Nelson Bennett
An NDP government has had no small part in breaking B.C.’s forest industry… but can an NDP government now fix it? …Premier David Eby pledged to work towards an assured harvest of 45 million cubic metres annually, which would be an improvement of the current harvest levels, and last week, Forests Minister Ravi Parmar announced a new task force tasked with reforming BC Timber Sales, which manages 20% of the province’s AAC. …B.C.’s forest sector faces a plethora of challenges, including current softwood lumber duties, a threat of additional 25-per-cent tariffs on lumber exports and metastasizing government rules and regulations that have increasingly restricted access to timber, the supply of which had already been reduced by past pine beetle infestations and wildfires. More than a dozen sawmill and pulp mills have permanently shuttered in B.C. in the past four years. B.C. lumber producers face the prospect of softwood lumber duties doubling next year, and there’s now the added fear of 25% tariffs being imposed by the Donald Trump administration.
Domestically, the threat to B.C.’s struggling forest sector comes from federal and provincial policies that increasingly restrict access to the working forests. …Since coming to power in 2017, the BC NDP has implemented a rash of new policies and regulations crimping the timber supply, including old growth harvesting moratoria, new forest landscape plans, ecosystem-based land management, increasing parks and protected areas, shared land-use decision-making with First Nations and caribou habitat protection plans. …The shrinkage in the timber supply has not only put sawmills out of business, but has also affected secondary manufacturing, such as pulp and paper mills. …In an attempt to address some of concerns with access to fibre, Parmar last week announced a six-month review of BC Timber Sales. One of the goals of the review is to provide “predictable and reliable market access to fibre.”
President Trump said, “We don’t need Canada to make our cars. We don’t need their lumber because we have our own forests,” he said. “We don’t need their oil and gas.” Mr. Trump is wrong on all three, but we’ll focus on lumber. The U.S. doesn’t produce enough lumber to meet domestic demand and thus imports about a third of the softwood used in home construction, mostly from Canada. …Mr. Trump’s tariff threat has created uncertainty for lumber wholesalers and contractors that could delay rebuilding. The U.S. can’t ramp up lumber production in the near term to meet domestic demand, so contractors will have to eat the tariff cost on lumber from Canada or import more from other countries, which would be expensive. If Mr. Trump wants to increase U.S. lumber production, he could open up more federal land for logging. …More tariffs will punish Americans trying to rebuild. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
The B.C. government has turned down a petition to investigate Canada’s largest forestry company at a time when a federal probe into the firm faces the prospect of total collapse. On December 2, 2024, the national Standing Committee on Natural Resources unanimously passed a motion summoning Paper Excellence owner Jackson Wijaya to testify before lawmakers—an order that was enforceable with a legal subpoena if necessary. …Charlie Angus, the NDP’s natural resources critic and member of Parliament for Timmins–James Bay, said Wijaya’s expanded ownership over APP represents a break down in government oversight. …the probe came to a grinding halt when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau … prorogued Parliament. That act wiped out the work of all parliamentary committees, including the motion to summon Wijaya….When asked if B.C.’s Ministry of Forests would heed calls to launch its own investigation into Paper Excellence, a spokesperson deferred to the federal government. 
The Western Retail Lumber Association used its trade show, taking place now in Edmonton, as the platform for announcing a major rebranding initiative. After in-depth consultation with its members and board, partners, and key stakeholders, the WRLA has been renamed as Supply-Build Canada. The change is effective today. “As the association expands its advocacy efforts and external partnerships, the ‘Western Retail Lumber Association’ name became a misnomer,” says association president Liz Kovach. “The building supply industry encompasses building materials beyond lumber, and the association represents manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and other categories not represented by just retail.” Because many of the association’s members, especially on the supplier side, have offices and production outside of the West, the new name intends to capture that, “making a wholesale change of name both necessary and timely,” Kovach adds.
Toronto, Ont.—Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict has issued a statement on the relationship between Canada and the United States: I wish to congratulate President Donald Trump on his recent election. I also want to make clear to his government, all levels of Canadian governments, and to Ontario First Nations Leadership, that the Chiefs of Ontario will continue to advocate for the rights and interests of all 133 First Nations in Ontario. …President Trump has made threats to Canada, including annexation of the country and coercion through economic force. For First Nations, it echoes the colonial rhetoric that we’ve dealt with for centuries. …Engaging in costly economic confrontations or extracting natural resources cannot come at the expense of First Nations’ inherent and Treaty rights nor our sovereignty. Rather, it must be done in collaboration and with the spirit of reconciliation. There are no natural resources in this country that are not on First Nations’ lands. 
The Bank of Canada is being pulled in a few different directions ahead of its first interest rate decision of the year on Wednesday. On one hand, there are signs of trouble bubbling up in underlying inflation that could make an argument for keeping borrowing costs higher for longer. On the other: Donald Trump has reiterated threats to impose tariffs of 25% on Canadian goods that could be set to take effect mere days after the central bank’s rate decision. …A trade blow like that would normally push the Bank of Canada towards steeper rate cuts in a bid to salvage economic growth. But dropping rates too quickly at a time when the loonie is already struggling risks fuelling more inflation on imports from the US. Economists say they’re betting the Bank of Canada will go ahead with another cut.
Trends in many framing lumber markets were unchanged amid persistent uncertainty regarding tariffs and frigid temperatures across much of the US. …Western Canadian producers sold cautiously while awaiting clarity on potential tariffs. Buyers had few immediate needs and were content operating with lean inventories despite the threat of volatility. Prices were little changed in overall dull trading. Lumber futures tracked a similar course in terms of interest, but downside was evident as the large premium in the front month eroded. The board fell each day week to date. Meanwhile, subfreezing temperatures across the South and historic snowstorms along the Gulf Coast brought Southern Pine trading to a near standstill. Traders operated with widely diverse views of whether President Trump’s threats of tariffs of up to 25% on Canadian imports as early as February 1 will actually become a reality.
U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico is back in Trump’s crosshairs with the tariff threat. …Much of the focus has centered on autos but Canada is also the top trading partner of the U.S. for critical chemicals, an industry now bracing for the potential impact. …Mineral firms in Canada are considered domestic sources under Title III of the Defense Production Act and have received U.S. federal funding for critical minerals projects in Canada. …Canada is also the largest supplier of U.S. energy imports, including crude oil, natural gas, and electricity. …Rand Ghayad, chief economist at the Association of American Railroads, said the interconnected rail network between the U.S. and Canada is a cornerstone of North American trade, underpinning economic growth and supply chain resilience. …The inflationary effects from tariffs will take some time to materialize, as these costs will need to be passed through to end buyers.
Calgary’s construction industry is hoping the threat of American tariffs doesn’t slow its momentum in 2025. …Bill Black, the head of the Calgary Construction Association, says when it comes to certain building materials, the tariffs could cause unrepairable damage. “Lumber suppliers selling are obviously going to feel a really significant impact on their volume that goes into the U.S.,” Black said. “The overall viability of the lumber business is based on a blend of the two markets, and if one market becomes unfeasible because of tariffs, that then puts pressure on the operating businesses. “That could impact their ability to service the Canadian market as well.” …The city has seen consecutive years of a record number of housing starts, and those in the sector don’t want to lose vital momentum. …Alberta’s forest ministry reiterated the importance of cross-border trade Friday, saying there’s still optimism a tariff-stopping solution can be found.
Mattawa, ON – The Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF-IFC) is excited to announce that the 2026 National Conference and 118th Annual General Meeting will take place in Calgary, Alberta, from October 5-8, 2026. This landmark event, hosted in collaboration with the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the CIF-IFC Rocky Mountain Section, will unite forestry professionals, practitioners, and students from across North America and beyond under the theme, “Leading from where we are for a brighter future.” The event will showcase the leaders of today and empower the leaders of tomorrow to begin acting now to make the world they want to see. …The Conference will serve as a platform to address pressing issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable forestry and natural resources management while highlighting innovative approaches to ensure a vibrant and resilient future for forests globally.
How FSC is using Google Earth Engine to monitor forest degradation and support EUDR compliance: The Forest Stewardship Council is leveraging cutting-edge technology to better monitor and protect the world’s forests. 
A new University of British Columbia study has pinpointed strategies to help local forests adapt to climate change. …the eight-year study found ways forest ecosystems can be better prepared for the climate threat, with a focus on mitigating the loss of the Douglas fir tree. …professor and co-author of the study Suzanne Simard, said the project looked at the process of relocating Douglas firs that are already adapted to dry, hot weather, further north. …Opting for a two-pronged approach, researchers also explored how various routes of harvesting and regenerating forests would affect the migrated seedlings’ attempt to grow in the face of climate change. Researchers tried various avenues, from clear-cutting to retaining larger densities of the tallest Douglas fir trees, said Simard.
The B.C. government has tasked new Forest Minister Ravi Parmar with reviewing its lead timber agency, B.C. Timber Sales. The Jan. 15 news release announcing the review, and Premier David Eby’s mandate letter to Parmar, both downplay the environment in favour of the business side of forestry… There is no mention of watersheds, biodiversity, wildlife, and climate change in either the news release announcing the review or in the mandate letter, which mentions old growth once in passing. Asked why it is not mentioned in the above six reasons for the BCTS review, or in Eby’s mandate letter, Parmar said, “I’m fully committed to fulfilling my obligations on the old growth action plan. … Biodiversity, taking care of our lands, being good stewards of our land, is critical to me, and it’s going to be a huge part of this review.”
Here are some highlights from this months Safety News: