Region Archives: Canada

Business & Politics

Section 232 Tariff Needed to Address Disruptive Canadian Excess Lumber Capacity and Production

The US Lumber Coalition
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US softwood lumber market continues to be deeply suppressed by Canada oversupplying the US market through massive Canadian subsidies and the Canadian industry’s egregious dumping practices. The Canadian government continues to prop up its industry’s excess capacity and production by announcing more than one billion dollars in new subsidies. …“This is exactly why President Trump ordered the Section 232 investigation,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair and Owner of Stimson Lumber Company. A carefully targeted Section 232 tariff designed to dismantle Canada’s unneeded and disruptive softwood lumber capacity would foster more growth of the US lumber industry and production to create a long-term stable domestic supply of lumber to build U.S. homes. …“Strong antidumping and countervailing duty trade law enforcement, coupled with an effective Section 232 tariff measure will get the job done, and support U.S. industry growth to build U.S. homes with lumber milled by U.S. workers,” said Zoltan van Heyningen.

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Canada drops 2 appeals of U.S. anti-dumping duties on softwood lumber

By Craig Lord
The Canadian Press in BNN Bloomberg
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

OTTAWA — Canada has dropped two legal challenges of United States duties on Canadian softwood lumber. …The Wall Street Journal first reported this week that Canada dropped long-standing appeals earlier this month of two U.S. anti-dumping reviews dating back to the previous decade. The US undertakes administrative reviews each year to set the level of duties. Canada has regularly challenged those orders. Global Affairs Canada spokeswoman Dina Destin said that the decision to drop the two appeals was made “in close consultation with Canadian industry, provinces and key partners, and it reflects a strategic choice to maximize long-term interests and prospects for a negotiated resolution with the United States.” She said Canada still believes U.S. anti-dumping duties on softwood lumber are unfair and Ottawa is still pursuing six other legal challenges on the matter.

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Visionary leaders in Canadian Forestry receive Lifetime Achievement Award

By Kerry Patterson-Baker Vice President, Communications & Public Affairs
Forest Products Association of Canada
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Kalin Uhrich

Tom Nudds

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announces Kalin Uhrich and Dr. Tom Nudds as the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award winners. This honour celebrates visionary leaders who have made remarkable and sustained contributions to Canada’s forest products sector.  …This award recognizes not only decades of service, but also the lasting impact of their work on the people, communities, and the sector. Uhrich worked in the forest industry for over 40 years and has acquired a wide array of experience in supervision and management positions in lumber manufacturing and forestry operations, including as Chief Forester. …With over 170 papers, book chapters and technical reports in publication, Dr. Nudds is a trusted voice in the wildlife community. Now Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph, his graduate research program focused on treating resource management policies as hypotheses and management interventions as experiments. 

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New owners ready to get Coulson Sawmills back online

By Gord Kurbis
The Alberni Valley News
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The new owners of the Coulson Manufacturing Mill (formerly operated by the San Group) say they are anxious to get the mill back up and running after purchasing the Port Alberni facility in a court-approved sale in June of this year. The mill will act as a stand-alone operation named Coulson Sawmills and will be managed by Jovan and Ajit Gill, but are connected at arms length with Fraserview Cedar on the Lower Mainland. “This is the next generation of Gills that have bought this and their plan is to go up there and get their own relationship,” says Fraserview Chief Executive Officer Gary Gill. Plans are to get the operation going near the beginning of November but the company’s first priority is to build up a long-term log deck so that the mill can run continuously with a healthy supply of logs. That’s a problem that Gary Gill says is facing other mills as well.

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B.C. mayors launch Alliance of Resource Communities to advocate for resource sector

By Robin Grant
The Campbell River Mirror
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CAMPBELL RIVER — Several mayors from across BC have united to advocate for resource development by creating the Alliance of Resource Communities, with Campbell River’s mayor at the helm. “It’s time for an alliance of community leaders from all corners of the province to come together and strongly advocate for a secure and brighter economic future through the responsible development of our abundant natural resources,” said Mayor Kermit Dahl at the Get it Done conference on Sept. 22, which was hosted by Resource Works. “While it’s encouraging that the federal and provincial governments are becoming more vocal in support of major projects, thousands of people in my community who rely on natural resource industries face an uncertain future,” said Dahl, referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to fast-track nation-building projects and the recent announcement of five major infrastructure projects.

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B.C. forestry sector in ‘crisis,’ triggering change in BC Timber Sales

By Nono Shen
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia’s forestry industry is “under pressure from all sides,” prompting the provincial government to bring in changes to expand the role of BC Timber Sales, including allowing some communities to manage their own forest resources. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says attacks from US President Trump, “increasingly intense” wildfires and climate change all put extra pressure on the industry. A review of the work done by BC Timber Sales, an organization that manages 20% of Crown timber, has generated 54 recommendations in a plan to help support a thriving forest economy. One of the key recommendations includes expanding three community forests in Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake and Fort St. James. …Parmar said he wants the changes implemented as quickly as possible, but a number of them will require legislative change to move forward. Parmar said the B.C. forestry sector is also looking to expand into other foreign markets.

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Aspen Planers halts Merritt mill operations amid log shortage and rising costs

The Merritt Herald
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

MERRITT, BC — Aspen Planers has halted operations at its Merritt sawmill and planer facility for an undetermined period, citing what it calls a lack of available logs and rising costs that have made continued production unsustainable. “Simply put, our mill lacks logs,” said regional manager Surinder Momrath. “Our Lillooet veneer plant has also curtailed operations for the same reason. These two closures are linked given that we source logs from both our Merritt and Lillooet forest licenses – and the saw logs are processed in Merritt while the plywood ‘peeler’ logs are processed in Lillooet.” The company pointed to an inability to obtain cutting permits under its AAC. Aspen Planers’ licenses provide for 490,000 cubic metres, but over the past two and a half years the company has only harvested 29% of that amount. …He says the shortage stems from provincial policy decisions, including Indigenous co-governance under DRIPA and old growth initiatives.

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COFI Statement on BC Timber Sales Task Force Recommendations

By Kim Haakstad, President and CEO
BC Council of Forest Industries
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

“The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI)… is encouraged to see recognition of the urgency to ‘increase performance, move more fibre, and better serve the current client base, including the primary sector.’ To create the stability, certainty, and predictability needed, we urge government to prioritize and fast track the Task Force’s recommendations that focus on increasing wood flow to manufacturers across the province. While BCTS has consistently underperformed in its core function of delivering wood supply to the market, the government is choosing to expand its mandate and propose additional volumes be allocated to BCTS. …COFI is pleased to see harvest targets in Recommendation 17, however, the proposal to increase the BCTS volumes by only 1 million m³ per year is not ambitious enough to meet the government’s Major Project commitment to reach a 45 million m³ harvest.

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Expanded BC Timber Sales mandate builds stronger forestry sector

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The Province is expanding and strengthening the role of BC Timber Sales (BCTS), to ensure B.C.’s forests continue to support good forestry jobs and healthy resilient forests for future generations. “B.C.’s forestry sector is experiencing significant change – a changing climate, a changing market and changing trade relationships,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “In this uncertain time, we’re giving BCTS the tools to meet this critical moment head on. This is about taking action to support a thriving forest economy and deliver on the public interest for workers, towns, families and companies throughout the province.” The change comes in response to the expert recommendations from the BCTS Task Force review. “The task force did its best to identify solutions that might strengthen the industry and communities in the longer term, with or without punitive trade actions from the south,” said George Abbott, a member of the BCTS task force.

Additional coverage in the Prince George Citizen, by Colin Slark: BC’s forest minister unveils results of BC Timber Sales review

 

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Union calls for joint effort to address crisis in coastal forestry sector

By Andrew Duffy
The Times Colonist
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The union representing thousands of forest-industry workers on the coast is calling for a united effort to address a growing crisis in the sector. Brian Butler, president of United Steelworkers Local 1-1937, says government, industry, First Nations and the union need a plan to resolve the issues that remain under the province’s control. He said members of the union, which represents 5,500 workers on the coast, are being hit hard with layoffs, most of which are either due to market conditions or lack of available logs. “Right now, as we see it, stakeholders work independently in their own silos, rather than collectively,” he said. On Monday, Western Forest Products, which supports about 3,300 jobs on the coast, announced that curtailments at its Chemainus sawmill will be extended until the end of the year. …Butler said there are plenty more examples of trouble in the sector around the Island.

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Western Forest Products Announces Lumber Production Curtailments

By Western Forest Products
GlobedNewswire
September 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Western Forest Products announced planned temporary operating curtailments at its BC sawmills during the fourth quarter of 2025. These planned curtailments, combined with temporary curtailments taken in Q3 of 2025, will collectively reduce lumber production by ~50 million board feet in the second half of 2025, amounting to ~6% of the Company’s annual lumber capacity. The curtailments are in response to persistently weak market conditions, further impacted by increases in US lumber duties. In addition, certain factors relating to the operating environment, including a lack of available economic log supply, ongoing harvesting permitting delays and the strike by the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 at our La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership are also contributing factors. The temporary curtailments will be taken through a combination of reduced operating hours, an extended holiday break and reconfigured shifting schedules. The Chemainus sawmill, which was curtailed for the third quarter of 2025, will remain temporarily curtailed for the fourth quarter.

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Decisions ‘forthcoming’ to keep Kap Paper from closure

Northern Ontario Business
September 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

Struggling Kap Paper is looking for a lifeline from Ottawa to keep the Kapuskasing newsprint mill afloat and avoiding closure. The northwestern Ontario company has been threatening to shut down within a few short weeks unless the federal government comes forth with matching funds that equals the commitment by the Ontario government for a $6-million loan extension. The company is making a direct appeal, via a news release, to “act now” to keep its 300 workers employed and the pulp and paper supply chain in northeastern Ontario intact. …A spokesperson issued this statement on Wednesday: Kap Paper continues to work closely with the Governments of Canada and Ontario on long-term stability measures. Decisions on next steps are forthcoming, and we will provide a public update immediately once they are finalized. In the meantime, our focus remains on meeting commitments to our employees, customers, and community.

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Quebec government scraps forestry reform bill that drew widespread ire

CBC News
September 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

François Legault

MONTREAL — Earlier this week, a coalition made up of First Nations chiefs, environmental groups, mayors and unions called on the Legault government to scrap its controversial forestry reform bill. On Thursday, the Legault government capitulated. CBC News has learned the premier will announce later today that his government is abandoning Bill 97, which was tabled in the spring and has faced persistent opposition since. The bill would have divided the province’s forest into three zones: one that prioritizes conservation, one focused on timber production and a third zone for multiple uses. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (AFNQL) had panned the proposed system, arguing the bill essentially would have given the forestry industry the right to bypass consultations with First Nations regarding activities on those territories zoned for intensive logging. …The AFNQL has said the province must try to create a new bill from scratch.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood Design & Building Awards Winning Projects Announced

The Canadian Wood Council
September 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Vancouver, BC – The Canadian Wood Council is pleased to announce the winning projects of the 41st annual Wood Design & Building Awards program. This prestigious awards program recognizes and celebrates the outstanding work of architectural professionals from Canada and around the world for excellence in wood design and construction. “The diversity and creativity in this year’s winning projects demonstrate how wood can connect people with nature,” says Martin Richard, Vice President of Communications and Market Development at the Canadian Wood Council (CWC). “These designs not only showcase wood’s versatility, but also create spaces that enrich daily life and support community well-being. They are high-performance solutions that respond to today’s urgent need for housing, schools, and community spaces.” …In total, 38 projects from Canada and around the world were honoured at the Wood Design and Building Awards celebration hosted Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the Woodrise Conference in Vancouver, BC. View a video compilation of this year’s winners here: WoodDesignandBuildingAwards2025/

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British Columbia provides $500K to new Nelson climbing gym

By Tyler Harper
Nelson Star
September 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

©Studio9

Plans to use mass timber for a new climbing facility in Nelson have earned the project $500,000 in provincial funding. The Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth announced Sept. 23 that it would provide $2 million in funds to build four new buildings it says will showcase the benefits of mass-timber construction. One of those buildings will be Kootenay Climbing Association’s Cube 2.0, a new facility to be constructed on an empty site next to Selkirk College’s Tenth Street Campus. The estimated $11-million project will be 1,004 square metres in size and feature an Olympic-standard climbing wall. “Mass timber represents a transformative, locally sourced solution that’s generating significant employment opportunities, spurring cutting-edge innovation, and revitalizing rural economies across British Columbia,” said Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon. …Mass timber companies Spearhead and Kalesnikoff are each involved in the construction of the new building. 

Related News in Vernon Matters: A six storey mass timber project in Penticton gets $500K from province

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B.C. advances new mass-timber demonstration projects

By Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth
Government of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Four new buildings in B.C. are each receiving $500,000 — totalling $2 million — to demonstrate and showcase the benefits of mass-timber construction. “Mass timber represents a transformative, locally sourced solution that’s generating significant employment opportunities, spurring cutting-edge innovation, and revitalizing rural economies across British Columbia,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth. …The four projects were announced at the 2025 International Woodrise Congress. …Delivered through the Province’s Crown corporation Forestry Innovation Investment. The four projects are:

  • Nexus, a six-storey mass-timber project in Penticton that includes four storeys of office space, a daycare and retail space;
  • An Indigenous affordable housing project in Surrey that will be an eight-storey tall mass-timber hybrid building
  • Cube 2.0, a three-storey climbing gym in Nelson that will be an Olympic-level facility that showcases sustainable practices
  • The Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon’s Willow House, a 12-storey build that will provide 75 units

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Mass timber should be Canada’s first choice for buildings, architect says

By Tyler Choi
Sustainable Biz Canada
September 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Martin Nielsen

An architect and engineer behind some of Canada’s most iconic mass timber buildings has high hopes for the material as a sustainability enhancer and a boost to the country’s economy. Martin Nielsen, a partner at Calgary-based DIALOG, is an advocate for the engineered wood product that is made by gluing lumber into panels. His mass timber portfolio includes the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CRIS) and its Campus Energy Centre, the 10-storey office building The Hive being built in Vancouver, and the Brentwood and Gilmore Skytrain stations. Quoting one of his former bosses, Nielsen said timber is a natural and renewable material, “the only building material made by the sun.” …Nielsen added, when people see wood in a building it lowers a key stress hormone. He also envisions it as a way to support Canada’s forestry industry amid shaken-up trade with the US.

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Middle-income rental mass timber tower proposed for Kelowna

By Kirk Penton
Castanet
September 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

A proposed 18-storey residential tower on St. Paul Street in downtown Kelowna will be constructed using mass timber, according to applications recently submitted to city planners. The city announced earlier this year that it was partnering with non-profit developer Housing Okanagan Foundation on the project for middle-income earners. Now a development permit and variance applications have been submitted for the property at 1428 St. Paul St. “If completed today, it would be the tallest mass timber residential building in Canada,” according to the application from project architect Lang Wilson Practice in Architecture Culture. “The use of mass timber also offers significant reductions in embodied carbon emissions. “This design aligns with the provincial and federal housing objectives while also incubating a building construction methodology that creates local manufacturing jobs.” Above the three-storey podium will be 15 residential floors and a rooftop terrace for all tenants.

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Forestry

Trump’s Logging Efforts Struggle to Sell Industry on Public Land

By Bobby McGill
Bloomberg Law
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

The Interior Department says it’s on track to meet a federal goal to increase logging on federal lands, even as timber industry analysts warn low prices, scarce sawmills, and litigation will likely threaten progress. Interior’s Bureau of Land Management has increased timber sales by 4.6% so far in fiscal 2025 over all of fiscal 2024. Interior spokeswoman Alyse Sharpe said. …Trump’s logging goals face fierce headwinds, however, as depressed lumber prices, a worker shortage in the timber industry, and an overriding sense of uncertainty about the future of logging are chilling timber industry interest in actually cutting down the trees sold in federal sales, said Mindy Crandall, at Oregon State University. “The Forest Service can put the timber up for sale, but someone has to want it,” Crandall said. But Trump’s logging policies are likely to have limited reach across the US in part because federal lands make up only a small part of the timber supply, and tariffs are unlikely to crush the demand for Canadian lumber.

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Partnering for Growth: Canada’s Forest Products Sector Recognizes Partners

Forest Products Association of Canada
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) announces Integrated Resource Management Agency (AGIR) and Women in Wood as recipients of its 2025 Partnership Awards, an honour recognizing organizations that have demonstrated exceptional collaboration and leadership in supporting Canada’s forest sector and the people and communities it serves. AGIR is a community-based organization operating in several small municipalities across the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. …Women in Wood was born from an idea and a conversation – to create a place where women who work in, with and for the woods could connect to build community and learn from and support each other.  …“These organizations are leading by example – building bridges across communities, advancing sustainable forest practices, and creating space for more inclusive dialogue and collaboration in our sector. Their work reflects the kind of partnership that strengthens our industry and helps ensure a more resilient future for Canada’s forests and the people who depend on them,” said Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of FPAC.

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Should Canada sprint to replant trees after intense wildfire years?

By Nathan Howes
The Weather Network
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Through its 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program, the federal government has planted more than 228 million trees since 2021. With Canada enduring some of its worst wildfire seasons since it began, should the government expedite and increase its co-ordinated, replanting efforts? Canada’s 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program has achieved more than 11 per cent of its goal of planting, as the name suggests, two billion trees over a 10-year period. …The government also announced the program has agreements in place to plant one billion trees, approximately, since it kick-started the initiative in 2021. As of June 2025, Canada has signed or is negotiating tree-planting agreements with 11 provinces and territories, 58 Indigenous partners, 30 municipalities and 88 non-governmental organizations. …Restoring tree cover is an important strategy for carbon removal and addressing the climate crisis. So, with the intense wildfire seasons Canada has been experiencing in recent years, does the country require a more expedited process to keep its forests thriving?

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The Sustainable Forestry Initiative and McMaster University collaborate to advance Climate Smart Forestry Initiative

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Alemu Gonsamo & Lauren Cooper

Ottawa, ON—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and McMaster University announce a new partnership to support the SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative, which is advancing the interpretation and implementation of climate-informed forestry practices across almost 120 million SFI-certified hectares in Canada. With investments from public and private sources… the initiative engages experts and SFI-certified organizations to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by identifying, developing, and implementing practices that meet the SFI 2022 Forest Management Standard objectives, while achieving co-benefits for biodiversity and wildfire risk reduction. …“Partnerships like this offer unprecedented opportunities to ensure forestry functions as a climate solution and provides sustainable forest products,” said Lauren T. Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI. …Leading the collaboration from McMaster University is Dr. Alemu Gonsamo, Associate Professor of McMaster University’s Remote Sensing Lab and Associate Director of McMaster Centre for Climate Change.

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A collection of National Forest Week stories

Tree Frog Forestry News
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

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Home Hardware and Tree Canada Mark National Tree Day with Tree Planting Events Across Canada

By Home Hardware Stores Limited
Cision Newswire
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

ST. JACOBS, ON – Home Hardware Stores Limited is proud to celebrate its long-standing partnership with Tree Canada by supporting community tree planting events in 25 locations across the country. As part of National Forest Week (September 21-28, 2025), participating Home stores are partnering with Tree Canada, local volunteers and municipal partners to plant native trees in parks, schoolyards and shared community spaces. These efforts highlight Home Hardware’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, reforestation, and building healthier communities. “For more than 30 years, our Dealers have supported environmental initiatives in the communities they call home,” said Ian White, President and CEO, Home Hardware Stores Limited. “We are honoured to continue this important partnership with Tree Canada and to help make a positive, lasting impact.” Home Hardware’s relationship with Tree Canada began in 1992. Since then, more than 30,000 trees have been planted, contributing to stronger urban canopies, improved air quality, and increased biodiversity across the country.

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The starkest picture of wildlife loss in Canada to date: WWF’s new Living Planet Report Canada

By World Wildlife Fund Canada
Cision Newswire
September 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

TORONTO — World Wildlife Fund Canada’s Living Planet Report Canada (LPRC) 2025: Wildlife at Home reveals the most severe average decline in the size of monitored wildlife populations in Canada since WWF-Canada began reporting two decades ago. Using the largest dataset to date, the report presents the clearest — and starkest— picture of wildlife loss in Canada yet. More than half (52%) of the species studied are decreasing in abundance. On average, every species group included is trending in the wrong direction. LPRC 2025 comes at a time when governments across Canada are prioritizing rapid development, while loosening regulations that protect nature and species at risk. …The biggest declines were seen in grassland habitats, where wildlife populations declined by 62% on average since 1970. In forests, mammal populations declined by 42%, over the last five decades. Species of concern, those found on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, saw their populations decline by 43%.

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Osprey Environmental Solutions takes flight: an Indigenous-owned company built on a partnership between Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills and Silvacom

By Ryan Spooner
Silvacom Ltd.
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Edmonton, AB —  Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills Limited (KSL) and Silvacom are proud to announce the launch of their unique partnership, Osprey Environmental Solutions – an Indigenous-owned company that aims to set the standard for blending Indigenous knowledge and environmental excellence.  This partnership brings together KSL’s deep-rooted traditional knowledge and community connections with Silvacom’s industry-leading expertise in environmental consulting, regulatory compliance, and geospatial technology. Owned by Loon River First Nation, Lubicon Lake Band, Peerless Trout First Nation, Whitefish Lake First Nation, and Woodland Cree First Nation, KSL represents generations of traditional knowledge and a commitment to land stewardship. …Osprey is uniquely positioned to support industries such as oil and gas, construction, pipelines, and powerlines with services that prioritize sustainability, cultural sensitivity, and economic opportunity for Indigenous communities. …As industries seek to balance growth with environmental responsibility, Osprey is committed to setting new benchmarks for collaborative, sustainable, and culturally respectful environmental solutions. 

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BC Forest Minister’s statement on Heritage Conservation Act engagement process

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, has provided the following statement about extending the engagement process for modernizing the Heritage Conservation Act in BC: We have formally been engaging to help find solutions and ways to update the Heritage Conservation Act, to make permitting faster and easier, help people and communities rebuild quicker after disasters, protect heritage sites more effectively and strengthen the role of First Nations in decision-making about their own heritage and ancestors. …Since 2022, more than 360 local government representatives have participated in engagement activities. September 25 there is a two-hour workshop for local governments at UBCM to discuss the intended outcomes of modernizing the legislation. The status quo is not an option. We invite more people in B.C. the opportunity to come to the table. I am announcing today that we are extending the engagement to mid-November to ensure all people in B.C., including local governments, have their voices heard.

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How forestry and logging industries can play a bigger role in wildfire mitigation

By Ty Lim
The Merritt Herald
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Can the problems of wildfire and forestry industry setbacks be solved at once? …It will be a tough goal, especially with the Province’s timber supply forecast not projecting timber supply to turn in a positive direction until 2060. …The forest industry has been attempting to fight this every year. For wildfires, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) have adopted techniques, such as prescribed burnings, to try and mitigate the intense wildfire seasons. …One way is the more novel practice of harnessing the manpower of the logging industry. Nick Reynolds, acting director of investigations at the BC Forest Practices Board, was involved in two recent special investigations from the FPB on wildfire mitigation. …“Why don’t we use that engine and muscle (of the forestry industry)” Reynolds said. …Jason Fisher, executive director of FESBC, said that through their funding platform, they’ve seen workers who’ve specialized in traditional logging take on WRR work.

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New parameters for BCTS causes optimism for wood manufacturers

By Timothy Schafer
Castanet
September 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ken Kalesnikoff

A change is being made to B.C. Timber Sales’ (BCTS) mandate to allow the “unique needs of each community and wood manufacturers” to flourish, and a West Kootenay mill is already eagerly awaiting its effect. Ken Kalesnikoff, president and CEO of Kalesnikoff Mass Timber Inc. characterized the announcement as a positive step with BCTS. He said the specialty values added sector — which are mostly minimally tenured or non-tenured companies — rely heavily on BCTS for their fibre supply. “Seeing volume being accessed by this sector will show these changes are working as intended, creating certainty and fair access to the people’s resource for those of us focused on value over volume and creating over 15,000 jobs,” said Kalesnikoff in a statement. …If the expanded mandate proves to work as well as it is being touted, it could help increase performance, move more fibre, and better serve the current client base, including the primary sector.

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Hands-on wildfire research for students builds knowledge, connection and resilience

By UBC Okanagan News
University of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Lirondelle, Prentice & Parrott-Landry

UBC Okanagan undergrads get hands-on with wildfires, monitoring and Indigenous land stewardship practices. What started as fieldwork for UBC Okanagan students Ainsley Lirondelle, Jed Prentice and Olivier Parrott-Landry soon became a crash course in fire science, place-based knowledge and unexpected friendship. …Under the guidance of UBC Okanagan wildfire scientist Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, the research opened their eyes to a central truth about the Okanagan: what appears to be wilderness is often anything but. …They learned how fire exclusion policies have led to tightly-packed stands of similar-age trees that burn hotter and faster than historic landscapes ever did. “I’ve had so many conversations where I explain that fire is a forest management issue, not just a weather problem,” says Lirondelle. “People are always surprised. They think fire is this external force. It’s not. It’s the result of how we’ve managed the land.”

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Premier pushes for wildfire mitigation, more access to public lands

By George Lee
The Macleod Gazette in Sylvan Lake News
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Less wildfire damage throughout the province and improved access to the great outdoors feature prominently in Danielle Smith’s renewed vision for Alberta. The premier issued new marching orders last week to Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen, directing him to expand efforts to prevent wildfires and reduce their effects. One bullet point is that the minister seek a wildfire agreement with the federal government. Loewen said wildfire fighting and prevention are “incredibly important to Albertans.” So is more access to public lands in a sustainable way. “Those two things encompass a lot of what’s in the mandate letter, and I think they really resonate well with Albertans,” said Loewen, the member for Central Peace-Notley in the province’s northwest. He was one of four ministers to receive new mandate letters on Sept. 17.

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A striking forestry worker’s perspective

Letter by Murray Ostler
The Campbell River Mirror
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

[Recent] articles in the Campbell River Mirror during Forestry Week, “Celebrating the role of First Nations in the forestry economy,” and “Mayor calls for urgent action to support forest industry,” deserve some context and reply from someone like myself who is directly in the crosshairs as a forest industry worker. …I work for La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Ltd., a majority-owned Western Forest Products company. And, as a union member, I am on strike. However, I am expressing my opinion only. …The article on the First Nations’ role in forestry is positive and forward-looking to a point. … On the face of it, you would think that the the Nanwakolas Council and Western Forest Products agreement was a win/win. …It glosses over the fact that Western is now using that partnership to try to gain major concessions from the union regarding the mid-island forest operations being a union shop. 

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BC Community Forest Association Launches 2025 Indicators Report and New Brand

The BC Community Forest Association
September 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) has released its 2025 Community Forest Indicators Report: Measuring the Benefits of Community Forestry, alongside the launch of its refreshed brand and updated website at www.bccfa.ca. Representing more than 100 rural and Indigenous communities, the BCCFA is a province-wide network dedicated to supporting local people making decisions about local forests. Since 2014, the Community Forest Indicators Report has tracked the wide-ranging benefits of community forestry. The 2025 report demonstrates once again the broad benefits of community forestry across British Columbia. The report draws on survey data from 33 community forests – representing 70% of the BCCFA’s operating membership. …During the reporting period, community forests created full-time jobs in forestry, logging and support services at a rate 82% higher than the industry average, highlighting their role in local employment and economic growth. They also generated nearly $60 million in local economic activity, invested $2.5 million in wildfire resiliency, and dedicated contributed over 2,800 hours to community education projects.

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West Fraser looks to supply Bulkley Valley farmers with ash for fertilizer

By Jake Wray
The Interior News
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) has weighed in on a proposal from West Fraser Mills to discharge ash from its Pacific Inland Resources mill onto agricultural lands near Smithers and Telkwa. At its Sept. 18 meeting, the RDBN board of directors voted by majority to approve staff’s recommendation. The application to the Ministry of Environment and Parks, seeks authorization under the Environmental Management Act to allow up to 150 bulk tonnes of a blend of fly and bottom ash per hectare each year. …According to West Fraser, the farmers are interested in the ash because it raises soil pH and contains nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, and sulphur, reducing the need for commercial fertilizers. …The material would then be applied with standard manure-spreading equipment, typically every three to four years depending on crop and soil needs.

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Community forest expansions coming to Prince George Timber Supply area

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The communities of Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Fraser Lake will be better able to manage forest resources, protect against wildfires and secure local forestry jobs with the expansion of community forests in these areas. “Community forests have the power to connect local communities to their forests, all while ensuring a stable supply of logs for their mills,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Expanding these three community forests is about creating and protecting good jobs and supporting the local sector.” The second phase of the Prince George Timber Supply apportionment decision will allocate a total of 60,000 cubic metres to these communities. The first round of apportionment in May 2021 allocated more than 1.2 million cubic metres to First Nations in the area. …All community forest expansions are done with First Nations’ consultation, and many First Nations are already linked to community forests through equity partnerships and business-to-business agreements. 

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North Island ‘one mill closure away’ from collapse: Campbell River Mayor

By Robin Grant
Victoria News
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Elected officials on Vancouver Island at the local, provincial and federal levels are calling for urgent action to support British Columbia’s struggling coastal forestry sector. At a news conference Monday, Conservative MLA for North Island Anna Kindy, North Island-Powell River MP Aaron Gunn, along with eight Island mayors, urged B.C. Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney to address the matter, highlighting mill closures, job losses, and the decline of rural communities as key concerns. The media event followed the release of a letter addressed to both the provincial and federal leaders outlining the concerns in their communities. The letter was signed by Kindy, Gunn and mayors of Sayward, Gold River, Port McNeill, Powell River, Campbell River, Port Hardy, Port Alice and Alert Bay. “Families across northern Vancouver Island are witnessing their way of life disappear,” said MLA Kindy outside the legislature in Victoria. 

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Jorma Neuvonen receives 2025 UBC President’s Service Award for Excellence

By the Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

UBC Forestry congratulates Jorma Neuvonen, Assistant Dean of Professional Education and International Collaboration for the 2025 UBC President’s Service Award for Excellence.Jorma Neuvonen has expanded UBC Forestry’s professional programs, strengthened international partnerships, and elevated the faculty’s global profile. Known for his empathy and dedication, he supports students and colleagues alike while championing broader access to forestry education. His leadership in major international conferences an d innovative programs like Transfor-M, Green Business and online micro-certificates, has fostered cross-cultural learning, broadened opportunities for diverse learners, and created a lasting legacy of inclusion, innovation, and global impact. Each year, up to five outstanding staff members receive the President’s Service Awards for Excellence (PSAE), the highest honour for UBC staff.

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Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action

By Susan Moore
Frontenac News
September 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

After 5 years, this celebrated conference is back with a new look. Don’t miss the Quinte Woodland Conference, Tending Our Woodlands: The Rewards of Action on October 2, 2025 in Belleville. The Quinte Woodlot Association has revived the former Trenton Woodlot Conference, continuing its 30-year legacy in our community. This one-day event welcomes rural landowners, foresters, farmers, conservationists and naturalists from all over Eastern Ontario. The program blends practical advice with science-based insights. In addition to the keynote, presentations will include: Wildfire Protection, Plantation Cooperatives, Biochar as Soil Amendment, and a panel on Succession Planning with a conservation planner, a farm preservation specialist, an accountant and a lawyer.  …The keynote speaker, Ethan Tapper, is a forester and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.

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Omnibus bill tackles Crown land protesters in Nova Scotia, supports domestic violence survivors

By Michael Gorman
CBC News
September 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — New powers to deal with protesters blocking logging roads on Crown land are being dealt with by the Nova Scotia government in… the Protecting Nova Scotians Act introduced Tuesday. …Notable changes include amendments to the Crown Lands Act that will make it illegal to “block, obstruct the use of or impede access to” forest access roads. It will also give officials the ability to remove structures without notice when they’re deemed to be a hazard to public health and safety or are harmful to the economic interests of the province. …An official with the Natural Resources Department said the changes are being made out of concern for people who might have protests or other gatherings located too close to logging equipment. …The proposed changes come as protesters in Cape Breton are blocking a logging operation by Port Hawkesbury Paper on Crown land. Natural Resources Minister Tory Rushton told reporters that the changes were requested by conservation officers. 

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Health & Safety

Forestry worker dies near Revelstoke

By Kathy Michaels
Castanet
September 23, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

REVELSTOKE, BC — A BC forestry worker was fatally injured while on the job last week, an industry safety group said Tuesday. “A skidder operator was fatally injured when their skidder rolled down a steep slope in an area north of Revelstoke,” the BC Forest Safety Council said of the Sept. 16 incident. “WorkSafeBC and the Coroners Service are currently investigating this incident.” It’s the fifth harvesting fatality in 2025 and BC Forestry said details are still to be determined. Contributing factors to the incident are not available during an ongoing investigation. The BC Forest Safety Council said they have several safety points to be considered as the process unfolds. Those include a thorough assessment before work begins to prepare operators for steep slope logging operations.  …Maintain safety buffers by not operating on the steepest possible slopes. This helps operators recover when surprised by an unexpected event.

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