Region Archives: Canada

Opinion / EdiTOADial

Forestry Can’t Be Left Behind in Canada–U.S. Trade Discussions

Forest Products Association of Canada
October 8, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, United States

Derek Nighbor

With over 200,000 direct jobs at stake, sector calls on the government of Canada to bring the same urgency to lumber as it has to steel, aluminum, and energy.

Canada’s forest sector is disappointed that yesterday’s discussions in Washington concluded without relief for 232-affected sectors, including lumber, as the long-standing Softwood Lumber dispute and recently applied tariffs on Canada’s wood manufacturing industry continue to put operations and jobs at risk across the country. While we recognize that the talks were described as substantive and appreciate that these negotiations are complex, after eight years of escalating duties on softwood lumber, the lack of tangible progress for forest sector workers and communities is deeply concerning. With more than 200,000 direct jobs and hundreds of towns and cities across Canada depending on a vibrant forest sector, lumber and forest products must be treated as a greater priority in Canada–U.S. trade discussions.

Our industry continues to face unjustified duties and tariffs that harm forestry workers here at home and raise costs for American families building and renovating their homes. We urge the Government of Canada to ensure that lumber and forest products are clearly on the agenda as talks continue this week. “We simply want to see more urgency, and frankly, we were left wanting more in the post-meeting reports coming out of yesterday’s discussions,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada.

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Business & Politics

Why higher tariffs on Canadian lumber may not be enough to stimulate long-term investments in US forestry

By Andrew Muhammad & Adam Taylor, University of Tennessee
The Conversation US
October 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US imports about 40% of the softwood lumber the nation uses each year, more than 80% of that from Canada. President Trump says that the US has the capacity to meet 95% of softwood lumber demand and directed federal officials to update policies and regulatory guidelines to expand domestic timber harvesting and curb the arrival of foreign lumber. …As researchers studying the forestry sector and international trade, we recognize that the US has ample forest resources. But replacing imports with domestic lumber isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are differences in tree species and quality, and U.S. lumber often comes at a higher cost, even with tariffs on imports. Challenges like limited labor and manufacturing capacity require long-term investments, which temporary tariffs and uncertain trade policies often fail to encourage. In addition, the amount of lumber imported tends to mirror the boom-and-bust cycles of housing construction, a dynamic that tariffs alone are unlikely to change.

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US Lumber Coalition re-ups support for Trump’s tariffs, says NAHB peddles false narrative on housing affordability

By Zoltan van Heyningen
The US Lumber Coalition
October 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “The U.S. Lumber Coalition applauds President Trump’s imposition of an additional 10 percent tariff against unfairly traded lumber imports.  “Predictably, the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) is attacking President Trump’s decisive and pivotal trade law enforcement actions by continuing to peddle the false narrative that holding Canada to account for its ever-increasing and egregious unfair trade practices will somehow exacerbate the problem of U.S. housing affordability,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen of the U.S. Lumber Coalition. “What NAHB won’t point out is that lumber prices have declined since antidumping and countervailing duties increased to 35.16%… and especially not that their own profit margins in recent years have increased from 11% to almost 16%,” added van Heyningen….Enforcing the U.S. trade laws helps increase the U.S. supply of lumber to build American homes, all without impacting the cost of a new home, as demonstrated by data from the NAHB and Fastmarkets Random Lengths.

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Trump Ramps Up Trade War as New Tariffs on Lumber and Furniture Take Effect

By Ana Swanson and Sydney Ember
The New York Times
October 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

President Trump ushered in new tariffs on imported furniture, kitchen cabinets and lumber on Tuesday, adding a fresh round of levies as he once again threatened to expand his trade war with China. Tariffs ranging from 10% to 50% on foreign wood products and furniture snapped into effect just after midnight. The tariffs are meant to encourage more domestic logging and furniture manufacturing. But critics say that the levies will raise prices for American consumers and could slow industries including home building that rely on materials from abroad. …Critics have called it a stretch to issue the furniture and lumber tariffs under the national-security-related law. …Some American manufacturers lobbied for the tariffs. …Some economists expect the higher price of lumber, along with home furnishings, will slow the pace of home building. That could set back the Trump administration’s goals of improving a weak housing market. [to assess the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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Trump’s Lumber Tariffs Take Hold, Threatening to Hike Home Costs

By Jennifer A Dlouhy
Bloomberg News
October 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US is now collecting tariffs on imported timber, lumber, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and upholstered furniture, duties that threaten to raise the cost of renovations and deter new home purchases. …Trump described his wood and furniture tariffs as helping to “strengthen supply chains… and increase domestic capacity utilization for wood products.” Yet economists and homebuilders have warned they also could create obstacles to another of Trump’s goals: boosting homebuilding and sales. Trump has for months cajoled Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates in part to boost home affordability, but critics say the new tariffs could more than offset any gains from lower mortgage and lending costs. Roughly 7% of all goods used in new residential construction come from foreign suppliers, according to the NAHB. Even without new import taxes, the group has said the cost of building materials has risen by 34% since Dec. 2020. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]

Related in the Associated Free Press: Trump tariffs on timber, furniture take effect

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Forest Sector Faces 45% Tariffs – Urgent Action Required

Forest Products Association of Canada
October 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is extremely frustrated and deeply concerned by the U.S. government’s decision to impose Section 232 tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber and derivative products. These unjustified measures, which take effect today, threaten the livelihoods of more than 200,000 Canadians and the stability of hundreds of towns and cities that rely on a strong forest sector. “For eight years, forest workers and communities across Canada have borne the brunt of increasing duties—now exceeding 45 percent with the addition of these new tariffs,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC. “These are punitive, protectionist measures with no basis in fact. They ignore decades of evidence that Canadian lumber strengthens, rather than threatens, U.S. national security and economic resilience.” Targeting responsibly managed, sustainably sourced Canadian wood products under the pretense of national security is both unjustified and deeply damaging. These actions undermine one of the most integrated, mutually beneficial trade relationships in the world, increasing costs for American families and homebuilders while jeopardising Canadian mills and workers.

Enough is enough.

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Lumber industry ‘deeply disappointed’ by Mark Carney’s silence on Donald Trump’s tariffs

By Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa Bureau Chief
Toronto Star
October 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Luc Thériault

OTTAWA — The chummy Washington trip that saw Mark Carney dine with Vice President JD Vance and his family … left Canadian lumber representatives fuming. They say Donald Trump’s tariffs are crushing them yet didn’t even warrant a mention in the Oval Office. …Luc Theriault, co-chair of the Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance, said that the Carney government has paid “lip service” to the need to resolve lumber tariffs in recent months, while telling the industry to co-ordinate their positions and form a common front. But in Washington Tuesday, the prime minister was publicly silent on 35-per-cent lumber tariffs that are set to rise to 45 per cent next week and which Theriault says are a blow to the sector. “We’re deeply disappointed,” Theriault said. …He said the American lumber lobby is a powerful influence in Washington, but there are substantive arguments to reject Trump’s claim that America does not need Canadian wood products.

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If Trump Tariffs Are Ruled Illegal, Refund Chaos Is Expected

By Laura Curtis
Bloomberg News in Transport Topics
October 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

President Trump has warned of disaster if the Supreme Court overturns his signature tariffs. For starters, it would unleash a bureaucratic nightmare involving reams of refund paper checks. Should the court uphold a US Court of Appeals ruling that Trump’s country-based tariffs are illegal, the government could owe the bulk of the $165 billion in duties collected so far this fiscal year back to companies that paid them. But they won’t have an easy time getting their money back; refunds are typically issued slowly and while the administration could streamline the process, experts fear that’s unlikely. …That means Trump likely won’t part with the funds easily if the tariffs are struck down, and the administration is expected to move quickly to reimpose levies using other legal authorities if that happens. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in November in the case.

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Registration for the TLA 81st Annual TLA Convention + Trade Show is now OPEN!

BC Truck Loggers Association
October 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The TLA welcomes delegates back to the 81st Annual Convention + Trade Show. This years theme is Fostering Collaboration & Partnerships. Join us January 14-16, 2026, at the Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver. The power of working together is the key to building a stronger, more sustainable forestry sector. Across BC’s forest industry—from contractors and licensees to government, Indigenous communities, and suppliers—collaboration opens the door to innovation, shared success, and long-term growth. In a time of change and challenges, partnership is more than a strategy; it’s a foundation for progress. By strengthening relationships and aligning our efforts, we move forward with greater unity, purpose, and confidence—shaping a future that reflects the best of what we can achieve together. This year’s event offers TLA members and non-members an all-inclusive registration pass, granting access to all sessions and events throughout the convention. Tickets to Suppliers Night and Lunch on the Trade Show Floor can be purchased on an individual basis. 

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B.C. government experts including engineers, foresters expand strike provincewide

By Brenna Owen
Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
October 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

©Facebook

Two unions representing British Columbia professionals and public service workers escalated their weeks-long job action on Thursday to include about 26,000 staff across more than 20 ministries and provincial Crown corporations and agencies. The Professional Employees Association, whose members include engineers, foresters and geoscientists, said more than 1,000 staff from the health, mining, transportation, resource stewardship and attorney general ministries are on strike. The association had previously joined job action by the BC General Employees’ Union in its dispute with the province by picketing a number of government offices. The BCGEU also escalated its job action Thursday to include about 25,000 public service workers across 475 work sites. The union said 19 ministries and B.C. Crown corporations were “fully struck” by its job action, including the ministries of finance, citizens’ services, infrastructure, energy and Indigenous relations, as well as the Forest Practices Board, Royal BC Museum and BC Pension Corporation.

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No room for timber talk: Forestry leader fumes

By Dave Branco
CKPG Today
October 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE – Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Donald Trump to discuss the connection between energy cooperation and support for Canada’s steel and aluminum industries. However, this meeting raised some eyebrows among forestry industry leaders, who wondered why softwood was left out of the conversation. Brink Forest Products owner John Brink believes that the omission of softwood tariffs in discussions with the president is yet another setback for an already struggling sector. MLA Kiel Giddens also voiced his disappointment that softwood lumber was left off the agenda, especially since forestry ranks among Canada’s leading employers. Brink notes that wood manufacturing plants are still shutting down across the province, and he believes the West must unite to send a strong message to Ottawa. 

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Kamloops-North Thompson MLA says B.C. forestry industry in ‘crisis’

By Brendan Shykora
Terrace Standard
October 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ward Stamer

Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer says B.C.’s forestry industry is in crisis due to over-regulation and a “lack of respect for the people who actually work in our forests.” Speaking in the B.C. Legislature Oct. 6, BC Conservative MLA, Stamer put the blame for closed sawmills in McKenzie, Chetwynd and Houston on “failed government policy” that led to not enough timber being available to harvest. …B.C.-based forestry giant Canfor announced last year it was abandoning its plans to replace its closed sawmill in Houston. “The ability to reliably access enough economic timber to run our manufacturing facilities is critical for our business,” Canfor president and CEO Don Kayne said at the time. Kane attributed a declining harvest level partly to “natural disturbances,” but also to “the cumulative impact of policy changes and increased regulatory complexity.” …”With courage, accountability, and respect for rural British Columbians we can turn this crisis around,” said Stamer.

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‘Extended’ and sudden maintenance shutdown of Interfor mill in Grand Forks

By Timothy Schafer
Castanet
October 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Plans to institute an “extended maintenance shutdown” of the Interfor lumber mill in Grand Forks is not a permanent shutdown, according to the company. On Sept. 4 Interfor Corporation announced plans to reduce its lumber production by approximately 145 million board feet at all operations between September and December of 2025, representing approximately 12 per cent of its normal output. The temporary curtailments will be through a combination of reduced operating hours, prolonged holiday breaks, reconfigured shifting schedules and extended maintenance shut-downs. The curtailments are expected to impact all of Interfor’s operating regions, with both the Canadian and U.S. operations expected to reduce their production levels by approximately 12 per cent each. “The curtailments are in response to persistently weak market conditions and ongoing economic uncertainty,” read a statement from the company.

Additional coverage in the Castlegar News, by Karen McKinley: Grand Forks Interfor mill shut down ‘indefinitely,’ not a permanent closure

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Future of the Kénogami plant: Unifor reassured by Domtar management

Radio Canada
October 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The Unifor union emerged reassured from its meeting last week with Domtar management regarding the survival of the Kénogami paper mill. The mill has been affected by numerous work stoppages for some time. Unifor’s Quebec director, Daniel Cloutier, received confirmation that the company wants to continue producing paper there and that its hydroelectric facilities, which supply power to the region’s mills, are not for sale. We were nevertheless able to be reassured about certain elements regarding Hydro-Saguenay. The dams are not sold, they are not for sale, according to Domtar’s statements. …The Kénogami and Alma paper mills are powered by the five hydroelectric power plants that Domtar, formerly Resolute Forest Products, owns on the Shipshaw River. [translated by Google Translate]

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Finance & Economics

Lumber Futures Price Climbs as Trump’s 10% Tariff Takes Effect

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
October 14, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures have risen about 19% from a low hit in early September, driven by the production cuts, hopes that declining interest rates will revive the housing market and Trump’s import tax. The 10% levy is on top of steep duties on Canadian lumber, which are adjusted annually in a heavily litigated process that is the result of a decades-long trade dispute. Those antidumping and countervailing duties rose in August to about 35% for most Canadian producers, up from roughly 15%. Canada’s sawmills are by far the largest source of softwood lumber from beyond U.S. borders, fulfilling about 24% of domestic consumption last year. Other significant importers of softwood lumber, the type used to frame houses, include Brazil and European countries such as Germany and Sweden. Homebuilders argue that import taxes will raise construction costs. U.S. lumber producers and timberland owners, however, urged Trump to enact a tariff.

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Lumber Futures Rise Amid Looming Tariffs

Trading Economics
October 13, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures rose past $610 per thousand board feet in mid-October, approaching monthly highs as markets priced in tighter near-term supply and looming trade restrictions. Under newly announced US Section 232 tariffs that take effect on October 14th, imported softwood lumber will face a 10% duty and finished wood goods such as cabinets and furniture will face higher levies, prompting importers to front-load purchases and draw down inventories. Domestic output is also constrained as sawmills run cautiously after years of underinvestment, logging curbs in sensitive regions and slow capacity restarts have limited production. The cost and delay of switching suppliers is material given that Canadian lumber, which supplies much of US demand, already carries elevated antidumping and countervailing duties, intensifying the supply squeeze.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canada Wood Market Insights – October 2025

The Canada Wood Group
October 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The October newsletter includes these headlines and more:

  • The Woodrise 2025 in Vancouver marked another milestone for global mass timber collaboration — and Canada Wood was proud to lead a delegation of architects, engineers, professors, and developers from China and Korea to explore the latest innovations shaping the future of sustainable construction.
  • Taisei Corporation has unveiled its new T-WOOD® Truss Floor, a hybrid system that combines light-frame trusses made from Canadian SPF lumber with CLT panels to achieve spans of up to 14 m. 
  • To promote 4-story wooden buildings in Japan, HOWTEC has published a new manual showcasing five exemplary construction methods — including a panelized light-frame system jointly developed by Canada Wood Japan and the Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association.
  • Canada Wood Japan and the Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association hosted Vancouver architect Robert Salikan for a seminar on B.C.’s midrise wood construction. 

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Intake 4 projects announced for the Mass Timber Demonstration Program

naturally:wood
October 10, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Ronald McDonald House, BC-Yukon

Indigenous Affordable Housing Project

Nexus

Cube 2.0 Climbing Gym

The Mass Timber Demonstration Program (MTDP) supports select mass timber and mass timber hybrid buildings throughout the province. The latest round of funding, the 4th intake of projects, includes two-multi-family structures, an office building and a climbing gym. The MTDP helps British Columbia become a province that is more inclusive, resilient and innovative in the design, engineering, construction and product manufacturing sectors. It achieves this by providing funding for incremental costs in the design and construction of buildings that showcase emerging or new mass timber and mass timber hybrid building systems and construction processes, and sharing project learnings with the sector.

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B.C. construction sector has a plastics problem, says sustainability firm

By Jami Makan
The Victoria Times Colonist
October 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Construction plastics are a major source of plastic waste in the province, and they urgently need to be measured, tracked and upcycled, says a B.C. organization that promotes sustainable built environments. Canada’s Federal Plastics Registry is expanding in 2026 to include construction plastics, but industry efforts are already underway to gather data and pilot new ways of reducing and reusing them, said Vancouver-based Light House. Construction plastics include packaging; wrapping for lumber and mass timber products; film that goes around pallets.  A new study by Light House is “the first national effort” to gather and compile data about construction plastics in Canada, in order to lay a foundation for tackling the problem. …The case studies include the new PNE Amphitheatre, a bridge, a community centre and library, a school and a multi-unit residential building—“projects that really represent the diverse range of construction that happens,” Yaron said.

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Forestry

Canadian Forest Owners supports Université Laval researcher who is using innovation to help fight climate change

Canadian Forest Owners
October 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

OTTAWA, ON — Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) is proud to award its $15,000 Peter deMarsh Memorial Bursary to Université Laval researcher Sanjoy Roy whose boreal forest research is aimed at increasing carbon storage while providing wood to meet Canada’s material and energy needs. Roy’s forest modeling work will provide an important decision-making and support tool for CFO members because it addresses sustainable forest management and timber production while ensuring ecosystem resilience in our changing climate. “Importantly, by improving the tools currently available to small forest landowners, Roy’s results will inform both public forest planning and private woodlot management, helping address the technical and policy barriers they face,” comments Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer, CFO. Roy’s research simulates long-term, climate-adaptive silviculture in heterogeneous, mixed-species forests in Quebec.

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Canada is considering a national wildfire agency. Kim Connors says it should focus elsewhere

By Matthew McClearn
The Globe and Mail
October 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Kim Connors

As Canada suffered one of the most destructive fire seasons in its history, Eleanor Olszewski, the federal emergency management minister, floated the idea of creating a federal agency to co-ordinate the country’s response to natural disasters, including wildfire. …Kim Connors, who retired this year as executive director of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, spent more than four decades fighting wildfires, including as director of provincial wildfire programs in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan. He spoke to The Globe and Mail about why he opposes Ms. Olszewski’s proposal, and why Canadians should start preparing now for next year’s fire season. …We really need to focus on the mitigation side and building true whole-of-society programs that are strong in practice, not just in rhetoric. …Ottawa needs to establish long-term funding to support FireSmart Canada in reaching all provinces and territories and within the national parks. [A subscription to the Globe and Mail is required for full story access]

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CIF-IFC Announces 2025 National Award Recipients in Recognition of Outstanding and Unique Accomplishments to Forestry in Canada

By Rachel Brown
Canadian Institute of Forestry
October 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Mattawa, ON – The Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF-IFC) is pleased to announce the 2025 CIF-IFC National Award recipients. “Each year, the CIF-IFC presents a number of Awards in recognition of outstanding and unique accomplishments to forestry in Canada,” mentioned Curtis Cook, CIF-IFC Executive Director. “Recipients have earned distinction through demonstration of exceptional achievements in the field of forestry.” The Awards were presented at the 2025 CIF-IFC Annual National Awards Ceremony and Banquet on October 6, 2025 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Institute would like to extend our congratulations to all the award recipients for 2025—your remarkable achievements truly deserve to be celebrated!

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‘It’s not even close to equitable’: B.C. First Nations push to reshape forestry

By Zoë Yunker
The Narwhal
October 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

At the Kelsey Bay log sort near the town of Sayward, B.C., pulverized cedar bark [is] evidence of the millions of trees that departed from here, never to return. “We’ve seen our territories decimated,” Wei Wai Kum Chief Christopher Roberts explains. Behind him, five freshly cut, old-growth cedars line the warming pavement. These trees, Roberts says, help explain why the nation is here today. …nations are claiming sizable stakes in an industry that has long excluded them. Wei Wai Kum is one of four First Nations to purchase a $36-million stake in La-kwa sa mukw Forestry Partnership, a joint operation with logging company Western Forest Products Ltd. Their partnership came after companies agreed to leave canoe-carving trees in their communities. A sign, for Roberts, that the industry was willing to change. …Now … First Nations’ tenure opportunities have exploded as B.C.’s biggest forest companies sell off major parts of their long-held licences. 

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Six UBC Forestry Faculty receive Canada Foundation for Innovation John R. Evans Leaders Fund awards

By The Faculty of Forestry
University of British Columbia
October 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Congratulations to six UBC Forestry faculty members who have received the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) awards to advance their innovative research programs. The John R. Evans Leaders Fund, administered by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, supports universities in attracting and retaining top researchers by funding state-of-the-art laboratories, equipment, and facilities. These investments strengthen Canada’s research ecosystem and enable groundbreaking discoveries that benefit society.

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Experts talk climate change, cultural burning, cooperation at Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada conference

By Josh Dawson
Castanet
October 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

KAMLOOPS, BC — The impacts of climate change on wildland fires, cultural burning practices and inter-government cooperation are areas of research and interest among experts gathered by the newly-formed Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada. The national consortium was announced in July and received $11.7 million in funding over four years from Natural Resources Canada through the Wildfire Resilient Futures Initiative. Delegates from across Canada met for the first time on Thompson Rivers University’s campus last week for a three-day conference, which aimed to facilitate discussion, networking, and to pool knowledge. Rapid-fire presentations saw recipients of NRCan’s Building and Mobilize Foundational Wildland Fire Knowledge program speak about their projects and research studies. …Many of the presenters spoke of the increasing severity of wildfires, highlighting recent record-breaking fire seasons. University of Northern B.C. professor Che Elkin said climate change is having an impact on forest ecosystems, affecting individual tree growth and mortality.

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‘Nothing to harvest’: After unprecedented wildfires, the forestry industry is forced to adapt

By Julia-Simone Rutgers
The Narwhal
October 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Wildfire is part of the natural lifecycle of a forest; but as Manitoba continues to battle the embers of its most devastating fire season in more than 30 years, its leaders are starting to consider a more active role in managing this critical resource to stave off the flames. In early October, as more than 70 wildland fires still smouldered across the province, Premier Wab Kinew and a handful of cabinet ministers released Manitoba’s first all-encompassing plan to slash carbon emissions in the next 25 years. Among the promised initiatives was a commitment to “co-develop a wildfire prevention and preparation approach that reflects Indigenous leadership, land-based knowledge and nature-based solutions” — a first hint at how the provincial government plans to respond to the growing threat of wildfire. “We just came out of the worst wildfire season in living memory,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Mike Moyes said at a press conference for the new strategy this week.

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Clearwater society opens donation floodgates with charitable status

By Brendan Shykora
100 Mile Free Press
October 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Wells Gray Community Forest Society is in position to receive funds from more sources, and spread those funds throughout the region, now that it has been officially designated as a charitable organization. The Clearwater-based society received the designation by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Aug. 21. As a charitable organization, it can continue to support regional organizations by funding and undertaking charitable activities. The society now also has the ability to issue tax receipts for donations received. It is expected that the ability to issue tax receipts will increase the amount of donations received, which could potentially result in more funding available to support social and economic endeavours.

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Nature Conservancy of Canada buys Elk Valley logging lands

By Gillian Francis
The Free Press
October 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has purchased 37,000 hectares of land in the Elk Valley from Doman Building Materials Group Ltd., in one of the largest private land contributions in the country. The sale of the land closed on Sept. 29, in phase two of an acquisition for 45,000 hectares of land in the Elk Valley and surrounding area. “It’s a defining moment for nature in Canada, let alone in British Columbia,” said NCC Canadian Rockies program director Richard Klafki. …The project is the result of 20 years of effort to conserve ecologically important land in the region. …Doman, a North American building materials supplier with a Canadian office based out of Vancouver, owned the land for nine years for lumber harvesting operations before selling it to NCC. According to a news release, the company’s forestry management efforts saw 10 million new seedling planted on to the land. 

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‘Timber Titans’ Logger Boss Sig Kemmler on Why The Weather Channel’s Hit Resonates

By Scott Fishman
TV Insider
October 13, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Sig Kemmler

When watching Timber Titans, one thing is evident. Logging isn’t for the faint of heart. The series follows companies based in British Columbia as they battle the elements and merciless terrain in their efforts to harvest this most vital of resources. They may all share a deep rooted passion for one the region’s oldest professions, but each brings a different approach and backstories to the job. Sig Kemmler, co-owner and project manager of Integrated Operations Group, has been in the game for almost half a century. His company stands out in the industry with a proven track record built on sustainable logging and forest maintenance. This unique heli-logging operation works the western coast of Vancouver Island salvaging dead and downed timbers in the most remote locations. …Kemmler checked in from a boat anchored off Catalina Island to reflect on Season 2 and the popular series’ future. 

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Two Quesnel Indigenous students honoured for leadership in forestry

By Laísa Condé
Coast Mountain News
October 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Amy Oester

Grace Currie

Two Indigenous students from the Quesnel region were honoured for their interest in forest sector’s careers and strong commitment to their communities. Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announced in a press release that both Amy Oester of Nazko First Nation and Grace Currie of the Métis Nation of British Columbia are this year’s recipients of the Skills Awards for Indigenous Youth. …Both Oester and Currie began their career in the forestry industry with West Fraser. Currently, Oester is a silviculture coordinator and through her work, she is bridging forestry and Indigenous knowledge, focusing on enhancing cultural inclusion and community connection. …Currie is a third-generation forestry worker and deeply committed to reconciliation and Indigenous inclusion in the industry.

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Wildwood Ecoforest gains nearly 9 hectares of ‘untouched’ land

By David Minkow
The Discourse
October 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Last week, the Wildwood Ecoforest, located in Yellow Point just north of Ladysmith, got considerably closer to its original size. A successful campaign to raise $850,000 has allowed the Ecoforestry Institute Society (EIS) to purchase 8.5 hectares of land and reunite it with the famed demonstration ecoforest. The Wildwood Ecoforest, established by Merv Wilkinson in the 1940s, has long served as an educational counterexample to modern logging practices. Ecoforestry is a type of sustainable forestry where trees are selectively harvested in such a way that the forest’s ecological integrity is kept intact. The parcel being added to the forest features meadows, a stone escarpment and a section of rare old-growth coastal Douglas fir. It has been “kept untouched” by the previous owners of the parcel, according to the Ecoforestry Institute Society’s chair Kathy Code. 

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Mosaic Forest Management Clarifies Industrial Road Access Following Bamfield Worksite Disruption

Mosaic Forest Management
October 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

NANAIMO, B.C. – Mosaic Forest Management addressed community concerns about alternative road access following an incident on October 5th that halted safety work at the Bamfield Main Road worksite. The Ministry of Transportation and Transit has assumed control of the Bamfield Main Road repairs under Section 8 of the Transportation Act, with Mosaic providing technical support. The project is targeted for completion by month’s end. The Brenner Main/Museum Main corridor … remains restricted to limited Mosaic crews and one industrial user with pre-existing access. …“We understand people are frustrated seeing what appears to be a drivable road,” said D’Arcy Henderson, Senior Vice President, Timberlands and Chief Operating Officer. “But we’ve identified dangerous trees and boulders that could fall at any time. Making the Brenner corridor safe for public use would require the same weeks of intensive work currently underway on Bamfield Main. We cannot split our resources and double the timeline.”

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BC Timber Sales braces for ‘big problems’ selling wood

By Greg Nesteroff
My Kootenay Now
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

CASTLEGAR, BC — A BC Timber Sales manager for the Kootenay-Boundary admits they may have a hard time selling wood in the coming months as local mills cope with additional U.S. tariffs. George Edney told Castlegar city council this week that his organization, which manages and auctions 20% of the timber on Crown land, will have sales opening next week in the Boundary. …Interfor has curtailed its Grand Forks operations indefinitely due to “persistently weak market conditions.” …Edney said if the wood they offer in the Boundary doesn’t sell at the upset price, they can drop the price and try again, or they can withdraw it altogether, although typically they want the wood in the market. …Edney said they sold 581,000 cubic meters that BC Timber Sales in the Kootenays in 2024-25. Their target volume for 2025-26 is 715,000 cubic metres.

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Boreal Springboard a boost for Northwestern Ontario forestry

By Sandi Krasowski
The Chronicle Journal
October 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre has partnered with the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC), the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), Lakehead University and Confederation College to launch the Boreal Springboard, an innovative initiative aimed at strengthening and diversifying the forestry sector in Northwestern Ontario. Graham Bracken, at the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre, said the launch comes at a critical time for forestry in the region. …“The trade pressures were really the impetus to focus people’s minds,” Bracken said. “The sector is really integrated, and any threat to protection on the sawmill side weakens the rest of the sector. There’s a real drive to look to trade diversification and try and develop new value-added products that we can access other markets with.” Bracken says these investors will bring skills, technologies, and solutions that can be adapted to strengthen and grow the sector.

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Former premier, family recognized by Woodlot Association of Prince Edward Island

By Jenna Banfield
CBC News
October 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The Woodlot Owners Association of P.E.I. has announced that former premier Pat Binns and his wife, Carol Binns, are the association’s woodlot owners of the year. The pair were described in a release from the association as “an incredible example of stewardship in action” and applauds their efforts to create biodiverse forests. The former premier owns various parts of woodland in Murray River. He, along with a few others created an organization called the Sustainable Forest Alliance, which encourages woodlot owners to grow their woodlots, and helps create plans to guide owners in the future. …The Woodlot Owners Association of P.E.I. encourages proper forest management, sustainable forestry and moving forward in the direction of developing woodlands.

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Community members want land protected amid concerns over clearcutting

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
October 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — Mike Lancaster, executive director of the St. Margarets Bay Stewardship Association, has been working to get provincial protection for the proposed Ingram River wilderness area, about 11,000 hectares of Crown land that once belonged to Bowater. Lancaster says part of the proposed area is seeing applications for high-production forestry activity, such as clearcutting. …Lancaster said the proposed wilderness area would include “one of the most, if not the most, ecologically valuable parts of Nova Scotia.” …A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Department said about 4,000 hectares of land in the Ingram River area has been protected as part of the Island Lake Wilderness Area, where no forestry activity is permitted. …“Harvests in this area have gone through the proper reviews and any areas with old-growth forest or species at risk were removed from the harvest plans before we approved them,” Adele Poirier said.

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Wildfire investigation answers aren’t coming fast enough, opposition MLAs say

By Savannah Awde
CBC News
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

The New Brunswick government says it’s now planning for the next wildfire season, but some opposition MLAs are questioning why more information hasn’t been shared about the cause of this year’s fires. Appearing at a legislative committee on Wednesday, the deputy minister of the Department of Natural Resources, Cade Libby, said the department is still investigating what caused one such major blaze, outside Moncton, that put about 900 structures and 1,500 people at risk. Speaking with reporters at the legislature, Progressive Conservative MLA Kris Austin questioned why the public hasn’t gotten answers about what happened. …The Department of Natural Resources referred follow-up questions about the investigation to the Department of Justice and Public Safety, which did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Roger Collett, the province’s wildfire co-ordinator, has said another large fire outside Miramichi, known as the Oldfield Road fire, was likely human-caused.

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Rooted in Strength: Forestry Technician program in Pembroke enters 58th year

By Jodi Bucholtz
The Pembroke Observer
October 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Since 1967, Algonquin College Pembroke Campus’s Forestry Technician program has stood as a pillar of applied education in the natural resources sector. Over nearly six decades, it has shaped countless graduates who walk into the woods, the mills, conservation agencies, and government environmental departments at all levels. In doing so, the program has strengthened our region and the broader stewardship of Canada’s forests. This fall, as students return to campus, the program is thriving, evolving, and more relevant than ever. …What makes the program robust today is its adaptability. The curriculum integrates both traditional forestry foundations and modern tools such as GIS mapping, remote sensing, and forest health assessment. Our proximity to Algonquin Park and partnerships with organizations such as the Petawawa Research Forest and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories ensure that students encounter diverse and real-world conditions. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Arctic Bioenergy Summit and Tour

Wood Pellet Association of Canada
October 10, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada

The Arctic Energy Alliance and the Wood Pellet Association of Canada are excited to be hosting the Arctic Bioenergy Summit and Tour—Sustainable Bioenergy for Northern Communities: Reliable. Affordable. Local. in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, January 26-28, 2026. Sponsored by the Government of Northwest Territories and supported by media sponsor Canadian Biomass, this in-person event replaces the 2026 edition of Northwest Territories Biomass Week, which is traditionally held the last week of January. Join us for a full-day tour of biomass installations in Yellowknife, followed by a two-day Summit.

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Forest Fires

BC Wildfire Service reports wildfire activity decrease in northern BC

By Steve Berard
Energetic City
October 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Wildfire activity so far in 2025 is down compared to the same time last year, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS). The agency has issued a status report for the Prince George Fire Centre as of Thursday, October 9th, which says 340 wildfires have been reported in the region so far in 2025. That’s a significant decrease from 2024, which saw 444 wildfires reported in the same time frame, although it’s still higher than the 10-year average of 308 blazes. The number of hectares burned so far this year is also down to 723,609 after last year saw 803,557 burned by October 9th. However, 2025’s wildfire season has still seen significantly more hectares burned than the 10-year average of 376,039.

 

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