Region Archives: International

Business & Politics

US paper industry opposes tariffs on Brazilian eucalyptus pulp essential to tissue production

The AF&PA in the Lesprom Network
August 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The AF&PA is calling on the Office of the US Trade Representative to exempt Brazilian bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp from potential Section 301 tariffs, arguing that the material is indispensable to the US tissue industry and cannot be sourced domestically at commercial scale. The group submitted its formal comments as part of USTR’s ongoing investigation into Brazil’s trade practices. …On September 3, USTR will hold a public hearing to gather further testimony. AF&PA’s comments focus on the US paper manufacturing sector’s reliance on bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEK), which is sourced almost exclusively from Brazil. …The association argues that imposing tariffs on Brazilian pulp would harm US manufacturers by raising input costs and undermining the competitiveness of US-made tissue products both at home and abroad. …AF&PA also defended the sustainability of Brazilian eucalyptus pulp, stating that member companies source only from responsibly managed plantations certified by SFI and FSC.

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Higher tariffs on furniture to be announced within next 50 days, Trump says

By Elisabeth Buchwald
CNN Business
August 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

President Donald Trump on Friday announced he’s directing his administration to investigate imports of furniture into the United States that will lead to higher tariffs by October. “Within the next 50 days, that Investigation will be completed, and Furniture coming from other Countries into the United States will be Tariffed at a Rate yet to be determined,” Trump wrote. “This will bring the Furniture Business back to North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, and States all across the Union,” Trump said. …Already, furniture prices have been increasing over the past few months as Trump hiked tariffs on countries including China and Vietnam, the top two sources of imported furniture. Both countries imported $12 billion worth of furniture and fixtures last year, according to US Commerce Department data. …Furniture stocks, such as Wayfair, William-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware, all tanked in after-hours trading Friday.

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SFPA Statement on the EUDR and Recent US–EU Trade Developments

The Southern Forest Products Association
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

We welcome the recent announcement from the White House regarding the US–EU Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade. Notably, the European Union has committed to addressing U.S. concerns about the EUDR, acknowledging that US commodity production poses negligible risk to global deforestation. This recognition is a positive step toward ensuring Southern Pine lumber producers and exporters are not unfairly burdened by regulations that fail to account for the sustainability and stewardship practices already in place within the American forestry sector. …The EUDR’s stringent traceability requirements (such as geolocation data for every plot of land from which timber is sourced) present serious compliance obstacles for U.S. producers. …Recognizing the broad impact of the EUDR across multiple agricultural sectors, the forest products industry is strategically voicing its objections through official trade and commerce channels.

Related from The White House: Joint Statement on a United States-European Union Framework on an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade

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White House unveils details for European Union trade deal

By Ashleigh Fields
The Hill
August 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The White House unveiled details for its trade deal with the European Union (EU) on Thursday. The Trump administration said its EU counterparts have agreed to eliminate all tariffs on industrial goods imported from the U.S. and to widen preferential market access to US seafood and agricultural products. In exchange, most EU exports — notably pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber — will be taxed at 15 percent. The group of 27 member nations also agreed to ensure its companies invest $600 billion in the U.S. and to purchase at least $750 billion worth of U.S. energy over the next three years, according to the White House.

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Trade commission reaches affirmative determination in review of cabinets and vanities from China

By Larry Adams
The Woodworking Network
August 21, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The US International Trade Commission determined on August 21 that revoking the existing antidumping duty order and countervailing duty order on wooden cabinets and vanities from China would likely lead to “continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.” The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA) said that ruling “means that the antidumping and countervailing duty orders will remain in place for at least another five years and continue to provide relief to the US domestic industry from dumped and subsidized merchandise from China.” As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the existing orders on imports of these products will remain in place. …The action comes under the five-year (sunset) review process required by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. The Commission’s public report on Wooden Cabinets and Vanities from China will be available by October 3, 2025.

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German equipment makers demand 2-year delay to EU deforestation law, call it ‘bureaucratic madness’

By Mechanical Engineering Industry
EURACTIV
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Bertram Kawlath

German equipment manufacturers are calling for an urgent revision and a two-year postponement of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), warning that the law’s complexity could severely disrupt supply chains and harm European industry. Describing the regulation as “bureaucratic madness,” the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, or VDMA, argues that its implementation would overload companies with impractical documentation requirements. The EUDR is scheduled to apply to large companies from December 30, 2025, and to SMEs from June 30, 2026. The VDMA warns that ensuring such full traceability is technically and logistically impossible for many firms, especially small and mid-sized ones operating in global supply chains. …The association states that the EUDR, in its current form, risks triggering delivery disruptions and weakening the international competitiveness of European firms. It also criticizes the regulation for requiring not only importers but also all downstream companies in the supply chain to meet full due diligence and declaration requirements.

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US trade policy uncertainty prompts Vietnam to recalibrate export strategy

The Voice of Vietnam
September 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Wood production, processing, and export is one of Vietnam’s key industries, but it is currently facing a direct impact from trade competition and tariff barriers. …In early August 2025, the US imposed reciprocal duties of 20% on Vietnamese imports, and the figure could rise to 40% if illegal transshipment is detected. …“These moves are creating prolonged uncertainty for the wood processing industry,” Phuong says. “Although Vietnam’s wood exports grew by 8% in the first seven months of 2025, the risks remain high. The ability to control domestic raw material supply will be a decisive factor in maintaining Vietnam’s status as a sustainable source in the global market.” …Nguyen Chanh Phuong emphasises that despite the shifting policies, the US is the top market and is more stable than others. To mitigate risks, he stresses the need to expand into new export markets, diversify raw material sources, and produce more value-added products.

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Kingspan Timber Solutions announces closure

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
September 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

©Kingspan

Timber sector representatives have been reacting to the news that one of the pioneers in UK timber construction- Kingspan Timber Solutions – is to close by the end of the year. The company, whose roots extend to over 60 years, manufactures timber frame and Structurally Insulated Panel (SIPs) build systems, the latter being the TEK branded system. Kingspan Timber Solutions, based in Great Gransden in Cambridgeshire, has been described as a gold standard in timber construction, building innovative homes, Passivhaus developments and new schools. …The company released a short statement this week. “It is with a heavy heart that we have made the difficult decision announce the closure of Kingspan Timber Solutions Ltd, and the cessation of all business operations. We are currently working hard to fulfil all outstanding orders, with our final day of operations being 19th December 2025. …In the past five years, 2021 was the only year that the company posted a profit.

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Grist for the mill: the slow death of New Zealand’s industry towns

By Anna Rankin
The Spinoff
August 25, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The final reel of paper from No.6, Tokoroa’s last remaining paper mill, once one of six, is being rolled under the smoke and steam of the mill’s chimneys. In November last year Kinleith’s owner, Oji Fibre Solutions, announced it would shutter the paper mill of its plant and move to importing paper to produce its packaging. Kinleith is losing at least 150 jobs, to say nothing of the contractors, maintenance and supplier businesses downstream. The announcement followed a string of paper mill closures across the country costing 300 jobs, which Oji and other operators attributed to untenable wholesale power costs and year on year losses. For Ian Farrell, who has worked at Kinleith since 1986 the writing was on the wall, though he struggled to accept it. “I thought the government surely wouldn’t let this happen,” he says on the Monday morning the paper mill closed. “We were the last paper manufacturing and packaging site left in the country.”

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New Zealand timber industry braces in troubled times

By Kate Green
Radio New Zealand
August 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

NEW ZEALAND — The timber industry is battening down the hatches, as it struggles with low demand, increased running costs, and wars and tariffs overseas. Carter Holt Harvey has announced plans to shut its Eves Valley sawmill near Nelson and consolidate its operations to Kawerau in Bay of Plenty, blaming weak markets. The closure would affect 142 jobs. Timber Industry Federation executive director Jeff Ilott said demand had dropped, with building consents down from 51,000 in 2022 to 34,000 in the year to June. The lack of demand, combined with increased running costs from electricity, compliance and insurance, meant sawmills felt the squeeze. The overseas markets were also unstable, due to conflict and tariffs. “We might see a bit of a glimmer of light in the future in terms of building consent numbers starting to climb again, but it seems like a distant thing at the moment,” Ilott said.

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Finance & Economics

US Job Growth Slowed in August, unemployment rate rose to 4.3%

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
September 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Job growth slowed sharply in August, and the unemployment rate rose to its highest level in nearly four years. The latest jobs report, along with downward revisions to previous months’ data, indicates a continued cooling in the US labor market. This softening trend is likely to increase pressure on the Federal Reserve to consider an interest rate cut at its upcoming September meeting. In August, wage growth slowed. Year-over-year, wages grew at a 3.7% rate, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. Despite the deceleration, wage growth has been outpacing inflation for nearly two years, which typically occurs as productivity increases. …So far in 2025, monthly job growth has averaged 75,000, a significant slowdown compared to the 168,000 monthly average gain for 2024. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in August, its highest level in nearly four years. 

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Russian lumber consumption rises 16% in July despite 14% construction drop

Lesprom Network
September 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Despite the ongoing decline in construction activity in Russia, domestic demand for lumber increased in July. The volume of apparent lumber consumption in the country rose by 16% in July compared to the same period last year, while construction decreased by 14%. Prices for key lumber categories in July remained at the previous month’s level. …On export markets, Russian exporters faced mixed dynamics. In July, the volume of lumber exports from Russia increased by 18% compared to June, but shipments were 13% lower than a year earlier. China remains a key destination for Russian suppliers, but Russian exporters are facing growing competition from Belarusian companies offering lower prices. The situation for Russian exporters is further complicated by a general decrease in China’s lumber purchases due to the ongoing crisis in its construction sector. Lumber exports from Russia to Japan remain weak: shipment volumes dropped by 19% year-over-year.

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Nordic timber industry faces cost pressures and market volatility in H1 2025

By Sanjoy Narayan
RISI Fastmarkets
August 21, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Six of the major Nordic timber and forest industry companies posted largely challenging results for the first half of 2025. Most companies reported declining profitability despite mixed sales performances. …High raw materials costs continue to pressure margins universally, with multiple companies stating that current wood prices are unsustainable for long-term industry profitability. Companies with integrated value chains demonstrated significantly greater resilience in this challenging environment. Global trade tensions and increasing tariffs have created substantial market uncertainty, while currency volatility – particularly the rapid strengthening of SEK against USD – has severely impacted export-oriented operations.  …The industry outlook for the remainder of 2025 remains cautiously managed. The recovery in European construction markets continues to be slower than anticipated, while global trade policy uncertainties are expected to persist. Companies with integrated value chains, diversified product portfolios, and recent strategic investments appear best positioned to navigate the complex market conditions. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Why Builders Are Swapping Lumber for Rice Husk Boards

By Sara Kitnick
The Los Angeles Times
September 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, International

The construction industry accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, which has builders rethinking the materials they use. One unlikely source keeps coming up in those conversations: rice husks. What used to be burned or buried is now pressed into a wood alternative that looks the part and often outlasts traditional lumber. Husks are milled into composite boards that resist water, release very low VOCs, and can be recycled. The manufacturing is lighter on energy, turns a waste stream into something useful, and gives homeowners a material that behaves like wood without the constant upkeep. …Globally, rice husk composites are gaining ground in regions where rice is grown, and research is exploring structural uses such as engineered members. Certification programs, including LEED, are recognizing the category, and analysts expect it to claim a meaningful share of certain wood product markets over the next decade.

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From forestry schools to wood physics as a scientific discipline: a review of historical milestones and future directions of wood science

By Dick Sandberg and Peter Niemz
Researchgate.net
August 30, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

This overview traces the modern history of wood science and technology, particularly from the European perspective. It begins with the early forestry schools in 18th-century Germany, which influenced the founding of similar institutions worldwide. These schools introduced technical subjects, including wood physics, to meet industrial demand, especially from the mining sector. Before formal studies began, early research on wood properties, including moisture relations and strength, appeared in encyclopaedias. With the Industrial Revolution, interest in wood as a construction material grew, linking wood research to engineering and materials science. In the early 20th century, dedicated wood technology institutes marked the birth of wood science as a distinct discipline. …The future of wood science lies in sustainability and the efficient use of resources. As interest in renewable, bio-based alternatives to steel and concrete grows, further research on wood functionalisation and modification will be vital. 

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Danish timber industry faces heavy burden from packaging rules

Interior Daily
August 28, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The Danish timber industry is warning of significant financial strain following the introduction of new packaging regulations, which came into effect on 1 January as part of the EU’s packaging directive. According to the Danish Wood Packaging Association (DTE), the rules on extended producer responsibility place the cost burden on manufacturers, even when customers dictate the design and specifications. DTE argues this “uneven” implementation could cost the sector over DKK 60 million annually, with pallet prices expected to rise by around 20%. …The association also criticised the fee structure, claiming it relies on outdated data and fails to differentiate between clean, recyclable wood and mixed wood waste, unnecessarily inflating costs and threatening Danish jobs. DTE is calling for reforms to align payment with design responsibility, adjust fees based on environmental impact, and ensure imported packaging is subject to the same standards.

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Most consumers ‘do not understand what causes deforestation’

Forestry Journal UK
August 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

THE majority of consumers cannot identify the primary cause of deforestation – with an increasing number linking it to timber production. That’s going by the results of a major survey from the paper and pulp industry, which also found that more than 60 per cent of people believe only recycled paper should be used to produce new paper products. In contrast, 60 per cent of European consumers believe urban development poses the greatest threat, an increase from 55 per cent in both 2021 and 2023. 58 per cent believe palm oil plantations (up from 52 per cent in 2023), 54 per cent think construction and timber (up from 52 per cent in 2023), 52 per cent believe energy and wood fuel (slightly down from 54 per cent), and 46 per cent deem the paper and pulp industry is the most significant contributor – up from 42 per cent in 2023. …In reality, deforestation is primarily driven by agricultural expansion, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

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Timber roof trusses emit 88% less CO2 than steel and 87% less than concrete

Lesprom Network
August 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Timber roof trusses have the lowest climate impact across all measured span lengths when compared to concrete, steel, and glulam options. A study conducted by Zeina Alasadi and Selma Bergström Denizoglu at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that nail plate connected timber trusses consistently outperform other materials in reducing CO₂ emissions, even when more timber units are required to match the span coverage of a single truss made from concrete or steel. The analysis covered trusses with spans from 6 to 26 meters and focused exclusively on emissions from the production phase, using life cycle assessment (LCA) data corresponding to stages A1–A3. The timber trusses were evaluated using verified environmental product declarations (EPDs) from Derome, which supplied design specifications and material volumes. Timber trusses with spans of 6, 8, 12, and 20 meters generated CO₂ emissions of 59.72 kg, 78.5 kg, 145.15 kg, and 352.5 kg respectively when scaled to match standard center distances.

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Forestry

Palm Oil sector expresses concerns over EU-US trade deal’s impact on landmark EU Deforestation Regulation laws

Confectionery Production
August 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

Industry concerns have been raised over a freshly-struck agreement between the EU and the US over future trading arrangements, which observers have asserted could lead to America being offered exceptions from complying with EUDR environmental laws, reports Neill Barston. As the Palm Oil Monitor non-governmental organisation noted, if America is to be permitted exemptions from data monitoring underpinning the entire basis of the much-anticipated deforestation laws following intense lobbying from its paper industry, then other trading partners including Malaysia and Indonesia – which have core interests in the supply of palm oils for the confectionery and snacks sector, should be allowed similar treatment. …Moreover, as the palm oil industry organisation stated, unveiling the broader US-EU Trade Framework Agreement presents an immediate major hurdle for the EU Commission. In seemingly offering preferential treatment for America, this could, in its view, lead to challenges from the World Trade Organisation over equal trading between nationalities.

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‘Conservation outcomes don’t get much bigger than this’: Great Koala National Park announced

By Caitlin Fitzsimmons
The Sydney Mornng Herald
September 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Minns government will announce the proposed boundaries of its signature Great Koala National Park on Sunday, and call an immediate halt to logging in 176,000 hectares of state forest near Coffs Harbour. The creation of the Great Koala National Park will fulfil a promise made by former Labor leader Luke Foley 10 years ago and taken to every election since. The announcement comes 2½ years after the March 2023 election, and logging has continued throughout the lengthy assessment and consultation process. NSW Premier Chris Minns said the government would provide an additional $60 million for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to establish the park, on top of $80 million allocated in 2023, as well as $6 million to boost tourism in the region. “Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that’s unthinkable,” Minns said in a statement.

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Global forestry companies not ready for EUDR, analysis finds

By Joshua Neil
The Edie Network
September 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

UK — The majority of leading tropical forestry companies do not disclose where their materials come from, meaning they will fail to comply with the EU’s forthcoming Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR). The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) latest assessment found that only 18% of the world’s largest 100 tropical forestry companies disclose the countries from which they source. Additionally, only 4% state the percentage of their supply that is traceable to the forest management unit level. The assessment additionally found that none of the companies studied have published georeferenced maps for third-party FMUs, with only 3% reporting on how much of their supply is verified deforestation-free. Without clarity around sourcing and supply, companies are unable to prove responsible sourcing to stakeholders. Given that the timber and pulp industry is worth $480bn a year, ZSL said, small traceability failures can put billions of market value at risk.

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Ireland’s next forestry programme must ensure that planting is ‘economically viable’

By Kathleen O’Sullivan
AgriLand Ireland
September 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

IRELAND — The next forestry programme must “ensure that forestry as a land use option is economically viable and competitive, while satisfying environmental requirements”, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA). IFA president Francie Gorman has said that forestry is a “strategically important sector that has a key role to play in achieving climate change targets”. …Ireland’s largest forestry and timber body, Forest Industries Ireland (FII) has highlighted the “huge opportunity” for farmers “to take advantage of afforestation grant schemes” during a meeting with the IFA this week. FII highlighted the need for more farmers to consider planting forestry on their land amid rapid growth in global demand for timber products, driving up the value of future forestry harvests. “The Irish timber industry has the potential to significantly grow as many countries move towards net zero carbon targets and focus on sustainable building materials such as timber.”

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How climate change and deforestation interact in the transformation of the Amazon rainforest

By Marco Franco, Luciana Rizzo, et al
Nature Communications
September 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Amazon rainforest is one of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems, playing a key role in maintaining regional and global climate stability. However, recent changes in land use, vegetation, and the climate have disrupted biosphere-atmosphere interactions, leading to significant alterations in the water, energy, and carbon cycles. …Here, we quantify the relative contributions of deforestation and global climate change to observed shifts in key Amazonian climate parameters. We analyzed long-term atmospheric and land cover change data across 29 areas in the Brazilian Legal Amazon from 1985 to 2020. …While the rise in atmospheric methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) mixing ratios is primarily driven by global emissions, deforestation has significantly increased surface air temperatures and reduced precipitation during the Amazonian dry season. Over the past 35 years, deforestation has accounted for approximately 74% of the ~ 21 mm dry season decline and 16.5% of the 2°C rise in maximum surface air temperature. 

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Forestry Corporation of New South Wales accused of logging breaches in Tallaganda State Forest

By Alasdair McDonald & Joshua Becker
ABC News, Australia
August 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — Conservationists are calling for native forest logging to be abolished in New South Wales (NSW), after the state’s environment regulator launched a court action against the Forestry Corporation of NSW for allegedly breaching laws designed to protect an endangered species on the south coast. …The alleged offences include failing to properly search for and identify glider den trees before logging, failing to replace hollow-bearing and other retaining trees that were damaged or felled, and damaging the habitat of a threatened species. …In 2022, the company was fined for logging hollow-bearing trees in the Brooman State Forest near Ulladulla, and in 2023 it was fined for committing the same offence in a part of Mogo State Forest that was badly burnt during the Black Summer bushfires.

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Forest soils accumulate microplastics through atmospheric deposition

By Collin J. Weber & Moritz Bigalke
Nature
August 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The occurrence and fate of microplastics in forest ecosystems is a recognized knowledge gap. In this paper, we used an aligned extraction method to quantify microplastics (>20 µm) in organic and mineral forest soil horizons and throughfall deposition. Calculation of forest soil microplastic stocks and throughfall fluxes allowed an estimation of throughfall contribution to microplastic accumulation in forest soils back to 1950. We identified a short-term microplastic enrichment in decomposed litter horizons followed by an accumulation in lower mineral soil caused by litter turnover processes. Similar microplastic features in soil and throughfall deposition indicate that microplastics entering forest soils primarily originate from atmospheric deposition and litter fall, while other sources have a minor impact. We conclude that forests are good indicators for atmospheric microplastic pollution and that high microplastic concentrations in forest soils indicate a high diffuse input of microplastics into these ecosystems.

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Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize Unite to Protect Maya Forest

Yucatán Magazine
August 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Three nations joined forces Friday to establish what will become the second-largest nature reserve in Latin America. Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize announced the creation of a massive tri-national protected area spanning 14 million acres (5.7 million hectares) across the heart of the ancient Maya forest. The announcement came during a summit in Calakmul, where Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stood alongside Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceño to reveal plans for the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Mayan Forest. “This is one of Earth’s lungs, a living space for thousands of species with an invaluable cultural legacy that we should preserve with our eyes on the future,” Sheinbaum said during the joint press conference. She called the move “historic.” The new reserve will encompass 50 existing protected areas across the three countries.

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Brazil authorities suspend key Amazon rainforest protection measure

By Jonathan Watts
The Guardian
August 21, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

One of the key agreements for Amazon rainforest protection – the soy moratorium – has been suspended by Brazilian authorities, potentially opening up an area the size of Portugal to destruction by farmers. Coming less than three months before Brazil hosts the Cop30 climate summit in Belém, the news has shocked conservation groups, who say it is now more important than ever that consumers, supermarkets and traders stand up against Brazilian agribusiness groups that are using their growing political power to reverse past environmental gains. Brazil is the world’s biggest soya bean exporter. The legume … posed a huge deforestation threat to the Amazon rainforest until stakeholders voluntarily agreed to impose a moratorium and no longer source it from the region in 2006. …Greenpeace Brazil called the move a “terrible mistake”, which was the result of political pressure from the “regressive wings of agribusiness”…

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US demand for RVs fuels deforestation on Indonesia’s Borneo: NGOs

The Associated Free Press in France24
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The recreational vehicle industry is now the biggest consumer of tropical wood in the United States, UK-based NGO Earthsight and Indonesian NGO Auriga Nusantara said. They said evidence showed sheets of tropical “lauan” plywood found in Indonesia were likely being used in the floors, walls and ceilings of RVs produced by major brands like Jayco, Winnebago and Forest River. “Nature-loving RV owners will be horrified,” said Earthsight director Sam Lawson. …Indonesia has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation linked to mining, farming and logging, and is accused of allowing firms to operate in Borneo with little oversight. …PT Kayu Lapis Asli Murni, sourced timber mostly from rainforest in areas the NGOs visited, half of which was then exported to US firms MJB Wood and Tumac Lumber in 2024, they said.

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Pulp and paper giant APP moves closer to regaining FSC stamp despite pending review

By Hans Nicholas Jong
Mongabay
August 20, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Forest Stewardship Council has allowed Asia Pulp & Paper — “one of the world’s most destructive forestry companies” — to resume its remedy process toward regaining certification it lost in 2007 for deforestation and land conflicts. Watchdog groups say the decision is premature because a legal review of APP’s links to Paper Excellence/Domtar, the biggest pulp and paper company in North America, is still unfinished. Critics warn the move could erode trust, enable greenwashing, and expose communities in conflict with APP-linked companies to further harm. NGOs are calling for the remedy process to be paused until the review is completed and for full transparency on corporate ownership and compliance.

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Victoria invests $10M in plantations to secure timber supply for manufacturing

By Kate B.
Australian Manufacturing
August 19, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — The Victorian Government has announced new funding to accelerate the establishment of timber plantations across the state, aiming to boost supply for construction and manufacturing while creating regional jobs. Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence said the government will provide $10 million under the Victorian Plantation Support Program to establish long-rotation timber plantations. …“Victoria is already home to the nation’s largest plantation estate, and this funding will continue to strengthen our thriving and resilient timber industry.” Under the program, Victorian growers developing new plantations can receive up to $1,000 per hectare, with combined Commonwealth and state funding allowing up to $3,000 per hectare for projects of 20 hectares or more. …The government said the plantations sector is critical to regional economies, providing long-term resource security for housing, infrastructure, paper, packaging, and other manufacturing needs.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Heads up Ontario: Sweden thinks its found a green energy solution by ramping up forest harvesting. But forests are not factories

By Emil Siekkinen, Swedish-based environmental writer
Toronto Star
September 8, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, International

…Sweden, like Canada, sits atop vast boreal forests — part of the same great green belt circling the Northern Hemisphere. These forests act as planetary lungs, storing more carbon than even the Amazon. But the Swedish government’s latest forestry inquiry, En robust skogspolitik för aktivt skogsbruk, is heading in a troubling direction: grow more trees, cut them faster, and burn or export more biomass in the name of “green energy.” It sounds like a climate solution. But here’s the problem: forests are not factories. Most of the carbon in a boreal forest isn’t stored in the trees at all. It’s locked underground — in roots, fungi, humus, and delicate microbial networks built up over thousands of years. When forestry is intensified — shorter harvest cycles, heavier machines, wider clear-cuts — that underground bank of carbon is steadily drained. The trees grow back, yes, but the soil can take centuries to recover, if it recovers at all.

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Climate change fuelled wildfires of ‘unprecedented intensity’ in Spain and Portugal, experts say

By Rosie Frost
Euronews
September 4, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Researchers warn that simultaneous fires across Europe are overwhelming firefighting resources. Climate change made weather that fuelled Portugal and Spain’s deadly wildfires this summer around 40 times more likely, new research has found. Blazes in the Iberian Peninsula broke out at the end of July. Fuelled by temperatures above 40°C and strong winds, the flames spread extremely rapidly. The area burned by these wildfires has now broken records across Spain and Portugal. A new super rapid scientific analysis by World Weather Attribution (WWA) has found that these hot, dry and windy conditions were made more likely and more intense by human-caused climate change. Dr Clair Barnes, researcher for the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, warns that the “astonishing” size of these fires is a “sign of what is to come” with hotter, drier, more flammable conditions becoming more severe with climate change.

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Drax juggles two problems: pellets and unpopularity

By Camilla Palladino
The Financial Times
September 3, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Investors in Drax have a problem. Shares in the company that produces 10% of the UK’s renewable power plunged last week after the Financial Conduct Authority launched a probe into its financial reports. The investigation centres on whether the company had misrepresented the origin of the biomass pellets it burns to create electricity. …But even assuming Drax does what it says it does, it has a second problem. Its business model, reliant on burning imported sustainable biomass to generate power, is inherently controversial. Net zero supporters don’t think Drax is sustainable enough, fearing that forestry companies might classify more wood as rubbish if selling waste pellets became lucrative. …Drax may not be easy to like, but it does make up an important part of the UK energy system. …So far, politicians have walked a line, extending support but cutting its size.

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Climate Dispute In Sweden Over Paying Forest Owners To Store Carbon

By Violet George
Carbon Herald
August 27, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

STOCKHOLM — A political fight has erupted in Sweden over whether forest owners should be paid to delay harvesting trees as part of the country’s contribution to the EU’s ambitious carbon removal targets. The EU’s Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) regulation requires the bloc to remove 310 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. With Sweden holding the EU’s largest forest area, the country is expected to play a central role in meeting that target. In 2022, the government commissioned a parliamentary committee to explore how to incentivize carbon storage. Its proposal: legally binding contracts offering landowners 400 SEK (~$42) per ton of CO2 if they delay felling their trees for 5 to 20 years beyond the minimum harvest age. …The plan has triggered fierce opposition. The Swedish Forest Industries Federation warns that 7,200 jobs are at risk, with smaller sawmills particularly vulnerable. …Supporters, however, argue that paying landowners reflects the forest’s true value.

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Drax under investigation by watchdog over biomass sourcing

The Gazette Herald
August 28, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Energy company Drax is under investigation by the UK’s financial watchdog over the firm’s sourcing of wood for biomass pellets in the wake of whistleblower claims. The London-listed group said the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) probe covers more than two years, from January 2022 to March 2024, and will also look at compliance of Drax’s annual reports from 2021, 2022 and 2023 with rules over listing, disclosure and transparency. Drax said it will “co-operate with the FCA as part of their investigation”. Shares in the FTSE 250 firm fell 8% in morning trading on Thursday. It follows accusations by Drax’s former head of public affairs and policy, Rowaa Ahmar, in March that the company had misled over its sourcing of wood for biomass pellets, which were made as part of her claim for unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal. Drax denied her claims. The firm and Ms Ahmar reached a settlement with Drax just over a week after the case opened.

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European Union’s record wildfire emissions highlight threat to forest carbon sinks

By Matteo Civillini
Climate Home News
August 26, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Climate-heating emissions from wildfires in the European Union have surged to record levels this year as flames have engulfed over 1 million hectares of land – equal to 13 times the size of New York City – since January. Blazes sweeping through the continent – with major hotspots in Spain and Portugal – have so far released 38.37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere, more than the annual CO2 emissions of Sweden, according to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). That’s more than double the average historical CO2 emissions recorded during the same months over the last 20 years. …Forests act as important carbon sinks, but when they burn, they release back into the atmosphere the carbon stored in the trunks, branches and leaves of their trees as well as in the soil. …Scientists have warned of the emergence of a ‘feedback loop’ between climate change and fires. 

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Why saving tigers slashes carbon emissions

Nature
August 20, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

“Protecting diversity tends to be an afterthought when it comes to carbon-offsetting projects,” says conservation scientist Aakash Lamba, a CNCS postdoctoral research fellow. “The narrative at the moment is usually carbon first, biodiversity second.”In certain reforestation initiatives, for example, a single tree species might be planted because it can grow quickly and absorb large amounts of carbon in a short span of time. But the lack of diversity in such monocultures can lead to a slew of problems, including increased disease risk and soil degradation. Recognizing the interconnectedness of biodiversity and carbon offsetting goals could unlock unforeseen opportunities and funding for conservation programmes, Koh points out. The centre’s researchers have set about detailing how ‘win-win’ conservation projects have already brought about both biodiversity gains and carbon mitigation benefits. India’s tiger reserves provide a prime example of how habitat protection leads to more intact ecosystems and bolsters carbon sequestration.

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Health & Safety

Forging New Path For Forestry Safety in New Zealand

The National Tribune
August 26, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

New guidance to simplify safety for forestry businesses and workers has been published by WorkSafe New Zealand. Forestry had the highest fatality rate of any sector in 2024, with 16.58 deaths per 100,000 workers. The fatality rate is 20 times higher than the average for all industries. The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for forestry and harvesting operations was spearheaded by WorkSafe, in collaboration with the forestry industry. The ACOP has now been launched by the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Brooke van Velden. The guidance outlines the responsibilities and legal expectations for operators, and helps workers know what good looks like. An update to the good practice guide for small forestry operations has also been published, along with educational resources to aid understanding. New information is included on machine safety, planting and pruning (silviculture), managing work-related health, and manual tree felling.

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Wildfire smoke far more dangerous to health than thought, say scientists

By Ajit Niranjan
The Guardian
August 19, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International

Choking smoke spewed by wildfires is far more dangerous than previously thought, a new study has found, with death tolls from short-term exposure to fine particulates underestimated by 93%. Researchers found that 535 people in Europe died on average each year between 2004 and 2022 as a result of breathing in the tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 that are released when wildfires rage. Under standard methods, which assume PM2.5 from wildfires is as deadly as from other sources, such as traffic, they would have expected just 38 deaths a year. The study comes as wildfires ravage southern Europe, and new data from EU fire monitors shows that 895,000 hectares (2.2m acres) have burned so far in 2025, breaking records for this time of year. “Our paper shows the health impact for the same amount of particles is stronger for wildfire particles,” said Prof Cathryn Tonne, an environmental epidemiologist and co-author of the study.

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Forest Fires

Spain and Portugal fires kill two more as Spanish troops battle blazes

By Danai Nesta Kupemba
BBC News
August 18, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Spain has sent 500 more troops to fight raging wildfires, bringing the total deployed to 1,900, as the death toll from the blazes has risen to four. On Sunday, a firefighter died after an accident during firefighting efforts when his truck fell down a steep hill, the Castile and León regional government said. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed “sadness” and “desolation” on X at the latest death. In neighbouring Portugal, where fires are also blazing, another firefighter was killed on Sunday in a “tragic” traffic accident, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said. Fires have also broken out in Greece, France, Turkey and the Balkans as a heatwave has scorched swathes of southern Europe. Several large fires are still burning in the northwest and west of Spain, where 27,000 residents are currently evacuated from their homes.

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