Are you looking to enhance your skills in the lumber and sawmill sector? Onboarding new employees that would benefit from formal education in the field? Are you seeking to provide your employees with essential business skills for professional development? BCIT is currently offering two Associate Certificates to help you: Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) and Business of Sawmilling (BOS). Both programs were developed with industry subject matter experts and informed by industry leaders to support upskilling and professional development for individuals in the lumber and sawmill sector. Each program is 1-year, delivered online and part-time to allow students to balance work and studies. The participants are new or existing employees in the North American lumber sector and are sponsored by their employers.
Donald Trump is threatening to use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st American state. While his comments may be reckless, they are in part due to Canada’s over-reliance on the US market in terms of trade. The benefits of international trade are undoubtedly positive. It’s well-established that when countries can produce a product or service more cheaply than others, giving them what’s known as a “comparative advantage,” all other nations engaged will gain from that trade. …But the key challenge Canadian policymakers face is an over-reliance on the US as Canada’s primary market, with 75% of all Canadian exports headed south. …Canada can no longer take easy access to the U.S. market for granted. …Bringing down barriers to trade across Canadian provinces would create conditions that could enable Canadian companies to be more competitive internationally, and beyond the U.S. market in particular.
GATINEAU, QUE. — An agreement has been reached between the Competition Bureau and Rona Inc. in relation to concerns about the company’s proposed acquisition of 
VANCOUVER — Conifex Timber announced that it has amended and restated its existing credit agreement with PenderFund Capital Management Ltd. The restated agreement increases the aggregate principal amount of the secured term loan provided thereunder to up to $41 million, of which $5 million is available immediately, and the remaining $11 million is subject to completion of financial diligence. …“The additional borrowings will be used to fund a build-up in sawlog inventories to support our transition to a two-shift operation at our sawmill complex, effective January 6, 2025,” commented Conifex’s Chairman and CEO, Ken Shields. The decision to move to a two-shift operation was based on a steadily improving backdrop for lumber prices, as evidenced by the 18% improvement in cash prices for Spruce Pine Fir benchmark lumber prices in the fourth quarter of 2024 relative to those in the third quarter of 2024. 
…Washington argues stumpage fees are too low and give Canadian loggers a competitive advantage over U.S. producers, which harvest timber largely from private lands and bid against each other for the privilege. The U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to release its next preliminary duty rates on lumber in early May, or 90 days later than originally planned. Its sixth administrative review is based on lumber markets in 2023, when prices were low. Analysts say U.S. duty rates imposed on Canadian softwood could double in 2025 and reach nearly 30 per cent. …U.S.-headquartered lumber producers and timberland owners who complained about Canadian softwood ended up receiving 10 per cent of the US$5-billion in softwood duties paid in the previous round of the dispute, from 2001 to 2006. Canadian companies recouped 80 per cent of the funds while 9 per cent went to “meritorious initiatives” in the U.S., with the remaining 1 per cent allocated to promoting lumber in both countries. Vancouver-based forestry analyst Russ Taylor said, it’s unclear how much Canada will recover in U.S. duties already paid since 2017. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to read this article in full]
If president-elect Donald Trump… follows through with his tariff threat, it could have economic consequences for the U.S. lumber supply chain, according to Rajan Parajuli at NC State. …US. companies would likely attempt to recoup tariff-related losses by raising the price of Canadian softwood lumber, which would potentially impact the housing market by making building materials more expensive. …Parajuli highlighted the 2006 U.S.–Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement as an example of how tariffs can impact the supply chain. …Under the agreement, which was active until 2015, U.S. lumber producers gained $1.6 billion and U.S. consumers lost $2.3 billion as softwood lumber imports from Canada declined by 7.78% in the months when export taxes took effect. “U.S. consumers not only paid producers’ gains, but also the losses that resulted from the export taxes,” Parajuli said. In the long term, the U.S. would need to work with Canada to negotiate a new softwood lumber agreement, according to Parajuli. Germany, Sweden and other trade partners simply don’t have the inventory or capacity to displace Canada in lumber exports.
Canada recorded a ninth consecutive monthly trade deficit in November, albeit smaller than expected as exports rose faster than imports, data showed on Tuesday. Total exports rose 2.2 per cent in November, helped by gains in a broad section of product categories, while imports were up 1.8 per cent, led by consumer goods and chemical, plastic and rubber products, Statistics Canada said. As a result, Canada’s trade deficit narrowed to $323-million from a revised $544-million deficit in October. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a $900-million deficit in November. The trade surplus with the United States, by far Canada’s largest trading partner, widened to $8.2-billion from $6.6-billion in October. The surplus with the U.S. nearly offset Canada’s trade deficit with all other countries – which widened to $8.5-billion in November from $7.2-billion – underscoring the potential impact of the U.S. President-elect’s threat to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.
After a dismal 2023 and 2024 in lumber markets in both demand and prices, it can only get better in 2025, right? Well, that depends. …The outlook for 2025 needs to incorporate several variables:
In 2024, the Canadian government released a new housing plan aimed at building more homes and addressing housing unaffordability. As part of that plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that $600 million in funding will be provided to build homes cheaper and quicker using “innovative technologies.” The funding is earmarked for building more housing, including prefab and modular homes, by automating processes and using materials like mass timber construction, robotics and 3D printing… Building materials like mass timber, including cross-laminated timber, offer a renewable low-carbon substitute for conventional materials, reducing a building’s carbon footprint. These modern methods have been successful internationally, producing quality construction that is quickly completedHowever, systematic obstacles like governmental inertia and mismatched incentives must also be tackled to unlock their full potential in Canada.
Canadian forests are increasingly primed for severe, uncontrollable wildfires, a study published Thursday said, underlining what the authors described as a pressing need to proactively mitigate the “increased threat posed by climate change.” The study by Canadian researchers, published in the journal Science, looked at Canadian fire severity from 1981 to 2020. “The widespread increases, along with limited decreases, in high-burn severity days during 1981 to 2020 indicate the increasingly severe fire situation and more challenging fire season under the changing climate in Canada,” the study read. Co-author Xianli Wang, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, says there were on average an additional two days conducive to high-severity fires in 2000 to 2020, compared to the previous two decades. In some areas, it was closer to five days. …The greatest increase in burn severity days was recorded in an area covering northern Quebec and an area covering Northwest Territories, northwest Alberta and northeast British Columbia.
…British Columbia’s forests are … a foundation of the province’s identity and a bedrock of its economy. Both past and present, the industry has been one of the province’s largest employers, providing tens of thousands of well-paying jobs, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities where opportunities can be scarce. These jobs are vital for maintaining economic stability in smaller towns, where forestry often serves as the main driver of local economies. …By managing forests, BC can enhance their role as carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate-driven concerns such as wildfires. …Concurrently, BC’s forestry practices need to keep pace with evolving environmental and social expectations. …Global markets and decision-makers are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible products and wood clearly delivers those needs. However, two things need to happen. First, a clear, cohesive strategy is needed to ensure we do not fall behind international competitors. Secondly, you actually have to cut a tree down.
Human recreation on mountain trails is displacing grizzly bears and wolves from their natural habitats, even when the trails are hundreds of metres away, according to a new study from the University of Alberta. The research underscores the need for more effective planning to ensure that recreationists and wildlife can coexist, particularly in the busy Bow River Valley, which has long served as a natural corridor connecting the prairies to the Continental Divide… Though trails that never receive any use from humans have little to no effect on wildlife, only half of grizzlies studied would venture within 300 metres of trails with the highest human use. This effect was more pronounced in wary wolves, whose radius of comfort extended to 600 metres from the busiest trails. “We initially thought bears might use hiking trails as efficient routes when humans weren’t around, but they actually avoid these areas altogether,” says the author.
For over 20 years, the BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) has championed the community forest program, highlighting its ability to foster social, economic, ecological, and cultural resilience. …Community forests are long-term, area-based tenures managed by local communities to reflect local priorities and values. With 61 community forests currently operating across the province, and growing interest in local resource management, the program is gaining broad recognition and support. …According to the December BCCFA Newsletter, the city of Quesnel along with five First Nations, have come to an agreement on the establishment of the Three Rivers Community Forest (TRCF). …Farther south, the BCCFA provided Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) with funding through the province’s Economic Recovery Initiative under the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program. …There were 14 other community forests across the province supported by this initiative.
More than 280 million trees were planted in B.C. forests in 2024 due to the Province’s efforts. “2024 was a banner year for tree planting in B.C., including celebrating 10 billion trees planted since 1930,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Our government’s commitment to sustainable forests has seen us lead the country by planting more than two billion trees since 2017.” …The Province’s 2024 reforestation efforts were primarily focused on fire-damaged areas. This was in addition to the work undertaken by forest tenure holders as part of their legal requirements to regenerate harvested areas. “We are in good shape right now based upon a run of strong years and the government’s commitment to tackling the impacts of climate change through adaptation and keeping reforestation programs at a level to help regrow our forests,” said John Betts, executive director, Western Forestry Contractors’ Association. 
Forests may be more resilient to climate change than previously thought. A team of international researchers have found that increased inputs from plant roots can keep carbon levels in soil stable even as temperatures and nitrogen deposits in the atmosphere rise. The collaborative research project, 
Like climate change itself, conspiracy theories and misinformation are growing crises. And where they intersect with the environment, the problem seems to spread like wildfire. …Year after year, poll after poll has consistently shown a majority of Canadians believe in human-caused climate change. But across the country, Conservative politicians are fomenting weariness and skepticism about climate science to appeal to their bases and undermine their opponents — and it appears to be working. …What’s more, the same poll found the number of Canadians who believed humans were responsible for climate change declined by nine percentage points from the previous year. There is a clear political split on views regarding climate change, with Conservative voters less likely to believe in climate change than NDP or Liberal voters. …How can we extinguish the misinformation that’s torching an increasingly large share of reality?
An American company that controls some large patches of forest northwest of Thunder Bay is considering the potential sale of its timberlands for use as a carbon offset initiative… Wagner Forest Management – based in New Hampshire – owns 195,000 hectares of forest in eight former Abitibi-Consolidated freehold blocks located roughly between the Dog Lake area, Graham and Sioux Lookout. It purchased the blocks from Abitibi in 2005 in a bidding process in which the Ontario government also participated. Last July the company extended an invitation to investors interested in the potential development of its holdings as “one of the largest nature-based carbon removal projects in the Voluntary Carbon Market.”.. Wagner’s forest management practices are currently certified through the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
The BC Forest Safety Council celebrated Leadership in Forestry Safety with the 2024 Leadership in Safety Awards at the Vancouver Island Safety Conference on Saturday, October 26th. The 2024 Leadership in Safety Awards were presented by BCFSC’s CEO, Rob Moonen. These awards honour the exceptional contributions to safety in the forestry industry and recognize individuals, crews, and companies that have made significant strides in workplace safety, reinforcing the goal of ensuring every worker returns home safely. This year, three outstanding individuals were celebrated: Bill Bolton, former Falling Manager and senior advisor for the BCFSC received the 2024 Cary White Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for his unwavering advocacy for faller safety. …Toby Jeffreys, Area Supervisor at Interfor’s Adams Lake Division, was awarded the Forest Safety MVP Award. And Chris Fowler, Safety Coordinator at Canoe Forest Products (CFP), a division of the Gorman Group, received the MVP Award for Wood Products Manufacturing.
