Hopes for relief on the tariffs front are likely on hold until the new year now that the US Supreme Court has adjourned for the holiday season before ruling on the matter of President Trump’s illogical and, likely, illegal trade tariffs. Their decision could come in January, which is a long wait for affected economies around the world. …It took just 35 days for lower courts to decide Trump’s use of the act for tariffs was invalid, which he appealed. …Rampant speculation is outlined by Daniel Schramm In the Missouri Independent: “The Trump administration’s tariff appeal could mark the turning point when the US Supreme Court finally stands up to the president“. …What happens if the court strikes down Trump’s rationale? …Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant has indicated that the administration intends to turn to other trade acts in order to effectively keep the tariffs in place, regardless of what the Supreme Court thinks.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the door is open for American officials to restart trade talks with Canada. …”Canada believed it was making progress with the Americans — and talks would eventually move to automobiles and softwood lumber — but Trump “decided to suspend those negotiations. That’s regrettable.” …Canadian, American and Mexican officials are gearing up to review CUSMA, which offers Canada crucial protection from many of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. …On Thursday, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kristen Hillman downplayed signals from the Trump administration about breaking down the trilateral pact and said she hasn’t “heard any indication from the US side that they want to change that foundation.” …All three countries must indicate by July 1 of next year whether they want to extend the agreement, renegotiate its terms or let it expire. LeBlanc said in private the conversations are “much more reassuring” about CUSMA.
This infographic, released December 12, 2025, provides an overview of the lumber industry, showcasing key metrics and trends related to production, exports and price change. It highlights significant data points, illustrating the state of the market and offering insights into the current landscape of lumber in Canada.
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) held a hearing regarding the six-year review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Though some stakeholders advocated for maintaining the current framework, many called for targeted updates. Despite varied perspectives, there was broad consensus that USMCA should be preserved. Transshipment and circumvention of Section 232 tariffs emerged as recurring concerns, particularly from the automotive, steel and aluminum, and wood and lumber sectors. …Stakeholders from the wood products, millwork and cabinetry industries raised serious concerns about how USMCA’s current rules of origin are being exploited to circumvent U.S. trade remedies and undermine domestic manufacturers. …The organization’s representative urged the adoption of Labor Value Content (LVC) rules for wood products modeled after those used in the automotive sector to ensure that qualifying goods reflect substantial North American production and fair labor practices.
The negotiations that remade the North American Free Trade Agreement were, as one participant put it, a series of “near-death” experiences. …In the years since the U.S.M.C.A was signed, Mexico and Canada have become America’s top trading partners. Millions of jobs depend on this economic alliance, which exceeds $1.8 trillion in trade. …Last week, Trump suggested that he would exit the U.S.M.C.A.: “We’ll either let it expire or, well, maybe work out another deal with Mexico and Canada.” Some observers discount Trump’s bluster as mere gamesmanship. …He returned to the White House on a promise to create jobs and lower prices—to make the country “boom like we’ve never boomed before.” Instead, tariffs are fuelling inflation, and many experts believe that it is only a matter of time before the economy starts hemorrhaging jobs. …As in the previous round of negotiations, time does not appear to be on Trump’s side.
As US President Trump sticks with his campaign of tariffs on imports from Canada, some American industries are accusing Canadian competitors of using cheap materials from China in ways that violate free trade rules and undercut U.S. companies. The accusations emerged during recent public hearings in Washington into the future of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). …Luke Meisner, counsel for the American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance, told the hearings that Canada and Mexico have become conduits for products from China, circumventing the hefty countervailing duties the US imposed on Chinese-made cabinets and materials in 2020. …Over the past five years, Canada “dramatically increased” its imports of made-in-China cabinets and cabinet materials — such as plywood, medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and moulding — while at the same time boosting exports of finished cabinets to the US, Meisner said. …The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association defends its products as Canadian-made.
Domtar officials are reassuring their Port Alberni workers that the closure of the company’s Crofton Mill will have minimal impact here. Chris Stoicheff – Senior Director of Public Affairs at Domtar – says the company and entire industry needs provincial forestry rules to change to ensure fibre supply to BC mills. “We’re going to continue to operate that mill for the foreseeable future, but I think we’re also quite direct about the challenges that the industry is facing in BC and what we’ve been quite clear that those are policy driven constraints.” he said. Stoicheff says while most of Port Alberni’s pulp came from Crofton, that supply will now come from their Howe Sound mill. He said local MP Gord Johns work to secure a biomass tax credit is an example of the government support the forest industry needs.
Lumber futures traded above $550 per thousand board feet as markets absorbed a dovish turn from the Federal Reserve that brightened the demand outlook for construction materials. The Fed’s widely anticipated 25bp cut and Chair Powell’s dovish rhetoric pushed traders to price additional easing next year, which should put downward pressure on mortgage rates and lift homebuilding and renovation activity. Those interest rate dynamics have heightened the incentive for builders and distributors to restock, while persistent tariff and trade frictions have constrained supply. Canadian log exports are down year to date even as shipments into the US have risen, Canadian manufacturing output has slipped and US lumber exports are lower, a mix that reduces available millfeed and forces buyers to compete for the supplies that remain.
The Bank of Canada is holding its key interest rate at 2.25%, a move that was widely expected after an encouraging round of third-quarter data showed the Canadian economy has withstood some trade war-induced turmoil. Central bank governor Tiff Macklem wrote in his opening remarks that the current rate is at “about the right level” to give the economy a boost while also keeping inflation close to its 2% target rate. Canada’s economy proved more hardy than expected in the third quarter, with GDP and jobs growth beating expectations, and the unemployment rate dropping to 6.5% in November. Inflation is hovering just above 2%, and the Bank of Canada’s core measures of inflation are trending closer to 3%. While the steel, aluminum, auto and lumber sectors have been pummelled by US tariffs, which is weighing more broadly on business investment, “the economy is proving resilient overall,” Macklem said.
Gold River, BC — This has not been a good year for forestry as the industry continues to feel the pain from escalating tariffs, mill closures and job losses. But in Nootka Sound a First Nation is looking to a future where trees have a higher value staying in the ground. …the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation is looking at an entirely different economic approach to managing its territorial forests and waters in Nootka Sound. The First Nation’s Salmon Parks project aims to have 66,595 hectares, comprising approximately 20 per cent of its land territory, under a protected designation by 2030. The initiative strictly limits industrial activity within the Salmon Parks – particularly old growth logging – with hopes of eventually allowing nature to heal itself to the point that salmon runs rebound from the headwaters to the ocean. …As the project seeks an economic future, the Salmon Parks initiative is looking at the economic value of keeping trees standing by selling carbon credits. 
Band-aid solutions are not going to fix the flooding problems in the Chemainus River watershed, Chief James Thomas from the Halalt First Nation told North Cowichan’s council on Nov. 19. He said the watershed and its salmon are in jeopardy mainly due to logging practices that were conducted upstream in the watershed over the past 50 years. Thomas said the Halalt and its partners, who are working on finding solutions to the watershed’s issues, didn’t create the problem, they inherited it. There is general community consensus that gravel and sediment accumulation, scoured banks, and increased debris, largely from logging operations upstream, have increased in recent years causing extreme flooding downstream, including on Halalt reserve lands. …Thomas and Cheri Ayers from Waters Edge Biological Consultants made a presentation to council on the Chemainus Watershed Initiative. The initiative began following two flooding events in 2020 and 2021.
The University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship will host an online Professional Master’s Panel Discussion and Information Session on January 15, 2026 (10:00–11:00 am PST) via Zoom. The session is designed for prospective graduate students and professionals seeking to deepen technical expertise, strengthen leadership capabilities, and expand industry networks within forestry and environmental management fields. Representatives from four accelerated professional master’s programs will present and answer questions: the Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management, emphasizing geospatial technologies for natural resource planning; the Master of International Forestry, combining experiential learning with applied coursework; the Master of Sustainable Forest Management, focusing on professional land management; and the Master of Urban Forestry Leadership, an interdisciplinary program targeting urban forestry strategy and climate adaptation. Participants will engage directly with program directors, coordinators, and advising staff to assess fit and clarify admissions, curriculum, and career outcomes.
Mosaic Forest Management is moving forward with plans to modernize its access program, following a survey earlier this year. In May, 7,600 respondents “clearly indicated Islanders want well-managed public recreation access,” Mosaic said. To that end, Mosaic hired RC Strategies and Legacy Tourism Group. The two firms will build a stronger system for managing recreation on Mosaic lands, balancing public access with environmental protection, safety, and operational needs. Pilot initiatives are expected to be implemented in 2026. …The upcoming engagement process will include First Nations, users, and community members, [as well as] local and provincial governments to address challenges that private forest landowners cannot resolve independently. …“Mosaic is taking a progressive step that very few private landowners have undertaken at this scale,” said Justin Ellis, Partner at RC Strategies. “We’re excited to help develop a recreation access program that balances great outdoor experiences with the operational and environmental realities of a privately owned working forest.”
Further testing has confirmed that a sample submitted from a male white-tailed deer harvested east of Enderby is negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD). CWD is an infectious and fatal disease affecting cervids, including deer, elk, moose and caribou. The initial screening test by the B.C. Animal Health Centre showed a “non-negative” finding for the sample, meaning the disease could not be definitively ruled out and required more testing. Following standard protocol, the sample was sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reference laboratory for confirmatory testing. The laboratory conducted confirmatory testing using three different methods. All results were negative for CWD.
Pulp and paper mills sit at the intersection of several decarbonization pressures. …This makes them tempting targets for hydrogen developers who are trying to find new markets… In Prince George the firm Teralta attempted what was possibly the only hydrogen-for-energy scheme in British Columbia with a chance of working. Their idea was to capture hydrogen produced as a by-product by the nearby chemical plant Chemtrade (from its sodium-chlorate process), purify and pipe it about 500 metres to a nearby pulp mill owned by Canfor. …The 
Federal funding of nearly $460,000 will enable Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek to move forward with the installation of a district biomass heating system in the community. The project is one of 10 being supported with $4.8 million from FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program, announced Dec. 5. Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek — also known as Sand Point First Nation — has been