Region Archives: International

Today’s Takeaway

Canada says Canadian forestry investments in the US South should be viewed positively by US Section 232 investigation

Tree Frog Forestry News
April 24, 2025
Category: Today's Takeaway
Region: International

Canada says Canadian forestry investments in the US South should be viewed positively by US Section 232 investigation. In related news: US trade policies create uncertainty for Canada’s forest sector; amid uncertainty—BC invests $11M in four wood product manufacturers; and a webinar to help contractors manage tariff impacts. Meanwhile: a look inside Gorman’s West Kelowna mill; what the closure of IP’s Georgetown mill says about fluff pulp; and US roofing contractors say they are delaying projects.

In Forestry/Wildfire news: Canadian Forest Owners seek clarity from the political parties; firefighting drones could change the way BC fights wildfires; ENGO’s want BC to refocus on old-growth; Trump and California find common ground on forestry; New Jersey lifts its wildfire evacuation order; and the US Fix Our Forests Act called forest malpractice.

Finally, Wood Solutions Conference comes to Halifax, and the Softwood Lumber Board’s 2024 Annual Report. 

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

BC Lumber Trade Council warns that softwood tariffs could lead to soaring US rebuilding costs

By Brent Jang
The Globe and Mail
April 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, International

The BC Lumber Trade Council is warning that threatened US tariffs stacked on top of duties against Canadian softwood could lead to soaring costs for residential construction, including in American states seeking to rebuild after natural disasters. Hurricane Helene damaged or destroyed an estimated 73,000 homes in North Carolina last fall, and wildfires burned more than 15,000 structures in California in January, the BC council said in a submission this month to the US Department of Commerce. “Significant hurricane reconstruction efforts are also underway in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee,” the council’s 55-page filing says. The submission was a response to a March 1 executive order… which also threatened new lumber tariffs, cited Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, allowing him to connect the softwood file with national security. The probe into softwood and other wood products is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. [to access the full story a Globe and Mail subscription is required]

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New tariff pressures spark structural shift in Vietnam’s timber sector

By Nguyen Thu
Vietnam Investment Review
April 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

Wood and wood products are among Vietnam’s top export sectors to the United States. Last year, the export value of Vietnamese wood products to this market exceeded $9 billion, accounting for 38%–40% of the total US import volume for this product group, according to the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association. This positions the industry as one of the nation’s top contributors to its trade surplus. In contrast, Vietnam imports only about $323 million worth of timber from the US annually, of which approximately $300 million consists of raw materials such as oak and ash. These are processed domestically into finished goods and re-exported, often back to the US market. Notably, Vietnam is now the second-largest importer of US timber globally, as the US continues its search for stable export destinations. …Vietnam’s decision to waive import duties on timber shipments from the US, is an act demonstrating the country’s cooperative intent.

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US and global economies to slow sharply due to Trump’s tariffs, International Monetary Fund warns

By Olesya Dmitracova
CNN Business
April 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

London—President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy and countermeasures by America’s trading partners will likely deal a heavy blow to economies worldwide, with US prosperity hit particularly hard, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. Global economic growth will slow to 2.8% this year, from 3.3% last year and significantly below the historical average, the IMF forecast in its World Economic Outlook. The slowdown expected in the United States is even steeper, with its economy likely to grow only 1.8% in 2025, compared with a 2.8% expansion in 2024. Both predictions are more pessimistic than the fund’s January projections, which came before Trump’s flurry of tariff announcements took America’s average import tax to its highest level in a century. …North America, just like all regions, can’t expect any upside from the tariffs further down the line. “The long-term impact of the tariffs, if they are maintained, (will be) negative for all regions, just like the short-term impacts,” Gourinchas said.

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Russian Timber Should Expect Growth – Putin Tells Government

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
April 15, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Russia’s timber industry, once worth $20 billion per year, still has very strong prospects for growth. That is according to Vladimir Putin, who spoke up about the industry during a government meeting yesterday. “I would like to note that the forestry industry has good prospects and large reserves – I would like to emphasise this: large reserves and good prospects for growth.” Putin commissioned three processing facilities: a particleboard plant in Kaluga, a decorative laminated paper plastic mill in Leningrad and a liquid food packing production floor in Moscow. This comes amid reports from Russia showing that transport companies have already begun lowering their costs—in preparation for Western companies potentially re-entering the market if and when Putin signs a ceasefire with Ukraine—leading to the relaxation of sanctions, which have already crunched more than 30% of Russia’s export markets.

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Challenging Situation for the Swedish Forest Industry

By Hilde-Gunn Bye
High North News – Nord University
April 16, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Swedish forestry companies have had a tougher start to 2025 than expected, according to a report from the Swedish Forest Industries Federation, which represents companies in the wood processing, paper, and wood mechanical industries. The report points to a combination of higher costs and lower demand, which has taken a toll on Swedish sawmills and pulp and paper producers. In addition, increased tariffs create uncertainty, as well as the strong Swedish krone. Sweden is one of the world’s largest exporters of pulp, paper, and sawn wood products. According to the Swedish Forest Industries Federation, more than 80 percent of the products are exported and the largest market is Europe. Several of the major forestry companies have production sites in Northern Sweden. Holmen’s two sawmills are outside of Skellefteå and Umeå, while SCA is located in Piteå municipality. The Swedish-Finnish company Stora Enso has two facilities in Northern Finland.

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International Paper to Divest Five European Corrugated Box Plants

PR Newswire
April 14, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

International Paper (“IP”) today announced that the company has entered into exclusive negotiations with PALM Group of Germany after receiving an irrevocable offer for the purchase of five corrugated box plants in Europe: (i) three plants in Normandy, France (namely, one box plant in Saint-Amand, one box plant in Mortagne, and one sheet plant in Cabourg); (ii) one box plant in Ovar, Portugal; and (iii) one box plant in Bilbao, Spain. Upon completion of the required French works council consultation and/or employee information processes, the parties expect to enter into a definitive share purchase agreement. The closing is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2025.

Related content:

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Finance & Economics

If high bond yields persist, timberland may find itself in a vexed position

By Russ Taylor, Russ Taylor Global
Global Consulting Alliance
April 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, International

Following the US government’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcements on April 2, 2025, the bond market experienced significant turmoil. …If high bond yields persist, timberland may find itself in a vexed position—caught between its traditional role as a real biological asset and inflation hedge, and its declining relative appeal compared to more liquid bonds offering higher returns. To remain competitive in this environment, timberland may face pressure to support higher discount rates, which could weigh on valuations. Additionally, tariff escalations and geopolitical tensions could disrupt wood product exports, further increasing risk. …The World Trade Organization (WTO) warned that the US tariffs could reverse global goods trade growth in 2025, reducing it from a projected 2.7% increase to a 0.2% decline. In a worst-case scenario, global trade could decline by 1.5%, weakening GDP growth to just 1.7%. …The unpredictability of current trade policy shifts is making reliable forecasting difficult.

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Agriculture isn’t nearing trade war tariffs crisis, ‘it is full blown crisis already’ farmers say

By Lori Ann LaRocco
CNBC News
April 28, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

The clock is ticking on trade deals that the US will need to strike with many nations, most notably China, to avoid what Trump’s Treasury Secretary has described as an “unsustainable” tariffs war. But in the U.S. farming sector, the damage has already been done and the economic crisis already begun. US agriculture exporters say the global backlash to President Trump’s tariffs is punishing them, especially a decline in Chinese buying of US farm products, leading to cancelled export orders and layoffs. Peter Friedmann, of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition …says “massive” financial losses are already being shared by its members. …A wood pulp and paperboard exporter reported to the trade group the immediate cancellation or hold of 6,400 metric tons in a warehouse and a hold of 15 railcars sitting in what is known in the supply chain as “demurrage,” when fees are charged for delayed movement of goods.

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European pulp and paper industry weighs impact of US tariffs

By Sharon Levrez
RISI Fastmarkets
April 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

The European pulp and paper industry is struggling to assess the possible impact of tariffs. …Europe has a marginally negative trade balance with the US for pulp and paper. In 2024, it imported 2.6 million tonnes of P&P from the US. In the same year, it exported 2.3 million tonnes of P&P to the country. The largest trade deficits appear to be around pulp (-975,000 tonnes) and containerboard (-310,000 tonnes, mostly kraftliner). On the other hand, Europe has a surplus in graphic paper and cartonboard sales. …“The only certainty we have is that there will be negative consequences for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. Trade wars are always detrimental for consumers, but we are a ‘made in Europe’ industry, with local capacities to meet the European demand,” he added. …Most market participants believe the stuttering trade war initiated by Trump will further hurt the already stagnating European economy.

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Stora Enso reports Q1, 2025 net income of EUR 107 million

Stora Enso OYJ
April 25, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

FINLAND — Stora Enso reported its Q1, 2025 results. Highlights include: Sales increased by 9% to EUR 2,362 million, mainly due to higher prices and deliveries. The average sales growth was 4.6%. Adjusted EBIT increased, for the fourth consecutive quarter compared year-on-year, to EUR 175 million. Adjusted EBIT margin increased to 7.4%. Operating result was EUR 171 (141) million, and net income was EUR 107 million. …The new consumer packaging board line at the Oulu site in Finland started production ramp-up in March. The line is expected to reach EBITDA breakeven by the year-end 2025 and full capacity during 2027. …Stora Enso has received regulatory approval to proceed with the acquisition of the Finnish sawmill company Junnikkala Oy, announced in October 2024.

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UK Housing starts lag behind completions for sixth consecutive quarter

By Tom Lowe
Housing Today UK
April 28, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

UK — Housing starts in the UK have lagged behind completions for the sixth successive quarter, including to the latest official data. Around 32,000 homes were started in the last quarter of 2024, compared to just over 49,000 completed during the same period, according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of starts is down from 37,000 in the preceding quarter and well below the average of 42,000 homes which have been started per quarter since the ONS resumed gathering the data after the pandemic in April 2022. Completions have remained more stable, rising in the last quarter of 2024 from 41,500 in the third quarter, with an average of just over 49,000 completions a year since the pandemic. Pocket Living chief executive Paul Rickard said: “By any measure these are a disappointing set of figures and continue to highlight the massive challenge the government has.”

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Södra delivers stable result in uncertain times

Södra Group
April 24, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

In the first quarter of 2025, net sales for the Södra Group amounted to SEK 8,154 million (7,613), up 7 percent compared with the year-on-year period. Operating profit totalled SEK 439 million (568), where exchange-rate effects of just over SEK 180 million were charged to earnings compared with the year-earlier period. The result corresponds to an operating margin of 5 percent (7). Return on capital employed was 10 percent (7) and the equity ratio was 61 percent. …Demand for paper pulp in relation to supply has led to an upward price trend. The pressure on sawn timber due to high raw material prices was offset by increased productivity and price adjustments in several markets. …In the CLT business, we noted a positive trend for orders received during the quarter. For Södra’s bioproducts, volume and prices for solid fuels remained stable during the quarter, with a strong trend for both the business and the production of biomethanol.

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Nippon Paper Industries joins the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition

EIN Presswire
April 17, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

The International Sustainable Forestry Coalition (ISFC) is pleased to announce that Nippon Paper Industries has joined the Coalition in the Full Member category. Nippon Paper Industries is one of the largest forest and paper companies in the world. It has more than 15,000 employees globally and is the largest processor by volume of wood in Japan. Equipped with its innovative technological assets from genomic selection for plantation tree breeding to cellulosic biorefinery for bioethanol, cattle feed, and more, Nippon Paper Industries brings to the ISFC an ambitious vision for maximizing the value of natural capital.

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Australia’s Wood & Wood Products Trade With USA

Forest & Wood Products Australia
April 13, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

This analysis seeks to provide an understanding of Australia’s wood products trade with the USA. …In calendar year 2024, Australia operated a trade deficit for wood and wood products with the USA, valued at AUD84.2 million. That is, Australia exported wood and wood products valued at AUD9.0 million, while imports from the USA were valued at AUD93.2 million. That balance of trade deficit was the lowest in many years. Imports from the USA accounted for 3.5% of total wood and wood products imports by value. The USA was the fifth largest supplier to Australia, with total imports valued at AUD2.657 billion. Exports to the USA accounted for just 0.5% of total wood and wood products exports by value. The USA received the ninth highest value of Australian products, which in aggregate were valued at AUD1.639 billion, dominated by woodchip exports.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Mass Timber Centre of Excellence launches at BE-ST Campus in Scotland

Planning, Building & Construction Today
April 30, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The Mass Timber Centre of Excellence offers access to the UK’s most advanced mass timber manufacturing equipment, with the largest commercially available CNC machine in the country. Supported by Scottish Funding Council and host institution Edinburgh Napier University, the Innovation Campus at BE-ST will now house £1.5m pounds of newly acquired, state-of-the-art mass timber post-processing equipment and SuperBlower extraction system. The Mass Timber Centre of Excellence will complement existing capabilities and further enhance precision finishing, production capacity, and health and safety processes. Mass timber solutions offer a variety of advantages, such as lowering carbon emissions associated with construction, strengthening local supply chains, creating jobs, and improving the efficiency of the delivery of the built environment. It hosts the largest commercially available CNC machine in the UK, while offering the full-scale production of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Nail Laminated Timber (NLT), and Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam).

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Sanctioned Russian and Belarusian wood smuggled into UK, study suggests

By Patrick Greenfield
The Guardian UK
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

UK — Nearly half of birch wood certified by leading sustainability schemes is misidentified and does not come from the labelled country of origin, according to new testing. The analysis raises fears that large quantities of sanctioned wood from Russia and Belarus are still illegally entering Britain. New research by World Forest ID… scrutinised the accuracy of dozens of harvesting-origin claims on birch products, which had almost entirely been approved by FSC and PEFC sustainability schemes. The samples of birch – a popular hardwood used in furniture, kitchens panels and musical instruments – were labelled as originating in Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Latvia. But tests using the wood’s “chemical fingerprint” showed that 46% of certified samples did not come from the origin on the label. …While the tests did not specify the country where the wood was grown, experts said Russia and Belarus were the only plausible origins.

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Coalition to introduce country of origin labelling for timber if it wins election

By Warwick Long
ABC News Australia
April 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — The timber aisle in your local hardware store may look a little different if the Coalition is successful in next month’s election. As part of its tilt at government the Opposition has promised to introduce country of origin labelling on timber sold by commercial hardware outlets. In Australia there is no requirement for timber products to be labelled with the country they are from. …Opposition forestry spokesperson Jonathon Duniam said the measure would help people make an informed choice. “We should be making sure it is clear, whether it is a product that you pick up at Bunnings or Mitre 10, you can see that is a product that has come from an Australian forest,” he said. …The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) supports the idea, which chief executive Diana Hallam says would be similar to what is in place for food packaging.

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Brick shortage threatens to stall UK housebuilding — is wood the answer?

By Joshua Oliver
The Financial Times
April 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Timber construction has long been widely used in North America, Scandinavia and Scotland, but has struggled for traction in England — where houses are typically still built by hand out of bricks and blocks. England’s biggest housebuilders are all now pushing to build more with timber. Behind the shift is a worsening shortage of the skilled labour that the industry will need to meet the government’s ambitious target for 1.5mn new homes by 2029, as well as looming environmental regulations that will demand better insulation and less carbon-intensive materials. Industry remains sceptical that this scale of construction can be achieved without financial help for buyers still squeezed by high mortgage rates, or an easing of lending rules. But it also probably lacks the capacity to build at this rate — the highest since the 1960s — without changing how houses are built.

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Kiwi firm designs low-cost, fast-build house

Radio New Zealand
April 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A New Zealand architecture company has designed a three-bedroom house that three people can assemble in six weeks for $335,000. RTA Studio just constructed its first ‘Living House’ in Rotorua. It is 85sqm and designed for quick assembly once the foundations are in place, the cost includes a functional kitchen with appliances as well as flooring, lighting, carpets and heating. …Frustration with the failure of successive governments to get to grips with the housing crisis was the motivation behind Living House, founder Rich Naish said. …The basic structure is made of 120mm thick cross laminated timber panels, he explains. “It’s 36 panels that get tilted up a bit like a flat pack furniture package that goes together in about three or four days.” …The CLT is manufactured by Red Stag Timber in Rotorua from locally grown pine, Raish says. 

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Forestry

Gisborne District Council introduces new forestry consent conditions

By Gisborne District Council
The Government of New Zealand
April 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Gisborne District Council has reached a major milestone with the introduction of new standard forestry consent conditions, developed after more than a year of collaboration and consultation with industry stakeholders. The new conditions, which respond directly to the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use, represent a significant step forward in advancing sustainable land management in the region. Council Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher Swann says the conditions strike a careful balance between enabling the forestry sector and protecting the environment. …The conditions represent Council’s interim position and will guide decision making on forestry resource consent applications on a case-to-case basis. They form part of a wider programme of work, with Council continuing to develop a more integrated and holistic approach through its forestry plan change.

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Simpler EU deforestation law sparks debate

By Stephen Frost
Ecotextile News
April 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BRUSSELS – For fashion companies grappling with the EU’s ambitious anti-deforestation law, a recent tweak from the European Commission may appear to offer some relief. As the December deadline looms for the landmark EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), Brussels has eased what some companies claimed were daunting reporting requirements. Instead of the initially mandated declaration for every shipment of goods linked to forest destruction, companies now only need to submit a single annual due diligence statement. …The Commission hopes this new simplification – which also includes allowing authorised representatives to file for company groups and enabling reuse of statements for re-imported goods – will shave off a significant 30% in reporting burdens and associated costs for affected businesses. However, the EU Commission’s simplification is being met with concern by environmental campaigners. As Reuters reported, the streamlining of paperwork has sparked fears that the teeth of the EUDR might be blunted.

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Tunisia Launches $24 Million Project to Restore Forests and Revitalize Rural Economies

African Development Bank Group
April 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Government of Tunisia, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group, has launched a flagship $24 million initiative to restore degraded forest landscapes and boost climate resilience in rural ecosystems. The Agroforestry and Degraded Forest Landscape Restoration Project (PARFD) was officially launched on 23 April in Tunis. The project, estimated at $23.72 million (over 73 million Tunisian dinars), is being funded by the African Development Bank through the Climate Investment Funds’ Strategic Climate Fund, which is contributing $17 million. The Tunisian Government is providing $6.06 million, while project beneficiaries contribute $660,000. The initiative aligns with Tunisia’s national development priorities, including the 2030 Sustainable Development Strategy and the country’s commitment to reducing carbon intensity by 45% by 2030. It is expected to generate nearly 4,500 green jobs across the governorates of Béja, Siliana, and Bizerte.

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European Commission takes action to simplify the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation

The European Commission
April 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Commission is providing further simplifications and reducing the administrative burden to facilitate the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). In this context, it has published new guidance documents in view of the Regulation’s entry into application at the end of this year for Member States, operators and traders. With these clarifications and simplifications, the Commission is also replying to feedback from its international partners. …The updated guidance and Frequently Asked Questions will provide companies, EU Member States’ authorities and partner countries with additional simplified measures and clarifications on how to demonstrate that their products are deforestation-free. …The simplifications introduced will be further complemented by a Delegated Act, published also for public consultation. The Act provides further clarifications and simplification on the scope of EUDR, addressing stakeholders’ request for guidance on specific categories of products. …Finally, the Commission is currently finalising the country benchmarking system through an Implementing Act.

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How new financial models for forest restoration create opportunities for nature, communities and investors

By M. Sanjayan, Conservation International
World Economic Forum
April 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The age of forest restoration has arrived. Between 1990 and 2020, our planet lost 420 million hectares of forest cover, with grave consequences for climate, biodiversity and resource security. For years, large-scale restoration efforts were hindered by concerns around cost-effectiveness and results — but science has come a long way. Yields are higher, and the cost is lower. Advances in methods for measuring carbon storage, creating three-dimensional maps of forest, planting and surveying wildlife populations have removed technical impediments. Now, new financial models are removing the final barrier to large-scale restoration. Philanthropy alone cannot restore, rewild and conserve hundreds of millions of hectares, especially in tropical systems in the global south. …We must find ways to unlock private capital for restoration. Fortunately, commercial restoration projects are now under way across the world and forward-thinking companies are building a strong business case for investing in nature.

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Biomass, a satellite to look inside the world’s forests like never before

Airbus
April 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

ESA’s Earth Explorer Biomass satellite, built by Airbus … aims to fill the gap in our carbon cycle knowledge by providing accurate and detailed data on forest biomass and forest height, supporting our understanding of climate change. …The Biomass satellite will accurately map aboveground biomass (AGB) over large areas using a synthetic aperture radar (SAR). What’s unique about this SAR is that it operates in the P-band wavelength, a first for use in space. The 12-metre-wide wire mesh reflector is provided by L3Harris. Unlike commonly used X-, C-, and L-bands, P-band’s 70 cm wavelength offers distinct advantages. Its longer wavelength enhances the SAR signal’s ability to penetrate the vegetation canopy down to the ground. An electromagnetic wave only interacts with objects of roughly the same size as its wavelength. So, with the P-Band, SAR can “see” all objects of 70 cm and more but not the smallest ones, such as leaves.

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FSC’s response to decision on its forest management certification

Forest Stewardship Council
April 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

On 10 April 2025, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was notified of Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget’s (SCA) intention to self-terminate its forest management certification in Sweden as of 1 June 2025, while keeping their forests in the Baltics certified and maintaining the Chain of Custody certification as well as membership in FSC Sweden. We regret this decision, but acknowledge SCA’s continued commitment to FSC, and its openness to finding a solution through engagement with FSC and other stakeholders. FSC, a membership-based organization, is founded on the belief that lasting solutions to complex problems require diverse voices at the table. Our unique three-chamber governance structure brings together environmental, social, and economic interests, ensuring that no single perspective dominates, and that consensus guides our decision making.

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Adjusting trees’ internal clocks can help them cope with climate change

EurekAlert!
April 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

SWEDEN – A new study from Umeå University has revealed that the trees’ circadian clock guides their growth and the timing of seasonal events like the appearance of leaves in spring. The researchers investigated the growth of genetically modified poplars in greenhouse and field conditions, combining statistical learning and plant biology methods. Their findings suggest that adjusting clock-associated genes could help trees better synchronize with changing climates, offering new opportunities for forestry. …Additionally, some gene modifications improved the trees’ resilience under environmental fluctuations. By focusing on these specific genes, it would be possible to breed tree varieties that are better adapted to rapid changes in the local climate, and to new growing locations, for example in other latitudes.

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Amendment to Peru law raises fears of Amazon rainforest destruction

By Steven Grattan
Associated Press
April 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BOGOTA, Colombia — A recent amendment to Peru’s Forestry and Wildlife Law is drawing fierce backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous groups that warn it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest under the guise of economic development. The amendment eliminates the requirement that landowners or companies get state authorization before converting forested land to other uses. Critics say the change could legitimize years of illegal deforestation. “To us, this is gravely concerning,” said Alvaro Masquez Salvador, a lawyer with the Indigenous Peoples program at Peru’s Legal Defense Institute. Masquez added that the reform sets a troubling precedent by “effectively privatizing” land that Peru’s constitution defines as national patrimony. “Forests are not private property—they belong to the nation,” he said. Supporters of the amendment, enacted in March, say it will stabilize Peru’s agricultural sector and provide farmers with greater legal certainty.

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The Australian Forest Products Association welcomes Federal Labor’s $24 million election commitment

Australia Forest Products Association
April 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) welcomes Federal Labor’s $24 million election commitment for the Boyer Paper Mill in Tasmania. This funding will help the facility transition the energy source for its boiler infrastructure from coal to electricity along with other essential measures. The commitment also highlights the extreme pressures the forest products sector’s manufacturing operations are under nationally, Chief Executive Officer of AFPA, Diana Hallam said today. “We welcome Federal Labor’s commitment to the Boyer Mill – $9 million in upfront support over the next two years and $15 million to deliver mill upgrades over the longer-term. The facility is a critical forest industry employer in southern Tasmania and Australia’s last local supplier of many publication paper products. We must however stress that forestry and forest products is a $24 billion industry, Australia’s 6th largest manufacturing sector and our timber and wood-fibre manufacturing facilities across the country are struggling with rising energy costs,” Diana Hallam said.

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New trial against polyphagous shot-hole borer achieves early success

By Ashleigh Davis and Kate Leaver
ABC News Australia
April 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Just four months into a new chemical trial, the City of Canning believes it has found a way to combat the polyphagous shot-hole borer. In the trial, 131 infested trees were injected with a small vitamin-like capsule containing insecticide and fungicide, and are now showing no signs of live beetles or larvae. The tiny invasive tree-killing pest was detected in 2021 and has since led to the destruction of more than 4,000 trees in the Perth metropolitan area as the state government follows an elimination strategy. …City of Canning Mayor Patrick Hall said the method did not pose a risk to wildlife, as the trees absorbed the capsule. “The insecticide is a very small dose, injected deep into the tree, and then we put a plug behind it to make sure it can’t leach out. And that traps the insecticide inside the tree — that then goes up the vascular system.”

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Sustainable Biomass Program releases 2024 Annual Review

Sustainable Biomass Program
April 23, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The Sustainable Biomass Program (SPB) published its Annual Review 2024, capturing a year of growth, strategic progress, and continued delivery as the biomass certification scheme of choice. With 2024 marking the second year of its current three-year strategy, SBP has consolidated its position in a rapidly evolving sustainability landscape, while laying firm foundations for the years ahead. “2024 outcomes reflect a busy and productive year for SBP. We saw significant growth in certified biomass volumes and certificate holder numbers, but equally important we took proactive steps to define our contribution to global challenges, from carbon and climate to regulatory compliance and sustainability governance. With growth comes an increased responsibility to ensure that assurance and oversight of compliance are rigorously maintained,”stated Carsten Huljus, CEO of SBP.

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MPs question value of billions in subsidies granted to Drax power plant

By Nils Pratley
The Guardian
April 25, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

A UK government spending watchdog has questioned the value of the multibillion pound subsidies granted to the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire – and said plans to hand over billions more may not represent value for money. The government has provided about £22bn of public money to businesses and households that burn biomass pellets as fuel over the past three years, including £6.5bn for the owner of the Drax plant. The power plant, which generates about 5% of the UK’s electricity, is expected receive more than £10bn in renewable energy subsidies between 2015 and the end of 2026 – despite ongoing concerns that wood pellets are not always sustainably sourced. The Public Accounts Committee has said that biomass generators have been left to “mark their own homework” when it comes to proving that their fuel met the sustainability standards set by the subsidy scheme.

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Countries could use forests to ‘mask’ needed emission cuts: report

Associated Free Press in France 24
April 24, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The assessment singled out Brazil and Australia, and warned a lack of rules around accounting for forests and other land-based carbon sinks meant countries could “game the system” when reporting their national greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists are still unclear about how carbon sinks might behave as the planet warms in future, and exactly how much heat-trapping carbon dioxide they might soak up from the atmosphere. But that has not stopped countries from making their own assumptions and using those numbers in their national climate plans, which are due to be finalised to 2035 before the next UN climate talks in Brazil in November. Climate Analytics, a policy institute that independently assesses these plans, said overly optimistic assumptions about how much CO2 forests might draw down was “masking the scale and pace of the fossil fuel emissions cuts needed”.

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How carbon markets can unlock green finance for global south countries

By Yuan Zheng
Green Central Banking
April 16, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

After almost a decade of negotiations, the agreements on carbon markets achieved at Cop29 have been broadly seen as a great success. As well as providing the basis for a global trading system, it may also unlock another source of green finance for global south countries. In Baku, important decisions on article 6 of the Paris Agreement were made and adopted. Countries have agreed on the ground framework to implement a global, centrally governed carbon market, widely seen as the successor to the clean development mechanism developed under the Kyoto protocol. There were also agreements on helping to refine the mechanisms allowing carbon trading between countries through voluntary cooperation… Given the uncertainty, carbon markets may provide an alternative vehicle to channel the funding necessary for climate adaptation and mitigation.

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Ghost forests are growing as sea levels rise

By Jude Coleman
Knowable Magazine
April 16, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Like giant bones planted in the earth, clusters of tree trunks, stripped clean of bark, are appearing along the Chesapeake Bay on the United States’ mid-Atlantic coast. They are ghost forests: the haunting remains of what were once stands of cedar and pine. Since the late 19th century, an ever-widening swath of these trees have died along the shore. And they won’t be growing back. These arboreal graveyards are showing up in places where the land slopes gently into the ocean and where salty water increasingly encroaches. Along the United States’ east coast, in pockets of the west coast and elsewhere, saltier soils have killed hundreds of thousands of acres of trees, leaving behind woody skeletons typically surrounded by marsh.

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All you need to know about the space mission spotting forests

BBC News
April 7, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch its newest space satellite later this month, called Biomass. Its five-year mission is to provide detailed 3D maps of the world’s most dense and remote tropical forests. Using instruments on board, it will be able to measure the woody trunks, branches and stems of the trees. The hope is that the data it collects will help experts better understand the state of our forests and how they are changing. Biomass is the first space satellite to carry a long wavelength radar, called P-band. This special radar means that it can scan deep through the forest canopy and collect information on different parts of the forest, such as tree trunks, branches and stems, where trees store most of their carbon… If all goes well, it is due to take off on 29 April.

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Tropical bounty: How forests can turn into chemical factories

By Chris Woolston
The Ampersand
April 14, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

A new study led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden has uncovered a surprising layer of diversity in tropical forests. Not only are the forests populated by a dizzying number of tree species, but each of those species takes a different approach to chemistry, increasing the array of natural compounds that provide important functions for the plants — and potentially for humans. The research helped clarify the ecological and evolutionary forces that make tropical forests such hotbeds of biodiversity. While the team wasn’t specifically looking for compounds that could be useful for humans, their findings underscore the value of tropical forests as natural factories of plant chemicals that could have important uses in medicine and other fields, said Jonathan Myers, a professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at WashU. “Tropical plants produce a huge diversity of chemicals that have practical implications for human health.”

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Forest Fires

Wildfire spreads around Jerusalem as Israel asks Italy, Greece for help

By Rina Bassist
AL – Monitor
April 30, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

Israel asked Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Italy and Croatia to help extinguish major wildfires that broke out Wednesday morning in several locations near Jerusalem and along Highway 1 leading to the city as communities along the road were instructed to evacuate. At least one man suspected of involvement in igniting the fires was arrested, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan, which reported that the suspect is now detained at the Oz police station in east Jerusalem. Israel police did not confirm or give any details on what started the fires. …Foreign Minister Gideon Saar asked his counterparts in the four countries to send firefighting airplanes and helicopters to Israel, including supertankers. Ynet reported that Greece and Italy are sending supertankers and that the Palestinian Authority offered to send firefighters, though Israel has not yet responded to the offer. International aid is expected to arrive Thursday morning.

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North Gyeongsang wildfire damage total doubles initial estimates, authorities say

By Jung Si-Nae
Korea JoongAng Daily
April 17, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: International

The scale of forest damage caused by recent wildfires in North Gyeongsang is nearly double the amount initially estimated by the Korea Forest Service, according to multiple local governments and authorities on Thursday. A joint investigation conducted by government agencies, including the Korea Forest Service, found that the wildfires that swept across five cities and counties in North Gyeongsang burned close to 90,000 hectares (222,395 acres) of forest. This is a significant increase from the 45,157 hectares that the Korea Forest Service previously announced as the affected area after fire suppression efforts concluded. The actual damage is twice the originally reported figure and nearly four times greater than the forest damage caused by the East Coast wildfires in 2000, which had been considered the worst in the country’s history until the recent disaster.

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