No music, no voices, just the sound of the forest coming to life early one morning near Canberra — where the gum trees grow small and with twisting white trunks. In the twilight of the morning I creep out from under the covers to set up the microphones right next to a dam. We are on the land of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, and not far away there are paddocks, livestock, a road and a farmhouse. But right here all there is, is nature waking up for the day. Listen for the drops of dew falling from the gumtrees and onto the leaf-litter below.
NEW YORK — Mercer International Inc. today reported second quarter 2021 Operating EBITDA increased to $83.8 million from $40.5 million in the second quarter of 2020 and from $82.0 million in the first quarter of 2021. In the second quarter of 2021, net income was $21.4 million (or $0.32 per share) compared to a net loss of $8.4 million (or $0.13 per share) in the second quarter of 2020 and net income of $5.9 million (or $0.09 per share) in the first quarter of 2021. In the first half of 2021, Operating EBITDA increased by 70% to $165.8 million from $97.5 million in the same period of 2020. In the first half of 2021, net income was $27.3 million (or $0.41 per share) compared to a net loss of $11.8 million (or $0.18 per share) in the same period of 2020. Mr. David Gandossi, the Chief Executive Officer, stated, “steady markets combined with our ample liquidity leave us well positioned to accelerate our strategic plan, including pursuing high return opportunities.”
HELSINKI — The Helsinki-based forest industry company Stora Enso doubled its business result in April-June compared to the same period last year, said the company on Wednesday. The operational earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of Stora Enso was 364 million euros (429.5 million U.S. dollars), compared with 178 million euros in the same period of 2020. Its operational EBIT margin reached 14 percent, up from 8.4 percent year on year. Sales in Q2 increased by 22.6 percent to 2,592 million euros compared to last year. …Stora Enso attributed its progress to both larger volumes and higher prices. The company cited biomaterials, wood products, and packaging materials as outstanding sectors.
Softwood lumber has been in high demand in the US and Europe throughout 2021. The limited supply resulted in temporary price surges to record high levels during the spring, followed by substantial declines in early summer. The outlook for lumber demand is likely to be strong worldwide in the coming decade in most world regions, including North America and Asia. Both these regions are consistently dependent on imported wood. Few countries in the world can significantly expand lumber exports, and Europe will play an increasingly important role as a wood supplier in the future. Tighter lumber markets will impact not just the sawmilling industry but also forest owners [and producers]. …The US is the largest lumber market and very dependent on imported lumber, accounting for about 30% of consumption over the past ten years. There is expected to be continued demand growth long-term in the US, driven mainly by new house construction and … the repair and remodeling sector.
Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), has been appointed to a steering committee of the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) that will oversee a research project that will look at the potential benefits of using a hybrid of steel and timber in high-rise buildings. He joins steering committee members from the U.S. and Italy that will guide research activities and assist in the collection and interpretation of case study information. At the end of the two-year project, a guide for stakeholders will be published that will influence the future of the building industry. …The research project, officially called “
The Arbor Day Foundation has awarded International Paper the prestigious 2021 Friend of the Forest Award … [which] recognizes a corporation and its leaders for their commitment to using trees and forests to achieve sustainability goals and targets. The winner of the award must have established innovative programs using trees and nature as solutions to challenges in nature sustainability. They also have to demonstrate efforts to engage employees in tree planting activities and create models that can be used by other organizations to advance corporate sustainability and forestry practices everywhere. International Paper works with the Arbor Day Foundation to achieve its Vision 2030 goals. These include the goals to conserve and restore 1 million acres of ecologically significant forest land and also to improve the lives of 100 million people in its communities. 
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Turkey has mobilized and united in efforts to fight against wildfires that have wreaked havoc on swathes of the country’s south and Aegean region. People across the country are sending food aid to the disaster zones, while inhabitants at the scene of fires are carrying water to firefighters and aid to the victims. The blazes began in early July 28 in four separate locations, including the most destructive in the Manavgat district of the southern province of Antalya. The fires broke out almost in tandem across other Mediterranean provinces, then across some 40 provinces and districts in 50 hours. …among the helpers are people who have been evacuated from their houses due to fires. Firefighters are recommended to drink ayran, a cold savory yogurt-based beverage thought to be preventative against smoke poisoning.
GORNY ULUS, Russia — The little domed tents of the volunteer firefighters in the clearing of a Siberian forest can be hard to see — even from only a few steps away — because of the choking smoke. Their shovels and saws seem to be tiny tools against the vast blaze, like toy weapons brought to a war. …As of Monday, about 1.88 million hectares (4.6 million acres) of forest were burning in Russia — an area larger than the U.S. state of Connecticut. More than 5,000 regular firefighters are involved, but the scale is so large and the area is so enormous that 55% of the fires aren’t being fought at all, according to Avialesookhrana, the agency that oversees the effort. That means the volunteers, who take time off work and rely on their own money or nongovernmental funds, are a small but important addition to the overwhelmed forces.