Donald Trump’s threat of a 25% across the board tariff would have a devastating impact on private timberland and sawmill owners in Canada, say the Canadian Forest Owners, which is appealing to federal and provincial governments for some shielding. “They would be extremely harmful to many of our members,” said Andrew de Vries, CEO of the Canadian Forest Owners. “We’re already on the ropes as the mills struggle with regulatory compliance in different areas and access to harvest.” …There 450,000 private forest landowners across Canada, including 22,500 small woodlots owners in B.C., de Vries said. Many own and operate small sawmills, and a big chunk of their market is the U.S. Overall, private ownership accounts for only 10% of Canada’s working forest land base, but provides 20% of Canada’s timber supply. …“We’re a small percentage of the land base, but we’re a critical part of the wood supply.”
In B.C., most of the privately owned timberlands are on Vancouver Island. Mosaic Forest Management is the largest owner-operator of private forests. Manulife also owns private forest land in B.C., de Vries said. Some First Nations in B.C. could also be considered private timberland owners, including treaty forest lands. Private forest landowners are subject to current softwood lumbers duties, despite the fact those duties are premised on the argument that Canada’s Crown ownership constitutes an unfair government subsidy of sorts. “Our view is that private forestland managers in Canada operate under the same conditions as private forest land managers in the United States,” de Vries said. But ownership may be irrelevant for Trump’s tariffs. If it’s made in Canada, it would be hit with tariffs, regardless of whether it comes from private or Crown lands.
Press release from Canadian Forest Owners: US Tariffs will harm Canada’s 450,000 forest owners
The BC Forest History Association is thrilled to welcome Don Pigott as our December Speaker Series guest! Don will share his expertise on the evolution of cone collection in British Columbia over the past century. With 50 years of experience, he’ll also highlight some of the seed-related projects that have shaped his career and the field of forestry. No forester is too young, old, inexperienced, or seasoned to learn something from Don!
About the Speaker: Don Pigott’s career spans decades of groundbreaking work in forestry and silviculture. During his 13 years at MacMillan Bloedel, he managed seed supply for reforestation, established seed orchards, and oversaw operational tree improvement programs. In 1982, Don founded Yellow Point Propagation Ltd., a private silviculture company providing comprehensive services, including cone and seed processing, and consulting for forestry projects across North America and Europe. For the past 16 years, Yellow Point Propagation has focused on gene conservation for whitebark pine, limber pine, alpine larch, and numerous other species, further cementing Don’s legacy as a pioneer in forestry innovation. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from an expert with unparalleled insights into forestry’s past, present, and future.
Vancouver, BC – Canfor Corporation announced that it has acquired 7% of outstanding shares of VIDA AB effective today. The shares were acquired from certain minority shareholders utilizing their option privileges under the February 2019 agreement in which Canfor purchased 70% of VIDA AB, Sweden’s largest privately owned sawmill company. After concluding this transaction, Canfor owns 77% of VIDA AB. [END]
A BC Supreme Court Justice has approved a short extension of creditor protection as a court monitor works with San Group to reorganize its business operations. The court-appointed monitor from Deloitte asked for the extension as he tries to clarify the value of the company’s assets. …In April, San Group’s Acorn mill in Delta was damaged by a significant fire. One claim for $12.1 million has recently been denied by the insurance company. The company is filing two more claims, jointly worth nearly $30 million. Also, the bomb cyclone was bad for San Group. Log booms in Alberni Inlet got loose, and management has reported losing $6 million in log inventory. The company has third parties trying to recover the logs. …All involved say they believe the company is working in good faith. …The monitor plans to have another report for the next court hearing about San Group’s future on Dec. 19.
VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber declared a quarterly dividend of US$0.32 per share on the Common shares and Class B Common shares in the capital of the Company, payable on January 14, 2025 to shareholders of record on December 27, 2024. Dividends are designated to be eligible dividends pursuant to subsection 89(14) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any applicable provincial legislation pertaining to eligible dividends.
Canada’s central bank has cut interest rates for the fifth consecutive time as the country’s economy grows at a slower rate than projected. The 50-basis-point cut comes Canada’s economy grew by one per cent in the third quarter of 2024, and the fourth quarter is looking weaker than projected, according to the Bank of Canada. “Monetary policy no longer needs to be clearly in restrictive territory,” said Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem. Macklem noted consumer spending and housing activity both picked up as a result of lower interest rates. Another factor in cutting the interest rate was Canada’s unemployment rate rising to 6.8% in November as the bank says the number of people looking for work has increased faster than the number of jobs. …In making its decision, the bank cited the incoming U.S. administration and the threat of 25% tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S., adding increased uncertainty and clouding the economic outlook.
ONTARIO — Housing starts over the next few years will likely weaken and the already dire supply shortage could get even worse, warns a new report prepared for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON). Further, employment in new residential construction has peaked and will likely keep declining for the next several years at least. Entitled Housing Market Outlooks in Ontario, the report from economic research firm Will Dunning Inc. concludes that new housing starts will continue to decline “well into 2025, followed by a slow recovery of the economy and housing activity during 2026 to 2028. By the end of 2028, conditions will not have fully recovered.” Richard Lyall, RESCON president, described the findings as “particularly worrisome for builders as they point to a weakening residential construction market at the very time we need to build more housing.
Through a partnership with FSC Canada, FSC US, FSC International and the 
Squamish-based FireSwarm Solutions Inc., a startup that develops autonomous drone technology for wildfire management, announced it has $500,000 in funding from the BC Centre for Innovation & Clean Energy (CICE). CICE is an independent not-for-profit corporation that funds “clean energy innovators.” Other past projects it has invested in include the electrification of snow plows and funding for a company that aims to make lithium battery manufacturing cleaner, among others. In the spring, CICE put out a call to companies developing “ground-breaking solutions to better manage and mitigate the growing threat of wildfire.” They awarded $3 million to six of the 74 companies that applied for the 2024 Wildfire Tech Call for Innovation, including FireSwarm Solutions. CICE claims this is Canada’s first-ever funding opportunity for wildfire technologies. The $500,000 will speed FireSwarm’s deployment of long-endurance, heavy-lift autonomous drone swarms to detect, map, and suppress wildfires.
Nelson forestry advocate, Joe Karthein is pushing for greater protection of ancient forests in the Selkirk Mountains, calling for more designated protected areas. Founder of the Save What’s Left Conservation Society, he is leading a campaign and petition to implement legislation to improve the province’s forest management model. One initiative focuses on transferring land known as Duncan Lake Ancient Cedars, north of Kaslo, into a provincial park system. “We are lobbying to have a grove of ancient trees located north of Kaslo permanently protected by moving 531 hectares from the Forest Service and into the parks system,” he said. Adding that conserving land from resource extraction is essential for preserving biodiversity. “An ecosystem won’t thrive completely surrounded by incessant industrial activity,” said Karthein. His petition notes that while the oldest forests in the area are not currently threatened by logging, nearby areas are at risk and need protection. 
The beaver is a well-known symbol associated with Canada. But in Alberta, beavers are not always looked upon favourably. Historically, tensions between beavers, farmers and ranchers have been high, as beavers can fell many trees and their dam-building can cause fields to flood, damaging crops and grazing areas… The researchers are exploring the impacts of beavers and their structures on hydrology and ecosystem health within the Sibbald Valley in Kananaskis Country… The researcher is also interested in how clear-cut logging on the slopes above the pond complex might alter the volume and speed of water entering the ponds. This work includes monitoring soil moisture levels on nearby slopes that remain treed and those that have been clear-cut.
University of New Brunswick forestry professor Anthony Taylor began a research project to examine what was killing balsam fir trees favoured by many Canadians to decorate their homes at Christmas. …in a paper recently published in the journal “Frontiers in Forests and Global Change,” Taylor and his co-authors identify the cause of the die-off in western New Brunswick and eastern Maine as drought and high temperatures brought on by climate change. “Identifying the broad scale climate anomalies, such as a drought, associated with the reported sudden balsam fir mortality in 2018 could prove useful to determine the likelihood of future mortality in response to climate change,” the study says. Taylor said he was shocked by “that much” death of balsam firs. …Taylor said heat and drought have weakened balsam firs, making them more vulnerable to pests and diseases that they would otherwise be able to defend against. 
Scrap wood fibre in the Rainy River district could get a new life, thanks to a partnership working towards a green fuel production facility. Ten First Nations in the Rainy River District near Fort Frances have joined forces to create ground-breaking Wanagekong-Biiwega’iganan Clean Energy Corporation (WBCEC). In partnership with Highbury Energy Inc., a Vancouver-based clean energy innovator, the initiative aims to transform wood waste—including bark, sawdust, and logging debris—into low-carbon transportation fuels. …The corporation is currently engaging with industry stakeholders such as Boundary Waters Forest Management Corporation, West Fraser OSB, Manitou Forest Products, Nickel Lake Lumber, and Resolute Forest Products (Sapawe Sawmill) to secure local wood waste as feedstock for a proposed biorefinery in Fort Frances. …This initiative aligns with similar projects Highbury Energy is involved in, including one in British Columbia to replace natural gas with a clean renewable fuel gas in a pulp mill lime-kiln.
At its May 2024 meeting, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved amendments pertaining to Emergency Planning in Part 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. These amendments will come into effect on February 3, 2025. Part 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation sets out the requirements for emergency planning relating to hazardous substances. On February 3, 2025, amendments to these requirements will come into effect, to provide additional clarity and to further reduce risk to workers and other people posed by emergencies involving hazardous substances. This resource provides an overview of the changes to help affected employers prepare for the new requirements. OHS Guidelines are also being developed to provide additional support for employers; these guidelines will be available on February 3.
OTTAWA, ON – In 2023, Nova Scotia experienced one of its worst wildfire seasons, leading to extensive damage to residences, small businesses, farms, municipalities, and provincial sites, and the evacuation of more than 16,000 people. Just over a month later, the province experienced extreme rainfall that led to the worst flooding the province has experienced in 50 years. This follows the significant damage to public and private infrastructure and prolonged power outages caused by storm Dorian across the province in 2019. The Government of Canada, announced payments of almost $67 million to Nova Scotia through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, to assist with response and recovery costs associated with the wildfires in 2023, the extreme rainfall and flooding in summer 2023, and storm Dorian in 2019.