The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate to 2.5% with a warning that more increases may be needed. In related news: Ontario’s residential builders said tariffs add to costs; US new home sales declined in September; US consumer confidence ticked up in October; and the US Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady. In Business news: Canfor Southern Pine is modernizing its Arkansas operations; UPM reported lower Q3 earnings; Canada–US trade discussions show little signs of progress; and Brazil’s pulp industry faces tariff and deforestation-compliance challenges.
In Forestry/Wildfire news: BC’s new Conservative government outlined its forestry commitments; logging near Castlegar’s old-growth drew protests; a Canadian filmmaker examines Finnish wildfire prevention practices; and experts debate the need for more Canadian water bombers. Meanwhile: the National Association of State Foresters announced their 2026 Smokey Bear winners; Canada faces potential EU carbon tariffs; and a new report links wildfire smoke to rising mortality in Canada.
Finally, could harvesting pine resin help protect Portugal’s forests from wildfires?
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Prime Minister Carney says he’s had a “good conversation” with US President Trump… over the outlines of a possible trade deal. “Our teams will now be working in the coming weeks to deliver that outcome,” Carney said Sunday morning. A senior Canadian source said that it’s unclear what form those talks will take, after earlier suggestions formal negotiations were set to begin again. …Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Trump said that “we have the concept of a deal that’s going to be great for our country, and it will be fine for Canada.” …Over the final weeks of the U.S. midterm elections, Trump and other senior American officials have suggested progress was being made. But sources told CBC News last month that Canadian government officials have been informing industry groups a deal was unlikely before Tuesday’s vote.
The U.S. will remove its 50% tariff on certain Canadian thin hardwood plywood, corrugated boxes and coated paperboard from October 30 while imposing the same duty on Canadian thin MDF, hardboard, wood moldings, engineered flooring and kraft paper, according to a 
FORT KENT, Maine — In the heat of US midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada — and Ottawa’s retaliation — have taken center stage in timber-producing Maine, walloped by the economic fallout perhaps more than any other state. Residents in Maine’s frontier towns express worry that the tariffs have also triggered a rupture in cross-border relationships built up over decades, and that the intricate community fabric could take years to repair. …Maine is reluctantly on the front lines of the trade war. …Many logging operations in the nation’s most heavily-forested state are suffering, and cross-border tourism has tanked. Households already struggling with fuel prices are seeing costs of living soar, an issue dominating the midterms. …For two centuries, Canadian mills near Maine have processed vast amounts of its timber. …Not all Maine loggers are upset. Pleasant River Lumber Company aims to expand production.
OTTAWA – Multiple government and industry sources close to trade discussions between Canada and the United States said the momentum of the talks, just recently re-started in earnest, combined with US President Trump’s political vulnerabilities ahead of the midterms leads them to believe there is considerable appetite to strike a deal with Canada. All the sources cautioned an agreement of any sort was far from certain given the past behaviour of Trump and his trade delegates. But, over the last week the White House has shown much more interest in arriving at an agreement “than in all the weeks prior,” according to one of the sources. …Two sources described intense talks over the weekend, that were “all consuming.” Another source with knowledge of talks on both sides of the border said things are moving. …White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the US was close to a deal with Canada.”
West Fraser announced that it will indefinitely curtail its Huguley OSB mill in Lanett, Alabama and lumber mill in Leola, Arkansas. These curtailments are expected to take effect in the fourth quarter following orderly wind-downs. These decisions are the result of continued weakness in demand for wood products used in new home construction and repair and renovation applications. …Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s CEO, “We were also impacted by higher energy-related input costs. Our teams responded by running mills to demand, reducing inventory and controlling costs. …These actions are expected to reduce West Fraser’s OSB capacity by 500 million square feet (3/8-inch) and SYP capacity by 225 million board feet, both on an annual basis. This action reflects the challenging market conditions facing our business and is not a reflection of the dedication and performance of our employees at Huguley and Leola.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is seeking public comment on subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States between January 1 and June 30, 2026. Under the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008, Commerce is required to report to Congress every 180 days on subsidies provided by lumber-exporting countries. Comments are due November 30, 2026.
U.S. lawmakers Andrea Salinas and 
West Fraser Timber said it will “indefinitely curtail” its lumber mill in Leola in Grant County this quarter and will also close a mill in Lanett, Alabama. …West Fraser said the Leola mill employs about 100 people and that it is focused on supporting them, including exploring opportunities to relocate to other West Fraser operations. …The mill closures in Arkansas and Alabama will allow the company to ramp up production at a replacement lumber facility in east Texas, company representatives said. …Last year, West Fraser permanently closed lumber mills in Huttig, in Union County, and Lake Butler, Florida. …West Fraser Chief Financial Officer and Executive VP Chris Virostek said the company has been affected by higher costs. …The company is managing the effects of higher costs on a mill-by-mill basis and have reduced logging operations in some areas in response to the higher costs, Virostek said.
As voters in North Carolina and across the nation head to the polls, the rising cost of seemingly everything is dominating much of the political discourse. While fuel prices get a lot of the attention, other products in North Carolina also are seeing price increases. …While inflation − the Federal Reserve said the U.S. annual inflation rate in September 2026 was 3.7% − is fueling price hikes across the board, tariffs are helping heat up costs. Key to the rising costs in certain North Carolina sectors is the growing trade war with Canada. …Canada is North Carolina’s largest export partner, representing 20.2%, or $8.7 billion worth of exports in 2024, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Residential building material prices, including lumber, are up nearly 10%. …On both sides of the border forest products, which can be especially important economic engines in rural areas, have found themselves targeted by tariffs.
Lumber decreased to 514.00 USD/1000 board feet, the lowest since September 2024. Over the past 4 weeks, Lumber lost 2.91%, and in the last 12 months, it decreased 10.33%.
President Donald Trump’s escalating trade fight with Canada is squeezing the economy north of the border, threatening jobs and adding to families’ financial strain as steep U.S. tariffs on roughly $20 billion in goods remain in place. U.S. tariffs have hammered the country’s steel, aluminum, lumber and automobile producers that depend heavily on the American market. Steel exports have fallen by roughly half since the tariffs took effect, while lumber exports were about 20% below 2024 levels earlier this year. Production and jobs have also declined in some of the hardest-hit industries. Canadian families are feeling the squeeze, too. Consumer prices were 3% higher in August than a year earlier, with grocery prices up 2.8% and transportation costs jumping 7.5%, according to the government’s own data. …Scott Lincicome, at the Cato Institute said free trade in products including fertilizer, energy and lumber helps keep costs down for American farmers, homebuilders and consumers.
Tariffs have raised the prices of materials ranging from drywall to windows to lumber. President Trump’s 50% tariff on imports of aluminum, for example, which is used for siding, window frames and gutters, has combined with higher energy bills to push up prices for the material dramatically. Home builders also face rising costs for distribution, storage and transportation of materials and tools. Soaring diesel prices have raised costs for trucking firms delivering plywood, concrete and floorboards to jobsites. Wholesalers and retailers are lifting prices because of rising expenses tied to tariffs and energy inflation. Labor is getting harder to find and more expensive too. Many skilled tradespeople are opting to work on lucrative data-center projects rather than on homes. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and sharp increase in deportations have devastated home builders’ workforces in some parts of the country. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
US construction spending fell in September, nearly reversing the prior month’s upwardly revised jump, likely because high materials costs depressed outlays on residential renovation projects. The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said that construction spending fell 1.9% after an upwardly revised 2.0% increase in August. Economists had forecast construction spending would climb 0.3% after a previously reported 0.9% rise in August. Construction spending dropped 2.7% on a year-over-year basis in September. Spending on private construction projects decreased 2.4% in September after gaining 2.6% in August. Investment in residential projects slumped 5.5% in September, likely reflecting weakness in renovations. Outlays on single-family housing projects were unchanged but down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. …The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has soared by at least 125 basis points since the war started in late February, data from mortgage finance firm Freddie Mac showed.
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for September 2026. Sales of new single-family houses in September 2026 were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 676,000. This is 0.6 percent (±13.8 percent)* below the August 2026 rate of 680,000, and is 5.3 percent (±12.5 percent) below the September 2025 rate of 714,000. The seasonally-adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of September 2026 was 476,000. This is 1.0 percent (±0.9 percent) below the August 2026 estimate of 481,000, and is 2.3 percent (±4.0 percent) below the September 2025 estimate of 487,000. This represents a supply of 8.4 months at the current sales rate. The months’ supply is 1.2 percent (±14.7 percent) below the August 2026 estimate of 8.5 months, and is 2.4 percent (±14.1 percent) above the September 2025 estimate of 8.2 months.
Before the first nail can be hammered for a new house, a different kind of labor is required: dealing with paperwork. The amount of time required to obtain permits varies wildly across the United States. Navigating the bureaucracy in one city can take longer than the time needed to complete the entire project in another. That’s the finding in a 
The 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has 
MISSISSIPPI — In a study spanning 192 sites and four continents, researchers have discovered that conifers planted in the Southern Hemisphere grow up to four times faster and are more drought-resistant than those growing in their native ranges. This rapid growth and resilience could make conifers a strong candidate for carbon storage, but there may also be drawbacks to planting trees outside their home turf. University of Mississippi ecologist Stephen Brewer was among more than two dozen researchers across multiple continents who studied the growth rate of pines, spruces, firs, cedars and other conifers in their native and nonnative habitats. The group 
A new analysis reveals that nearly ten million acres of U.S. forest were permanently lost between 1990 and 2017. Scientists from Clark University found that Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee experienced the most significant losses. The primary drivers identified were development and cropland expansion. The report also introduces the U.S. Forest Monitor, a digital platform designed to track permanent forest conversion. Arbor Day Foundation CEO Dan Lambe stated that the research highlights the urgency of restoring lost forests and addressing pressures like land conversion. Additionally, Forest Stewardship Council U.S. President Sarah Billig noted that small landowners face difficult decisions due to a downturn in the paper industry and increased urban development pressure.
Weyerhaeuser reported third quarter net earnings of $61 million on net sales of $1.9 billion. …In October, Weyerhaeuser entered into an agreement to divest approximately 81,000 acres of non-core timberlands in Arkansas for $146 million. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions. The company owns about 1.2 million acres in the state. It operates a plywood mill in Emerson and a pine tree nursery in the Calhoun community. …Devin W. Stockfish, CEO said, “In addition, we continued to enhance the value of our timberlands portfolio. Looking ahead, we remain confident in the longer-term demand fundamentals.” …In the West, fee harvest volumes and forestry and road costs were comparable to the second quarter. …In the South, fee harvest volumes were significantly higher than the second quarter due to more favorable weather conditions.
EUGENE, Oregon – President Trump is widely expected to soon open up some 44 million acres of the country’s last pristine national forests. …With the formal repeal of the Roadless Rule rule expected early next year, the picture on the ground in timber country looks messier. Those who make a living in the forests say the problems are much bigger than access to more trees. …Sean Smith, CEO of the family owned Starfire Lumber in Cottage Grove, Oregon says the industry has more pressing challenges now, starting with the record high price of diesel fuel. Economists largely blame that on Trump’s war with Iran. And then there’s inflation, which is driving up the costs of just about everything. …So repealing the Roadless Rule – which has largely banned new road building and logging projects on some 44 million acres of pristine national forests since 2001 – is lower on the priority list.
