Kemptville, ON — Under the leadership of Canadian Forest Owners (CFO), the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA), along with partnering associations nationwide, has appointed BrokerLink as our exclusive insurance broker. This first-of-its-kind insurance program in Canada offers OWA members access to a comprehensive suite of insurance products tailored specifically to protect the assets of family and commercial forest owners. CFO represents 480,000 forest owners who collectively own about 10% of Canada’s forested land, but account for 20% of the country’s timber production. As a national advocate for sustainable private-land forestry, CFO takes pride in championing solutions that support and protect our communities. “Together with BrokerLink, we’re proud to offer innovative strategies to help our members proactively manage increasing climate-related events and other risks while protecting important assets,” says Andrew de Vries, CEO of CFO. …Access to this product is available to members of the OWA and other provincial associations affiliated with CFO.
WASHINGTON — Every day more than $4 billion worth of goods cross the United States’ borders with Canada and Mexico. …Much of this bustling cross-border commerce is duty-free, thanks to the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, that President Trump negotiated with America’s northern and southern neighbors during his first term. But the future of the USMCA , which took effect July 1, 2020, is cloudy as the three countries begin what could be a tempestuous attempt to renew the pact this year. The United States is demanding changes to the treaty. …Trump also suggested last fall that the United States could negotiate separate deals with Canada and Mexico, ending the three-country North American bloc that previous administrations saw as crucial to competing economically with China and the European Union. The talks kick off Monday between US and Mexican trade officials. …At stake is $1.6 trillion worth of annual trade in goods.
Northern BC communities know better than most how closely their fortunes are tied to major industry. Mills, mines and power generation facilities are more than workplaces — they’re economic anchors… When an industrial business shuts down, it stops paying most of its share of property taxes. This means …the rest of their community must now share more of the tax burden. That’s why a push to revise or eliminate the closure allowance in the BC Assessment Act deserves strong backing from municipalities across northern BC — 
Alberta — Are you passionate about forestry education and inspiring the next generation? Looking for work that’s anything but a desk job — flexible, dynamic, and always evolving. You just found your next opportunity. Work Wild, a program within the Alberta Forest Products Association, reaches out to people who are making one of the most important choices in their lives — finding a career they love! We are looking for an engaging, people-orientated individual to join our Work Wild team in the role of Southern Alberta Forestry Educator. Reporting to the Program Manager, the Forestry Educator implements Work Wild program objectives, which include educating Albertans on forest sector practices as well as career opportunities in Alberta’s forest industry. The Forestry Educator will spend much of their time traveling to communities throughout southern Alberta engaging middle and high school students, educators, and job seekers about the variety of rewarding opportunities in Alberta’s forest sector.
Mercer posted Q4 earnings per share (EPS) of -$4.61 against a consensus estimate of -$0.83, a miss that signals the commodity cycle has gone from painful to existential. The headline driver was a $238.7 million non-cash impairment charge, including a $203.5 million write-down on its Peace River hardwood pulp mill. …International Paper’s Q3 2025 losses look alarming on the surface, with a $1.01 billion impairment on its Global Cellulose Fibers business and $675 million in accelerated depreciation from mill closures. But adjusted EBITDA came in at $859 million, up 28% sequentially. IP is taking pain by choice. Mercer is absorbing pain it cannot control. …IP’s pivot to pure-play global packaging via DS Smith gives it pricing leverage and diversified end markets. Mercer’s mass timber order book, at roughly $163 million in contracts including data center projects, is a genuine bright spot, but it cannot offset a pulp business bleeding cash.
The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate at 2.25% today as the economy performs below expectations, but war in the Middle East threatens higher inflation. The central bank’s decision to keep to the sidelines today was widely expected, but the future path for the policy rate is much less clear. Governor Tiff Macklem says in prepared remarks that the Bank of Canada is in a “dilemma” with U.S. trade uncertainty keeping the economy soft, but the Iran war sending global oil prices surging and likely spurring higher inflation in the months to come. Macklem says the central bank will look through the immediate inflationary hit from the war, but monetary policymakers will move to prevent persistent price hikes if the conflict persists or broadens. Statistics Canada reported an economic contraction in the fourth quarter of the year and sharp job losses in February.
Lumber futures climbed past $600 per thousand board feet as stabilizing housing sentiment and tightening production capacity across North America reversed a two month downward trend. The NAHB Housing Market Index edged up to 38 in March with buyer traffic and future sales expectations showing marginal gains despite persistent economic uncertainty. While 37% of builders continue to offer price cuts to attract buyers the market is finding support from a 29.1% surge in multifamily housing starts and a 7.2% rise in total residential construction activity. On the supply side mill closures and elevated duties on Canadian imports are projected to remove over 1.3 billion board feet from the market this year. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East further pressure the outlook as rising energy costs inflate transport and shipping expenses for global timber. These factors suggest a shift toward a supply constrained environment that offsets the impact of high mortgage rates.
Canadian housing starts posted a modest rebound in February, but economists and industry data pointed to a market still losing momentum beneath the surface. The latest figures suggest builders are working through earlier project decisions while facing weaker demand, higher costs and a darker macro outlook. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) reported that the seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing starts rose 4.5% month over month to 250,900 units in February. That’s up from a revised 240,148 in January. The six‑month trend – a moving average used to smooth volatility – inched up just 0.4% to 256,005 units, essentially flat. …“Looking ahead, we expect heightened levels of business uncertainty and construction costs to weigh on the rate and trend of housing starts in the near‑to‑medium term.” …Among Canada’s largest centres, Montreal posted an 
Lumber increased to 602.00 USD/1000 board feet, the highest since February 2026. Over the past 4 weeks, Lumber gained 1.1%, and in the last 12 months, it decreased 9.51%.
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in February as more people looked for work and the economy shed 84,000 jobs, according to the latest report from Statistics Canada, released Friday. The country’s employment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 60.6%, the second consecutive monthly decline. …Nearly 23% of the 1.5 million people who were unemployed in February were in long-term unemployment and had been continuously searching for work for 27 weeks or more. Statistics Canada said that percentage was little changed from a year ago, but “significantly above” the pre-COVID-19 pandemic average of 17.1% recorded during 2017-19. Economists had been expecting a gain of 10,000 jobs in February but the numbers were “weaker than expected,” said Andrew Hencic, director and senior economist at TD Economics. “Looking forward, we are expecting the labour market to tread water in 2026, as a rapid slowdown in population growth drags on labour supply, and soft economic momentum limits hiring,” he said.
TORONTO — Bespoke Metrics announced the finalization of its Mass Timber Project Scoring Methodology, following the close of a public comment period. Bespoke Metrics was engaged by the Climate Smart Buildings Alliance and the Canadian Wood Council, through the Mass Timber Insurance Action Plan, to develop this methodology as part of broader efforts to enhance transparency, comparability, and insurability in the use of sustainable construction materials. By standardizing how mass timber experience and risk management practices are evaluated, the framework supports more informed decision-making among owners, insurers, and lenders. …Mass timber presents significant opportunities as a lower-carbon building material, but it also introduces unique risk factors–including combustibility considerations, moisture sensitivity, supply chain constraints, and a more limited pool of experienced subcontractors and suppliers. The finalized methodology is designed to ensure these factors are consistently and transparently reflected in contractor risk assessments. …The final methodology is 
A tree felled in B.C.’s coastal rainforest, is towed by tugboat to lumber mills along waterways like the Fraser River. It’s difficult work. In the cold months, gales tear through inlets and the river ices over; tides and storms can yank logs out of formation all year round. For decades, beachcombers salvaged escaped logs and sold them back into use. But fuel and boat costs are rising, and beachcombers’ ranks are thinning. Reave Dennison is sometimes a tugboat worker, sometimes a beachcomber and sometimes even an arborist, doing maintenance work on trees. …Over the last 10 years, he’s assembled a collection of photographs that document the beauty he sees while toiling in the field. …As part of this year’s Capture Photography Festival in Vancouver, Dennison’s images will be displayed at the Pale Fire art gallery from March 19 to May 9. The exhibit, called Tree Work, folds three of his projects into one. 
At the Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the Council of Forest Industries announced its new platform entitled “Forestry is a Solution”. It is asking British Columbians to voice their support for forestry workers by pushing the BC government to speed permitting and access to timber but the main problem is that much of the timber needed does not exist because of decades of over-cutting. That is why more than 100 mills in BC have shut down since 2005. What COFI is really asking for is more access to protected areas, fire- and insect-damaged forests and the very modest and dwindling areas of remaining, unprotected old growth forests. …What is needed now are some major changes in how forests are monitored and trees allocated, with a lot less cutting and no cutting in primary forests whether old growth or fire or insect-damaged forests. …But what is allocated for cutting must make ecological sense.
Columbia Basin organizations and residents are benefiting from $3 million in wildfire reduction funding through a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and Columbia Basin Trust, according to a March 17 funding announcement. The projects are guided by FireSmart principles and aim to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen local resilience. The practical projects range from managing wildfire fuels to educating residents. Actions include hiring FireSmart coordinators, preparing fuel-treatment plans, carrying out on-the-ground fuel management and providing FireSmart training. The program is tailored to the Columbia Basin and is part of B.C.’s Community Resiliency Investment Program. The Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Service and Columbia Basin Trust are partners in delivering this support.
District of 100 Mile House Council voted unanimously to write a letter of support, as well as sign a petition related to the Forestry is a Solution initiative. A letter was written to the District Council by Kim Haakstad, the president and CEO of B.C. Council of Forest Industries, which outlined its key priorities: speeding up access to economic wood, improving competitiveness and cost certainty, fixing B.C. Timber Sales and supporting First Nations partnerships. The letter asked council to endorse the campaign, sign a petition and send a letter to their MLA, government officials and the Forests critic. Finally, it asked council to support the District of 100 Mile House staff to share information about the campaign through official communication channels.
The City of Revelstoke and the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District have passed motions formalizing their intention to push the provincial government to protect an old-growth forest. The proposed Rainbow-Jordan park would stretch 11,000 hectares… Until now, the forest has been spared from logging because the area is difficult to access… But David Brooks-Hill, a Columbia-Shuswap Regional District director said the steep slopes and lack of roads will not protect the rainforest forever. …Brooks-Hill said there is a forest tenure on the Rainbow-Jordan forest, a harvest agreement between a logging company and the B.C. government. …Brooks-Hill brought the motion to protect the area to the regional district after the City of Revelstoke passed its own resolution in February. Next, the city and regional district will present the resolution at the Southern Interior Local Government Association meeting in April. If successful, it will then be presented at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting in September.
Woodland Almanac from the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations is now available, offering a look at the people, programs, and practical tools shaping woodlot management in British Columbia. This issue highlights the Charles Bloom Forestry Program, a hands-on training initiative that introduces high school students to forestry skills and careers while working on a real operating woodlot. The newsletter also features the Executive Director’s report, details on the 2026 Woodlots BC bursary program, and an invitation to attend the Woodlots BC Annual Conference and Workshop in Parksville, October 1–4. Readers will also find updates on value-added opportunities for woodlot licensees and revisions to the Commercial Thinning Guide, along with two “Meet a Woodlotter” profiles featuring the Zemanek Family and Garrett Ranches. Together, the stories showcase the innovation, stewardship, and community connections that continue to define BC’s woodlot sector.
From the moment he became BC’s forests minister, Ravi Parmar has been under pressure to increase logging rates in the province. One way he has decided to do that is by expediting the logging of forests burned in recent wildfires. He issued the Fort Nelson First Nation a new licence to log 100,000 cubic metres of trees in burned forests in BC’s remote northeast corner. …A number of industry associations, including the Council of Forest Industries, asked him to set “definitive, aggressive timelines for completion” of plans to accelerate logging in burned forests. …But increasing “wildfire salvage” of forests, Parmar is travelling down the same road that has seen BC’s logging rates plummet by more than half since the heyday of the 1980s. …Accelerated logging of burned trees may help bend the curve, but history shows that it is short-lived and comes at the cost of degraded ecosystems and even sharper declines ahead.
Wildfire smoke is a toxic cocktail of gases, small particles and other ingredients. It’s known to contain hundreds of chemicals. It contains particulate matter, sometimes referred to as soot. …According to an article published by Stanford University, repeated, acute exposure to smoke can shorten firefighters’ life expectancy by about a decade. …Guy Bourgouin, an NDP member of provincial Parliament in Ontario, has demanded breathing protection for wildland firefighters in the province’s legislature. He says the government has been receptive. …Provincial agencies share information and resources through the non-profit Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. It sets standards, including a fitness test used to determine whether a candidate is strong enough to withstand the job’s rigours. But CIFFC has no discernible role in breathing protection and denied an interview request for this story. …The BC Wildfire Service has emerged as Canada’s leader in this quest. Working with the University of Alberta, in 2019 it began studying smoke’s contents and sought to determine whether they were getting into workers’ bodies, with or without N95 masks. [The Globe and Mail is a subscription publication]
COCHRANE, Alberta — West Fraser Mills has been charged in relation to a workplace death in Alberta