Region Archives: United States

Froggy Foibles

Smell something fishy? It may be this invasive tree that’s blooming in Ohio

By Ava Boldizar
WDTN.com
April 2, 2025
Category: Froggy Foibles
Region: United States, US East

An invasive tree species that is illegal to plant in Ohio has begun to bloom, and will soon fill the air with a distinctive odor that many liken to rotting fish. Callery pear trees – which come in multiple varieties including “Bradford” pear, “Autumn Blaze” and “Cleveland Select” – typically begin to bloom in the state in late March to early April, according the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The species was brought to North America from Asia in the 1900s with the goal of combatting fire blight, a bacterial disease among common pear trees. The tree quickly become popular in landscaping due to its adaptability, white flowers and shape. It has also since become well-known for another one of its qualities – its odor. The tree’s blooms typically have a strong aroma, which has been likened to a variety of unpleasant scents, including rotting fish, puke and animal waste.

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Business & Politics

Lumber Avoids New Tariffs; Prices Plunge on Fears of a Housing Slowdown

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
April 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Canadian lumber has been left out of Trump’s tariff blitz, despite the president’s repeated threats to add to import taxes to a big chunk of US wood supply. Prices for two-by-fours are tumbling. Lumber futures contracts shed 8.7% to end at $606 per thousand board feet, the lowest price since mid February. They are on track for their worst day since the pandemic-era lumber bubble burst three years ago. Prices had risen this year in anticipation of another layer of import taxes. …That climb is unwinding. But the decline can also be chalked up to expectations that tariffs will push up residential construction prices and strain affordability. The tariffs Trump announced Wednesday will add about $6,400 to the cost of building an average house, UBS analyst John Lovallo estimates. That assumes that about 7% of the materials are imported and subject to an average tariff of 22%. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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High anxiety over softwood lumber despite tone change from US

By Chuck Chiang
The Canadian Press
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

David Eby

British Columbia’s premier said Thursday he is encouraged to see a shifting tone in US President Donald Trump’s talks with Canada, but concerns remain about how tariffs could devastate the province’s softwood lumber sector. Premier David Eby said he will be travelling to Prince George to speak with forest industry representatives on Friday, in light of Trump’s repeated assertions that the US doesn’t need Canadian lumber among other threats against Canada since taking office. …Eby, who spoke with Carney said, …“it was a two-part message for the prime minister this morning. One was to congratulate him on what appears to be a de-escalation for now with the president, and I’m grateful for that. The second is that we can’t trust it.” The premier said Carney is set to visit B.C. “in the coming days” on the federal election campaign, and softwood lumber will be among his top priorities when the two meet.

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In Win for NAHB, Canadian Lumber Exempt from Trump’s Global Reciprocal Tariffs

The National Association of Home Builders
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The tariff exceptions for Canada and Mexico amount to a major win for NAHB, as Canada accounts for roughly 85% of all US softwood lumber imports and accounts for nearly a quarter of the available supply in the US. Further exempting Mexican products is also a big win given major construction cost drivers such as gypsum, concrete and near-shored appliances. NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes said, “While the complexity of these reciprocal tariffs makes it hard to estimate the overall impact on housing, they will undoubtedly raise some construction costs. However, NAHB is pleased President Trump recognized the importance of critical construction inputs for housing and chose to continue the specific exemption for lumber from any new tariffs at this time.” The fight isn’t over on lumber given a current anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation by the Department of Commerce on Canadian lumber imports and the ongoing national security investigation into imported lumber and timber. 

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‘Can’t just flip a switch’: Rerouting supply chains amid tariffs poses major hurdles

By Christopher Reynolds
The Canadian Press in BNN Bloomberg
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

MONTREAL — The notion that Canadian companies can simply switch supply chains in response to American tariffs is a fantasy, experts say. Businesses north of the border are looking elsewhere to source their material and sell their products. But companies caught up in tightly braided supply channels after decades of trade pacts and sector specialization may quickly bump into barriers around everything from transport and labour costs to resource availability, manufacturing capacity and market saturation. …Cancelling contracts with Canadian suppliers would trigger breakage fees of up to $500 million per U.S. factory, the group said. Many parts cross the border multiple times before final assembly. …Auto, lumber and steel producers would face some of the toughest challenges in the hunt for new markets, Paschen said. …Forestry players face an entirely different dilemma. Lumber exports, while ample, have a low value per volume compared to some other commodities.

 

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US tariffs draw dismay and calls for talks from countries around the globe

By Elaine Kurtenbach and David McHugh
The Associated Press
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States, International

Sweeping new tariffs announced by Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and urgent calls for talks to find ways to rescind the stiff new import taxes imposed on goods from countries around the globe. …Trump maintains they will draw factories and jobs back to the United States. …European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was a “major blow to the world economy.” …British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said he hopes to get the tariffs lifted with a trade deal. …Financial markets were jolted. …China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing would “resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests,” without saying exactly what it might do. …Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would wait to see how Trump’s announcement will affect Mexico, which like Canada was spared for goods already qualified under their free trade agreement with the United States, though previously announced 25% tariffs on auto imports took effect Thursday.

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Canada’s exemption ‘like dodging a bullet into the path of a tank’

By Leyland Cecco
The Guardian
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

OTTAWA — Canada’s exemption from Donald Trump’s global tariffs was “like dodging a bullet into the path of a tank”, say business leaders as other levies are poised to hit key industries that drive the country’s economy. …Canada was noticeably absent, alongside trade ally Mexico. Prime minister Mark Carney said 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, as well as on automobiles, will come into effect within hours. Canada would “fight these measures with countermeasures” he said. Already, Canada had put a 25% tax on C$30bn worth of US goods in response to Trump’s tariffs. …Carney warned that while Trump had preserved key elements of the bilateral relationship, the global tariffs “fundamentally change the international trading system”. …On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators passed a resolution to end the national fentanyl emergency the president invoked to justify the 25% tax on Canadian imports. …House speaker Mike Johnson is unlikely to bring the measure to a vote.

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Democrats push vote on tariffs targeting Canada as Trump calls for Republican support

By Kelly Geraldine Malone
Business in Vancouver
April 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Democrats in the U.S. Senate are moving forward on a resolution to block sweeping tariffs targeting Canada as President Donald Trump presses Republican lawmakers to continue backing his trade agenda. Sen. Tim Kaine plans to force a vote on Trump’s use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, also called IEEPA, to declare an emergency over fentanyl trafficking to hit Canada with devastating duties. “The president has justified the imposition of these tariffs on, in my view, a made-up emergency,” Kaine said Tuesday. U.S. government data shows the volume of fentanyl seized at the northern border is tiny. The Annual Threat Assessment report, released last week, does not mention Canada in its section on illicit drugs and fentanyl. The vote will test whether Republican senators continue to back Trump’s tariffs on Canada — tariffs that, according to polling, are not supported by most Americans.

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Surviving Trump’s tariffs—it will be a long time before we have a new normal

By Robert McKellar, principal at Harmattan Risk
Truck LoggerBC Magazine
April 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Robert McKellar

You know that times have changed when a political risk consultant experienced in managing challenges for companies working in the Middle East or West Africa casts an eye on BC’s forest industry. …The TLA and its members already manage political risk to BC’s logging industry, but given what lies ahead, a broader and more explicit political risk mindset can only help. On the domestic front, provincial and federal government policy is an ongoing source of political risk. …This is not a new challenge, but it has become particularly pressing in the context of the shockwaves from the return of Donald Trump and the threat of tariffs and duties. …The lack of provincial and federal government regulatory clarity alongside a serious squeeze in the US market, means that the lumber industry is somewhat impaired and confused just when it needs to be maximally focused and agile, and capable of inspiring investor confidence.

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Escalation of Harmful Canadian Softwood Lumber Subsidies Confirmed by the US Department of Commerce

The US Lumber Coalition
April 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The US Department of Commerce announced the preliminary determination of an anti-subsidy rate of 14.38% in the sixth annual review of unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States. The Commerce Department has determined a combined preliminary anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty rate of 34.45% for Canadian lumber imported in calendar year 2023. …“These unfair trade practices are designed by Canada to maintain an artificially inflated US market share for Canadian products,” stated Andrew Miller, Owner/Chair of Stimson Lumber Company and Chairman of the US Lumber Coalition. “Massive predatory unfair practices, whether committed by Canada or China, causes serious harm to US industries and workers,” said Miller. …“The American lumber industry and forestry sector today has the capacity to supply nearly all US lumber demand.” …Enforcing the US trade laws helps increase the US supply of lumber to build American homes, all without impacting the cost of a new home. 

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Trump’s tariffs prompt China to retaliate with 34% levy on US imports

CBS News
April 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

BEIJING — China announced that it will impose a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products beginning April 10. The new tariff matches the rate of the US tariff announced by President Trump this week. The White House used a formula to calculate the sum of all the trade practices it deems unfair from other nations. Economists have questioned the methodology, and many foreign governments have complained the levies misrepresent their trade imbalances. …The Chinese government said it would add 27 U.S. companies to lists of firms subject to trade sanctions or export controls. According to China’s tightly controlled media, the expanded export controls would cover seven types of rare earth related items, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium.

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Tariffs Will Hurt Wood Products Industry In Vermont

By Ed Barber
Newport Vermont Daily Express
April 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

President Donald Trump is prepared to impose tariffs on many Canadian products that are shipped to the United States. Included on the list of tariffs are the wood products industry, which is facing a 25 percent tariff on products shipped south of the border. In response to the President’s actions, the Vermont House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry took testimony from two employees at the Agency of Natural Resources last week… In the past two years Vermont has lost two sawmills, becoming more reliant on Canada. Vermont imported $52 million in sawmill and wood products from Canada in 2024. Pierson said some of the wood was shipped from Vermont to Canada where it was processed and shipped south.

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Willis’ new wildfire resilience insurance to focus on risk mitigation

By Kassandra Jimenez-Sanchez
Reinsurance News
April 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Willis, a business of WTW, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have launched a new $2.5 million wildfire resilience insurance for the Tahoe Donner Association in Truckee, California. Described as “first-of-its-kind,” this policy directly links insurance costs to proactive wildfire risk mitigation efforts. Developed in partnership with UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, the policy aims to demonstrate how ecological forest management practices can lead to reduced premiums and increased insurance availability. Such techniques include tree thinning to improve the health and growth of the remaining trees and planned fires to clear out flammable vegetation, both proven to reduce wildfire risk and make forests healthier. Tahoe Donner has completed forest management projects over 1,520 acres since 2015. …This new policy, covering 1,345 acres of Tahoe Donner’s land, secures a 39% lower premium and an 89% lower deductible than would have been possible without the nature-based forest management.

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LP Building Solutions Names Jason Ringblom President, Unifies Manufacturing and Sales to Accelerate Growth

By Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
Business Wire
April 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Jason Ringblom

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–LP Building Solutions (LP), a leading manufacturer of high-performance building products, today announced the appointment of Executive Vice President, General Manager of Siding Jason Ringblom to the newly created role of President, overseeing all manufacturing and commercial operations, effective April 7, 2025. This leadership transition is part of LP’s long-term succession planning, ensuring continuity of strong leadership and positioning the company for its next phase of growth. With this new structure, LP has eliminated the North American Business General Manager positions, and Ringblom will continue reporting to LP Chair & CEO Brad Southern. …In addition to Ringblom’s appointment as President, LP has also appointed Craig Sichling to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer and named three new Vice Presidents, including Vice President of National Accounts Jeremy Sellers, Vice President of Field Sales Mitch Kingston, and Vice President of Supply Chain & Customer Experience Cody Austell.

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Finance & Economics

How will tariffs hit the residential construction industry?

By Wheeler Cowperthwaite
The Providence Journal
April 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island [At the JLC Live Residential Construction Show] – What will tariffs mean for the residential construction industry? It depends. …Since all the other asphalt shingle manufacturers get their oil from Canada, the most likely scenario is that all the companies raise their prices, even if the shingles are produced in the US. Canadian shingle manufacturers will feel the most pain when exporting to the American market because of the cost of tariffs on their finished product, Hartnett said. Canadian wood: Manufacturers and sellers of anything wood related are going to feel the pinch. Wood is one of the most-used materials in residential construction (aluminum and steel are more prevalent in commercial and large residential buildings), and much of it comes from Canada. New Hampshire wood supplier Weyerhaeuser’s John Evans said much of their raw materials come from Canada, which will be hit by tariffs.

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Trump Tariff Showdown Will Dampen US Housing Affordability

Realty+
April 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

US trade wars could have major implications for an already tenuous housing market….A price hike on building materials will likely make building affordable housing feasible, an approach that many real estate experts believe is crucial to resolving the housing market gridlock. The housing sector comprises over 15% of the US GDP and will be heavily impacted by tariffs on building materials such as lumber and steel. And 70% of imported lumber comes from Canada. The NAHB noted that the tariffs are “not only expected to raise the cost of building materials, which are up 34% since December 2020, far higher than the rate of inflation, but also wreak havoc on the building material supply chain. In turn, this will put even more upward price pressure on building materials.” …Uncertainty stemming from the newly unveiled tariffs has eroded consumer and investor confidence, which has, in turn, diminished homebuyer optimism.

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Global markets plunge on Trump’s tariff turmoil

By David Goldman
CNN
April 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

US stocks opened lower Monday as markets around the world tumbled over concerns about how President Trump’s sweeping tariffs might upend the global economy and stymie US economic growth. Markets opened in bear market territory – a decline of 20% from a recent peak – after a historic rout in Asia and massive losses in Europe. The Dow fell 1,200 points, or 3.2%. The broader S&P 500 was 3.4% lower and opened in bear territory. The Nasdaq Composite slid 3.96%. The S&P 500 hit a record high less than seven weeks ago, on February 19. If the index closes in bear market territory, that would be the second-fastest peak-to-bear market shift in history. Wall Street’s fear gauge has surged to levels not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic as investors fret over the market’s next move. CNN’s Fear and Greed Index has slumped to its lowest levels this year.

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Wall Street reverses course after Hassett’s comments on tariff pause

Reuters in Yahoo! Finance
April 7, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Wall Street’s main indexes reversed course and moved sharply higher after White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview that President Donald Trump was considering a 90-day tariff pause on all countries expect China. At 10:20 a.m. the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 333.50 points, or 0.87%, to 38,614.49, the S&P 500 gained 79.99 points, or 1.69%, to 5,154.07 and the Nasdaq Composite gained 362.69 points, or 2.33%, to 15,950.47.

Related in the Associated Press: Stocks are sharply swinging down, up, then down again on Wall Street as markets try to assess the potential damage from President Donald Trump’s global trade war.

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Dow drops 1,100 points, crushed for a second day on fears Trump has ignited a global trade war

By Brian Evans, Alex Harring & John Melloy
CNBC News
April 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

The stock market took another pounding Friday after China retaliated with new tariffs on U.S. goods, raising fears a trade war will tip the globe into a recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 1,130 points, or 2.8%. This follows a 1,679.39 point decline on Thursday. The S&P 500 slid 3.2% after the benchmark shed 4.84% on Thursday. The Nasdaq Composite shed 3.5% as many tech companies have exposure to China. …“The Trump administration may be playing a game of chicken with trading partners, but market participants aren’t willing to wait around for the results,” said Michael Arone, at State Street Global Advisors. “Investors are selling first and asking questions later.” Bank stocks tumbled in the premarket as worries of a U.S. economic slowdown grew. …The 10-year Treasury yield fell back below 4% Friday as investors flooded into bonds for safety. JPMorgan late Thursday raised the odds of a recession this year to 60% from 40%.

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US Manufactured Homes: An Alternative Means of Housing Supply

By Catherine Koh
NAHB Eye on Housing
April 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Manufactured homes play a measurable role in the U.S. housing market by providing an affordable supply option for millions of households. According to the American Housing Survey, there are 7.2 million occupied manufactured homes in the U.S., representing 5.4% of total occupied housing and a source of affordable housing, in particular, for rural and lower income households. Often thought of as synonymous to “mobile homes” or “trailers”, manufactured homes are a specific type of factory-built housing that adheres to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards code. …The East South Central division (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee) have the highest concentration of manufactured homes, representing 9.3% of total occupied housing. The Mountain region follows with 8.5%, while the South Atlantic region holds 7.7%.

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US emerges as biggest loser in markets from Trump’s tariffs

By Richard Henderson and Sagarika Jaisinghani
BNN Bloomberg
April 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

US President Trump’s shake-up of the global trading system is hurting US assets more than those in many of the big economies he has just slapped with additional tariffs. US equity index futures tumbled more than 4% after Trump announced a sweeping series of tariffs, and a gauge of the US dollar slumped. But the impact elsewhere was less extreme. The Stoxx Europe 600 was down 1.9%, while the euro was up 2.2% against the US dollar, hitting its highest level since October. A broad gauge of Asian stocks fell as much as 1.7%. The widespread selloff in global markets makes clear that investors don’t expect any winners from the latest — and by the far the largest — salvo in a growing trade war. But they also suggest the US itself might be one of the biggest victims of Trump’s protectionist policies. …Overall, the US dollar headed for its worst day in over two years.

Related in NPR: Dow drops 1,500 points on trade war fears over new tariffs

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Mercer Mass Timber powers Walmart’s new mass timber campus, the largest in the US

By Larry Adams
The Woodworking Network
April 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

SPOKANE VALLEY, Washington – Mercer Mass Timber (MMT) is playing a key role in the construction of Walmart’s new Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas—the largest mass timber corporate campus in the United States. The installation of the mass timber panels began in Spring 2024 and is now fully complete. Shawmut Design and Construction and Layton Construction selected MMT to provide cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (Glulam) for two major sections of the campus, opening in late 2025 to early 2026. …Mercer Conway, located in Conway, Arkansas, supplied a total of 21,000 cubic meters of CLT and Glulam while providing jobs for 58 local employees. …”This project showcases how mass timber can transform commercial construction,” said Nick Milestone, SVP at Mercer Mass Timber. “We’re proud to support Walmart’s sustainability vision and demonstrate how local, eco-friendly materials create beautiful, high-performance workplaces.”

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Buying Products for Home Building & Remodeling

By Eric Lynch
The National Association of Home Builders
April 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

In the course of their business, home builders and remodelers buy many different products— ranging from lumber and other wood products to electrical and plumbing fixtures, a variety of materials used to finish various areas of the house, appliances, and even tools. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently surveyed both its single-family builders and its remodelers, asking them who’s most often responsible for choosing these products. In a separate question, NAHB also asked where these products are purchased irrespective of who chooses them because even when they’re not the ones driving the product choice, builders and remodelers often know where the product is being purchased. …The survey results show that, irrespective of who actually makes the purchase, it is the builders and remodelers themselves who most often influence product selection and therefore should most often be the prime targets for manufacturers looking to effectively market building products. 

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Oregon State Releases Permit Ready Plan For Decks

My Central Oregon
April 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

The Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) has published its first permit-ready plan under the state’s updated Permit-Ready Plans Program. The building plans, available free to the public, are for a code-compliant residential deck. The Permit-Ready Plans Program creates an efficient pathway for the state to develop and make publicly accessible building plans that meet the requirements of the state building code. Plans are published to the BCD website. …The first plan published is a single-level, wood-framed, exterior deck attached to a building regulated by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code. BCD anticipates publishing more permit-ready plans for other residential accessory structures such as pole buildings, detached garages, patio covers, and carports later this year. The division will start developing plans for smaller detached dwelling units by the end of 2025.

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Forestry

Timber groups urge revamp of Northwest Forest Plan following Pres. Trump’s push for more logging

By Rigo Aguilera
KCBY News 11
April 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Timber organizations are calling for action on the Northwest Forest Plan after President Donald Trump issued an executive order for the immediate expansion of American lumber production. This comes as the U.S. Forest Service considers an amendment to the plan that aims to address fire resilience, economic opportunities, and updated guidance on conserving old growth, with a public comment period that ended in March. Following the executive order from the president, Douglas Timber Operators, a local forest products organization, issued a letter to the U.S. Forest Service calling for a full revision of the Northwest Forest Plan that was initially written in 1994. …According to the U.S. Forest Service, the forest plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally-managed lands found in western Oregon, Washington, and northwestern California. According to DTO’s letter, the plan provided an annual allowable sale quantity of 78 million board feet that has never been met on the Umpqua National Forest…

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A notorious, tree-chewing pest could be making a comeback in Colorado

By Sam Brasch
CPR News
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

An insect known for turning entire mountainsides the color of rust could be making a resurgence in Colorado.  The pest is none other than the mountain pine beetle. After a roughly decade-long period of relatively lower populations, the bugs are rebuilding their numbers along the Front Range and in southwest Colorado, according to an annual forest health report published by the Colorado State Forest Service in late March. “I’m a little concerned moving in this summer because we really haven’t had any precipitation,” said Dan West, the forest entomologist for the Colorado State Forest Service. “I’m worried bark beetles are going to increase their populations in these drought-stricken trees.” Few bugs have had a more visible impact on forests across the western U.S.

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Logging company fined $16K for ‘Yellow Lake Fire’

By MI Jewkes
ABC4
April 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The U.S. Forest Service has imposed the maximum penalty of $16,000 on the logging company it holds responsible for starting last autumn’s Yellow Lake Fire. The penalty comes after a three-month-long investigation conducted by fire investigators with the U.S. Forest Service. At about 11 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2024, the only person on shift at the Duchesne Ridge Fuelwood Sale Site in the Uinta Mountains left for the day. Just over four hours later, dispatch received the first report of smoke in the area. According to the report, the fire was most likely started by friction from the logging company’s equipment. Despite having officials on the scene early, the fire grew to 150 acres overnight. The fire eventually became Utah’s largest wildfire in 2024, growing to over 33,000 acres.

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Wildfires in California are threatening the world’s oldest trees

By Jeanine Santucci
USA Today
April 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Firefighters in central California were working Tuesday to contain a wildfire near the Nevada border threatening a forest home to the oldest trees in the world, after making good progress on Monday, officials said. The Silver Fire broke out Sunday near Bishop, California, in Inyo County and has burned ‎1,589 acres. It was 50% contained as of Tuesday morning. “The fire still threatens structures, critical infrastructure, watersheds, endangered species, and cultural resources,” the Cal Fire San Bernardino Unit said in a post to social media on Tuesday. Less than 15 miles from the fire, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest contains trees that are more than 4,000 years old. The Patriarch Tree is the world’s largest bristlecone pine tree.

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Lawmakers balk at suggestion to eliminate Oklahoma Forestry Service after historic wildfires

By Barbara Hoberock
Oklahoma Voice
April 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Kevin Stitt

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislative leaders on Thursday panned Gov. Kevin Stitt’s proposal to eliminate the state Forestry Service after the Republican criticized its response to wildfires last month. The legislative remarks came a day after Stitt told reporters he wanted to axe the agency amid frustrations about its response to wind-fueled wildfires that ripped through parts of the state, damaging or destroying over 400 homes. …He later fired Mark Goeller, the head of the Oklahoma Forestry Service. …The agency is responsible for preserving the state’s forests and is the primary state body responsible for wildland fire detection, prevention and suppression. …Stitt suggested getting rid of the Oklahoma Forestry Service or giving a portion of the funds directly to local fire departments. …“It sounds like a really bad idea to me,” said Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, a longtime volunteer fire firefighter.

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Forging a Greener Future: Global Spirits Company and Conservation Leaders Continue Alliance to Plant 8,000 Trees for a Sustainable Future

By Chelsea Bowers
The Nature Conservancy Press Room – USA
March 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Continuing a four-year collaboration dedicated to enhancing environmental sustainability, Green Forests Work, Suntory Global Spirits, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) are joining forces to reforest a former mine site in Hazard, Kentucky. This annual tree planting event underscores each organization’s strong commitment to restoring Kentucky’s natural habitats and fostering healthy environments for sustainable communities around the world… “Our premium spirits are made with agricultural ingredients, such as grains and agave, and we rely on healthy forests and White Oak trees for the barrels that age our spirits,” said Kim Marotta, Chief Environmental Sustainability Officer. “Given the significant role White Oak plays in our bourbon barrels, we’re committed to their regeneration and have set an ambitious goal of planting half a million trees by 2030.

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Apprenticeship Program Aims To Help California’s Struggling Logging Industry

By Keith Mizuchi
KQED
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

For centuries, logging was a seasonal, learn-on-the-job trade passed down from father to son. But as climate change and innovations in the industry have changed logging into a year-round business, there aren’t always enough workers to fill jobs. “Our workforce was dying,” said Delbert Gannon, owner of Creekside Logging. “You couldn’t even pick from the bottom of the barrel. It was affecting our production and our ability to haul logs. We felt we had to do something.” Retirements have hit Creekside Logging hard. In 2018 Gannon’s company had jobs to do, and the machines to do them, but nobody to do the work. He reached out to Shasta College, which offers certificates and degrees in forestry and heavy equipment operation, to see if there might be a student who could help.

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Governor Stitt floats the idea of dissolving Oklahoma Forestry Services

By Graycen Wheeler
KGOU
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Last week, Gov. Kevin Stitt criticized the Oklahoma State Forester’s response to the fires that blazed across Oklahoma in March. This week, the governor is floating the concept of axing the entire Forestry Services division. Stitt has said he believes the Oklahoma Forestry Service held back resources during the fires. When asked to specify which resources during a press conference, Stitt said he didn’t know. “The fact that we can’t get answers about where their assets were around the state is further proof that this is a deep-seated bureaucracy that are trying to protect their actions,” Stitt said. “We still haven’t been able to figure out where they were during that thing.” Just weeks after the fires, the state’s Chief Forester Mark Goeller resigned following criticism from the governor.

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Environmental groups launch lawsuit over the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan

By Katie Myers
WHQR Public Media
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

The Southern Environmental Law Center has sued the National Forest Service alleging its Nantahala-Pisgah Forest logging plan violates federal law. The lawsuit – filed on behalf of MountainTrue, the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Defenders of Wildlife – argues that the 2023 forest planning document is not in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, or the National Procedure Act. The lawsuit seeks to have the Forest Service withdraw and revise its Forest Plan, which ultimately guides short- and long-term land management policies on federal lands. The full environmental review process for the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan took nearly a decade. It sets guidance for forest management of 1 million acres of national forest in Western North Carolina for the next two decades.

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Logging truck bill advances without weight limit increase

By Mary Sell
Alabama Daily News
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

A bill timber industry leaders hoped would increase the per-axle load limits on logging trucks, leading to fewer citations and more productivity for truck drivers, passed the Alabama Senate Tuesday without the increase provision. As initially written, Senate Bill 110 by Sen. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer, would have increased the tandem axle limit from 34,000 pounds to 44,000 pounds. It did not change the 80,000-pound maximum allowed weight of a logging truck. The weight change was removed from the bill in an amendment on the Senate floor. Opponents of the bill, including the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, had said the increased weight would significantly damage roads and bridges across the state and cost hundreds of millions of dollars per year in needed repairs. 

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New Department of Environmental Conservation chief honors trans ranger in first Adirondack stop

By Zachary Matson
Adirondack Explorer
April 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Amanda Lefton

Amanda Lefton, the Department of Environmental Conservation’s new leader, came to her first public appearance in the Adirondack Park with a message: All are welcome on state lands. Lefton led a transgender day of visibility flag-raising ceremony in honor of former forest ranger Robbi Mecus, who came out as transgender midway through her ranger career and helped bolster the region’s LGBTQ community. Mecus died in a climbing accident in Alaska last year. Lefton said Mecus’ career and the acceptance of her by her fellow rangers was an important reminder to the agency charged with managing New York’s public lands. “As a land manager, as a big agency, it’s critical we are allies to show these lands are for everyone and everyone is welcome here,” Lefton said. …Lefton said she planned to focus on recruiting more rangers to fill out the force’s ranks.

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Mississippi State University graduate student’s app fights illegal logging worldwide

By Vanessa Beeson
Mississippi State University
April 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Kyle Spessert

A Mississippi State graduate student is helping inspectors across the world identify timber species and combat illegal logging with a new smartphone application. Inspired by Asi Ebeheakey, a sustainable bioproducts doctoral student from Accra, Ghana, and developed as part of Kyatt Spessert’s master’s research in sustainable bioproducts, the innovative app WhatWood? provides a digital alternative to traditional wood-identification manuals used in Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Ghana by placing a dependable, field-ready resource in the palms of users’ hands. By correctly identifying wood quickly and effectively, Ebeheakey said inspectors can make an impact on illegal logging and the export of illegally prohibited or mislabeled wood. WhatWood? is free to download for iOS and Android devices at their respective app stores.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

One Million Acres of Forestland Conserved

By International Paper
PR Newswire
April 2, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

International Paper, the global leader in sustainable packaging solutions, today announced it exceeded its sustainability goal of conserving and restoring 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland. This milestone achievement enhances biodiversity protection, strengthens carbon sequestration, and supports sustainable land management, reinforcing the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and climate resilience. “We are thrilled to have surpassed one of our Healthy and Abundant Forest targets to conserve 1 million acres of ecologically significant forestland by restoring nearly 1,158,00 total acres, and we did so six years ahead of schedule,” said Sophie Beckham, Chief Sustainability Oficer, International Paper. “Reaching this milestone is a testament to the company’s ongoing commitment to nature conservation and to the great work of our conservation partners.” IP released its 2024 Sustainablity Report today too.

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Resilient growth in US forest carbon markets

By Gabriel Reis and Stuart Evans
Fastmarkets
April 1, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Over the last five years the forest carbon market in North America has experienced a period of rapid expansion, with a surge in dealmaking and heightened interest from institutional investors. In recent months, major corporations have signed high-profile offtake agreements for forest carbon credits, with the latest focus being on high quality-sequestration projects. At the same time, the uptake of Improved Forest Management (IFM) projects has grown, with over 1 million acres of IFM projects added in 2023 and 2024, reflecting the growing recognition of sustainable forestry as a viable tool for emissions removal and reduction. The rise in corporate demand for nature-based solutions, coupled with compliance frameworks including California’s cap-and-trade and emerging cap-and-invest systems, are reshaping the market landscape. Investors, timberland managers, and carbon project developers are competing in an increasingly competitive and innovative space.

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New University of Wyoming Scientist Helps Show That Responsible Logging Can Help Eastern Forests

University of Wyoming
April 2, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

Dr. Sarah Germain

Responsible harvesting and other small disturbances can help make forests in the eastern United States more resilient to climate change, according to research by a new University of Wyoming faculty member… Forests of the eastern United States are important carbon storehouses. They remove carbon emissions from the air, packing them away into leaves, trunks, roots and soils. Eastern forests are responsible for 85 percent of all of the carbon taken up by U.S. forests. And the forests support biodiversity, timber products and other ecosystem services at the same time. But Eastern trees are becoming increasingly stressed by warming temperatures, which can slow their growth and reproduction. “It was comforting to learn that Eastern forests, which hold the most carbon in the U.S., are actually doing OK,” Germain says. “With moderate, status quo levels of disturbance, Eastern forests have the capacity to remain an important carbon sink.”

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Health & Safety

Tennessee looking into Domtar and odors in Kingsport

By Belle Johnson
WJHL Tennessee
April 4, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US East

KINGSPORT, Tennessee – The Domtar Packaging Mill in Kingsport has operated for decades, and residents have noticed one significant aspect of the mill that some believe has caused community strife: the smell. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) is currently investigating three complaints about the odor from Domtar between March 31 and April 1. The TDEC said: “Although TDEC does not regulate odors, we do want to ensure that the facility is complying with its permit conditions.” …At the last Kingsport Economic Development Board meeting on April 1, Domtar updated the board on the wastewater treatment system plan. …The short-term plan involves reducing mill material losses and flow and optimizing the current wastewater treatment system. Domtar says this will last around a year. The long-term plan involves building a new anaerobic digester system. Domtar estimates that this project could take up to 18 months.

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