Region Archives: Canada

Breaking News

US doubles countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber, bringing total duties to more than 35%

By Andrew Kurjata
CBC News
August 8, 2025
Category: Breaking News
Region: Canada, United States

The United States has increased countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber [from 6.74% to 14.63%], bringing the total duties on lumber to 35.19%. The decision was announced on Friday by the US Department of Commerce. Although the escalating fees were anticipated, they still drew swift condemnation and words of alarm from industry and political leaders in BC and Ontario, who say it is yet the latest example of unfair treatment of the industry from their largest and most important international partner. “Two words describe Donald Trump’s latest move to increase countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber: absurd and reckless,” B.C.’s Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said. “Adding these additional softwood duties … will only worsen an affordability crisis on both sides of the border.”

In response to the increase in countervailing duties:

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Business & Politics

Liberals release first details for new Build Canada Homes entity

By Marco Vigliotti, Editor-in-Chief
iPolitics
August 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The Liberal government has released a proposal for its new housing entity, laying out suggested loan offerings and other details ahead of the planned fall launch. …The Liberals said the new entity would develop and manage affordable housing projects and partner with builders for the construction phase, providing $10 billion in low-cost financing and capital to affordable home builders. …The BCH would also provide $25 billion in debt financing and $1 billion in equity financing to prefabricated home builders, with the Liberals saying the housing type can reduce construction times by up to 50 per cent and lower costs by up to 20 per cent. The entity would issue bulk orders of units from manufacturers to create sustained demand.

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U.S. Commerce Department Takes Enforcement Steps Against Harmful Canadian Subsidies While Canada Escalates Unfair Trade Practices

The US Lumber Coalition
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US Department of Commerce announced the final anti-subsidy rate of 14.63% in the sixth annual review of unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the US. The review covers lumber imported in calendar year 2023. Meanwhile, over the last 72 hours, Canada has once again demonstrated its willingness to flout US trade laws by announcing a massive $1.2 billion subsidy package to its softwood lumber industry. …“Canada’s arrogant and abusive unfair trade behavior knows no bounds,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen. …“Canada has been escalating its dumping practices significantly every year since 2021 in an attempt to maintain its market share in the United States at the expense of U.S. lumber producers, U.S. workers, and U.S. communities,” stated Andrew Miller. …Addressing the findings by the US Department of Commerce, Miller stated that “the combined duty rate of 35.19% confirms in no uncertain terms just how bad an actor the Canadian lumber industry is when it comes to unfair trade.”

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Kinew accuses group of Republicans of pitching ‘timber tantrum’ over wildfire smoke

By Kelly Malone
The Canadian Press in Global News
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Wab Kinew

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused a group of Republicans of throwing a “timber tantrum” and playing “political games” after they called out Canada over wildfires sending smoke billowing across the international border into their states. “These are attention-seekers who can’t come up with a good idea on health care or on making life more affordable,” Kinew said. “So they’re playing games with something that’s very serious.” Kinew said he doesn’t “generalize these attention-seekers’ misguided words to all Americans.” He noted that American firefighters have been helping to fight Canada’s wildfires and Canadian firefighters were on the ground and in the air during California’s devastating wildfire season. …In a Wednesday news release, Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan joined other Republican state lawmakers in filing a formal complaint against Canada.

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Developer concerned $1.2B lumber support plan ‘could be read as another subsidy’

By Joshua Santos
BNN Bloomberg
August 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Amar Doman

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to offer over a billion dollars for Canada’s softwood lumber industry has a developer concerned funds will be perceived as subsidies causing uncertainty for exporters relying on business with the United States. “I think the Prime Minister is doing what he can and trying to put his arms around the industry the best he can. The problem with what he’s doing is that it could be read as another subsidy, and that’s what this whole thing is about,” Amar Doman, founder and CEO of Doman Building Materials, told BNN Bloomberg. “It’s about our stumpage system and about how we unfairly dump lumber into the states. We’ve got to be a little careful if we’re throwing more, call it money, to the sawmill industry. …we might get back into hot water and get viewed as more subsidies, and that’s not what we need.”

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Northwest mayors cheer Ottawa aid package to backstop forest industry

Northern Ontario Business
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

A $1.2-billion lifeline from Ottawa that’s being thrown to the forest industry is welcome news to northwestern Ontario mayors and the Canadian Wood Council. …The 37-member Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) called it a “significant and timely commitment to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the forest sector” and comes at a crucial time when local jobs, economic growth and municipal stability is on the line. …“These measures recognize the vital role of forestry in Northwestern Ontario and across Canada,” said Marathon Mayor and NOMA president Rick Dubas in a statement, “helping our sector adapt to ongoing trade challenges, protect local jobs, and create opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.”

In related coverage:

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Tariff Rate Quotas: A New Strategy for Canada-US Trade Talks

Canadian Politics and Public Policy
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Fen Osler Hampson

In the aftermath of the decision by the US to ratchet up tariffs to 35% on all non-CUSMA-compliant Canadian exports, Canada finds itself at a crossroads. …Automobiles and softwood lumber are also in his crosshairs. Unless there is a breakthrough in talks soon, or relief through successful court challenges… further trouble may arise unless we adjust our strategy. The time has come for Canadian negotiators to consider redirecting talks away from tariffs to tariff rate quota-based (TRQ) trade. …By their nature, tariffs are blunt instruments. When the US slaps a 35% duty at the border, Canadian producers do not recoup any benefit; rather, it is the US Treasury that lines its pockets. Quotas, on the other hand, set a ceiling for managed trade. …BC Premier David Eby has called for TRQs instead of tariffs on BC lumber exports to the US. The same principle should be applied to Canadian exports in steel, aluminum, and autos.

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BC forest industry calls new softwood lumber duties ‘crippling’

By Matthew Hillier
Prince George Citizen
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Friday, Aug. 8 that, as part of its sixth administrative review of the countervailing duty order on softwood lumber from Canada, it will raise its countervailing duties from 6.74 per cent to 14.63 per cent for non-selected companies — an increase aligned with a previous administrative review. …The Department of Commerce is reportedly unhappy with the current subsidies, with rates ranging from 12.12 per cent to 16.82 per cent. …However, both the BC Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC) and the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) are condemning the increases. …The BCLTC emphasized that the increases will only serve to economically harm both countries. …COFI stated in a press release that it is calling on the provincial government to immediately improve the business environment for forestry in BC, as the industry faces issues including rising costs, declining harvest levels, regulatory delays, and policy uncertainty.

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Canada’s support for the softwood lumber industry is a step in the right direction

By Barb Aguiar
The Kelowna Daily Courier
August 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

For one local lumber mill, the federal government’s announcement of support for the Canadian softwood lumber industry is a step in the right direction. Nick Arkle, CEO at Gorman Brothers Lumber, said in his 50 years of working in the forestry industry, he hasn’t sensed a government that has been this supportive at a federal level. “Both federally and provincially, I’m seeing some major shifts,” Arkle said after Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the Gorman Brothers Lumber mill in West Kelowna to announce the federal government’s strategy to bolster Canada’s softwood lumber industry. …Arkle said Canada also has to figure out how to get along with its neighbours. Gorman Brothers has strong relationships with many customers in the U.S., said Arkle, and those customers can’t figure out why they’ve got this trade action going on because they want Gorman Brothers’ lumber.

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BC veneer manufacturer accuses government of hypocrisy over promoted product

By Simon Little & Richard Zussman
Global News
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A BC manufacturer that says it’s facing closure is accusing the provincial government of hypocrisy after the premier recently touted a product it had a hand in. BC Veneer Products provided the wood fibre that UBC designers used to fabricate a soccer ball out of innovative “wood leather,” something which Premier Eby promoted while on a June trade mission to Japan. …The problem, Gunia explained, is the company hasn’t been able to secure more logs to keep his plant and its 17 employees working. The forestry company he works with on Vancouver Island has already reached its maximum allowable cut for the year. The operator has another block it can harvest in January, but Gunia says that will be too late. …Gunia said his company’s troubles are particularly galling, given the emphasis the premier and the province have put on promoting value-added wood products.

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Kalesnikoff recognized for role in federal housing strategy

By Storrm Lennie
My Kootenay Now
August 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kalesnikoff Mass Timber has been recognized by the federal government for its role in advancing Canada’s housing goals. In June, Kalesnikoff opened North America’s first mass timber pre-fabrication and modular facility, expanding its product for use in multi-storey affordable and market housing, schools, workforce housing, and more. The facility aligns closely with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Build Canada Homes Program, which he discussed during a stop in Kelowna on Aug. 5. Carney plans to launch the program this fall, offering federal financing to homebuilders who use Canadian materials, as the government aims to develop around 500,000 homes per year. He praised Kalesnikoff as a catalyst for this effort, while announcing several other initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply and market diversification – including a $25-billion commitment for private builders who prioritize Canadian materials in housing and infrastructure projects.

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Lumber producers praise federal plan to diversify markets amid trade war with U.S.

By Jeffrey Jones
The Globe and Mail
August 8, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Eric Johnson

Russ Taylor

Bruce St. John

Canada’s softwood lumber industry is welcoming a $1.2-billion federal support package that promotes diversifying the country’s trading partners as the trade war with the U.S. drags on, but officials caution that exporters cannot completely extricate themselves from their closest and largest market. …Resolving the long-running trade dispute with the U.S. remains a top priority, but the new measures will make sure mills keep operating and employees keep working, said Eric Johnson, the vice-president of federal government relations with the Forest Products Association of Canada. …However, Vancouver-based forestry analyst Russ Taylor said global market diversification is a long-term objective for an industry that is under pressure today. …Mr. Carney referenced Canada Wood Group for its success over the past two decades promoting wood-based construction in Asia, which lags North America in terms of that building method. …Bruce St. John, Canada Wood’s president, said he is optimistic after the Prime Minister’s comments. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required for full access]

Related content in the Campbell River Mirror by Robin Grant: Campbell River mayor calls for urgent action to support struggling B.C. forestry industry

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Fire out at Kalesnikoff Lumber

By Greg Nesteroff
My Kootenay Now
August 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

CASTLEGAR, BC — No one was injured in a fire at Kalesnikoff Lumber this afternoon, but damage is described as “significant.” Tarrys Fire Chief Greg Patterson said five fire departments responded to the call at about 1 p.m. and spent three hours on the scene. The sawmill’s own fire brigade did their own initial attack, which was “a great benefit.” The cause was a fan bearing that overheated in a mechanical room at the southeast corner of the mill, Patterson said. Radiant heat spread the fire into walls. …“There’s definitely some significant damage to the mill, but things that can be repaired and replaced, and the structure itself is still sound.” …Castlegar provided aerial apparatus to give firefighters the height they needed to attack the fire. Patterson said Kalesnikoff is assessing the damage, but he didn’t think that it would prevent the mill from continuing to operate.

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Finance & Economics

Homebuilding costs, housing affordability in the spotlight as US raises lumber tariffs

Canadian Mortgage Professional
August 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

The US Department of Commerce finalized a decision to more than double duties on Canadian softwood lumber. …Ontario ministers Kevin Holland, Mike Harris, and Vic Fedeli… warned “this decision ignores the real burdens duties impose on both sides of the border: reducing productivity, disrupting industry, driving up building costs and making housing less affordable for American families.” …According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, tariffs on foreign construction materials have already added up to US$6,000 to the cost of building a single-family home in the United States since 2018. If current measures remain, the cost could rise by another US$14,000 by 2027. …“NAHB has been leading the fight against lumber tariffs because of their detrimental effect on housing affordability. In effect, the lumber tariffs act as a tax on American builders, home buyers and consumers,” the association stated.

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US Releases Final Countervailing Determination on Canadian Softwood Lumber

FEA – Forest Economic Advisors
August 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

On Friday, the US Department of Commerce released its final determinations for the sixth administrative review (AR6) of countervailing duties on certain softwood lumber products from Canada. This follows the publication of the AR6 antidumping duties on July 29. The period of review is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. The final rates—slightly higher than the preliminary rates published earlier this year—are summarized in the table:

These rates will take effect once they are published in the Federal Register, expected within approximately one week. At that point, total deposits on Canadian lumber shipments to the US will increase from the current 27.30% to 35.19%. FEA will publish the final notice when it becomes available. From last year’s fifth administrative review (AR5) to AR6, combined duties will have increased from 14.40% to 35.19%.

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Interfor reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $11.1 million

Interfor Corporation
August 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

BURNABY, BC — Interfor recorded net earnings in Q2’25 of $11.1 million compared to a net loss of $35.1 million in Q1’25 and a net loss of $75.8 million Q2’24. Adjusted EBITDA was $17.2 million on sales of $780.5 million in Q2’25 versus Adjusted EBITDA of $48.6 million on sales of $735.5 million in Q1’25 and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $16.7 million on sales of $771.2 million in Q2’24. …North American lumber markets over the near term are expected to remain volatile as the economy continues to adjust to changing monetary policies, tariffs, labour shortages and geo-political uncertainty. …Overall, the Company is well positioned to navigate this volatility with a diversified product mix in Canada and the US, with approximately 60% of its total lumber produced and sold within the US Ultimately, only about 25% of the Company’s total lumber production is exported from Canada to the U.S. and exposed to duties and any potential tariff.

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Western Forest Products reports Q2, 2025 net loss of $17.4 million

Western Forest Products Inc.
August 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC – Western Forest Products reported its second quarter 2025 financial results. Highlights include: Revenue of $289.1 million (versus $309.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, and $262.5 million in the first quarter of 2025); Adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2025 (versus $9.4 million in the second quarter of 2024, and $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2025; Net loss was $17.4 million in the second quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $5.7 million in the second quarter of 2024, and net income of $13.8 million in the first quarter of 2025. …Markets in North America are expected to be volatile through the third quarter of 2025 as softwood lumber duties have increased significantly. Persistently high interest rates, low consumer confidence and general economic uncertainty are leading to a slower pace in repairs and renovations, and housing activity. Expectations are for this trend to continue throughout the third quarter of 2025.

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Taiga Building Products reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $15.1 million

Taiga Building Products Ltd.
Cision Newswire
August 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

BURNABY, BC — Taiga Building Products reported its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025. The Company’s sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 were $441.0 million compared to $427.8 million over the same period last year. The increase in sales by $13.1 million or 3% was largely due to a higher average pricing as well as product mix over the quarter.  Net earnings for the quarter increased to $15.1 million from $13.9 million over the same period last year primarily due to increased gross margin dollars. …The Company’s consolidated net sales for the six months ended June 30, 2025 were $840.9 million compared to $821.5 million over the same period last year.  Net earnings for the six months decreased to $24.9 million from $26.7 million.

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Acadian Timber reports Q2, 2025 net income of $2.7 million

Acadian Timber Corp.
August 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Acadian Timber reported financial and operating results for the three months ended June 28, 2025. “During the second quarter, Acadian delivered mixed results,” said Adam Sheparski, CEO. …Acadian generated sales of $17.1 million, compared to $41.2 million in the prior year period. The second quarter of 2024 included $19.7 million in carbon credit sales, while no carbon credit sales occurred in the second quarter of 2025. Acadian generated $0.8 million of Free Cash Flow during the second quarter and declared dividends of $5.2 million or $0.29 per share to our shareholders. …While the second quarter of the year is traditionally our weakest due to seasonal operating conditions, operating activity in Maine was impacted by prolonged wet conditions which significantly delayed the commencement of deliveries in the spring.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Investigating structural interactions in one-story segmented CLT shear walls: The role of floors, parapets, and lintels

By University of BC and FPInnovations
Science Direct
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Many numerical and experimental investigations have explored the behavior of CLT shear walls under lateral loads; however, there remains a gap in understanding the effect of structural interactions between wall panels and other structural elements, such as floors, parapets, and lintels in case of segmented CLT shear walls subjected to lateral loads. This study investigates the influence of these interactions on the lateral response of single-story multi-panel segmented CLT shear walls. For this purpose, various detailed numerical models that include floors, lintels and parapets are employed. The nonlinear behavior of connections is calibrated against existing test data to validate the accuracy of the finite element models in reproducing the hysteretic behavior of previously tested segmented CLT shear walls. 

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George Brown College project helps drive Ontario’s mass timber construction strategy

By Robin MacLennan
Ontario Construction News
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — George Brown College’s (GBC) Limberlost Place has helped trigger major changes to Ontario’s building codes and is playing a key role in the province’s strategy to grow its mass timber construction sector, college officials say. The 10-storey academic building—Canada’s first institutional structure made from mass timber and designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions—has served as a catalyst for the Ontario government’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan, unveiled on June 26. The action plan outlines four goals: Promote awareness and use of advanced wood construction; Remove regulatory barriers in codes and standards; Stimulate innovation and investment in advanced manufacturing; and Showcase successful projects to build industry confidence. Limberlost Place embodies all four goals. …By demonstrating the viability and benefits of mass timber at scale, George Brown College has positioned itself—and Ontario—as a leader in sustainable construction and advanced wood manufacturing.

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Mayor’s mass timber motion receives unanimous support from Halifax council

By Glenn MacDonald
The Chronicle Herald
August 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

There may have been dissension surrounding the Morris Street bikeway, but the Halifax mayor and regional council found common ground with mass timber. Mayor Andy Fillmore tabled a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to direct the chief administrative officer to prepare a staff report that, with changes to land-use bylaws and amendments to a municipal planning strategy, would knock down barriers to mass timber construction to help expedite housing builds. That would include the potential to increase the height of built-form requirements from 10 to 12 storeys for mass timber construction. The motion passed unanimously. “The principal reason (for supporting the mayor’s motion) is that this unlocks some newfound potential in local supply,” Coun. Jean St-Amand (Bedford-Wentworth) said. “I think that’s something that can have a very positive impact to the acceleration of our ability and our capacity to build.

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Forestry

Time to move forward on national agency to fight forest fires, chiefs say

By Émilie Bergeron
The Canadian Press in the Prince George Citizen
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says it’s time for Ottawa to stop studying the idea of a national forest fire co-ordination agency and take action. The organization’s president wants the federal government to take inspiration from the U.S. Fire Administration to establish a similar office in Canada. The U.S. office is part of Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, but Ken McMullen says a Canadian version could be simpler and less costly. He said the proposed fire administration office, which could be staffed by one or two people, would ensure that personnel and equipment are appropriately dispersed across the country in the event of wildfires. It would also allow security and fire services to have a seat at the table when relevant policies are being discussed. …”We just have to get moving and make decisions,” said McMullen, who is also fire chief in Red Deer, Alta.

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Over 6.8B seedlings needed to restore just 15% of forests destroyed in 2025, 2024 & 2023 wildfires

Canadian Tree Nursery Association
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

New data revealing the escalating scale of Canada’s forest restoration challenge following three consecutive record-breaking wildfire seasons was unveiled at the Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) second Annual General Meeting. “The scale of destruction in 2023, 2024, and now 2025, is taking a tragic toll on Canadian communities and our forests” stated Rob Keen, Executive Director of the CTNA-ACPF. “We now require over 6.8 billion seedlings to restore just 15% of the forests lost to these catastrophic wildfires. This is not just an environmental crisis, the economic and social costs require immediate action from our Prime Minister, Premiers, and Forest Ministers.”

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Canada’s 2025 wildfire season now second-worst on record, fuelled by Prairies blazes

By Jordan Omstead
Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

TORONTO — Canada’s 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record. The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has made Canada’s fire season longer and more intense, scientists say. The last three fire seasons are all in the 10 worst on record. “We really need to do a lot more to manage our forest, to reduce the impact of climate change and better prepare the communities that are at risk,” said Anabela Bonada, managing director of climate science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo.

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As Miles of Forests Burn and Wildfires Spread, Canada Brings In the Military

By Ian Austen and Amy Graff
The New York Times
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

With wildfires forcing evacuations from Vancouver Island on the Pacific Coast to Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, Canadian officials were mustering additional resources on Thursday to help provinces cope with the blazes and the disruption. Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s emergency management minister, announced on social media Thursday morning that the armed forces and the Coast Guard would assist the island province of Newfoundland in fighting blazes. Three out-of-control fires forced the evacuation of 900 people in the province on Thursday. Some provinces have moved this week to limit activities like hiking that could spark additional blazes, with forecasts indicating it is unlikely that sufficient rain would fall in regions plagued by out-of-control fires. Canada’s national fire threat level has been at 5, the highest danger rating, since late May. About 7.1 million hectares, or 27,000 square miles, of forest have burned so far this season in the country. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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MLA’s Corner: Forestry concerns persist province-wide

By Lorne Doerkson, B.C. Conservative MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin
Williams Lake Tribune
August 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Lorne Doerkson

I have deep and serious concerns regarding the state of the forest industry in British Columbia… Recently, the mayor of Campbell River wrote an open letter to Premier David Eby regarding the distressing decline of the coastal forestry sector. …But it’s not only coastal forestry – it’s the whole sector. …The forest industry doesn’t just create direct employment – it supports a wide range of spin-off jobs and provides critical economic benefits. …But in the past three years, we have seen the lowest sector revenue since the 2008-2010 Depression. It was only back in 2020 that our forestry revenue was $1.2 billion, but the 2025-26 budget projects $639 million. Harvest approvals that once took six months now take two years or more. …At a time when the cost of delivering healthcare, education, and public safety continues to rise, this shortfall places an unsustainable burden on British Columbians.

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Canoe Forest Products planning salvage harvest of Douglas fir killed by beetles

By Luc Rempel
Castanet
August 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Canoe Forest Products in Salmon Arm wants to salvage beetle-kill Douglas fir from the East Canoe Creek Community Watershed. “Those red crowns are dead Douglas fir trees, the result of Douglas fir beetle infestations,” Canoe’s Ray Mills said. …He told council Canoe previously undertook a similar salvage operation to harvest beetle-killed Douglas fir in 2020. …Mills said the harvested trees would provide a local economic boost as well as since Canoe Forest Products would mostly use the Douglas fir harvested. “So some cedar will go to Downey in Revelstoke,” he said. “Solid components that we don’t utilize could go to Adams Lake, could go to Tolko in Armstrong, some will go down to Gorman brothers, which is our parent company in West Bank.” …“I really appreciate the approach that Canoe is taking on this,” said Coun. Sylvia Lindgren.

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Alberta Forest Products Association Community Newsletter

Alberta Forest Products Association
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Summer 2025 is as busy as ever! Many of our members are completing their tree planting season, community engagement has been in full swing, and the Alberta Forest Products Association is gearing up for our next annual general meeting. 

  • Wildfire Resources including Wildfire! From the Ground Up, a multi-part documentary series.
  • Trade Barriers: Call to Action: 6 opportunities for the Government of Alberta to support our sector
  • Love Alberta Forests
  • Wildfire Educational Series: a video series focused on sustainable forest management in wildfire mitigation
  • Work Wild
  • Caribou Research Renewal
  • Water Management
  • Forestry Talks Podcast
  • Annual General Meeting: 83rd AGM, Jasper Park Lodge, September 24-26th!

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Dry conditions taking a toll across New Brunswick, sparking new forestry restrictions

By Sam Farley
CBC News
August 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Worsening dry conditions across New Brunswick — which sparked a provincewide burn ban and led this week to an uncontrolled wildfire near Miramichi — have prompted the provincial government to impose restrictions on some industrial activities in forested areas. The Department of Natural Resources said in a news release Friday that some forestry operations would be banned for the next several days given the high risk of another wildfire. …From midnight on Aug. 8 to midnight on Aug. 12, harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and all pre-commercial thinning and cleaning are all banned. That restriction applies to all forestry on both Crown and private lands. Trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting are allowed to continue. …Except for the possibility of a shower Saturday afternoon in northern New Brunswick, the province could see at least six more days of dry, hot weather, according to Environment Canada forecasts.

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Provincial forest bans miss the point

By the Editorial Board
The Globe and Mail
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Last week, the province of Nova Scotia, facing an extreme risk of wildfire caused by hot, dry weather, banned people from entering forests and national parks as a precautionary measure. …New Brunswick followed suit on Saturday with an open-ended ban on commercial and recreational activity on Crown land. Private landowners were asked to follow suit. …But we note that, as of Sunday, Newfoundland – where fires have forced … government to declared a state of emergency in one part of the province – had not gone to the extreme of banning responsible citizens from the woods. We respectfully suggest that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s decision to cancel summer in early August is draconian, and that their over-abundance of caution may speak to the fact that, like the rest of Canada, they do too little to prevent forest fires in the first place, creating a higher risk of intense and dangerous events. …Canada needs to develop a national regime of prescribed burns… [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to read the whole story]

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How industrial forestry and climate change created the Nova Scotia wildfire problem

By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson and Joan Baxter
National Observer
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Nina Newington was at her Save Our Old Forests logging protest camp in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County when the woods were being closed. She would need to [leave] or risk a $25,000 fine. Nova Scotia premier Tim Huston, had banned anyone from entering the province’s woodlands until Oct. 15 or until substantial rain reduces wildfire risk. …The ban cut Newington’s efforts short, leaving her stranded at home, wondering if all their work to protect the forests was about to be undone. The same is not true for forestry operators, who have been granted special exemptions from the wildfire restrictions. …Todd Burgess, executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, said his group is “very supportive” of the ban, because the risk is so high. …But some… say industrial forestry — and the landscape changes that go along with it — are a big part of what got Nova Scotia into this situation… [A National Post subscription may be required for full access to this story]

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Restrictions placed on forestry operations in New Brunswick as Miramichi wildfire grows

By Sawyer Bogdan
Global News
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

MIRAMICHI, New Brunswick — In response to the increased wildfire risk, some forestry operations in New Brunswick will be restricted over the next couple of days. A release from the province’s Department of Natural Resources says the move is to protect both the forests and people living in the province. On Friday, the natural resources minister said in the release the restrictions will be on both Crown and private lands. “These measures will help protect our forests, animals, natural habitats and our communities, as well as our wildland fire crews,” John Herron said. As of midnight Friday, harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and all pre-commercial thinning and cleaning are restricted until Tuesday. However, trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting are still getting the green light. These restrictions apply to all forested lands in the province, both private and Crown.

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Mining, Forestry, Reconciliation: Parliamentary Secretary Guay Brings the Conversation to Northern Quebec

Natural Resources Canada
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Fostering inclusive economic development and ensuring that local communities, including Indigenous partners, benefit from these opportunities are key priorities for the Government of Canada. Today, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a two-day tour of Northern Quebec, where he highlighted the importance of Quebec’s mining and forest sectors in building Canada’s supply chains and export opportunities, creating good jobs, and strengthening reconciliation… Parliamentary Secretary Guay concluded the trip with a visit to Les Chantiers Chibougamau’s Kraft Pulp Mill in Lebel-sur-Quevillon and their head manufacturing plant in Chibougamau. These sites are key examples of Quebec’s forest sector excellence and innovation in modernizing the industry, accelerating affordable housing and promoting green construction using value-added Canadian wood-based products.

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Forest Fires

Wildfire southwest of Port Alberni now 630 hectares; campground evacuated

By Susie Quinn, Austin Kelly
Alberni Valley News
August 12, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

B.C. Wildfire Service report a wildfire located nine kilometres down Bamfield Main is raging out of control and has quickly grown to 630 hectares. The fire is listed on the BC Wildfire map as V71498 Mount Underwood. Conair had one aircraft on the fire and at least one helicopter responded. Mike Carter, co-CEO at Port Alberni Port Authority, said China Creek Campground has been evacuated. One initial attack crew is responding to the fire as well as four helicopters and one airtanker. The highway (Bamfield Main Road) between Port Alberni and Bamfield is closed. A heavy equipment task force, three unit crews and a type 1 incident management team have also been mobilized, according to BCWS. “The fire is displaying Rank 4 and Rank 5 fire behaviour,” a fire information officer posted on the BCWS site. “Night vision equipped helicopters are actioning the fire overnight and structural protection specialists are on scene.”

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Smoke from Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island could last for months

By Wolf Depner
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
August 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA — BC Wildfire Service said an out-of-control wildfire burning on Vancouver Island near Cameron Lake could generate smoke for the “coming weeks, and potentially the coming months.” The warning appears in a video that BCWS posted Sunday as part of a larger update on the Wesley Ridge wildfire. “The public will be seeing smoke at the height of land here on Wesley Ridge for the coming weeks, and potentially, the coming months,” said operations sections chief Beau Michaud while seen standing on a temporary helicopter landing pad fashioned out of logs. But Michaud added that he does not expect the fire to impact Highway 4 connecting communities along the western shore of Vancouver Island with communities on the eastern shore.

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B.C.’s wildfire situation remains manageable after 70,000 lightning strikes

By Mark Page
Parksville Qualicum Beach News
August 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

Forest Minister Ravi Parmar told reporters on Wednesday (Aug. 6) that in the past week, roughly 70,000 lightning strikes have hit B.C., leading to a “sudden increase” in fire activity.  He also said that the B.C. Wildfire Service has largely been able to keep the fires from spreading. So far this season, more than 850 wildfires have sparked in B.C, but the province has kept 85 per cent of them smaller than four hectares, and only 120 were active on Aug. 6. As of Aug. 11 last year, there had been more than 1,300 fires, with almost 400 still active on that date. The only current “wildfire of note” is the Wesley Ridge fire on Vancouver Island. The fire is at Cameron Lake, between Parksville and Port Alberni, and is 530 hectares in size. Evacuation orders are in place for 400 homes, and 700 more are on evacuation alert.

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Irishtown Inferno: What’s Happening with the Wildfire Near Moncton?

By Rhythm Rathi
CBC News
August 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

Firefighters from Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview battled a wildfire north of Moncton on Sunday. The rural New Brunswick community of Maple Hills, about 20 kilometres northwest of Moncton, posted on its Facebook page that it is asking some residents to “take immediate steps to prepare for a possible evacuation.” As of 10 p.m. local time, no evacuation order had been given, but the community was urging people to have personal belongings and pets ready to go. The areas most at risk, according to a map posted by the community, are those between Cape Breton Road to the north, Weisner Road to the east, Elmwood Drive to the west and Roma Way to the south. Mayor Erica Warren said in a Facebook post at about 10 p.m. that the fire remains out of control “but not travelling in the immediate direction of residences” at that time.

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Emergency crews responding to new wildfire on Burin Peninsula

By Jenna Head
CBC News
August 7, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada East

@Rushoon

Another wildfire has ignited in Newfoundland — this one on the Burin Peninsula. Provincial fire duty officer Mark Lawlor said the fire is burning in Red Harbour, about 20 kilometres north of Marystown. The Marystown Volunteer Fire Department said they’re responding to the fire alongside the Baine Harbour Fire Department, forestry workers and multiple other agencies. An evacuation order is not in place, but RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey said police officers are going to door-to-door in the community to alert residents, and make sure they are safe. Marystown Mayor Brian Keating told CBC News a water bomber is also on site and it looks like the fire is starting to be contained.

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Calm wildfire season in Quebec can’t keep the smoke away

By Charlotte Lepage
CBC News
August 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada East

The air quality has finally improved after several days of wildfire smoke hanging over much of southern Quebec. Montreal, along with several other cities in the province, were dealt an air quality advisory starting Saturday and clearing up Monday evening. But this year, the smoke causing the poor air quality isn’t coming from within the province but rather from the fires raging in the Prairies. While Quebec is seeing a rather tame wildfire season, this year is still gearing up to be another intense season for other parts of Canada. So far, 2025 has seen wildfires consume 6.5 million hectares. Last year the number totalled 5.3 million, and in 2023 — Canada’s worst wildfire season on record — a little over 16 million hectares burned.  “The thing that is quite exceptional right now is that we had three years in a row with very, very high fire activity in Canada,” said Boulanger. The three most active fire seasons since 1995 have been recorded between 2023 and 2025, he said.

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