranging and involve a mix of loans, training and policy moves. Up to 50,000 workers will be able to access a new “reskilling package” that will help them with training. …A new $5-billion fund will help businesses develop products and find new markets. …A buy Canadian policy. …Helping businesses with cash flow.

Related coverage in the Globe & Mail by: 

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BC Wood incoming chair shares her perspectives on the Global Buyers Mission

By Kelly Marciniw, COO, Zirnhelt Timber Frames Ltd.
LinkedIn
September 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kelly Marciniw & David Eby

As the incoming Chairperson of the Board of BC Wood, I had the honour of introducing keynote speaker Honourable David Eby at the Global Buyers Mission. With several hundred buyers, specifiers, and sellers brought together, this is an event designed to share knowledge, build connections, talk shop among peers, and grow our wood value-added businesses domestically and globally. I encouraged participants to think expansively about how we can substitute more products and applications with those made with wood, forestry and other biomaterials. And the opportunity for buyers and specifiers – that sourcing our high-quality, ethically-harvested forestry products, manufactured right here in beautiful British Columbia, Canada will bring as benefits to their global markets and to their clients. I also shared a few extra words about two special guests we had with us: Randi Walker, retiring from BC Wood after 25 years of service; and David Eby, Premier of BC.

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BC Forests Minister celebrates successful Global Buyers Mission

By Ravi Parmar, BC Minister of Forests
LinkedIn
September 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar

The BC Wood Global Buyers Mission is one of the best stages to showcase what British Columbia does so well: building a forestry sector that is innovative, sustainable, and driven by some of the most skilled workers in the world. …To kick off the conference, we announced a two month pause on the collection of monthly timber harvest fees. Just one way we’re standing up to support BC forestry companies, in the face of unjustified US tariff threats. This pause will provide immediate financial relief to the sector, a sector that employs tens of thousands of people across BC. Because nothing is going to get in the way of our forestry future. And we now have fresh energy and focus behind that mission. With new leadership at Forestry Innovation Investment (FII), our efforts are laser-focused on diversifying export markets and ensuring B.C. companies have every opportunity to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.

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Carrier Sekani First Nations sign new reconciliation agreement with Province

By Jake Wray
Terrace Standard
September 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Province of British Columbia and seven Carrier Sekani First Nations have signed a new agreement that reaffirms a decade-long effort to advance reconciliation and shared decision-making, a press release from the Province said. The Pathway Forward 3.0 Agreement was signed recently by the Carrier Sekani First Nation Society and the First Nations of Nadleh Whut’en, Nak’azdli Whut’en, Saik’uz, Stellat’en, Takla, Tl’azt’en and Ts’il Kaz Koh. It marks the third major step in a process that began in 2015, with further agreements in 2017 and 2019. …It lays out plans for regional economic development, ties local priorities to broader opportunities, and emphasizes collaboration in areas such as forestry and land stewardship, the press release said. …The Carrier Sekani First Nation Society remains in Stage 4 of the B.C. Treaty Process, negotiating an agreement-in-principle with the Province and the federal government.

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Nova Scotia government weighing whether to bid on Northern Pulp assets

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
September 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Tory Rushton

Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton says government officials are “actively monitoring” the process for the sell-off of Northern Pulp’s assets, but no decisions have been made about whether the province will get in on the bidding. Regardless, Rushton said he thinks the timberlands on the auction block have been “active forestry lands for the sector for many years and they should continue to be” used as such. …The primary assets are timberlands owned by the company, as well as a nursery. There is precedent for the province buying such land. In 2012, the NDP government bought land in western Nova Scotia from Bowater before the Queens County-based mill eventually shut down. …One of the reasons Rushton is taking a way-and-see approach to how any future leases look is because he expects there will continue to be demand for the wood.

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Firefighters contain large industrial fire at Englehart, Ontario Mill

By Dan Bertrand
CTV News
September 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — A significant fire at the Georgia Pacific mill in Englehart, Ontario, required a multi-department response early Sunday morning, with crews working for more than ten hours to contain the blaze and protect surrounding assets. …The fire involved a large pile of waste Oriented Strand Board in the mill’s yard. …The department responded with 18 firefighters, two pumper trucks and a tanker. Due to the fire’s remote location within the yard and the long distance to the nearest fire hydrants, local fire officials called for assistance. …As the threat diminished, mutual aid units were suspended around 11:45 a.m. The Ministry of Natural Resources was also called in by mill managers and arrived early Sunday afternoon to assist with further exposure protection for the surrounding wooded area. …“We do not anticipate any impact on operations since the fire was contained outside,” said Rick Kimble, for Georgia Pacific.

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Northern forestry, economic projects land $3.5M

Northern Ontario Business
September 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The federal government is investing more than $3.5 million in 10 projects to boost forestry and economic resilience in the North. Funds announced Sept. 8 flow through a number of funding programs, including Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP), Regional Economic Growth through Innovation initiative (REGI), and the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative for Northern Ontario (RHII). Of the funds, the biggest chunk — a non-repayable FedNor investment of $1,701,000 — goes to the Centre for Research & Innovation in the Bio-economy (CRIBE) in Thunder Bay, which will be used in multiple projects. CRIBE will develop, support and scale up regional innovation clusters and investment hubs in Northern Ontario, and build up and market the forest bioeconomy industry to build biorefinement capacity in the northwest. …The funding was announced alongside a suite of new measures under the Build Canada Strong initiative the federal government said would help businesses affected by tariffs and trade disruptions.

Backgrounder: Government of Canada invests over $3.5 million in forestry industry and economic resilience in Northern Ontario

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Forest Regime: Call for the complete withdrawal of Bill 97

By Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador
Cision Newswire
September 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

WENDAKE, QC – After months of discussions and good-faith exchanges, the Chiefs’ Committee on Forests of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) has concluded that there is no guarantee that the proposals of the First Nations would be integrated into a significantly amended version of Bill 97, An Act mainly to modernize the forest regime. …it has become impossible to continue the work without a genuine assurance that the essential elements put forward by the First Nations would be fully incorporated into the legislation. …Therefore, the AFNQL is calling for the complete withdrawal of Bill 97. “…Only through the full withdrawal of Bill 97 and by returning together to the drawing board can we begin a true co-construction legislative process and envision a balanced future for our forests, while reducing the tensions currently observed on the ground”, said the Chief of the AFNQL, Francis Verreault-Paul.

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Kruger to Restart Corner Brook Pulp & Paper Mill

VOCM News Now
September 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

CORNER BROOK, Newfoundland — Kruger is going to resume operations in Corner Brook on Monday. The pulp mill shut down after the province instituted a province-wide fire ban in light of the wildfires and a high forest fire index. Their forestry operations resumed about ten days ago. In preparation for the restart, the company is actively rebuilding its wood inventory. The Deer Lake hydro plant will gradually resume operations starting today, gradually increasing until Tuesday. That will result in higher water flows and rising water levels in Deer Lake and the Humber River, both of which are currently at low levels. Kruger also noted that it is still waiting on a formal response to its diversification plan on the long-term sustainability of the operation. That proposal calls for financial involvement from the provincial government. 

Related coverage in BayFM: Corner Brook Pulp and Paper back in full swing after a forest fire shutdown

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The Ontario Woodlot Association Announces Appointment of New Executive Director, Glen Prevost

Ontario Woodlot Association
September 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Glen Prevost

KEMPTVILLE, ON — The Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Glen Prevost, R.P.F. as Executive Director, effective September 8, 2025. “The Executive Committee is proud to appoint Glen as Executive Director after four years of outstanding contributions to the OWA and private land forestry,” says Colleen Drew- Baehre, President of the OWA. “Since joining the organization in 2021 Glen has increased the certified lands in the Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) forest certification program by 25%.” Prevost brings nine years of experience in the forestry sector, including leading the EOMF forest certification program and advising forest operations and wood products at FPInnovations. …Prevost has a Master of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto and a Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from McMaster University. Prevost will guide the OWA in advancing active forest management, supporting landowners, and generating sustainable economic opportunities.

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Finance & Economics

Lumber prices haven’t bottomed yet. Here’s when they will

By Brian Donovan
The Globe and Mail
September 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

A “normal” annual softwood lumber price cycle sees prices dropping from Labour Day until early in the new year when buying starts again for the spring construction season. We are also expecting three interest rate cuts this year from the US Federal Reserve. With lower mortgage rates expected, will we see increasing demand for lumber? …The short term outlook for lumber prices continues to see weakness with price projections as low as US$450 per thousand board feet until the spring construction season. Looking into 2026 and 2027, prices are expected to recover to the mid-US$500 to low-US$600 per thousand board feet range. Ongoing duties, the upcoming court rulings on tariffs and the protracted housing shortage will all impact the price of lumber over the next two years. [to access the full story, a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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‘Absolutely crazy’ lumber price drop makes now the perfect time to build

By Matt Sexton
Mortgage Professional America
September 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Russ Taylor

With new duties being levied against Canadian lumber, most industry experts thought the price of lumber would continue to rise. Strangely, the opposite has happened, and it might be the right time to consider new construction loans. A report in The Wall Street Journal reported a 25% drop in wood futures markets since hitting a three-year high in August. And if not for some mills cutting back production, the drop may have been larger. “It’s been, quite honestly, very, very strange,” Russ Taylor, a wood market expert and analyst said. “Prices have absolutely tumbled. With western SPF from British Columbia, if you look at August before the new 20% duty kicked in, going from 14.4 to 35.2%, prices were creeping up a little bit. …Because everyone is overstocked, and because demand for lumber has been so low due to high interest rates, Taylor thinks it may take a while for the market to balance back out.

Related coverage in Newsweek, by Giulia Carbonaro: US Housing Market Warning Signal From Lumber Prices

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Canadian housing starts flat in first half of 2025 amid declines in condo projects

The Canadian Press
September 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released its fall housing supply report stating growth in overall housing starts was flat during the first half of the year compared with 2024. …CMHC says growth in overall housing starts was flat during the first half of the year compared with 2024, though there were significant regional differences. The agency says cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal, Ottawa and Halifax built homes at paces that were either at or near records or in line with historical averages in the first half of the year. However, slowdowns in Canada’s two most expensive real estate markets weighed on the overall number of housing starts. Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, deputy chief economist for CMHC, says the ongoing construction slowdown in the housing market presents risks to future housing supply.

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Lumber Prices Are Flashing a Warning Sign for the U.S. Economy

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
September 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Falling lumber prices are sounding an alarm on Wall Street about potential problems on Main Street. Wood markets have been whipsawed of late by trade uncertainty and a deteriorating housing market. Futures have dropped 23% since hitting a three-year high at the beginning of August and ended Friday at $535 per thousand board feet. The price drop might have been greater—but two of North America’s biggest sawyers said last week that they would curtail output, slowing the decline. Crashing wood prices are troubling because they have been a reliable leading indicator on the direction of the housing market as well as broader economic activity. …Analysts and traders say there will have to be further cuts to ease the glut of wood. That might not be a problem, given how higher duties have pushed up Canadian sawmills’ break-even prices while demand wanes. “We anticipate further closures or curtailments,” said Truist Securities analyst Michael Roxland. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is require]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canadian Wood Council’s WoodWorks Program Welcomes BarrierTEK as National Partner

Canadian Wood Council
September 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Ottawa, Ontario — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to welcome BarrierTEK as a new national partner of its WoodWorks program. This collaboration aligns two organizations committed to supporting safe, innovative, and low-carbon construction practices across Canada through education, technical excellence, and strategic market development. As the construction sector responds to climate imperatives, shifting societal expectations, and progressive building codes, the role of wood in the built environment continues to expand. By combining traditional wood systems with value-added solutions like fire-retardant treatments, project teams can expand the application of wood in diverse building types without compromising performance or design flexibility. This partnership will help raise awareness of the full range of tools and technologies available to support safe, code-compliant wood construction while reinforcing wood’s reputation as a versatile, safe, high-performance building material.

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Canadian Wood Council and Canadian Institute of Steel Construction Partner to Advance Steel-Timber Hybrid Construction

The Canadian Wood Council
September 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Ottawa, ON — The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) and the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC) are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to accelerate the adoption of steel-timber hybrid structural solutions in Canada. Steel-timber hybrid construction is emerging as a sustainable and efficient approach to modern building design. By combining the strength and durability of steel with the renewable, low-carbon benefits of wood, hybrid systems—such as steel-timber composite floors—can deliver superior structural performance, improved cost efficiency, and faster construction timelines. These benefits are particularly valuable for larger and taller buildings where structural demands are greatest. To advance this opportunity, CWC and CISC have established a joint Technical Steering Committee to oversee the strategic use of funds contributed by both organizations to maximize industry impact. Its primary mandate is to support designers, engineers, and builders by developing technical guidance, best practices, and publications that will enable practical, code-compliant solutions for hybrid systems.

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Forestry

Forest Stewardship Council News & Views

Forest Stewardship Council Canada
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

In the September newsletter, you’ll find these stories and more:

  • Jaguar Land Rover first to launch tires with over 70% renewable and recyclable materials
  • FSC Canada Welcomes New Team Members: Tina Langille-Hayward, Director of Policy & Standards AND Mylène Raimbault, Regional Manager, Eastern Canada
  • The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada is pleased to announce the launch of a public consultation on draft Indicators related to Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) – August 1 – September 30, 2025
  • FSC Forest Week runs September 20-26, Register Today!
  • Webinar: Wellness and Beauty and FSC, September 18, 2025
  • New Guidance Document for the Ecosystem Services Procedure

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Forestry Officials Tied CN Rail to Lytton Fire, Then Backed Off

By Amanda Follett Hosgood
The Tyee
September 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

As recently as last year, B.C.’s Ministry of Forests believed that Canada’s largest railway company played a role in the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lytton. In a February 2024 letter to the Canadian National Railway, provincial officials told the company that it intended to seek restitution for costs for the fire. But just six weeks later, the province reversed course and closed the file, according to documents released in response to a freedom of information request. …Last September, the RCMP wrapped up its three-year investigation without laying charges, saying it could not determine what caused the fire. …The letters provide another glimpse at investigations that have largely remained hidden from the public since Lytton burned four years ago. …A lack of information about the cause of the wildfire in Lytton hasn’t stopped a flurry of lawsuits against railway companies CN and Canadian Pacific, as well as federal and provincial agencies, in recent years.

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From Fairy Creek to the Walbran Valley, the fight for ancient forests persists

By Maia Wikler
The National Observer
September 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West
 

For over 30 years, people have been fighting to save the Walbran. Blockades and direct actions in the early 1990s led to the creation of the Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park. Missing, however, from the park protections were the central and upper Walbran Valley. Will O’Connel says, “As soon as we knew this was falling, there was no question but to mobilize. We will be here until they haul us out.” …“A lot of our hope was crushed by Fairy Creek,” O’Connel admits. “Yet, we’re still here fighting. The government relies on the fact that most people aren’t in the forest to see what’s really happening. …“Blockading is not a marathon; it’s a relay. We just hope people will be here to pick up the baton,” says O’Connel.

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Forestry company asks for injunction to remove logging protesters in Walbran

By Roxanne Egan-Elliott
The Times Colonist
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A forestry company is expected to be in court on Tuesday to request an injunction against protesters who have blockaded an area in the Upper Walbran Valley. The Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership said a “sophisticated, targeted, and well-publicized” blockade is affecting the company’s ability to log in the area where it has the rights to log. The company said the group behind the blockade is the same one responsible for a protest against old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek area near Port Renfrew. …The company is asking for a one-year injunction preventing people from obstructing access… and interfering with logging in the area. The company said it is suffering “irreparable harm” due to the blockade, which has trapped a contractor’s fire truck and emergency transport vehicle, causing safety concerns. …Western Forest Products Inc. holds a 65% equity interest in the company. Huu-ay-aht First Nations holds the other 35 %.

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Temporary orders protect chinook salmon in Thompson Okanagan

By Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship
Government of BC
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

As severe drought conditions continue to affect river levels in the Thompson Okanagan region, fish-population protection orders will protect endangered chinook salmon in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek by temporarily restricting water use for forage crops and identified industrial purposes. The Salmon River and Bessette Creek have seen persistent low streamflows that are threatening the survival of spawning chinook populations. The fish-population protection orders will help restore water-flow levels and protect the salmon run. Effective Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, 490 surface-water and groundwater licences and transitioning groundwater users in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds within the assessed curtailment area are affected by the orders to stop using water for forage crops, which include grass for hay, alfalfa and forage corn. Irrigation of forage crops is one of the most water-intensive agricultural water uses. 

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Axes will fly at Ladysmith Loggers’ Sports fundraiser

By Morgan Brayton
The Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The tools of BC’s traditional industry will take centre stage in Ladysmith on Sunday, Sept. 14 for Ladysmith Loggers’ Sports. The event supports the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock, an annual bike tour across Vancouver Island that raises funds for childhood cancer research and support programs. The loggers’ sports exhibition event will take place at the Transfer Beach amphitheatre starting at 2 p.m. …Among the upgrades this year are three massive dummy logs donated by Western Forest Products. This year’s key supporters include Spuzzum Contracting, LCU Insurance Agencies, Mosaic Forest Management and the Town of Ladysmith.

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Documentary ‘B.C. is Burning’ showing in Castlegar

By Betsy Kline
The Rossland News
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A documentary addressing British Columbia’s escalating wildfire crisis and the urgent need for solutions is playing in Castlegar on Sept. 11. The film was produced by former Castlegar resident Murray Wilson. Wilson graduated from Selkirk College’s Forest Technology program in 1981 and then worked in Salmo and Nakusp before spending more than three decades in forestry across British Columbia. “My early forestry work in the Kootenays showed me the wildfire risks communities face and the solutions we need, which is at the heart of B.C. is Burning,” said Wilson.

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UBC professor sounds alarm on clearcut logging

By Barb Aguiar
The Kelowna Courier
September 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Younes Alila

A UBC professor says the time is now to be serious about the way BC manages its forests because it affects our water. Dr. Younes Alila, a professor of forest hydrology at the UBC Faculty of Forestry, made the statement at the Kelowna screening of Trouble in the Headwaters, a documentary by Dan Pierce. Alila, who has studied the connection between forestry and flooding for decades, is featured in the film, which focusses on the flooding of Grand Forks in 2018. Alila alleges the flooding was caused by clearcut logging. “The forest cover is our most powerful protection against flood risk and drought risk,” he said, noting the tree canopy intercepts snow as well as shading snow that reaches the ground, allowing it to melt slower. …Alila would like to see the remaining old-growth forest left alone and selective logging in the secondary forest that’s already been logged.

Additional coverage in The Tyee, by Alice Kassam: Floods, Fires, Forests. For Younes Alila, It All Connects

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Wildsight Golden hosts UBC forestry professors to tackle local forestry challenges

Wildsight
September 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Last week, Wildsight Golden welcomed professors from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry for a collaborative visit focused on the unique forest management challenges facing the Golden region. The visit brought together representatives from the forestry industry, woodlot and community forest sectors, environmental groups, and wildfire risk reduction experts. The UBC professors were here investigating the feasibility of holding forestry field camps in Golden. …UBC professors have committed to returning in Spring 2026 – this time with forestry graduate students. These students will explore Golden’s forestry challenges firsthand, with the opportunity to develop local research projects with real-world impact—projects that may influence provincial policy. With strong collaboration across sectors already underway in Golden, and plans to host UBC’s 2026 Sustainable Forestry Field Camp and participate in provincial forestry conferences like SISCO, local leaders aim to showcase Golden as a model for sustainable, community-driven forestry.

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B.C. still failing to protect old-growth forest: Wildsight

By Wildsight
The Cranbrook Daily Townsman
September 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Five years after the release of the Old-Growth Strategic Review report, the BC NDP’s momentum towards a “new, holistic approach” to the management of old-growth forests has slowed almost to the point of regression. “Rather than the ‘paradigm shift’ we were promised, we’ve seen Premier Eby’s government doubling down on its prioritization of timber and industry profits over all other values,” said Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight Conservation Specialist. After its public release on September 11, 2020, the BC NDP government promised to enact all 14 recommendations made in the landmark Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR). The goal: to shift its focus towards ecosystem health, rather than timber. Since then, temporary logging deferrals have been put in place in high-risk old-growth stands in some parts of the province, and a 2023 Draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework was released for public review. 

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Chance to explore deeper in Maple Ridge’s UBC research forest

Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows News
September 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Nature lovers have a rare invitation to “Explore the Hidden Side of the Forest,” from UBC’s Wild and Immersive Programs which are held in the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. The forest at 14500 Silver Valley Road has seen 76 years of teaching and learning, and hosted more than 1,000 research projects about a variety of topics. Now the public is invited to go behind the scenes and discover what researchers have learned over the decades. They can join a guided van tour through rarely-seen areas of the forest, and explore a rotating selection of research sites and studies each year. This tour is led by Hélène Marcoux, Registered Professional Forester and manager of the research forest.

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Mi’kmaq continue blockade of forestry in Cape Breton Highlands

By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
September 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

A Mi’kmaq blockade of harvesting for Port Hawkesbury Paper in the Cape Breton Highlands continued Tuesday. The blockade had been temporarily lifted Sunday, after forestry crews and law enforcement removed a barrier of spruce logs built on Hunters Mountain Road. The logs had been seized from a logging truck by Mi’kmaq led by Ashton Bernard. Trucks were allowed through the line set up by the Mi’kmaq through Monday morning until Madonna Bernard stood in front of two trucks during the afternoon. A significant RCMP presence was on scene but did not interfere in the blockade. “They’re clear-cutting our land and we’re trying to save it,” said Madonna Bernard, who also goes by her Mi’kmaq name, Kuku’wes, as she stood in front of the logging truck.

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Environmentalists raise concerns spraying forests with glyphosate makes them more vulnerable to wildfires

By Jonathan Migneault
CBC News
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Amid calls from some First Nations and municipalities in northeastern Ontario to stop glyphosate spraying on Crown land, environmental groups are raising concerns over the herbicide’s effect on biodiversity. …Wildland fire ecologist Bob Gray said leafy deciduous trees, like aspen, are more resilient to wildfires than softwood conifers like pine and spruce. “Softwoods are highly resinous,” he said. “The foliage and bark is highly flammable. When you’ve got large contiguous areas of conifer forest, you can have large continuous forest fires.” If a timber company’s goal is to promote the growth of softwoods for harvest, at the expense of hardwoods, it can make that area more prone to wildfires. …Jocelyne Laflamme is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia found that aspen becomes more flammable in the fall, when they lose their leaves. …In August, forest company Interfor cancelled plans to spray herbicides on trees along the north shore of Lake Huron.

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Forestry blockade heats up on Cape Breton’s Hunters Mountain

By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — Mikmaq have begun blocking logging trucks from leaving Hunters Mountain. Madonna Bernard began the blockade on Monday afternoon when she stood in front of two logging trucks. She was then joined by other Mi’kmaq seeking to stop harvesting from the Cape Breton Highlands. …“This is not a protest, this is a protection. We’re willing to stay as long as it takes.” A large RCMP presence has gathered and more Mi’kmaq supporters are arriving. …Port Hawkesbury Paper mill manager Bevan Lock said that the supercalendered paper relies on wood coming from the highlands for a significant part of its woods fibre. He said some 70 people work for forestry and logging contractors operating in the area. “The province and RCMP have taken steps to remove the blockade and allow travel on a public road,” said Lock.

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Record New Brunswick wildfires alter forest ecosystems, creating winners and losers among birds

By Hope Edmond
CBC News
September 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

As wildfires tear through New Brunswick’s forests at record rates this year, researchers say the resulting damage is reshaping bird habitats — displacing some species while creating new opportunities for others. “With every disturbance in a forest, you have winners and losers,” says Joe Nocera, a forestry and environmental management professor at the University of New Brunswick. In this case, the winners will be woodpeckers. Wildfires, while destructive, are a natural part of forest ecosystems, said Amy-Lee Kouwenberg, an associate director at Birds Canada explained. They clear out underbrush and create habitats that support a wider range of species, boosting biodiversity in the long run. Woodpeckers thrive in burned areas, and the resulting tree cavities they leave behind are used as nesting sites that other birds rely on. …Species like the Canada warbler, wood thrush and Bicknell’s thrush — all of which depend on dense, mature or shrubby forests — are particularly vulnerable . 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Carney government noncommittal about Canada meeting 2030 climate goals

By Nick Murray
The Canadian Press in CBC News
September 8, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

Julie Dabrusin

Prime Minister Mark Carney and his environment minister aren’t saying whether Canada is still committed to meeting its climate goals under the Paris agreement by 2030, as the government faces criticism over his emissions reduction plans. The office of Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin said Canada is committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 — but would not commit to the 2030 target when asked directly. “Taking into account the evolving global and economic context, the federal government will provide an update on its emissions reductions plan as we strive towards our 2030 and 2035 targets”. …Canada has a legal requirement to achieve net-zero by 2050. Part of its path to get there is a plan to cut emissions to at least 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 — a commitment set out in the Paris Agreement. The statement from Dabrusin’s office was the third time a member of Carney’s government declined to commit to the Paris target.

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Heads up Ontario: Sweden thinks its found a green energy solution by ramping up forest harvesting. But forests are not factories

By Emil Siekkinen, Swedish-based environmental writer
Toronto Star
September 8, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, International

…Sweden, like Canada, sits atop vast boreal forests — part of the same great green belt circling the Northern Hemisphere. These forests act as planetary lungs, storing more carbon than even the Amazon. But the Swedish government’s latest forestry inquiry, En robust skogspolitik för aktivt skogsbruk, is heading in a troubling direction: grow more trees, cut them faster, and burn or export more biomass in the name of “green energy.” It sounds like a climate solution. But here’s the problem: forests are not factories. Most of the carbon in a boreal forest isn’t stored in the trees at all. It’s locked underground — in roots, fungi, humus, and delicate microbial networks built up over thousands of years. When forestry is intensified — shorter harvest cycles, heavier machines, wider clear-cuts — that underground bank of carbon is steadily drained. The trees grow back, yes, but the soil can take centuries to recover, if it recovers at all.

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Health & Safety

September 2025 public hearing on proposed regulatory amendments

WorkSafeBC
September 9, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West

WorkSafeBC will be holding a virtual public hearing on proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The virtual public hearing will be streamed live on September 24, 2025, in two sessions. The first will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 3 to 5 p.m. We welcome your feedback on the proposed amendments. All feedback received will be presented to WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors for their consideration. You can provide feedback in the following ways:

  1. Submit feedback online or by email
    Written submissions can be made online until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 26, 2025, via worksafebc.com or by email to ohsregfeedback@worksafebc.com.
  2. Register to speak at the hearing by phone
    To register, call 604.232.7744 or toll-free in B.C. at 1.866.614.7744. Each organization or individual will be permitted to make one presentation.

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Forest Fires

Kamloops-Centre MLA owes wildfire fighters an apology, says forestry minister

By Kemone Moodley
Terrace Standard
September 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

Peter Milobar

Kamloops-Centre MLA Peter Milobar owes BC Wildfire Service an apology, says B.C. Forest Minister Ravi Parmar. In an interview with The Hope Standard, Parmar said that Milobar owes the BC Wildfire Service, and all wildland firefighters, an apology after he posted a tweet on X criticizing BC Wildfire Service for allegedly just watching the Mine Creek blaze burn instead of responding to it after he drove on the highway on Sept. 3 around 11:30 a.m. …Parmar said that Milobar also needs to educate himself and speak with wildland firefighters before commenting on wildfires again. In his post, Milobar said that he “drove through around 11:30 a.m. today (Sept. 3) and was on the other side of the ridge. No actioning (can you say save money with fiscal mess) and now we have a closed major highway, at what cost to the economy and infrastructure impacts?”

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Hundreds ordered to evacuate as wildfires burn around Anahim Lake in central B.C.

CBC News
September 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

@BCWildfireService

The community of Anahim Lake has been ordered evacuated as wildfires burning along Highway 20, north and east of Bella Coola in central B.C., moved closer to homes overnight. It’s part of a large number of evacuation orders issued by the Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation Friday morning at 6 a.m. PT. About 570 people living along the Anahim Lake, Nimpo Lake, Dusty Lake and Charlotte Lake area were asked to leave immediately due to the Dusty Lake wildfire, which has spread to more than 53 square kilometres. …Another fire in the region, the 102-square-kilometre Beef Trail Creek wildfire burning north of the highway and northwest of the Dusty Lake fire, already prompted an evacuation order earlier this week for an area north of Anahim Lake. …Mikhail Elsay, fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BSWS), said Friday morning the Dusty Lake fire in particular is proving to be very difficult to contain.

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BC Wildfire Service fighting 18 out of control wildfires across Cariboo Fire Centre

By Patrick Davies
The Cranbrook Daily Townsman
September 5, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

@BCWildfireService

Eighteen wildfires remain out of control across the Cariboo Fire Centre this Friday, Sept. 5. The BC Wildfire Service has brought eight of the 31 active wildfires under control and while another five are being held. The largest wildfires near Anahim Lake, however, remain out of control and have prompted several evacuation orders on Friday morning. The largest wildfire in the fire centre remains the Itcha Lake Wildfire, now estimated to be 32,255 hectares as of Thursday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. Originally started by lightning, the fire is primarily located within the boundaries of the Itcha Ilgachuz Park, which has been closed to the public. …The majority of the province is currently under a special air quality statement due to wildfire smoke, including the Cariboo and Northern B.C. regions. As a result, many cities in those areas are at a six on B.C.’s air quality health index, with the potential of ranging up to nine on the scale.

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2 schools closed as crews fight Lethbridge, Newfoundland wildfire

CBC News
September 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

The local service district of Lethbridge, N.L., is partially evacuated after a wildfire started in a bark pile and its adjacent forest outside Sexton Lumber late Sunday afternoon. The evacuation zone includes the areas of Oldford’s Hill to Southwest Bridge and Bayside Drive and Forest Drive, where the saw mill is located. Anthony Paddon Elementary in Musgravetown has been converted into a reception centre for impacted residents. In a social media post, the school announced that it will be closed to students on Monday, as it supports the efforts of emergency responders. The elementary school in Lethbridge, Hertiage Collegiate, is closed as well. In a social media post the school says more updates will be provided at 10:30 a.m. N.T. Route 233 remains impassible in both directions to all traffic. As of Sunday, three water bombers and ground crews were working the fire, and crews remained on the scene overnight to monitor conditions.

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