Region Archives: Canada

Special Feature

Phase Congestion Prevention

BC Forest Safety Council
May 26, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada West

Back in 2013, the Coast Harvesting Advisory Group (CHAG) identified phase congestion as a priority at the request of coastal contractors who had become concerned about practices that could negatively impact worker safety when logging phases were not properly managed and became too close together or “stacked” for a variety of reasons including production pressures, poor planning, permit or other unexpected delays. Here again in 2025, phase congestion has become a heightened concern as forestry operations are scrambling to produce in the face of uncertainty which could lead to dangerous situations for workers. History has proven that during uncertain times, productivity becomes the main driver, not for all contractors, but for some, and safety can be put on the backburner which puts everyone at risk, even those who put safety first.

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Top Recommendations from BC Forest Safety Council Safety Advisors

By David Adshead, BCFSC Falling Safety Advisor
BC Forest Safety Council
May 26, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada West

BC Forest Safety Council Safety Advisors help forestry employers and employees achieve their safety goals. By visiting worksites, they provide invaluable insights and practical guidance for implementing effective safety procedures and maintaining safe work practices to ensure workplaces meeting SAFE Certification audit requirements but also fostering a culture of safety by minimizing risks and enhancing the well-being of everyone on site. This article provides some of the top recommendations from recent site visits to help keep your workplace safe and efficient.

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Announcing Forest Safety Awareness Week

By Rob Moonen, CEO
BC Forest Safety Council
May 23, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, Canada West

Based on last year’s success, the BC Forest Safety Council (BCFSC) is once again partnering with Tree Frog Forestry News to host Forest Safety Awareness Week, May 26 – 30. Each day will feature a series of articles highlighting safety in forestry with a focus on the importance of forest safety practices across the province and across Canada brought to you by Tree Frog News, BCFSC, and Tree Frog News sponsors.

These articles will provide practical information, news, and trends relevant to forest worker safety. Please join us in sharing this important material with your colleagues and within your communities and help us reach our collective goal of ensuring every forestry worker goes home safe, every day.

Thanks to the collective efforts of the forest sector, we have proven that when we work together, we can reach new milestones in improved safety culture and performance.

On behalf of BCFSC, we would like to thank you for your individual and collective efforts to ensure that every worker goes home safe, everyday.

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Business & Politics

US Lumber Coalition and American Loggers Council Disappointed by CNBC Inaccurate Reporting on US Softwood Lumber Cost, Import Duties and Housing Affordability

The US Lumber Coalition
May 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

“The coverage by CNBC entitled ‘Why The U.S. Might Increase Duties On Canadian Lumber Again‘ is disappointingly one-sided reporting from a business news network. The claims made in the piece asserting that lumber price volatility and import duties on lumber are pricing consumers out of the market are false,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair of the US Lumber Coalition. The reporting included views of Canadian analysts and US homebuilding representatives but, crucially, did not include input from US lumber producers nor US loggers. “Lumber accounts for a very small share of the sales price of a newly constructed home, typically 1%-2%.” …”Commodities other than lumber have seen much larger price increases, including building materials such as iron & steel & concrete,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director. …”We support President Trump’s plan to further increase the supply of Made in the U.S.A. softwood lumber to build U.S. homes,” concluded Miller.

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US Home Builders Cite Impact of Tariff Uncertainty on Home Building

National Association of Home Builders
May 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Tariff uncertainty from the Trump administration continues to impact home builders across the country, as builders prepare for potential price hikes and supply chain issues. …Lumber remains a primary concern, with countervailing and antidumping duties expected to more than double this fall. Steve Martinez, president of Tradewinds General Contracting in Boise, Idaho, recently spoke with CNBC to emphasize just how much lumber goes into the construction of a new home. “This entire house is built out of wood,” Martinez said. “I mean, we really do have wood on the floor, wood on the walls, wood on the ceiling. Can’t really get away from building a house like this without using a large number of wood products in the home.” As a result, price increases to lumber can cause a huge disruption for home builders. And lack of certainty adds complexity to the home-building process.

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Paul Mackie named Cedar Champion by the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association

By Brad Kirkbride, Managing Director
The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association
May 19, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Paul Mackie

This year, I get to present the Cedar Champion Award to Paul Mackie of the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association. Paul is working for our co-operative marketing organization with a laser focus on ensuring Cedar makes it into projects and markets that will not only work for the members today, but will build the reputation of the association and the species. This triumvirate of Cedar Champions are very different people with very different career paths, but all three share the same trait – they are mission driven individuals who believed that cedar needed to be handled a certain way and never let the easy solutions supplant the right one. …Paul has lived and breathed cedar for nearly 30 years. Every day he seeks to convert someone new into a cedar champion. Paul has shown what a field rep can do when they are mission driven. The board and executive will look to add additional field reps in the near future and that is in no small part because we have watched Paul punch above his weight class for 3 decades. All of us in the association have benefited from Paul’s passion and integrity.

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Weyerhaeuser to Sell Princeton, BC Lumber Mill to Gorman Group

By Weyerhaeuser Company
Cision Newswire
May 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Weyerhaeuser announced it has reached an agreement to sell its lumber mill in Princeton, BC, to the Gorman Group, owners of Gorman Bros. Lumber. The purchase price is approximately Cnd$120 million, which includes Weyerhaeuser’s manufacturing facility and all associated timber license assets in BC. …Weyerhaeuser and Gorman Group have a long-standing relationship in CanadaGorman Bros. Lumber is currently the Princeton mill’s largest customer, and Gorman Group has operated in Canada for more than 75 years, with offices and facilities in B.C. and Washington state. Devin W. Stockfish, CEO for Weyerhaeuser, said “Gorman has been a great customer and strategic partner, and we believe this will be a seamless transition.” …”Weyerhaeuser’s Princeton operation will be a natural fit with the Gorman Group,” says Nick Arkle, CEO of the Gorman Group. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review, with the sale of the mill expected to be completed in third-quarter 2025, and the forest tenures to follow over the ensuing months. 

In related coverage: 

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Carney won the election battle, but the trade war is far from over

By Derek Burney, former Ambassador to the USA
The National Post
May 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Derek Burney

The election result was a personal triumph for Prime Minister Mark Carney with generous assistance from Donald Trump. Instead of being a verdict on the dismal Liberal decade of slow growth, low productivity and investment, and declining competitiveness, it quickly became a referendum on who would be the best leader to withstand the tariff attacks and disrespectful challenges against Canada’s independence by America’s mercurial president. …The best answer would be concrete plans to stimulate economic growth and improve productivity, competitiveness and investment. …There should be no rush to negotiate with the U.S. until we clarify what its objectives are regarding Canada. The trust factor remains an open question. …US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum should be sought out as rational members of the U.S. cabinet to dialogue with, as opposed to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

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At the Turning Point: A Conversation with Linda Coady

By Dallas Smith
Rez Dog Walkers Podcast
May 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Join us in the studio as we continue our exploration of British Columbia’s forestry industry with Linda Coady, former CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries. Coady has held several influential roles, including Chief Sustainability Officer at Enbridge Inc., Vice-President of Sustainability for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, and Vice-President for the Pacific Region at WWF-Canada. In this episode, we delve into the impacts of the War in the Woods and the evolution of conservation and reconciliation in coastal B.C. and across Canada. Drawing on her extensive experience in the forestry sector, Coady offers insights into the complex history that laid the groundwork for joint solutions between industry, the provincial government, and Indigenous communities. We explore lessons learned from past conservation and reconciliation efforts, and how these lessons can guide us through today’s political and economic uncertainties.

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West Fraser Releases 2024 Sustainability Report

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
May 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER, BC – West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. released its 2024 Sustainability Report, Building Together: People and Partnerships. The report highlights the Company’s sustainability performance across a variety of environmental, social, and governance goals and disclosed targets. “Since our founding 70 years ago, West Fraser has recognized our responsibility to the environment and society while delivering solid financial performance,” said Sean McLaren, President and CEO, West Fraser.  “This report provides some detail about our activities in 2024 and measures the progress we have made toward achieving our goals.” 2024 key achievements highlighted in the report include: Broadening Safety Training and Data Insights; Advancing Our Carbon Reduction Strategy; Driving Sustainable Forest Management & Wood Procurement Traceability; Partnering with Indigenous Nations; and Investing in Communities.

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Lyackson First Nation, Cowichan Tribes, B.C. complete land transfer

By Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
The Government of British Columbia
May 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Culturally significant land in the Cowichan Valley has been returned to Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes communities, a reconciliation landmark between the Nations and B.C. The lands that are now in possession of the Nations are near an existing Cowichan Tribes Indian Reserve known as Skutz Falls IR8 and adds to an area that has historically been used by the Nations for gathering, harvesting and other activities of cultural importance for their communities. “The acquisition of this parcel of land could not have been made possible without the commitment of British Columbia, our kinship ties with Cowichan Tribes and willing seller Mosaic,” said Hereditary Chief Laxele’wuts’aat Chief Shana Thomas of Lyackson First Nation. 

Additional coverage in Victoria Buzz by Curtis Blandy: BC returns land back to Lyackson First Nation and Cowichan Tribes on Vancouver Island

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New funding strengthens rural and Indigenous communities

By Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation
Government of British Columbia
May 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Local governments, First Nations and not-for-profit organizations throughout British Columbia are receiving funding to promote economic diversification, clean-economy opportunities and infrastructure development. “We’re partnering with rural community leaders to invest in the future of their local economies,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “By helping fund impactful projects throughout the province, we’re supporting people and helping their communities to flourish.” The Government of B.C is investing as much as $43 million from the third intake of the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) toward more than 130 projects that will strengthen local economies, create an estimated 2,200 jobs and make a positive impact for people and communities across rural areas of the province.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

The next hold on climb to Cube 2.0’s new centre achieved in grant fund disbursement

By Timothy Schafer
Castanet
May 22, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The vision for the city’s sustainable climbing centre has received a sizable boost. Cube 2.0: Sustainable Climbing Centre and mass timber social enterprise project was awarded nearly $400,000 ($399,804) for engineering and design activities for “The Cube 2.0,” led by the Kootenay Climbing Association. Through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program grant funding, the Cube 2.0 will be an innovative climbing centre that stimulates growth in the mass timber manufacturing sectors by utilizing mass timber and showcasing local timber processing industries. Construction is tentatively set for fall 2026 as a mass timber build, using local resources to cut down on the carbon footprint.

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Woodrise 2025 Announces Full Program Ahead of September Global Congress in Vancouver

By FPInnovations
Cision Newswire
May 22, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER – The world’s leading forum on sustainable wood construction is returning to Canada this fall. Woodrise 2025 will welcome industry and government leaders from more than 25 countries to Vancouver from September 22 to 25, 2025. The fifth edition of the biennial international Woodrise congress will explore how sustainable mid- and high-rise wood construction can help address the world’s most pressing challenges—from climate adaptation and wildfire resilience to housing affordability and sustainable community growth. This year’s theme, Building Smarter with Wood: Sustainable Solutions to Resilient Communities and Housing, reflects a shared urgency to build better, faster and more responsibly. Organized by FPInnovations, in collaboration with the Province of British Columbia, France’s Institut Technologique Forêt Cellulose Bois-construction Ameublement and Japan’s International Association for the Industry of Urban Development, Woodrise 2025 brings together leading architects, engineers, developers, researchers and policymakers.

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B.C.’s first fossil fuel-free, zero-carbon hospital set to open in 2027

Campbell River Mirror
May 21, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The new Cowichan District Hospital will be British Columbia’s first fossil fuel-free hospital, Island Health announced on Earth Day, April 22. The new hospital is under construction on Bell McKinnon Road near Duncan on Vancouver Island and is scheduled to open in 2027. It is also Canada’s first hospital to achieve Zero Carbon Building – Design certification from the Canada Green Building Council. “We’re building hospitals that will care for people in our communities for generations,” said Bowinn Ma, B.C.’s minister of Infrastructure. “This certification shows that through innovative design, we can create hospitals that support the well-being of families and a sustainable future.”.. The hospital’s leading-edge sustainability measures will free up resources for patient care while supporting patient and staff well-being and delivering environmental benefits.

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Province invests millions in new uses for forestry by-products

The Timmons Press
May 21, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

The adage that one person’s waste is another’s treasure was proved true on Wednesday, May 21, when the province announced millions in investments in forestry biomass. Forestry biomass refers to forestry by-products that are not used in traditional wood-processing industries like sawing, veneering and pulp and paper. Examples include: crowns, branches, bark, sawdust, wood shavings, and wood chips. It is used in everything from food additives to building materials. It also has many emerging uses, including renewable natural gas, bioplastics and hydrogen, considered to be responsible alternatives to carbon-intensive products. The government says their aim is to protect workers and jobs in the forestry sector… The program has invested up to $20 million each year in projects to increase wood harvest, create forest sector opportunity and find new uses for wood in collaboration with stakeholders, industry and Indigenous communities. Find the press release here.

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Forestry

EU releases controversial EUDR country risk benchmarking amid fierce environmental criticism

By Ian Westcott
New Food Magazine
May 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

The European Commission has released its much-anticipated country benchmarking under the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) roughly one month ahead of schedule, marking a key milestone in its enforcement. The benchmarking system classifies countries into “low risk,” “standard risk,” or “high risk” categories based on the likelihood that commodities sourced from these regions contribute to deforestation and forest degradation. However, the benchmarking has immediately drawn strong criticism from environmental groups. Mighty Earth branded the system a “farce” and accused the European Commission of prioritising political convenience over genuine environmental protection. …Mighty Earth points out that some of the world’s highest deforestation hotspots — including Brazil, Bolivia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo — have been omitted from the high-risk list. Meanwhile, countries with documented deforestation issues, such as Canada, Ghana, Papua New Guinea, and Romania, have been labelled low risk. [The United States appears in this list under the “low risk category”].

In related coverage:

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Nopiming fire leaves herd of endangered caribou at risk

By Maggie Wilcox
CBC News
May 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The southernmost herd of endangered woodland caribou in Manitoba might not be able to recover from wildfire-caused habitat and population losses, experts say. Fire burn patterns and maps suggest a fire that has ravaged more than 100,000 hectares in and west of Nopiming Provincial Park in eastern Manitoba has destroyed a substantial part of the habitat of the Owl-Flintstone caribou herd. Boreal woodland caribou are classified as threatened under the Manitoba Endangered Species Act. There are an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 in the province. Daniel Dupont, a professor at St. Boniface University, is worried that last week’s inferno will weaken the woodland caribou population in several ways.  “The caribou have just lost the habitat where their females give birth from mid-May to June,” Dupont said. …The Nopiming area is home to between 40 and 60 woodland caribou, he said.

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Future of Forestry Think Tank Brings New Innovative Solutions to Forestry

By Teryn Midzain
My Cariboo Now
May 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Representatives from across many sectors of the Forestry Industry gathered in Quesnel for the fourth Future of Forestry Think Tank (FFTT). The FFTT was held at Quesnel’s CNC campus on May 21, and 22. Erin Robinson, the Forest Initiatives Manager for the City of Quesnel, says this “grassroots-led, initiative first” conference initially started by gathering different orders of government together to discuss ways to solve issues across Forestry, and find new innovations. “We wanted to figure out what Quesnel can keep doing well, which is forestry,” says Robinson. “Have it start at the grassroots level and then roll changes up to the region, then up to the province.” Some projects that started as learning and brainstorming opportunities from the FFTT have started to become provincial initiatives, like the Forest Landscape Plan Process. Quesnel has one of four Landscape Pilot Projects in the province to reshape sustainable frameworks for forestry.

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Vancouver’s new urban forest strategy faces challenges, academic says

By Lauren Vanderdeen
CBC News
May 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Vancouver councillors have approved an updated plan for growing the city’s urban forest, but a forestry professor says there are challenges ahead. The city’s goal is to increase its canopy cover – how much of the city is covered by leaves and branches when seen from above – from about 25 per cent of the city to 30 per cent by 2050, according to the updated urban forest strategy. …Stephen Sheppard, a professor emeritus at the University of B.C.’s forestry faculty, said Vancouver’s 30 per cent canopy cover target is very achievable – but he noted there is cause for concern. In the wake of the B.C. government pushing hard for cities to increase housing density, Sheppard advised councillors to minimize the loss of existing urban trees when approving rezoning proposals. …Multiple councillors pointed out the stark divide in canopy cover between neighbourhoods.

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A collaborative approach to forest management

East Kootenay News Online Weekly
May 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kari Stuart-Smith

Kari Stuart-Smith, a wildlife ecologist and Manager of Biodiversity & Wildlife at Canfor, has dedicated over 30 years to advancing sustainable forest management in the East Kootenay. …One of her notable initiatives is the development of a new Old Growth Management Plan for Canfor’s Tree Farm License (TFL) 14 southwest of Golden. This project involved a collaborative group from Canfor, the Province of BC, First Nations, and Wildsight, with technical guidance from Forsite. Using LiDAR data to assess forest stand structure, the team identified high-quality old growth areas, leading to a plan with higher ecological values than previous models. …Stuart-Smith also played a key role in identifying and developing management strategies for High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs) in the East Kootenay, a requirement for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.

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Plant partnership: fungi help spruce trees fight off budworm attacks

By Bev Betkowski
University of Alberta – Folio
May 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Nadir Erbilgin

University of Alberta research is showing how trees and fungi team up to survive and stay healthy against insect attacks — an alliance that could lead to more resilient forests. Endophytes — tiny micro-organisms made up of bacteria and fungi living harmlessly in the tissues of white spruce — help the tree defend itself by producing toxic compounds that repel or kill eastern spruce budworm, the new study showed. The discovery provides a “clear, detailed explanation” of how the fungi help protect the tree against the defoliating insect, says forest entomologist Nadir Erbilgin, a professor in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences who supervised the study. …Knowing specific endophytes can boost tree defences or repel budworms also offers possibilities for selecting, breeding or inoculating trees with beneficial fungal partners, he notes.

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How BC Wildfire Service is fighting misinformation with compassion

By Matt Simmons
Bowen Island Undercurrent
May 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Rumours spread like wildfire — and rumours about wildfire are no exception. In Canada’s westernmost province, the BC Wildfire Service is taking to its social media channels to tackle misinformation with an unlikely tool: kindness. Take the term “human caused.” Wildfire agencies use it to describe all wildfires that aren’t started by lightning, but many people have incorrectly conflated that with arson and the idea has taken hold. …This year, you’ll see the government account responding to those comments with a playful, gentle tone and a wealth of facts. Jean Strong, a digital communications officer with the government agency, says her team is trying a new tack this year, after successfully experimenting with the approach during the 2024 wildfire season. …The end goal is to increase public understanding about both the basics and complexities of wildfire science and response, she says.

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When a tree falls in a B.C. forest does anyone hear?

By Gerry Warner
East Kootenay News Weekly e-KNOW
May 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Gerry Warner

It’s wildfire season again, a season I’ve always dreaded but now dread even more because thanks to climate change it starts so much earlier than when I was fighting fires in the past. …Incredibly enough, when dangerous wildfires break out today often the first thing our “trained” fire crews do is light a fire. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but it happens all the time. The fires lit are called backfires or controlled burns and they are set to remove “fuel” (trees and brush) between the backfires and the main fire burning out of control which causes it to go out when it hits the burnt over area and runs out of “fuel” to burn. Or so the theory goes. …It was good while it lasted, but in less than a decade, our old growth will be finished and there’ll be nothing left to burn but second growth which burns quickly and easily.

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BC First Nations Forestry Council awards Tsideldel’s Percy Guichon

The Williams Lake Tribune
May 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Percy Guichon

Tsideldel First Nation councillor Percy Guichon has been recognized for his dedication to forestry in the Cariboo Chilcotin region. The BC First Nations Forestry Council announced Guichon, also the CEO of Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation, received the Innovation Award, one of the BCFNFC’s Forestry Awards of Excellence. “This prestigious award recognizes Percy’s outstanding leadership in advancing Indigenous-led forest stewardship and creating a collaborative, culturally grounded land management model in British Columbia,” noted a Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation news release. “Many people from our Nations have carried the responsibility of caring for our lands and resources since time immemorial,” said Lennard Joe, Chief Executive Officer of the BC First Nations Forestry Council …Guichon said he is honoured to receive this award on behalf of the team at Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation Ltd., and the Nations that comprise this joint venture.

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Mosaic’s 2025 Wildfire Prevention Strategy Prioritizes Community Safety and Forest Health

Mosaic Forest Management
May 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

An early start to the fire season on private forest lands underscores the need for careful planning, investment in protection, and collaboration with communities. An early May fire that began on private lands managed by Mosaic serves as a reminder that wildfire season is here. An unattended campfire is believed to be the cause of the three-hectare wildfire that started near Campbell River. Fortunately, a collaborative effort between local fire departments, BC Wildfire Service, and Mosaic prevented the fire from spreading to nearby homes and businesses. The early season wildfire highlights the importance of being responsive and ready. In a recent Mosaic survey, wildfire risk from human activity was a leading concern for those recreating on private managed forest land. “As a responsible landowner and neighbour, Mosaic is committed to fortifying all lines of defence to help ensure the safety of our communities, landscapes, and resources,” said Steve Mjaaland, Mosaic’s Manager of Forest Protection.

Additional coverage in the Comox Valley Record by Brendan Jure: Mosaic Forest Management releases 2025 Wildfire Prevention Strategy

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Groups recruiting ranchers willing to help limber pine, with funding support available

By Waterton Biosphere Region
The Pincher Creek Echo
May 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Southern Alberta — This season, Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation of Canada and Waterton Biosphere Region are recruiting ranchers willing to help limber pine by testing the effectiveness of identified beneficial management practices for grazing in limber pine habitats. Funding support is available to address potential costs of implementing such practices. Endangered limber pines face threats from white pine blister rust (an introduced fungal disease), mountain pine beetle, changing fire regimes, climate change and human development. Populations are now declining much faster than they are regenerating. Conserving this slow-growing species requires ongoing planting efforts over the long term to ensure rust-resistant seedlings and trees are distributed across their range.

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B.C. mayors raise concerns over what could be very active wildfire season

By Sonia Aslam
CityNews Everywhere
May 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

With drought and tinder dry conditions hitting many parts of the province, a number of municipal mayors are raising concerns about yet another potentially record-breaking wildfire season in B.C. Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell, who has seen flames dance around his community for years, says current temperatures are well above normal. “We are in drought conditions up here. We are expecting an above normal, higher risk wildfire season for sure,” he said. …Mayor Barbara Roden has lived in Ashcroft for 28 years. She says, given the fire seasons in the last several years, fear now hangs over residents. …she says the increasingly extreme heat facing this province year after year is also becoming an equally serious concern. A sentiment understood and echoed by Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor. She moved back to her family home not that long ago after the village was leveled by a massive wildfire during the 2021 heat dome.

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British Columbia, it’s time for us to step up

By Ravi Parmar, MLA for Langford-Highlands and B.C.’s Minister of Forests
CFJC Today Kamloops
May 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

…Wildland firefighters put it all on the line during the wildfire season, but they can’t do it alone. The majority of wildfires right now are caused by human activity… Whether you live in Fort Nelson, Sicamous, Kelowna, Maple Ridge or Langford, we all have a role to play. One of the most impactful ways to build wildfire resilient communities is by participating in FireSmart activities like clearing the debris from your yard, trimming trees and shrubs, storing firewood away from buildings, and making sure your property is accessible to emergency crews. But don’t stop there. When you’re using fire on your property, make sure you’re doing it safely. Put out your campfire when you leave your site and follow all open fire prohibitions. These simple actions save lives. …Let’s protect what matters. Let’s honour the work of our wildland firefighters by doing our part. British Columbia, it’s time for us to step up. We’re in this together.

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No going back: The fight to save Saskatchewan’s forests

By Kayle Neis, Larissa Kurz
The Regina Leader-Post
May 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

It doesn’t look like much from the grid road. Just an approach with deep tire ruts chewed into the summer Saskatchewan mud, tall jack pine and spruce trees clustered at its opening like a gateway. But if you walk past that first line of trees and down the narrow working trail, it fans out into a pocket of open space. Scattered there are stumps, piles of dirt and roughage, logs that are too small or too large stacked to the side — the aftermath of a logging sweep, both bare and messy. That pocket opens further into a clearing, a few hundred acres in size, that was logged the spring before. Grass now pokes through the churned-up dirt; grasshoppers chirp in the still July heat. Across the clearing, even if you can’t see it through the trees that dot the far side, is the northern town of Big River, Sask. It’s just a few hundred metres away.

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West Fraser logging plan sparks debate over trails, wildlife, and water

By Iziah Louis Reyes
The Cochrane Eagle
May 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

When outdoor enthusiasts Jeff Woodgate, Shaun Peter and Joey Reinhardt learned of West Fraser Timber Cochrane’s plans to harvest parts of their beloved forests near Moose Mountain and West Bragg Creek, they didn’t sit back. Fueled by a deep connection to the land and a sense of urgency, the trio founded Guardians of Recreational Outdoor Wilderness (GROW) and launched a petition to cancel the logging plans. Their message struck a chord. Today, more than 20,000 people have signed in support of preserving these cherished landscapes… After listening to public concerns, West Fraser reduced the scope of its plan by 37 per cent, now targeting 556 hectares — 268 in West Bragg Creek and 288 in Moose Mountain. According to West Fraser, the revised plan will now affect only five of 26 trails, with just 2.1 km directly impacted. Another 18.3 km of trail — about 17 per cent of the network — falls within 50 metres of harvest areas.

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Lheidli T’enneh, BC Parks break ground on Ancient Forest enhancement project

By Brendan Pawliw
MY PG NOW
May 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Improvements are coming to the Ancient Forest, one hour east of Prince George. The Enhancement Project is funded through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – Community, Culture, and Recreation Program, with a total project cost of approximately $8.7 million. The Ancient Forest Provincial Park, known as Chun T’oh Whudujut in the Dakelh language, is one of the world’s few inland temperate rainforests, and was saved from logging in 2005… The project was originally funded in late 2019, and was expected to be finished by March of this year. However, it faced significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which disrupted planning and operations. This was followed by the tragic loss of both the Project Coordinator and Project Manager due to cancer, resulting in a loss of leadership and continuity.

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Wildsight commends BC Timber Sales promise to protect caribou habitat

By Wildsight
The Castlegar Source
May 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Wildsight is applauding BC Timber Sales for its commitment to pause new development in forests that are critical to the ongoing survival of endangered deep-snow caribou in the Revelstoke-Shuswap region. The decision, which was communicated to Wildsight via email, will help safeguard the future of the Columbia North caribou herd, one of the last remaining southernmost herds in British Columbia. “BC Timber Sales controls important caribou habitat within their tenures in the Revelstoke-Shuswap region,” said Wildsight Conservation Specialist Eddie Petryshen. “This is a significant move and it sets a precedent for other licensees to stop logging core habitat in this region.” Logging poses one of the biggest threats to the future of the Columbia North herd, which has only a third of its core habitat protected despite the draft federal recovery strategy determining that 100% should be protected.

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Alberta’s caribou conundrum

By Mark Bradley
Jasper Local
May 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Is the Alberta government hell-bent on eliminating what remains of the two caribou herds that live in the mountains just north of Jasper National Park? Looking at the province’s recently released draft management plan for the Upper Smoky area, one might think that is the case. Let’s set this up: the motivation behind the sub-regional plan in the first place was to convince the federal government that the province was doing a good job of caribou conservation. Spoiler alert: they haven’t! Meanwhile, I can’t help but think of the irony that… the company which stands to benefit the most is a US-based forestry corporation, Weyerhaeuser. …For decades now, provincial governments have been promising to conserve and rehabilitate caribou habitat. And for decades, those governments have not made good on those promises. As discussed in previous Jasper Local articles, for caribou to have a chance, they need some space.

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“Fire is not inherently bad” says Fire Archeologist

By Lauren Ella Burke
CBC News
May 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Joanne Miles

Chief Joanne Miles of the Flat Bay Band says people in her community have practiced low-intensity controlled burning for as long as she can remember. When done correctly, she says this can prevent devastating wildfires. The knowledge of how this is done has been passed down through generations. …Several factors are considered before starting a low-intensity controlled burn, Miles said. Elders in her area have learned the seasonal patterns, the moisture levels of the ground and plants, and how to recognize wind changes. Miles said this practice is the reason the Flat Bay area has hardly seen any major forest fires. …Some tribal nations have retained knowledge of the burning connection they had with the Earth, Renick said. The knowledge of others was decimated through colonization, she said.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

BC leading Canada on methane reduction, says analysis

By Stefan Labbe
Business in Vancouver
May 22, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC’s goal to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector is two years ahead of schedule, a new analysis has found. Released by the Pembina Institute Thursday, the report found the province was the only one in Canada to meet its 2025 oil and gas methane emissions reduction target. Between 2014 and 2023, natural gas production in B.C. grew 67%. But over that same period, methane emissions associated with the industry fell 51% — surpassing the 45% reduction goal the province set for itself for 2025. The progress is a positive sign for the industry at a time the carbon intensity of imports is becoming increasingly important to trading partners like the European Union, United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan, said Amanda Bryant, with the Pembina Institute. …“BC has shown that you can succeed in regulating methane gas emissions in a way that benefits instead of harms industry.”

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Province investing more than $11M in forestry projects

Sudbury.com
May 23, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

The province is doling out more than $11 million to support projects that innovate and modernize forestry operations in northeastern Ontario. On May 21, the province announced $11.3 million for five projects through its Forest Biomass Program, which it says will create jobs, increase productivity, and identify new revenue streams. Hornepayne Power Inc. will receive the largest chunk, $7.5 million, which will be used to upgrade power generation equipment at its plant and support research into on-site green hydrogen production. GreenFirst Forest Products Inc., is receiving nearly $3 million to upgrade its biomass cogeneration plant, and an additional $130,000, which will be used to research the use of mill byproducts for torrefied pellets. Circular Carbon Canada Inc. is receiving $500,000 to study northeast sawmills as potential sites for pyrolysis plants, which use forest biomass to produce biochar, which is a substance used in power generation, soil amendment and water filtration.

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Inauguration of Carbonity, Canada’s first industrial-scale Biochar Plant: A Concrete Solution to Regenerate Soils and Sequester Carbon

By Carbonity
Cision Newswire
May 22, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

PORT-CARTIER, QC – Airex Energy, an innovative leader in the development of world-class decarbonization solutions, Groupe Rémabec, a cornerstone of Quebec’s forest industry committed to responsible transformation and decarbonization, and SUEZ, a global leader in circular solutions for water and waste, are inaugurating Carbonity today—the first industrial-scale biochar plant in Canada, located in Port-Cartier. Born from a partnership between the three companies, the plant begins with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tonnes of biochar, which is expected to triple by 2026, making it the largest facility of its kind in North America—and one of the most important globally. Biochar is recognized by the IPCC as one of the most effective technologies to combat climate change due to its long-term carbon sequestration capacity. In addition, its many benefits enhance agricultural resilience, drive sustainable innovation in construction and urban development, and support the decarbonization of heavy industries.

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Health & Safety

Psychological health and safety — Joint committee requirements

WorkSafeBC
May 21, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada West

In this edition of the WorkSafeBC Health and Safety News you’ll find:

  • Learn how promoting psychological health and safety can help you experience stronger employee engagement, greater productivity, and decreased conflict and turnover.
  • Making a WorkSafeBC Claim – If you’re injured on the job, this resource explains what you need to do to file a claim. 
  • Online services – Whether you’re an employer, a worker, or a health care or service provider, you can use our online services to access your account information.
  • Prevent falls from heights – With outdoor construction ramping up, we’re reminding employers that falls from heights continue to be a leading cause of workplace injuries and fatalities. 
  • Safety information session for drivers of commercial vehicles — June 11 – Burnaby RCMP, in partnership with WorkSafeBC, is hosting a safety information session in Delta on June 11. 

 

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Forest Fires

BC Wildfire Service working on new wildfire started near Arrastra Creek west of Princeton

By Casey Richardson
Castanet
May 24, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

BC Wildfire Service are handling a new wildfire discovered on Saturday afternoon west of Princeton. Fire Information Officer Shae Stearns said they have one initial attack crew and a response officer on site, along with one helicopter assisting with water tanking. The fire is near Arrastra Creek and behind Black Mine Road. The fire is estimated at just over one hectare in size and is classified at out of control. The fire is believed to be human-caused, but further details on how the fire started are not known. …As of Friday, May 16, category 3 open fires were ordered prohibited across the Kamloops Fire Centre.

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