Region Archives: United States

Special Feature

Summary Wrap-UP: International Pulp Week 2025

Kelly McCloskey, Editor
The Tree Frog Forestry News
June 11, 2025
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, United States, International

The Tree Frog News featured the panels and speakers from last week’s International Pulp Week. In today’s Tree Frog News are links to all of the conference sessions in chronological order. 

Day One – June 1, 2025

  • Registration and Wecome Cocktail

Day Two – June 2, 2025

Day Two – June 3, 2025

Read More

Business & Politics

Foreign Control of US Lumber Mills Sparks Economic and Policy Debate

By Don Buckner, MadeinUSA.com
EIN Presswire
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Over the past decade, Canadian forestry companies have significantly expanded their footprint in the American lumber industry. While foreign investment remains a key component of a dynamic US economy, industry analysts and policymakers are increasingly scrutinizing the long-term implications of international control over critical domestic manufacturing infrastructure. Canadian-owned firms—including West Fraser, Canfor and Interfor—now operate dozens of sawmills in the US, with many holding more assets south of the border than in their home country. Additional Canadian firms—such as Tolko, Maibec, J.D. Irving, and Kruger—also maintain active operations and land holdings throughout the country. As foreign ownership of US lumber mills grows, several key concerns are emerging: Supply Chain Autonomy… Economic Retention… Market Influence. …Industry stakeholders are urging a closer examination of the issue. Policy suggestions include incentivizing domestic ownership, increasing sourcing transparency, and evaluating regulatory frameworks around foreign investment in strategic industries.

Read More

Trump tariffs to remain in place pending appeal, court rules

By Sarah Fortinsky
The Hill
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

A federal appeals court on Tuesday agreed to let many of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on US trade partners remain in effect for now, extending a pause issued late last month after a separate court ruled the tariffs were illegal. The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Trump administration’s request for a longer pause after issuing a temporary stay of the lower court ruling last month. The court put the case on a fast track to be resolved by the end of this summer, noting that “these cases present issues of exceptional importance warranting expedited en banc consideration of the merits in the first instance.” The decision comes after the US Court of International Trade ruled on May 28 that Congress did not delegate “unbounded” tariff authority to the president in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. Trump appealed the ruling and, hours later, the appeals court granted the temporary stay.

Related coverage in:

Read More

US, China reach deal to ease export curbs, keep tariff truce alive

By Kate Holton, Alistair Smout and Andrea Shalal
Reuters
June 11, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

LONDON — US and Chinese officials said on Tuesday they had agreed on a framework to get their trade truce back on track and remove China’s export restrictions on rare earths while offering little sign of a durable resolution to longstanding trade tensions. …Lutnick said the agreement would remove restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earth minerals and magnets and some of the recent US export restrictions “in a balanced way”, but did not provide details…. adding that both sides will now return to present the framework to their respective presidents for approvals. …The two sides left Geneva with fundamentally different views of the terms of that agreement and needed to be more specific on required actions, said Josh Lipsky. …They have until August 10 to negotiate a more comprehensive agreement, or tariff rates will snap back from about 30% to 145% on the U.S. side and from 10% to 125% on the Chinese side.

Related coverage in:

Read More

Wood importers group meets with Vietnamese delegation

By Rich Christianson
The Woodworking Network
June 10, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

WASHINGTON — Representatives of the International Wood Products Association (IWPA) met June 7 with a delegation from Vietnam’s Administration of Forestry to discuss sustainable trade in wood products. They explored opportunities to deepen cooperation and advance the shared goal of promoting legal and sustainable timber trade. The discussions included an exchange of policy updates, trade priorities, and areas for future cooperation. Ashley Amidon, CEO of the IWPA, delivered a presentation offering insight into recent developments in U.S. trade policy and underscoring the importance of responsible sourcing and transparent supply chains. Dr. Tran Quang Bao, director general of the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, highlighted the Vietnamese government’s recent efforts to promote legal and sustainable trade, including the implementation of a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) with the EU, a timber agreement with the US and preparations for the EU recent regulation on deforestation free (EUDR).

Read More

Crews respond to fire at Pixelle Specialty Solutions in York County, Pennsylvania

By Joshua Feldstein
Fox News 43
June 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

YORK COUNTY, Pennsylvania — A fire occurred at Pixelle Specialty Solutions, a paper mill in Spring Grove Borough, York County, at about 3 a.m., on Monday, June 9. An officer with York County Regional Police confirmed that there are no injuries associated with the fire, and that the facility was minimally staffed, but everyone was evacuated. The incident is now in the cleanup phase of the investigation, but is no longer active, according to police. Ross Bushnell, President & CEO, issued a statement about the incident. …”Early this morning, a small fire occurred at Pixelle’s Spring Grove facility. Our team responded quickly and followed established safety protocols, containing the fire before emergency crews arrived. Multiple local departments responded, and all cleared the scene by 5 a.m.  

Read More

Finance & Economics

Can Lumber’s Bullish Trend Continue?

By Andrew Hecht
Barchart
June 10, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

The CME’s physical lumber futures have been in a bullish trend since the July 2024 low of $455.50 per 1,000 board feet. The weekly chart indicates that lumber futures have formed higher lows and higher highs, reaching a peak of $699 per 1,000 board feet in March 2025. While the price has dropped below the $600 level, the pattern of higher lows remains intact in June 2025. …Seasonality suggests that a lumber rally may need to wait until 2026… Lumber tends to be a seasonal commodity, with prices peaking during late winter and early spring as the weather improves and construction activity increases. In 2021, the old random-length lumber futures rose to a record high of $1,711.20 per 1,000 board feet in May, and in 2022, reached a lower high of $1,477.40 in March. …Keep an eye on interest rates as declines could ignite pent-up demand for new homes, which could light a bullish fuse under the lumber futures arena. 

Read More

China’s Pulp Supply Chain: Insights on Trade, Logistics and Futures Markets

Kelly McCloskey, Editor
The Tree Frog Forestry News
June 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

At International Pulp Week, three speakers discussed businesses that connect to China’s role in the global pulp industry — including trading, port logistics and the futures market. Haidong Weng, Executive Vice President of Pulp & Paper Research at Xiamen C&D… explained that after the US implemented its third wave of tariffs, Chinese exports of paper and board to the US fell sharply, with vessel density in major Chinese ports reflecting a significant pullback in trade flows. …He also described the cascading effects on US retail markets. …The scale and resilience of China’s port logistics were front and centre in a presentation by Tian Jun, representing the Shanghai International Port Group’s Luo Jing Terminal. Tian explained that SIPG views pulp as a strategic growth cargo across its network of general cargo terminals. …Another presentation came via video from Chi-Fei Fei of the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), who provided an overview of China’s pulp futures market.

Read More

Pulp Markets Outlook: Global Tissue Growth to Ease, Printing Decline Slows

By Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
June 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

At International Pulp Week, Mathieu Wener, Senior Economist at Numera Analytics, provided a detailed overview of current trends in key end-use markets for pulp, with a particular focus on tissue and printing and writing papers. Drawing on recent data and modelling, he examined how these sectors have evolved post-pandemic, what is driving demand patterns today, and what may lie ahead. Wener began with tissue markets, where profitability has remained strong despite considerable cost pressures in recent years. “Producers passed through rising costs since 2022,” he noted, showing how eurozone parent roll and pulp prices had shifted over that period. Although price differentials between pulp and tissue had narrowed, margins remained healthy.” …Wener underscored the importance of tracking both macroeconomic forces and demographic trends in shaping pulp demand. For tissue, slowing population growth and cautious consumer behaviour would temper growth expectations. For printing and writing papers, the secular decline would continue, but at a somewhat more stable pace.

Read More

Global Pulp Outlook: Short-Term Recovery, Structural Divergence Ahead

By Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
June 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

The final presenter at International Pulp Week, Emanuele Bona, VP of Europe for the Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC), provided a comprehensive update on global market pulp demand trends, with a particular focus on the rebound underway in 2025 and the longer-term outlook for key markets and product segments. Bona began by noting that 2024 had been a weak year for market pulp demand, with global chemical market pulp demand falling by 0.9 percent. However, the first months of 2025 showed a marked improvement. “In 2025, after four months, demand is up almost one million tonnes,” he reported. Both softwood and hardwood pulp segments contributed to this recovery. …Looking ahead, Bona projected that global market pulp demand would return to growth but at a more moderate pace. “Growth to average 1.5 percent through 2029,” he said. The long-term trend for softwood pulp was expected to remain flat at best, while hardwood demand growth was projected to slow despite ongoing substitution trends.

Read More

US Inflation Up Slightly in May, Shelter Index Holds Steady

By Fan-Yu Kuo
NAHB Eye on Housing
June 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Despite inflationary pressure from tariffs, inflation in May rose slightly but came in softer than expected. The Consumer Price Index increased from 2.3% in April to 2.4% in May year-over-year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report. While this report reflected consumer prices after Liberation Day, it showed little sign of tariff impact as most reciprocal tariffs were paused for 90 days and many businesses had frontloaded imports ahead of tariffs. This preemptive action contributed a drag on the first quarter GDP growth. Additionally, the Bureau reduced its CPI collection sample starting in April due to staffing shortages, raising potential data quality concerns. …Meanwhile, housing inflation remains elevated, though it continues to ease gradually. …A large portion of the “core” CPI is the housing shelter index, which increased 3.9% over the year, the lowest reading since November 2021. 

Read More

More than 1,000 Housing Professionals Urge Congress to Act on Key Affordability Issues

The National Association of Home Builders
June 11, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

More than 1,000 builders, remodelers and associates engaged in all facets of the residential construction industry trekked to Capitol Hill to urge their lawmakers to support policies that will help builders unleash the housing market by allowing them to increase the production of quality, affordable housing. …The best way to ease the nation’s housing affordability crisis and boost housing production is to break down the barriers that are impeding new home and apartment construction,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes. In more than 250 meetings with their representatives and senators, housing advocates urged lawmakers to act on three key issues that can have an immediate impact on housing affordability: Energy Codes… Workforce Development… Tax Policy.

Read More

Stocks waver as Trump threatens unilateral tariffs

By Lisa Kailai Han
CNBC News
June 12, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Stocks wavered Thursday as President Trump threatened setting unilateral tariffs on trading partners in two weeks. The S&P 500 added 0.2%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.1%. …Wall Street awaits further developments on trade policy, especially between the U.S. and China, as talks between the two countries have been a focal point this week. Trump said Wednesday he would be willing to extend a July 8 deadline for finishing trade talks with countries before higher US levies take effect, but that the extensions may not be necessary. …“We still think the primary driver for market direction and to break out to all-time highs would be some resolution for tariffs and how they interlink with the budget and the Fed. And we see a lot of headlines about negotiations or pauses or frameworks, but we still haven’t seen a single signed trade deal,” said Tom Hainlin at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group.

Read More

How NAHB is Working to Overcome NIMBY Attitudes

The National Association of Home Builders
June 10, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

NIMBYism often attempts to preserve the status quo at the expense of opportunity, equity and sustainability. Overcoming this opposition means an investment in neighborhoods that can welcome new families, support local businesses and ensure that people of all backgrounds can have a place to call home. When faced with a public opposed to a project, it can be helpful to engage community leaders or members who have previously benefitted from a similar type of housing. …NAHB provides resources and assistance to members and state and local associations. For example, NAHB recently supported the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Massachusetts (HBRAM). …Through support from NAHB’s Legal Action Fund, HBARM highlighted the broader implications of zoning reform and how housing shortages affect everyone. 

Read More

Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index rose in May

Fannie Mae
June 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

WASHINGTON, DC – Fannie Mae published the results of its May 2025 National Housing Survey® (NHS), which includes the Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI), a measure of consumer sentiment toward housing. Month over month, the HPSI increased 4.3 points to 73.5. Year over year, the HPSI is up 4.1 points. …Five out of six HPSI components increased this month, namely Buying Conditions, Mortgage Rate Outlook, Selling Conditions, Job Loss Concern, and Home Price Outlook. Change in Household Income was the only HPSI component that decreased this month. …The net share of consumers (-48%) who say it is a good time to buy a home increased 7 percentage points since last month. The share who say it is a good time to buy increased 3 percentage points (26%), while the share who say it is a bad time to buy (74%) decreased 3 percentage points.

Read More

Bill Championed by NAHB Would Address Major Flood Mapping Issue in California, Nationwide

By Evan Loukadakis
The National Association of Home Builders
June 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Legislation that NAHB has been seeking for two years that would allow new housing developments to go forward in California and bring down insurance costs for home buyers and home owners was introduced in Congress. This legislation represents an important win. …The Keeping Homeownership Costs Down Act (H.R. 3800) would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to resume processing certain floodplain map changes to allow new home building projects to advance and help ease affordability challenges. In May 2023, FEMA suspended processing of Letters of Map Revision (LOMR) and Conditional Letters of Map Revision (CLOMR) in dozens of California counties. The practical effect of this suspension is that it increases the ownership costs for tens of thousands of new housing units. …Although this mapping issue has primarily affected California, this legislation would ensure similar problems are not repeated in other states that have federally protected species that reside within floodplain areas.

Read More

How uncertainty around tariffs is affecting housing affordability

By Ken Magri
Solving Sacramento
June 9, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

SACRAMENTO, California — There is already a crisis of available and affordable housing in America. But now, political uncertainty and economic volatility could make home buying even less attainable.  …The proposed Trump tariffs on building materials are creating financial volatility that could send housing prices up significantly. Since his announcement of widespread tariffs on April 2, the additional costs imposed on imported lumber, gypsum, aluminum, electronics and other related materials delayed the nation’s housing starts in April, according to NAHB. …“More tariffs equal more anxiety and uncertainty for American businesses and consumers,” said David French, at the National Retail Federation. “Tariffs are a tax paid by the U.S. importer that will be passed along to the end consumer. …One of the largest material costs for housing construction is lumber, and the largest amounts are imported into the US from Canada.

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

USDA Sets Dates for Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Research and Promotion Program Continuance Referendum

US Department of Agriculture
June 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will conduct a referendum July 14-25, 2025, for eligible domestic manufacturers and importers of paper and paper-based packaging to decide whether to continue their research and promotion program. USDA also announced, effective immediately, a moratorium on the Paper and Packaging Board’s collection of assessments from domestic manufacturers and importers under the Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order. The moratorium will remain in place throughout the referendum process. …If continuance of the program is favored by a majority of domestic manufacturers and importers voting in the referendum, who also represent a majority of the volume of paper and paper-based packaging represented in the referendum, the order will continue and the moratorium on assessment collection will be lifted.

Read More

AI’s Role in Reshaping Employment: From Theory to Home Building Sector Impacts

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
June 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning and generative AI (GenAI), is reshaping industries, creating new economic opportunities, and raising critical questions about its long-term impact on jobs and economic growth. A recent study titled “Artificial Intelligence and Technological Unemployment”, provides valuable insights into how AI is reshaping labor markets. Their research highlights both the opportunities and challenges AI adoption brings. …In the home building industry, on the supply side, AI is beginning to make its mark with both significant opportunities and complex challenges. From automating repetitive tasks to enhancing project efficiency, AI is transforming how homes are designed and built. Technologies, such as AI-powered design tools, robotic bricklayers, and automated construction equipment, are streamlining construction processes. …Demand is rising for workers skilled in AI system management, data analysis, and digital design, signaling a shift toward more technologically integrated and highly skilled roles.

Read More

The Legacy Paper Group Announces Restart of Paper Machine #8 in Port Huron, Michigan

By The Legacy Paper Group
Cision Newswire
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

PORT HURON, Mich. – The Legacy Paper Group, a subsidiary of BMI Group US, today announced plans to restart Paper Machine #8 (PM8) at its Port Huron facility, bringing 30,000 tons of annual production capacity back online after a four-year shutdown. The restart addresses growing market demand for sustainable, lightweight specialty papers used in food packaging and other critical applications.The mill has operated continuously since 1888 under various owners including Port Huron Sulphite and Paper Co., Port Huron Paper, Pentair, EB Eddy Paper, and Domtar Specialty Papers. PM8 itself specializes in producing high-quality, ultra-lightweight papers for quick-serve restaurant packaging, candy wrappers, medical table covers, tissue overwraps, and other sustainable applications.

Read More

Arclin contributes $500,000 to Louisiana Tech’s Forest Products Innovation Center

By Louisiana Tech Communications
The Lincoln Parish Journal
June 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Arclin has committed to a $500,000 contribution to Louisiana Tech University in support of the new Forest Products Innovation Center. The center is set to become a cornerstone of research and development for sustainable forest product technologies and will play a critical role in Louisiana Tech’s broader education and innovation goals. …The facility will focus on developing innovative solutions for capturing, producing, and utilizing renewable forest resources while strengthening the regional economy through sustainable practices. …Arclin’s investment reflects its mission to improve lives through science and technology. …The new center will support Louisiana’s forestry sector, one of the state’s most vital renewable resource industries. It will also provide hands-on opportunities for students and faculty to engage in real-world research, equipping the next generation of scientists, engineers, and environmental leaders with the tools they need to make a meaningful impact.

Read More

Forestry

My Green Mentor

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative
June 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Applications are now open for the free binational SFI/PLT Canada Green Mentor program. Are you a Canadian or American student or young professional aged 18–30? Grow your network, build your skills, and take meaningful steps toward a green career by applying as a mentee. Mentees will have the opportunity to: Meet Sector Professionals: Connect with experts to navigate the job market and gain insights into green careers; Increase Your Employability: Build essential skills—like time management and goal-setting—that align with green careers; and Access Resources to Support Your Journey: Join SFI, PLT Canada, and sector professionals in a series of webinars designed to equip you for success. If you’ve taken part in the Green Mentor program, consider giving back by becoming a mentor. Share your experience, offer guidance, and support other students and young professionals as they grow their green career pathways.

Read More

State of Idaho lending fire crews to B.C., western Canada

By Steve Berard
Energetic City
June 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West, US West

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Teams of firefighters from Idaho are joining the BC Wildfire Service’s (BCWS) efforts to combat the growing number of wildfires across the province. The Idaho Department of Lands — a government agency that oversees forestry practices and provides fire protection on state land in Idaho — announced on June 2nd that it’s sending fire crews to Canada. The news comes during a particularly intense period of B.C.’s wildfire season… According to a social media post that includes the announcement, the state of Idaho and the province of B.C. are both members of a group of regional governments called the Northwest Wildland Fire Fighting Compact. Members of the compact have agreed to pool together their firefighting resources in times of need.  Other members in Canada include Saskatchewan, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Meanwhile, other American members of the compact include Alaska, Oregon and Hawaii, the newest member.

Read More

Senator Murray Presses US Forest Service Chief on Wildfire Preparedness Amid Mass Layoffs & Funding Freezes at Hearing on Forest Service Budget

US Senator Patty Murray
June 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Patty Murray

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Tom Schultz, at a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Forest Service. During her questioning, Senator Murray highlighted the critical importance of Forest Service workers, and how the firing of these employees puts wildfire preparedness in jeopardy. Senator Murray also questioned how it is remotely realistic for the Forest Service to meet the demands of President Trump’s Executive Order aiming to increase timber output from federal lands by 25 percent while the Trump administration is right now cutting budgets, delaying funding, freezing hiring, and reducing staff across the agency. 

Read More

Forest chief says losing 5,000 employees won’t impact fire season response. Many federal firefighters disagree

By Eric Katz
Government Executive
June 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Tom Schultz

The head of the lead federal agency tasked with fighting wildfires said it is ready for this summer’s fire season despite shedding thousands of employees in recent months, projecting a confidence level not shared by much of his workforce. US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz acknowledged his agency has shed 4,200 through an extended paid leave program and another 600 with early retirements, though he said efforts to bring some of those employees back to work and shift others around to fill “critical positions” will ensure its readiness. USFS has all the staff it requires for fire season, Schultz told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, even as he conceded some workforce issues still require resolutions. The Forest Service has 11,000 firefighters on board, Schultz said, just below the 11,900 the agency employed last fire season. It and its federal partners have 37 incident management teams, shy of the 42 teams it had in 2024.

Read More

Federal Budgets Reveal Plans to Consolidate Wildland Firefighting Forces

By Robert Chaney
Mountain Journal
June 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

©US Forest Service

Federal budget documents confirm the Trump administration’s intention to strip U.S. Forest Service wildfire duties and transferring them to a centralized wildland fire service housed in the Department of Interior. Interior’s Budget In Brief report was released June 2. It includes a six-page document describing the mission of a new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. And it requests $6.55 billion for operations and a reserve fund in Fiscal Year 2026. Congress would have to pass new laws in addition to approving President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget for the change to take place. That means it won’t affect wildland firefighting this summer, which has already tallied 29,694 incidents burning 1.2 million acres. The proposal also has some government watchdogs speculating it could lead to the wholesale absorption of the Forest Service, which is part of the Department of Agriculture, into Interior and its Bureau of Land Management.

Read More

US Forest Service chief asks wildfire employees who took voluntary resignation to ‘come back’

By Ryan Spencer
Summit Daily News
June 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Tom Schultz

Just months after the Trump Administration gave federal employees the option to voluntarily resign, the U.S. Forest Service is asking those who resigned to return to work for the wildfire season. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said in a video posted to the Department of Agriculture website on Thursday that employees who took the Trump Administration’s deferred resignation offer should be encouraged to “come back” for the wildfire season. …Nationwide, more than 4,000 Forest Service employees accepted the federal government’s resignation offer, according to POLITICO. The Trump Administration also fired an estimated 3,400 Forest Service employees in February. …The Forest Service did not return a request for comment Monday that included questions about how many employees who accepted the deferred resignation option were “red card” holders qualified to work on wildfires. …Even before the layoffs and voluntary resignations, Colorado mountain towns had concerns that Forest Service staffing was lacking.

Read More

Department of Justice finds Trump can abolish areas protected as national monuments

By Jake Spring
The Washington Post
June 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

©Wikipedia David Lamfrom

Trump administration officials have concluded that President Donald Trump has the authority to entirely abolish protected areas set aside as national monuments by past presidents, according to a legal opinion released Tuesday by the Department of Justice. The May 27 document, which reverses a legal opinion issued in 1938, could be laying the groundwork for Trump to abolish or dramatically shrink national monuments, which confer federal protections to millions of acres of federal land, much of it in the American West. Such a move would take the administration into untested legal territory. “It signals that the president is prepared to do something dramatic and sort of at a scale that we’ve never seen before with respect to national monuments, which encompass many of our most cherished public lands,” said Justin Pidot, a professor at the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law and a former Biden administration official. [A Washington Post subscription is required to access the full story]

Read More

Trump team talks of fighting fires and cleaning forest floors

By Michael Doyle
E&E News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Trump administration officials on Tuesday warned of an ominous-looking fire season ahead as they repeated the case for unifying federal wildland firefighting agencies and thinning overgrown forests. Convening with the president in the White House Oval Office, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins alternated lavishing praise on President Donald Trump with a fire-fighting call to arms and an insistence that their respective departments will be ready. “This is going to be an above-normal fire season,” Rollins said, standing near Trump, who was sitting behind the oak Resolute Desk. “This means that there is a higher likelihood of large and intense wildfires than is typically expected for this time of year for the next few months.” There were 64,897 wildfires reported in 2024, compared to 56,580 reported in 2023, according to the Boise, Idaho-based National Interagency Fire Center. The wildfires consumed 8.9 million acres in 2024 compared to 2.6 million acres in 2023. [to access the full story an E&E News subscription is required]

Read More

Nebraska’s Craig Allen chairs international panel outlining forest resilience strategies

By Geitner Simmons
Nebraska Today
June 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

Craig Allen

NEBRASKA — An international panel chaired by Husker scientist Craig Allen is pointing to the crucial benefits forests provide and calling on countries to adopt well-informed resilience strategies. Forests face major challenges, locally and globally, from urban sprawl, conversion to agriculture, and climate stresses, raising concerns for communities, as well as for the planet’s climate. “Once a particular forest has been fundamentally changed, it is impossible to restore it to that same state again,” said Allen, a School of Natural Resources professor with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Center for Resilience in Agricultural Working Landscapes. …The forest research organization released the report June 5, describing it as “the first of its kind to comprehensively explore how forests contribute to social and economic resilience in the face of disturbance and change, and how societies can, in turn, support and steward resilient forest systems.”

Read More

Deferred Resignation Program participants: Guidance for supporting wildfire response

By the Forest Service
The US Department of Agriculture
June 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

In support of USDA’s top priority of wildfire preparedness and response, Forest Service employees in the Deferred Resignation Program who have incident qualification cards (also called red cards) now have the opportunity to support fire response. Employees interested in this opportunity must follow established guidance to reactivate access to report time worked on fire assignments and submit travel documents. The Washington Office is reactivating Forest Service DRP participants who have red cards in the Incident Resource Ordering Capability system so they can self-status their availability for fire assignments. These DRP employees will be available in the ordering system the same as any other resource and must be self-sufficient.

Read More

In Washington’s forests, Trump’s timber mandate looks shaky

By Nathan Vanderklippe
The Globe and Mail
June 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

It was not long ago that the small town of Darrington, Washington drew its life from the towering stands of Douglas fir, cedar and hemlock on federal lands. …Efforts to protect the spotted owl severely restricted timber sales on federal land. “We’ve struggled since the owl wars to find an economy,” says Dan Rankin, who grew up in a local logging family and has for the past 14 years been the mayor of Darrington. So Mr. Rankin had reason for hope when Donald Trump re-entered the White House with promises to start cutting trees again. …But more than four months into Mr. Trump’s turbulent second mandate, an alternative outcome is already looming: that the dramatic actions his administration has taken since its return to office could result in fewer federal trees being cut. …Mr. Rankin’s worries are rooted in what he has seen happening at the U.S. Forest Service office. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

Read More

Feds ask court to dismiss timber industry lawsuit that aims to increase Tongass old-growth logging

By Alix Soliman
KTOO
June 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The largest timber companies operating in Southeast Alaska want the Tongass National Forest to sell them more old-growth timber, and they’re suing the federal government to get it. … The Alaska Forest Association along with two of their members, Viking Lumber and Alcan Timber, filed the lawsuit in March, alleging that the U.S. Department of Agriculture failed to fulfill a promise to supply the companies with enough timber to meet market demand. But the government filed a motion to dismiss the case, writing that it didn’t make such a promise. …Frank Garrison is an attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation representing the timber industry. He said the industry has faced a 30-year decline, and that Viking and Alcan are struggling. …The Forest Service has not met its annual target for timber sales in Alaska since 2014, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report published last year.

Read More

Trump’s executive order sparks concern among Pacific Northwest loggers

King 5 News
June 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

SEATTLE — The US Forest Service has been tasked by President Trump to create a plan that will increase timber production in federal forests, and Pacific Northwest industry leaders are waiting to see how that plan will be implemented in a region rich in logging history. Many leaders are worried that this new order will disrupt the decades of work put into policies locally. …Logging has historically been a staple industry in the northwest that has simultaneously been an ongoing conversation between the need to harvest for building and economy, and also protecting the environment within these forests. …Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said the constant balancing act between the economy and the environment continues. “As our state has grown, as many of our forest lands have been developed, it’s more important that we manage these forests now, not just as economic resources, but as valuable assets that contribute to our quality of life,” said Upthegrove. 

Read More

Pacific Northwest startup promising to replant forests faces allegations of deception in whistleblower lawsuit

By Justin Higginbottom
Oregon Public Broadcasting
June 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Seattle-based Mast Reforestation had a novel idea to help save the planet: sell voluntary carbon credits and use that money to replant forests destroyed by wildfire. …Mast positioned itself as a rising star in the carbon credit market, claiming to be the only “vertically-integrated reforestation carbon credit developer in the industry.”…Now, the company is facing allegations that it deceived potential partners to secure its reforestation projects. The way Mast structures its credits is central to the controversy. Mast sells carbon credits to businesses that want to voluntarily offset emissions. …But Mast’s model hinges on future climate benefits. Instead of waiting for trees to grow and capture carbon, Mast sells its credits based on projections of reductions. …In a wrongful termination lawsuit filed in Siskiyou County, Mast’s former senior director of business development Arnoud de Villegas, claims the company misled potential partners.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

‘Win-win’: new maps reveal best opportunities for global reforestation

By Damian Carrington
The Guardian UK
June 11, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, United States, International

New maps have revealed the best “win-win” opportunities across the world to regrow forests and tackle the climate crisis, without harming people or wildlife. The places range from the eastern US and western Canada, to Brazil and Columbia, and across Europe. If reforested, this would remove 2.2bn tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, about the same as all the nations in the European Union. Previous maps have suggested much larger areas but were criticised for including important ecosystems. …The result was a map showing 195 million hectares of reforestation opportunity, an area equivalent to the size of Mexico but up to 90% smaller than previous maps. …“Reforestation is not a substitute for cutting fossil fuel emissions, but even if we were to drive down emissions tomorrow, we still need to remove excess CO2,” said Dr Susan Cook-Patton, at The Nature Conservancy and author of the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications

Read More

Does planting trees really help cool the planet?

By Julie Bernstein
University of California, Riverside
May 29, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Replanting forests can help cool the planet even more than some scientists once believed, especially in the tropics. But even if every tree lost since the mid-19th century is replanted, the total effect won’t cancel out human-generated warming. …In a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, showed that restoring forests to their preindustrial extent could lower global average temperatures by 0.34 degrees Celsius. That is roughly one-quarter of the warming the Earth has already experienced. The study is based on an increase in tree area of about 12 million square kilometers, which is 135% of the area of the US. …It is believed the planet has lost nearly half of its trees since the onset of industrialized society.  “Reforestation is not a silver bullet,” said Bob Allen, at UC Riverside and the lead author. “It’s a powerful strategy, but it has to be paired with serious emissions reductions.”

Read More

Milestone reached on bioenergy plant in Newton County, Texas

By Scott Lawrence
KFDM News
June 10, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

TEXAS — A plan to open a bioenergy plant in Newton County has reached a new milestone with a landmark deal to supply wood for the site in Bon Wier. Mike Lout with KJAS, reports Nick Andrews, President and CEO of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based USA Bioenergy, announced on Tuesday that his company has signed a deal with the LP Corporation to supply the wood. According to LP, the agreement would provide up to 2.2 million tons of wood biomass for an initial term of 20 years that could not only help USA Bioenergy in Bon Wier, but also the logging and timber industry across Southeast Texas and west Louisiana. Andrews has said the main focus of the plant will be to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel commonly known as “SAF” or bio-jetfuel for the airline industry.

Read More

‘Georgetown is at a crossroads;’ 650+ residents sign petition against new biomass plant

By Perrin Moore
ABC15 News
June 9, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

GEORGETOWN, South Carolina — Over 650 Georgetown residents have signed a petition opposing a proposed biomass plant at the site of the International Paper mill that closed last year. The group Citizens for Georgetown says it is working to revitalize the town’s waterfront through “thoughtful redevelopment.” 653 people are opposing the plant that would generate energy for Santee Cooper from tree waste. …Citizens for Georgetown Chairman Tom Swatzel. “Now, we face a critical choice: leave decades of pollution in the land and water, continue with heavy industry OR clean up the site and reimagine these properties into a vibrant, sustainable future that benefits all residents.” …State Sen. Stephen Goldfinch expressed cautious optimism over the proposed plant, saying that it could involve an investment of nearly $4 billion and create new jobs.

 

Read More

Forest Fires

US Forest Service takes command of 60 acre Red Bridge Fire as residents evacuate

KOMO News
June 10, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — The US Forest Service has taken command of the 60-acre Red Bridge Fire burning about 7 miles east of Cle Elum. Level 3 evacuations were issued for those nearby. A Level 3 evacuation means residents should “go now” or leave immediately. A Level 2 evacuation means there is significant danger in the area; be ready to go or voluntarily evacuate. Level 1 means there is danger in the area. Residents should plan escape routes, but evacuations are voluntary, according to the Washington Smoke Blog. The Red Bridge Fire started on June 9, 2025, at approximately 3:57 p.m. As of 8 p.m., the fire is estimated at 60 acres and growing, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Read More