Region Archives: United States

Business & Politics

How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners

By Peter Tabor, Molly O’Casey and Andrew McAllister
Law360.com
January 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

On Nov. 25, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada. …Trump may once again rely on Sections 201, 301 and 232 to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico. However, he has expressed frustration with the procedural requirements — and delay — attached to these provisions. Consequently, Trump has suggested that he will rely on other provisions… which may include the International Emergency Powers Act, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, and Section 122 of the Tariff Act of 1974. However, the legality of imposing tariffs pursuant to these provisions is unclear. …Mexico and Canada could seek a remedy via the USMCA dispute settlement mechanism… but the parties are not bound to follow these recommendations. …In the short term, companies should consider stockpiling goods at pretariff prices, prior to Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. In the long term, companies should look at options for diversifying their supply chains. [A subscription or free trial to Law360 may be required to access this full story]

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Canada, the 51st state? Eliminating interprovincial trade barriers could ward off Donald Trump

By Walid Hejazi, professor, University of Toronto
The Conversation Canada
January 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Donald Trump is threatening to use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st American state. While his comments may be reckless, they are in part due to Canada’s over-reliance on the US market in terms of trade. The benefits of international trade are undoubtedly positive. It’s well-established that when countries can produce a product or service more cheaply than others, giving them what’s known as a “comparative advantage,” all other nations engaged will gain from that trade. …But the key challenge Canadian policymakers face is an over-reliance on the US as Canada’s primary market, with 75% of all Canadian exports headed south. …Canada can no longer take easy access to the U.S. market for granted. …Bringing down barriers to trade across Canadian provinces would create conditions that could enable Canadian companies to be more competitive internationally, and beyond the U.S. market in particular.

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Trump Threatens ‘Economic Force’ to Make Canada 51st State

By Thomas Seal
BNN Bloomberg – Business
January 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated that he intends to put “substantial” tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. Asked if he would use military force to annex Canada, he replied “no — economic force. …You get rid of that artificially-drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security — don’t forget, we basically protect Canada.” …Trump’s latest provocation prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to respond: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.” More than 80% of Canadians are opposed to the idea, according to a recent poll. …Trump said the US doesn’t need “anything” that Canada produces. He said he’d rather make cars in Detroit… and not buy Canadian lumber or dairy. When discussing lumber, Trump said he could use an executive order to “un-restrict” it, implying the US could ramp up domestic supply.

Related Coverage in:

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Trudeau’s resignation comes at tough time for Canada-U.S. tariff talks

By Kelly Malone
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
January 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — The difficult diplomacy Canada is attempting with the incoming Trump administration took on new pressure as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will resign his post as soon as a new Liberal leader is chosen. Trudeau’s decision… brings instability to Ottawa just as Canada is trying to tamp down Donald Trump’s threat of devastating tariffs. …”I don’t think a leadership change could come at a worse moment in our bilateral relationship,” said Fen Osler Hampson, at Carleton University and co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations. …President-elect Trump responded to Trudeau’s announcement saying the prime minister is resigning because he knows the U.S. will not put up with trade deficits with Canada. …Observers also say Trump only negotiates with people who have power. Hampson said Trump will not “waste his time with Ottawa.” That means, Hampson said, premiers are in a position where they will have to carry more of the bilateral burden.

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‘China is the problem’: Ford says now is not the time for U.S. to ‘disrupt’ trade with higher tariffs

By Joshua Freeman
CTV News
January 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Doug Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Canada is not to blame for America’s economic woes and instead is pointing the finger at China for shipping and distributing “cheap parts” through Mexico. “I’ve talked to so many governors, and congresspeople, and senators and never once did they say Canada is the problem,” he said. “I’ll tell you who the problem is: China is the problem. China shipping in cheap parts, putting them through Mexico. Mexico slapping on a ”Made in Mexico” sticker on and shipping up through the U.S. and Canada. (It’s) costing American and Canadian jobs.” Ford said the way to address this issue is through a bi-lateral deal with the United States, not higher tariffs. …Ford reiterated his comments about Trump’s “sense of humour” and his thoughts on the suggestion not being “realistic.” …What I want to do is make sure that we build a fortress Am-Can.

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Potential tariffs could impact annual Washington imports of $7 billion from BC

By Frank Catalano
The Cascadia Daily News
January 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West, United States

WASHINGTON — If your business relies on products coming across the border from Canada—what might proposed U.S. tariffs on imported goods mean to you? The answer, for now, is an imprecise “it depends”: on which products might have tariffs levied on them, how much the tariffs are, and if the tariffs even stick in light of discussions between U.S. and Canadian leaders and existing trade agreements between the two countries. …One certainty is a change in tariffs would have an impact on businesses and, downstream, consumers. Because a lot of goods move between British Columbia and Washington, perhaps most tangibly seafood heading north, lumber coming south and petroleum sloshing in both directions. …A new report found Washington state imported more than $7 billion in goods from British Columbia in 2023, and exported more than $5 billion to the province. …Canada is Washington state’s largest partner for imports.

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Builders FirstSource announces definitive agreement to acquire Alpine Lumber

Door and Window Market Magazine
January 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

One company starting the new year with good news is Builders FirstSource Inc. The company actually snuck in an announcement just before Christmas that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Alpine Lumber Company. Founded in Englewood, Colorado, by the Kurtz family in 1963, Alpine… now has 21 locations serving homebuilders and contractors in the Front Range of Colorado, western Colorado and northern New Mexico, with a product range including prefabricated trusses and wall panels and millwork. …Peter Jackson, president and CEO of Builders FirstSource, “This acquisition enhances our footprint in our West Division.” Hamid Taha, CEO of Alpine, will remain with the business for a transition period to help ensure a successful combination of the Alpine and Builders FirstSource businesses in Colorado and northern New Mexico.

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Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West: Episode 2 – The Role of Land Management Policy

By Andrew Kihn
The American Bar Association
January 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

In the second episode of the Mill Closures and Workforce Shortages in the West series, Andrew Kihn from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries returns, joined by Travis Joseph, President and CEO of the American Forest Resource Council. Together, they delve into the role of land management policies in addressing workforce challenges from the perspective of the timber trade association. Building on the foundation laid in the first episode, this discussion highlights how policy solutions can mitigate the workforce shortages tied to the ongoing closures of lumber mills in the American West. Travis Joseph provides insights into how these closures impact both the timber industry and the broader regional economy, offering actionable approaches to support sustainable forest management and workforce retention. [Podcast Series]

Episode 2 – The Role of Land Management Policy (24 minutes)

Episode 1 – The Economic Landscape (15 minutes)

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Second US port strike averted as union, employers reach deal

By Lisa Baertlein
Reuters
January 9, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

The union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.S. economy. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group, called the agreement a “win-win.” The deal includes a resolution in automation, which had been the thorniest issue of on the table. …”This agreement establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coast ports.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed. ILA and USMX have agreed to continue operating until the contract is ratified. …Employers at the ports stretching from Maine to Texas include terminal operators like APM, owned by Maersk, as well as China’s COSCO Shipping and Switzerland’s MSC.

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Snavely Promotes Bill Georgelis to Vice President of Eastern Operations

Snavely Forest Products
January 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Bill Georgelis

PITTSBURGH — Snavely Forest Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacArthur Company announced the promotion of Bill Georgelis to the position of Vice President of its Eastern Operations. In this new role, Georgelis will oversee and direct operations, strategic initiatives, and business development. …Carl Lamb, Executive Vice President of Snavely said, “Bill brings a wealth of experience and vision to the organization, and I am confident he will lead the east in achieving its long-term objectives.” Georgelis joined Snavely in 2014 and has held various leadership roles, including Sales Manager and General Manager of the Westminster, Maryland location. 

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Finance & Economics

Will the US Lumber Market Thrive or Break Under Trump?

By Andrew Moore
North Carolina State University News
January 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

If president-elect Donald Trump… follows through with his tariff threat, it could have economic consequences for the U.S. lumber supply chain, according to Rajan Parajuli at NC State. …US. companies would likely attempt to recoup tariff-related losses by raising the price of Canadian softwood lumber, which would potentially impact the housing market by making building materials more expensive. …Parajuli highlighted the 2006 U.S.–Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement as an example of how tariffs can impact the supply chain. …Under the agreement, which was active until 2015, U.S. lumber producers gained $1.6 billion and U.S. consumers lost $2.3 billion as softwood lumber imports from Canada declined by 7.78% in the months when export taxes took effect. “U.S. consumers not only paid producers’ gains, but also the losses that resulted from the export taxes,” Parajuli said. In the long term, the U.S. would need to work with Canada to negotiate a new softwood lumber agreement, according to Parajuli. Germany, Sweden and other trade partners simply don’t have the inventory or capacity to displace Canada in lumber exports.

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Freddie Mac Multifamily’s 2025 Outlook Forecasts Increased Originations, Modest Growth in Year Ahead

Freddie Mac in the Globe and Mail
January 8, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Freddie Mac’s newly released Outlook forecasts multifamily originations to rise in 2025, while predicting modest rent growth below the long-term average and a slight increase in vacancy rates, which will remain above the long-term average. Analysis notes that through the end of 2024, despite strong demand, record-high supply kept market fundamentals muted. …Freddie Mac’s research indicates that despite short-term pressures, multifamily will likely remain a favored asset class over the long term. …The Outlook forecasts disparate performance across the nation, with many of the larger Sun Belt and Mountain West markets seeing very high levels of supply causing performance to lag. Conversely, markets with lower supply levels, especially smaller, secondary and tertiary markets in the Sun Belt along with larger coastal and gateway markets, are expected to see stronger performance in 2025.

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Dollar drops over report Donald Trump considering scaling back tariff plans

By George Steer and Ian Smith
The Financial Times
January 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

The US dollar fell on Monday after reports that president-elect Donald Trump’s administration is considering watering down a campaign pledge to apply sweeping tariffs on imported goods. The dollar index, which tracks the currency against a basket of six peers, initially fell more than 1% after The Washington Post reported that potential tariffs might be confined to critical imports. …However, the greenback pared its losses to 0.7% later in the day, after Trump denied the report, describing it as “fake news”. …The report that tariffs would be scaled back had sparked a “relief rally” in the euro, with hopes that the region’s carmakers could be spared levies. The tariffs might also “be less inflationary than first expected”, he added. …Analysts and economists expect Trump’s pro-growth, potentially inflationary policies to limit the number of times that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year, boosting demand for the dollar relative to other major currencies. 

Related coverage in Reuters: Canadian dollar jumps on Trudeau and tariff reports

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Builders have the most unsold inventory since 2009. Here’s what it means for the housing market

By Lance Lambert
Fast Company
January 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Since the pandemic housing boom fizzled out in 2022, the number of unsold completed new homes has been on a steady climb. The number of unsold completed new single-family homes in October 2024 (113,000) was the highest level since August 2009 (118,000)—although still far below the all-time high in September 2007 (194,000). This raises the question: Is rising standing inventory simply a sign that the new construction market is normalizing after a historic pandemic housing boom, or do builders—particularly in areas where unsold inventory is increasing the most—need to make further affordability adjustments, such as cutting prices or offering greater incentives? …Meritage Homes CEO says they’re building more spec inventory because they’re expecting a ‘strong’ 2025 spring market. …Housing analyst Kevin Erdmann thinks it’s a bullish—not bearish—sign for builders. …High standing inventory could prompt builders to offer discounts or slow down activity in Texas and Florida, suggests housing analyst Rick Palacios Jr.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

2025 Mass Timber Competition closes on Monday!

The Softwood Lumber Board
January 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

This year’s 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools competition will award funds totaling $1.8 million to support projects that accelerate the pace of mass timber adoption in the United States, specifically in the K-12 learning environment. Eligible projects must be located within the United States and be a K-12 educational project including, but not limited to, classrooms, libraries, athletic facilities, offices, resource centers, portable classrooms, daycare facilities, and vocational centers. …If you would like to submit a project, start by downloading the Request for Proposals (RFP) document which contains all the information needed for a qualifying entry. The entry process requires the completion of the online form linked below before the deadline on Monday, January 13, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.

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Google Pioneers Mass Timber in new California Tech Campus

By Marcus Law
Technology Magazine
January 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Google’s Sunnyvale facility promises 96% carbon reduction compared to traditional construction methods, marking shift in Silicon Valley architecture. Google has entered its third decade of environmental initiatives as the technology company pursues its target to eliminate carbon emissions from its global operations by 2030. …”We’re in our third decade of climate action and our programme and our plans are always evolving,” Adam Elman, Head of Sustainability EMEA at Google said. “We’re aiming for net zero by 2030 that’s supported by our goal to move to what we call 24/7 carbon-free energy.” …The latest demonstration of Google’s environmental strategy has emerged in Sunnyvale, California, where the company has unveiled its first mass timber office building. The facility represents a departure from Silicon Valley’s conventional glass and steel structures, and demonstrates the company’s evolving approach to sustainable construction. …Google sourced all structural timber from Forest Stewardship Council certified forests.

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Forestry

Sustainable Forestry Initiative Progress Report: Celebrating 30 years of innovation and leadership

By Kathy Abusow, President and CEO
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
January 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

WOW! SFI IS CELEBRATING ITS 30th ANNIVERSARY IN 2025. I’m grateful for what we have accomplished together with the SFI network. Today, SFI is a cornerstone of responsible forestry. This anniversary marks three decades of achievements that will propel us into a new era of innovation and engagement. In this important anniversary year, we were so proud to release the SFI 2025–2030 Strategic Direction. More than 400 thought leaders contributed to shaping the direction. It includes a theory of change framework designed to enhance our impact by engaging communities in a collaborative and inclusive world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests. The new SFI Strategic Direction communicates the change we want to achieve through four strategies. …The SFI 2024 Progress Report demonstrates our commitment to sustainable forestry and community engagement. Our mission is a world that values and benefits from sustainably managed forests and together we are building a more resilient future in support of communities and forests.

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Biden administration withdraws old-growth forest plan after getting pushback from industry and GOP

By Matthew Brown
Associated Press
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Peter Beedlow

The Biden administration on Tuesday abruptly dropped its nascent plan to protect old-growth forests after getting pushback from Republicans and the timber industry. It brings a sudden end to a yearslong process to craft a nationwide plan that would better protect old trees that are increasingly threatened by climate change. …President Joe Biden launched the initiative on Earth Day in April 2022. …The plan would have limited logging in old-growth forests, with exceptions to allow logging in some old-growth areas to protect against wildfires. But those exceptions were not enough for the timber industry and Republicans in Congress who bitterly opposed the administration’s proposal. They said it wasn’t needed since many forested areas already are protected. And they warned it could be devastating to logging companies that rely on access to cheap timber on public lands. …Montana Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines in a statement called the withdrawal of the old-growth plan a “victory for commonsense local management of our forests.” 

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President Biden Establishes Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments in California

The White House
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

President Biden has now conserved more lands and waters than any President in history and has created the largest corridor of protected lands in the lower 48 states, the Moab to Mojave Conservation Corridor. Today President Biden will sign proclamations creating the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument, which together will protect 848,000 acres of lands in California of scientific, cultural, ecological, and historical importance. These two new national monuments add to President Biden and Vice President Harris’s record-setting environmental legacy, including of having conserved more lands and waters, deployed more clean energy, and made more progress in cutting climate pollution and advancing environmental justice than any previous administration. Since taking office, President Biden has swiftly advanced the most ambitious conservation agenda in U.S. history, setting and pursuing a bold goal to conserve at least 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 through the America the Beautiful initiative.

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US Forest Service Chief Withdraws National Old Growth Amendment

By Randy Moore, Chief of the US Forest Service
The USDA Forest Service
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Randy Moore

Over the past two and a half years, we have worked to better understand mature and old-growth forests, where they are located across the National Forest System, assess the threats they face, and learn more about how we can better steward these forests and the values they represent for current and future generations. …Since this work started, we have learned much through this process. …We have gained a wealth of information and perspectives. …I have decided to withdraw the notice of intent to prepare a National Old Growth Amendment environmental impact statement. A notice will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. …I am sharing some of the learning and feedback we gained, with the intent that we can make use of this learning to inform place-based conversations for planning and project management to successfully steward old growth forests into the future.

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Walnut Trees’ 40-Million-Year-Old Secret: How They Switch Genders Every Season

By Andy Fell, University of California – Davis
SciTechDaily
January 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Jeffrey Groh

Biologists at the University of California, Davis, have uncovered the genetic basis behind the alternating sexes of walnut trees. Their research identifies a mechanism that has remained stable in walnuts and their ancestors for an astonishing 40 million years. Intriguingly, this mechanism shares some similarities with sex-determination systems found in humans and other animals. Certain species, like walnut, hickory, and pecan trees, take a dynamic approach to avoid self-pollination by alternating male and female flowers within the same season. Remarkably, each walnut tree consistently follows one of two patterns: it either begins the season with male flowers or with female flowers. …Scott Gleeson, a graduate student at UC Davis, discovered that this flowering pattern is controlled by a single genetic locus. …this is similar to the way animal sex chromosomes work, with two structural variants (X and Y chromosomes in humans and other mammals) kept roughly in balance. 

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Backburns offer protection for frightened homeowners – now and in the future

By Peter Aleshire
Payson Roundup
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Firefighters last week began setting backfires to contain the Horton Fire, which continues to burn in unseasonally warm, dry conditions on the face of the Mogollon Rim. The Forest Service resorted to backfires due to rough, overgrown conditions that make it too dangerous for firefighters to engage the fire directly. That frightens many homeowners. …The controlled burns being used to tame the 1,100-acre Horton Fire are not managed fires – since they represent the only safe strategy to stop the human-caused blaze. …Numerous studies have proven that the Forest Service will have to substantially increase the use of managed fires to restore forest health and protect forested communities. …The key problem lies in the increase in tree densities across millions of acres of Arizona ponderosa pine forests in the past century. …The problem has been compounded by approval of homes and subdivisions in that now endangered Wildland-Urban Interface.

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Another Round of Powerful, Dry Winds to Raise Wildfire Risk Across Southern California

Associated Press in US News
January 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Forecasters warned Southern California could see a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm this week, as powerful gusts and dropped humidity levels raise the risk for wildfires in parched areas still recovering from a recent destructive blaze. Gusts could reach 80 mph (129 kph) across much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as winds intensify Tuesday into Wednesday. Isolated gusts could top 100 mph (160 kph) in mountains and foothills. “Scattered downed trees and power outages are likely, in addition to rapid fire growth and extreme behavior with any fire starts,” the weather service office for Los Angeles said. The weather service warned of downed trees, knocked over big rigs and motorhomes, dangerous conditions off the coasts of LA and Orange County, and potential delays at local airports. Areas where gusts blowing across tinder-dry vegetation could create “extreme fire conditions” include the charred footprint of last month’s wind-drivenFranklin Fire, which damaged or destroyed 48 structures in Malibu.

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Oregon places new rules on homeowners living in certain high-risk wildfire areas

By Claire Rush
The Associated Press in Oregon Public Broadcasting
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Oregon homeowners who live in certain high-risk wildfire areas defined by the state must now meet new building codes and reduce vegetation around their homes under new “wildfire hazard maps” unveiled Tuesday. The release of the maps follows a record-breaking wildfire season last year and firestorms in 2020 that killed nine people and destroyed thousands of homes. The state-developed maps — which will not affect homeowners’ insurance rates, under Oregon law — create new rules for those living in the most fire-prone areas that also border wildlands such as forests or grasslands. The provisions impact 6% of the state’s roughly 1.9 million tax lots, a reduction from an earlier version developed in 2022 but retracted after homeowners raised concerns that it would increase insurance premiums. …In Oregon, the new building and so-called defensible space codes will affect only about 106,000 tax lots. But experts say that’s an important step in identifying and protecting fire-prone areas.

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State publishes updated wildfire hazard map

By Steve Lundeberg, Oregon State University
Philomath News
January 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Oregon Department of Forestry Tuesday released final versions of statewide wildfire hazard and wildland-urban interface maps developed by Oregon State University scientists. …The wildfire hazard map was mandated by Senate Bill 762, a $195 million legislative package in 2021 aimed at improving Oregon’s wildfire preparedness through fire-adapted communities, safe and effective response to fire, and increasing the resilience of the state’s landscapes. The hazard map is designed to support property owners with information about potential wildfire hazards in the landscapes where they live. It also provides state agencies with guidance as to where actions can be taken to reduce the danger wildfire poses to people, homes and property. …By law, the maps cannot be used by insurers to adjust rates. Oregon’s Division of Financial Regulation oversees the insurance industry in the state.

Related coverage in KTVZ.com: New Maps Show Wildfire Risk in Your Area

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Boosting Forest Resilience California Secures $5 Million for Sustainable Management

Sierra Daily News
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

On January 6th, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced the receipt of $5 million to support the California Forest Improvement Program. This funding is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inflation Reduction Act funding, aimed at strengthening financial incentives for private forest landowners to manage their forests sustainably and to permanently conserve private forests in partnership with states. CalFire’s program will provide technical assistance and direct cost-share payments to support the implementation of forest resilience and climate mitigation practices across 2,458 acres of private nonindustrial forest land with this additional funding. United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack emphasized the importance of forests, noting that private forestlands make up more than half of all forests in the U.S. He stated that the Inflation Reduction Act is helping provide the necessary resources for private forest landowners to maintain working forests for future generations to enjoy their benefits.

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Time for Gov. Kotek to look at saving Oregon’s old-growth forests

By Noah Greenwald
Oregon Capital Chronicle
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

In 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for the protection of the last mature and old-growth forests on federal lands, but the Trump administration poses an existential threat to what’s left of these ancient trees… Last year the Oregon Board of Forestry, which oversees state forest management, approved proceeding with a habitat conservation plan that will make roughly 45% of our state forests off limits to most logging. Unfortunately, roughly 9,500 acres of mature and old-growth forest, nearly one-quarter of what remains, have been left out of these conservation areas and will be clear-cut. This is where Kotek’s leadership is badly needed. She can provide a ray of hope in light of Trump’s vow to let timber and other extractive industries plunder our federal public lands.

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Forest Officials Reopen Public Engagement Process on Long-awaited Flathead River Management Plan

By Tristan Scott
The Flathead Beacon
January 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Resource managers tasked with managing the Flathead River’s three forks under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act announced they’re rebooting a public-engagement process despite falling short of a goal to have completed the draft plan and environmental assessment months ago. The Flathead National Forest published its “proposed action” document for public review on the agency’s project website... The document lays out several recommendations to mitigate direct human impacts to natural resources, including prohibiting motor-vehicle camping or parking on gravel bars; requiring solid human waste containment within 200 feet of the river’s edge; and requiring a metal fire pan or fire blanket for campfires above and below the high-water mark within the Wild and Scenic River corridor on the North and Middle forks… The last management plan was adopted in 1980.

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President Biden expected to designate Sáttítla National Monument near Mt. Shasta

By James Ward
The Redding Record Searchlight
January 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

CALIFORNIA — President Joe Biden will designate 206,000 acres of volcanic mountains east of Mt. Shasta as the new Sáttítla National Monument. The expected newly designated Sáttítla National Monument is considered a one-of-a-kind geological formation in North America. Sáttítla’s underground aquifer feeds a stream system that supports wildlife and supplies fresh water to millions in California. “Even among California’s remarkable diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, Sáttítla stands out for its exceptionally high fish and wildlife values,” said Joel Weltzien, a day after three California lawmakers called for the national monument designation. …Biden has been pushing to cement his environmental legacy before he leaves office, including protecting public lands and designating hefty federal funds. …President Donald Trump sharply reduced the footprint of Bears Ears National Monument, among others, and sought unsuccessfully to modify or eliminate the Antiquities Act sharply. Biden, in turn, restored Bears Ears and other monuments that shrunk under Trump. 

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Planned timber harvests in the Whites are not a threat to true ‘old growth’ forests

By Paul Doscher and Charlie Niebling
The New Hampshire Bulletin
January 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

New Hampshire — Can the White Mountain National Forest protect old-growth forest and provide a sustainable source of wood? We are a professional forester and environmental scientist who have spent most of our careers in forest conservation. We firmly believe the answer to the question is yes. Recent controversy over two proposed timber harvests in the White Mountains has landed in court, with a group from Vermont called Standing Trees arguing, among other things, that the proposed harvests will be harmful to forest ecology, recreation, and water quality. On the other side, the planned harvests are supported by a diverse coalition of interests, including the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests …we feel the White Mountain National Forest is doing a good job of protecting these ecological treasures as well as allowing for thousands of acres of mature forests to gradually, over many decades, develop old-growth forest characteristics.

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Maine must remain vigilant in protecting its forests

By Alex Ingraham, president of Pingree Associates
The Portland Press Herald
January 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

PORTLAND, Maine — For thousands of years, the spruce-fir forests of our region have contended with the presence of the spruce budworm… and every 30-40 years, its population explodes. …Our neighbors in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick have been contending with a serious infestation since 2006. Each province implemented vastly different response protocols, giving us valuable insight into how to deal with the current influx in Maine. …Unfortunately, Quebec responded too late. After successive defoliations, its forests have experienced extensive mortality. The result? Widespread forest fires and degradation of wildlife habitat and air and water quality. The economic damage will be felt for decades. …As Quebec was losing its budworm battle, New Brunswick implemented an early intervention strategy. …This summer, landowners and state officials noted increased spruce-fir defoliation in areas of northern Maine. …An early intervention program won’t be cheap, costing $15 million in 2025 alone. But failure to act will cost much more. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Prime apple-growing areas in US face increasing climate risks

By Sara Zaske
WSU Insider
January 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Some of the most productive apple regions in America are facing big challenges from a changing climate, according to a Washington State University study. Researchers analyzed over 40 years of climate conditions that impact the growth cycle of apple trees from bud break and flowering through fruit development, maturation and color development. While many growing areas are facing increased climate risks, the top three largest apple-producing counties in the U.S. were among the most impacted: Yakima in Washington, Kent in Michigan and Wayne in New York. In particular, Yakima County, the largest of the three with more than 48,800 acres of apple orchards, has seen harmful trends in five of the six metrics the researchers analyzed.

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The Search for a Somewhat Sustainable Aviation Fuel

By Katie Brigham
Heatmap
January 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

There’s no quick fix for decarbonizing medium- and long-distance flights. Batteries are typically too heavy, and hydrogen fuel takes up too much space to offer a practical solution, leaving sustainable aviation fuels made from plants and other biomass, recycled carbon, or captured carbon as the primary options… That creates an opportunity for developers of second-generation sustainable aviation fuel technologies, which involve making jet fuel out of captured carbon or alternate biomass sources, such as forest waste. These methods are not yet mature enough to make a significant dent in 2030 targets… But this tech will need to be a big part of the equation in order to meet the aviation sector’s overall goal of net zero emissions by 2050, as well as the EU’s sustainable fuels mandate.

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Frozen forest discovery hints at future alpine ecosystem changes

Bu Diana Setterberg
Phys.Org
January 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

Montana State University scientists say the frozen remnants of an ancient forest discovered 600 feet above the modern tree line on the Beartooth Plateau may portend possible changes for the alpine ecosystem if the climate continues to warm. A paper about the discovery is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It describes what scientists have learned by studying the remains of a mature whitebark pine forest that formed at 10,000 feet elevation about 6,000 years ago, when warm-season temperatures in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem were similar to those of the mid-to-late 20th century… The results of the study suggest current climate conditions could lead to trees moving upslope into areas of the plateau that are now tundra.

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Amid outcry, solar farm owner says it no longer wants Michigan forest to expand

By Kelly House
Bridge Michigan
January 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

A proposal to lease 420 acres of state land near Gaylord for a solar energy development is on shaky ground after attracting criticism from lawmakers, including calls for “mass firings” of state employees involved in the plan… In Michigan, legislation passed last year requiring utilities to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040. To meet that mandate, Michigan may need to devote another 209,000 acres to wind and solar energy… In turn, state officials have been evaluating state land for renewable development… But developing state forests for clean energy comes with climate tradeoffs. Trees are a known carbon sink, and logging them to install solar panels can sometimes cancel out the climate gains… Lawmakers also object to solar farms on state land because they are viewed as more destructive to habitat and public access. “This is going to permanently, for many, many years, destroy that property’s ability to be enjoyed by sportsmen, by wildlife”.

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What’s the dollar value of a forest that you can’t cut down?

Bt David Brooks
Concord Monitor
January 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US East

What is a living forest worth in money? That’s a simple-sounding question which has flummoxed New Hampshire for a long time… New Hampshire Division of Forests & Lands just released a registry of five carbon credit programs in the state. That includes 7,200 acres in and around the Ossipee Mountains mostly owned by Lakes Region Conservation Trust that in 2018… The trust can harvest trees as long as they don’t cut the property back to less than the 2018 baseline. If they cut too much, they have to repay some of the credits. As you might expect, there’s a lot of work involved to ensure the project actually adds to carbon capture – properties already protected by easements aren’t eligible – and to monitor lands to make sure trees aren’t being cut without anybody knowing.

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Forest Fires

Wildfires rage in Los Angeles, forcing tens of thousands to flee

By Jorge Garcia and Michael Roy Blake
Reuters
January 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

LOS ANGELES – A rapidly growing wildfire raged across an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, destroying numerous buildings and creating traffic jams as more than 30,000 people evacuated, while a second blaze doubled in size some 30 miles inland. At least 2,921 acres (1,182 hectares) of the Pacific Palisades area between the coastal towns of Santa Monica and Malibu had burned by the Palisades Fire, officials said, after they had already warned of extreme fire danger from powerful winds that arrived following extended dry weather. …The second blaze dubbed the Eaton Fire broke out some 30 miles (50 km) inland near Pasadena and doubled in size to 400 acres (162 hectares) in a few hours, according to Cal Fire. …Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had earlier told a press conference that more than 25,000 people in 10,000 homes were threatened.

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Thousands flee as wildfires burn out of control in and around Los Angeles and homes are destroyed

By Jaimie Ding, Christopher Weber and Julie Watson
Associated Press
January 8, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

LOS ANGELES — Wildfires tore across the Los Angeles area with devastating force Wednesday after setting off a desperate escape from burning homes through flames, ferocious winds and towering clouds of smoke. The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot. …Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences… A third wildfire started around 10:30 p.m. and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost neighborhood in Los Angeles, and a fourth was reported early Wednesday in Coachella, in Riverside County.

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Tree that hit power line caused one of North Dakota’s most devastating fires

By April Baumgarten
Inforum
January 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

In reports released Monday, Jan. 6, the State Fire Marshal’s Office detailed how an Oct. 6 fire that destroyed 30,549 acres, killed two people and traveled between Ray and Tioga started. It was one of two fires that burned nearly 90,000 acres and nearly engulfed the two small cities in northwest North Dakota… The tree hit the power line and broke it in half. The downed lines then ignited dry grass. Photos included in the Fire Marshal’s report showed the broken power lines and impact points on the tree, which reportedly was taller than the power lines… Officials are still determining what started a second fire that started the same day near U.S. Highway 85 about 30 miles north of Williston.

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Smoky start to the week thanks to Horton Fire

By Alexis Bechman
The Payson Roundup
January 6, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

The Rim Country was cloaked in a thick blanket of smoke Monday morning as the Horton Fire doubled in size Sunday. As of Monday morning, the fire was at 3,598 acres and 17% contained with 457 personnel working on the fire. …Jason Coil, operations section chief with Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1, said in a Monday briefing that crews Sunday completed burn outs in several key areas that have set them up for success Monday as they continue to build fire lines around the fire burning 17 miles northeast of Payson on the Mogollon Rim. “We recognize we are putting smoke in the air right now,” he said. “We recognize we have impacted the air quality.” He asked residents to consider that is due to record dry fuels burning quickly, noting large logs are burning to ash within 24 hours.

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