Region Archives: United States

Special Feature

International Pulp Week 2026: Optimizing Fibre, Elevating Performance: How Hardwood Is Helping Customers Compete

By Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
May 11, 2026
Category: Special Feature
Region: Canada, United States, International

Rodrigo Marchi, Managing Director for the Americas at Suzano, framed his presentation around a central commercial argument: that eucalyptus-based hardwood pulp has moved well beyond its historical role as a cost-reduction tool and is now a performance fibre capable of helping customers compete on product quality.

Rodrigo Marchi

The presentation drew on Suzano’s experience working across tissue, packaging, and printing and writing grades, with a particular focus on substitution opportunities, the structural shift away from softwood, and what Marchi described as a deintegration strategy that is reshaping how some mills approach their fibre furnish. Marchi opened with the demand picture for hardwood pulp, noting the sustained growth trajectory that has characterized the segment over the past two decades, driven primarily by China.

Read More

Business & Politics

Federal court strikes down Trump’s 10% global tariff — what it means for brokers

By Max Sexton
The Mortgage Professional America
May 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Russ Taylor

A federal court dealt another blow to the Trump administration’s tariff agenda, ruling that the 10% global tariffs the president imposed earlier this year are illegal. …Kenneth Katkin, law professor at Northern Kentucky University, said the statutes that authorize tariffs simply do not authorize global tariffs. An appeal is expected. …This development is just one thread in a much larger story that continues to weigh on the housing market. Russ Taylor said the lumber market is getting hit from multiple directions at once, and no single factor is solely to blame. …”With the Iranian war, constricted trade flows, high oil prices, inflation, everyone’s being more conservative,” he said. “That keeps prices at bay.” …A lumber inclusion in the USMCA would ease some of the cost pressure but Taylor pointed out that the US domestic industry has done very well under the current tariff structure and has every reason to resist a deal that changes it.

Read More

Trump administration asks trade court to pause ruling on global tariffs

Reuters in CBC News
May 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday asked a US ‌court to pause its ruling against the administration’s 10% global tariff while ​the federal government pursues an ​appeal. Last week, the US Court of International Trade ruled that the president’s 10% temporary global duties were unjustified under ‌a 1970s trade law. But the court only blocked the levies for two private importers and the state of Washington. The court ruled that Trump’s imposition of the tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 was misguided. In February, Trump imposed the so-called global tariff of 10 per cent after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some tariffs the U.S. president had implemented under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. CUSMA-compliant Canadian exports heading to the U.S. were exempt from the global tariff.

Read More

Trump says federal agencies ‘must buy American’

By Ashleigh Fields
The Hill
May 10, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

President Trump said federal agencies “must buy American”, doubling down on his push to prioritize the use of products manufactured, developed and produced in the US. …Government agencies are generally required to buy American-made products under the Buy American Act of 1933, which mandates that federal agencies acquire domestic end products for public use. However, there are several exceptions to the law including unreasonable cost, product unavailability and if domestic preference would be inconsistent with the public interest. Trump has long criticized government agencies for signing too many waivers. In a March executive order entitled “Ensuring Truthful Advertising of Products Claiming To Be Made in America,” Trump pushed forward efforts to crack down on false claims of American-made products.

Read More

Federal court rules against new global tariffs Trump imposed after loss at the Supreme Court

The Associated Press
May 7, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

WASHINGTON — A federal court ruled Thursday against the new global tariffs that President Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued. The court ruled 2-1 that Trump overstepped the tariff power that Congress had allowed. The tariffs are “invalid″ and “unauthorized by law,” the majority wrote. …If the administration appeals, as expected, it would first turn to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, based in Washington, and then, potentially, the Supreme Court. …Trump is taking steps to replace the tariffs that were struck down by the Supreme Court in January. …The Office of the US Trade Representative is looking into whether 16 US trading partners are overproducing goods, driving down prices and putting US manufacturers at a disadvantage.

Related coverage in:

Read More

Trump walks back threat to rip up part of EU trade deal but tells bloc to ratify by 4 July

By Lisa O’Carroll
The Guardian UK
May 8, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

Donald Trump has walked back from his threat to tear up part of the US trade deal with the EU by hiking tariffs on car imports. The US president has given the EU until 4 July to implement its side of the deal, reducing tariffs to zero on most American imports, warning that the bloc would face “much higher” tariffs if it did not do so. “I’ve been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal we agreed in Scotland. …He made the climbdown a day after six hours of formal ratification talks in Brussels between MEPs, member states and the European Commission. …The EU has been pressing Trump to honour the deal he struck at his Scottish golf course last summer despite the supreme court ruling. But the European parliament has twice suspended the ratification process because of Trump’s threat to take over Greenland.

Related coverage by:

Read More

Forsite Announces Strategic Partnership with Flyscan to Deliver Best-in-Class Liquid Leak Detection for Pipeline Operators

Forsite
May 11, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East

CONROE, Texas — Today Forsite announced a strategic partnership and minority investment agreement with Flyscan Systems Inc. (Flyscan), to deliver a unified, best-in-class liquid leak, automated threat detection, geohazards and vegetation solution for pipeline operators. By joining forces, Forsite and Flyscan are combining their capabilities into a single, integrated offering designed to give operators proactive leak and threat detection under one integrated patrol service. The partnership joins Flyscan’s on-board liquid leak sensing hardware and software with Forsite’s patrol operations and data management expertise, resulting in proactive leak management and timely notifications. Forsite and Flyscan will join their threat detection offerings into a single automated threat detection service that includes real-time active detection, a cloud-based command center and a pipeline intelligence software suite, providing clients with the industry’s leading high-fidelity threat detection solution and, ultimately, fewer line strikes and early leak detection.

Read More

West Fraser sawmill announces $70M expansion after Escambia grants an Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption (EDATE)

By Mollye Barrows
Pensacola News Journal
May 7, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

FLORIDA — On the heels of Escambia County adopting an ordinance to establish an Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemption (EDATE) for West Fraser, the sawmill company announced a $70.25 million expansion, creating 30 new jobs. The board voted to approve the ordinance, which will give the Canada-based lumber company a 70% ad valorem tax exemption for a period of five years. Shortly after the vote, FloridaWest Economic Development Alliance announced that West Fraser has invested $70,250,000 in capital expenditures to expand its existing sawmill operation in McDavid. …The project is expected to generate substantial economic activity across Escambia County, supporting local suppliers, contractors and service providers. …Over the next five years, the estimate of the taxable value lost to the county is $70,252,000 improvements to real property, and $3,400,000 to tangible personal property.

Read More

Vermont’s loggers are struggling. A sales tax exemption could help.

By Dana Doran, Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast
VTDigger
May 7, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East

Dana Doran

Vermont’s logging and forest trucking industry are crying for help. This industry asks for relatively little help in exchange for the major benefits it provides. As loggers struggle to survive the most difficult times they have ever faced, the state Legislature has an opportunity to provide relief with a sales tax exemption on repair parts for log trucks and trailers before this legislative session ends. The effort to secure such relief began in 2025 with identical bills in the state House and Senate, H.85 and S.46, to exempt log trucks and trailers from both the purchase and use tax and the sales tax. H.85 never moved forward, and a significantly pared-down version of S.46 moved from the Senate to the House, only to stall for more than a year. This year, efforts to move forward with the sales tax exemption on repair parts for log trucks and trailers finally have a chance to succeed. 

Read More

Gov. Kemp signs forestry, land management legislation

Fox5 Atlanta
May 7, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

GEORGIA — Governor Brian Kemp osigned a package of forestry and natural resources legislation that state leaders and industry officials say will strengthen Georgia’s forestry economy and support rural communities. The bills were signed during an event at the headquarters of the Georgia Forestry Association and were headlined by House Bill 134, known as the Keep Georgia Forested Act. The measure allows Georgia’s existing Jobs and Investment Tax Credits to become transferable for forestry manufacturers during a five-year period, a move supporters say will help companies access capital earlier in operations and encourage hiring and investment in rural Georgia. The governor also signed House Bill 983, Senate Bill 306 and House Resolution 1008, all backed by the Georgia Forestry Association. …Georgia has about 22 million acres of commercially available forestland, according to the association. The industry supports more than 141,000 jobs statewide and generates an estimated $59 billion in annual economic impact.

Read More

In Memoriam

Long before it was cool, Ted Turner was fighting to save the planet

By Drew Kann
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 7, 2026
Category: In Memoriam
Region: United States

@Wiki

Turner, who died Wednesday at the age of 87, will be remembered as a buccaneering entrepreneur whose companies reshaped media, news, advertising and sports. But for all his business success, Turner’s efforts to protect the planet itself and its few remaining wild places could be his most enduring legacy. Considered the real “Captain Planet”, Turner protected American prairies, helped restore iconic species and embraced renewable energy as a climate-change solution years before it was en vogue. …Starting in the 1990s, Turner began buying land across the Western U.S. — overseen by Turner Enterprises, it stretches from South Dakota to New Mexico. The land is privately owned, but huge swaths are managed to provide habitat for rare and endangered species that once thrived in the West. It is the American bison, however, that Turner’s name has become synonymous with. …Never one to shy away from sharing his views, Turner spoke openly about his climate worries — and pushed industry to embrace solutions. 

Read More

Finance & Economics

Mercer International reports Q1, 2026 net loss of $52 million

Mercer International Inc.
May 7, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

NEW YORK — Mercer reported first quarter 2026 Operating EBITDA of $7.8 million, a decrease from $47.1 million in the same quarter of 2025 and an increase from negative $20.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, net loss was $52.0 million compared to $22.3 million in the same quarter of 2025 and $308.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, CEO, stated: “Our pulp sales realizations showed resilience this quarter as softwood pulp markets held steady, while hardwood pulp performance trended upward on favorable demand-supply dynamics. However, elevated fiber costs across our supply chain and a slower-than-anticipated recovery in prices continued to weigh on our results. …Mass timber momentum continues to build, backed by an order book and commitments of $171 million that support a multi-year production plan. …European softwood pulp prices increased compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 due to supply constraints, although these gains were offset by higher discounts.

Read More

U.S. Economy Adds 115,000 Jobs in April

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
May 8, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

The U.S. labor market continued to show resilience in April, with job growth persisting despite elevated interest rates and rising geopolitical uncertainty related to the Iran conflict. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%. Hiring gains were concentrated in health care, transportation and warehousing, and retail trade. Wage growth accelerated modestly in April, with average hourly earnings rising 3.6% year-over-year. …Employment in the overall construction sector rose by 9,000 jobs in April, following a downwardly revised gain of 16,000 in March. Within the industry, residential construction shed 10,400 jobs, while non-residential construction added 19,000 jobs. …The six-month moving average of job gains for residential construction remains negative, reflecting an average monthly loss of 2,333 jobs and declines in three of the past six months. However, over the last 12 months, residential construction has shed a net of 49,200 jobs, marking the 14th consecutive annual decline and the longest stretch of annual losses since the Great Recession.

Read More

Consumer sentiment was essentially unchanged in May

The University of Michigan
May 10, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Consumer sentiment was essentially unchanged this month, coming in a scant 1.6 index points below April’s reading and comparable to the trough reached in June 2022. While the expectations index inched up, current conditions fell back about 9%, owing to a surge in concerns about high prices both for personal finances as well as buying conditions for major purchases. Real income expectations continued a decline that began in March. …Year-ahead inflation expectations softened a touch from 4.7% last month to 4.5% this month. The current reading still substantially exceeds the 3.4% reading seen in February prior to the start of the Iran war, along with all 2024 readings and the 2.3-3.0% range seen in the two years pre-pandemic. Long-run inflation expectations inched down from 3.5% in April to 3.4% in May. In 2024, values ranged between 2.8% and 3.2%, while in 2019-2020, they were consistently below 2.8%.

Read More

US Mortgage Rates Increase to 6.37%

Freddie Mac
May 7, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

MCLEAN, Virginia — Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.37%. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.37% this week,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Recent data points to slightly better conditions for buyers with a boost in new-home sales, median new-home prices being down to their lowest level since July 2021, and higher inventory than in recent years. Together, these trends could modestly ease affordability pressures through the spring homebuying season.” …The 30-year FRM averaged 6.37% as of May 7, 2026, up from last week when it averaged 6.30%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.76%.

Read More

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Stasher Expands Beyond Reusables with Launch of Recyclable Paper Bags

By Stasher
PR Newswire
May 12, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West

EMERYVILLE, California — Stasher, the brand that pioneered reusable silicone food storage, is expanding its offering with the launch of Stasher Recyclable Paper Bags, its first single-use solution designed to replace everyday single-use plastic bags at an accessible price point. Recyclable and completely plastic-free, these paper bags are designed to work alongside Stasher’s signature silicone line. They’re perfect for dry snacks, baked goods, and sandwiches (hold the sauces), making them a go-to for lunchboxes, field trips, team snacks, and everyday grab-go-and-share occasions. Reusables remain at the heart of Stasher’s mission. But the brand is leaning into a simple truth: sometimes, convenience wins, and too often, that still means relying on single-use plastic. By offering single-use products that are recyclable, budget-friendly and made responsibly, Stasher is expanding its “Stasher System”: a smarter approach to living life with less plastic across more moments.

Read More

Forestry

SFI Tribute to Kathy Abusow: A Forestry Community Says Thank You

Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

The opening event of day two of the SFI Annual Conference was a tribute to outgoing President and CEO Kathy Abusow, who has led the organization since 2007. Colleagues and board members gathered to mark the end of a tenure that has shaped sustainable forestry certification in North America — and the ceremony clearly caught Kathy off guard, with the surprise guest turning out to be her own daughter, Nina Andrascik, a forester and biologist early in her career. Speakers included SFI Board Chair Dan Lamb, who presented Kathy with a gift on behalf of the board; Lennard Joe, CEO of the BC First Nations Forestry Council; SFI President Jason Metnick; and Christine Leduc, SFI VP Canadian Operations and President of PLT Canada.

Read More

SFI Panel Puts Disclosure Pressure in Focus: Certification Necessary but Not Sufficient

By Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

A panel at the 2026 SFI Annual Conference — Leveraging SFI Certification for Global Reporting Frameworks and Market Assurances — took on one of the more pressing questions facing the forest sector: as global disclosure frameworks multiply and investors demand quantifiable outcomes, does forest certification still do the job? Shenandoah Johns, Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer at West Fraser, walked through five major disclosure frameworks that have arrived in the last five years and identified the gap between what certification was designed to demonstrate and what regulators are now asking for. Paige Goff, VP Sustainability at Domtar, made the case for not overcomplicating what is already working. Kirsten Vice, Senior VP Sustainability and Canadian Operations at NCASI, framed 2026 as a year of influence — with key nature-related frameworks being finalized — and called on the sector to shape its own targets before others do it for them. Jason Metnick, President of SFI, moderated.

Read More

Quebec SFI Implementation Committee recognized for advancing sustainable forestry practices and awareness across the province

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Montréal, QCThe Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to announce the Quebec SFI Implementation Committee (SIC) as the winner of the 2026 SFI Implementation Committee Achievement Award at the 2026 SFI Annual Conference. The committee is being recognized for its wide-ranging engagement across the SFI Conservation, Standards, Community, and Education pillars, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to advancing sustainable forestry in Quebec. “This recognition from SFI reflects the collaborative leadership of the Quebec Implementation Committee across key SFI initiatives,” said Samuel Bourque, Domtar Certification Manager. “Together, we are advancing solutions for sustainable forestry while strengthening our ties with the public through outreach and education initiatives that make forests accessible to everyone.”

Read More

Chiefs and Councillors of Miisun Board awarded inaugural SFI Indigenous Forest Leadership Award

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Montréal, QC — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to announce the first-ever recipients of the SFI Indigenous Forest Leadership Award, in honour of Chief Lorraine Cobiness who passed in 2025. This inaugural award recognizes the Chiefs and Councilors of the Miisun Integrated Resource Management Company for leadership in land stewardship. “Chief Cobiness was an inspiring leader, an advocate for positive change, and a friend I learned so much from. She enriched our work at SFI through her passion, vision, and thoughtfulness, and she demonstrated how forestry can be done in a way that respects the land while strengthening communities,” said Kathy Abusow, CEO of SFI. “She will remain an inspiration to many in the forest sector, and this award was created to recognize her incredible legacy and the leaders who continue the work.”

Read More

Domtar receives the 2026 SFI Leadership in Conservation Award for advancing climate smart forestry

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
May 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Montréal, QC – The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is pleased to announce Domtar as the recipient of the 2026 SFI Leadership in Conservation Award. Certified to the SFI 2022 Forest Management, Fiber Sourcing, and Chain of Custody Standards, Domtar is being recognized for sustained engagement with the SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative and leadership in meaningful conservation efforts. Holding SFI certification for more than 20 years, and as the largest holder of SFI Forest Management certificates, Domtar brings substantial scale to responsible forest management. …“Domtar exemplifies the type of leadership that is helping shape the future of conservation in North American forests,” saidLauren T. Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI. 

Read More

Bureau Of Land Management Repeals Public Lands Rule

The National Parks Traveler
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The Bureau of Land Management has repealed the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule, which put conservation on equal footing with mining, logging, and grazing of public lands. The rule required science-based decision-making, conservation considerations within multiple land uses and a focus on sustaining public lands for the long-term benefit of wildlife and the American people. “Today’s repeal of the Public Lands Rule abandons progress at the same moment climate change, chronic drought and accelerating habitat loss demand better stewardship from BLM,” said Maddy Munson, senior planning and policy specialist for federal lands at Defenders of Wildlife. …“This fits a pattern of brazen attempts to sell off and sell out our shared public lands at the expense of public access and conservation,” added Beau Kiklis, associate director of energy and landscape conservation at the National Parks Conservation Association.

Read More

Intertribal Timber Council Responds to EUDR Review: “No Relief for Indigenous Forest Stewardship”

By Intertribal Timber Council (ITC)
PR Newswire
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

WASHINGTON — The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC) expressed deep disappointment following the European Commission’s release of its EUDR simplification review, saying the package offers no meaningful relief for Indigenous Tribal Nations and leaves major concerns raised by Tribal forest managers unresolved. Despite months of engagement from Tribal representatives and repeated warnings about unintended impacts on Indigenous communities, the Commission declined to reopen the regulation and instead proposed only limited technical adjustments through implementing acts, FAQs, and guidance documents. As a result, compliance obligations affecting Tribal Nations in low-risk countries remain fundamentally unchanged. …US Tribal Nations manage 7.8 million hectares of forestland under sovereign governance systems. …The ITC is calling on the European Commission to recognize Tribal forests in the United States as low-risk, legally protected systems.

Read More

Smokey’s Last Stand: What We Lose When President Trump Guts the Forest Service

By Julian Reyes, Chief of Staff
Union of Concerned Scientists
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

…I recently wrote about how the Trump administration’s efforts to reorganize the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service and shutter 57 of its 77 research and development (R&D) facilities isn’t really about efficiency—it’s about hollowing out another science agency whose mission is to protect people, places, and livelihoods. The Forest Service has since updated its website to qualify that these R&D closures are “possible” but not a foregone conclusion. Yet, as details emerge, one thing is painfully clear: this plan would dismantle the world’s premier—and largest—wildfire research agency when wildfire risk, climate impacts, and economic losses are accelerating. Given increasing severity of wildfires, losing this research would diminish our understanding of managing forests under climate change. Trump’s plans to end climate studies, allowing forest fuel loads to build and diseases to spread, leaves our hands tied as we try to prevent wildfires without the benefit of evidence-based science.

Read More

Lake Tahoe’s fire restoration plan includes controversial herbicide use across thousand of acres

By Petra Molina
Tahoe Daily Tribune
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

LAKE TAHOE BASIN, Calif. – A yearlong investigation by Mother Jones is casting new scrutiny on the use of glyphosate in California forests at the same time the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit plans to use the controversial herbicide across thousands of acres in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Glyphosate, commonly sold under the brand name Roundup, is widely used to kill shrubs and hardwood vegetation that compete with replanted conifers after fires and logging operations. However, the herbicide has long been controversial. In 2015, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization classified glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen,” and manufacturer Bayer has paid more than $12 billion in settlements tied to lawsuits alleging the herbicide caused cancer.

Read More

Forest restoration and spotted owl conservation can work together, study finds

By Sean Nealon
Oregon State University
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

CORVALLIS, Oregon – Restoring dry forests in the Pacific Northwest, shaped by frequent low-intensity fire and widely spaced trees, often means thinning dense stands that accumulated after decades of fire suppression. This can make forests healthier and more resilient to wildfire, but it can raise concerns about protecting wildlife that depend on dense tree cover, including the northern spotted owl. A new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the US Forest Service and just published in Forest Ecology & Management, suggests that restoration of landscapes that historically burned frequently through planned, controlled fire does not have to conflict with spotted owl conservation. The study, led by Jeremy Rockweit, a postdoctoral student at Oregon State, identified forest areas used by the northern spotted owl for nesting and roosting that were more and less likely to persist through fire. 

Read More

Southeast Alaskans largely critical of new direction on Tongass management plan, process

By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
May 9, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A new direction in the Tongass management plan gathered more than 300 comments from Southeast Alaskans, who asked the U.S. Forest Service to manage timber and mining, along with recreation, in the forest they call home. The Coeur Alaska Kensington Mine said the revised plan should recognize the Tongass National Forest as a mining district, not solely as a timber or conservation reserve. …Others criticized the Trump administration and made a plea to protect old-growth forests and the wildlife that live there. Some criticized the Forest Service itself for a rushed process. …An online comment submitted by Kathy Hansen, executive director of the Southeast Alaska Fishermen’s Alliance, said the plan does not adequately address protections. …Residents at the workshop and in online comments said they felt the community use areas and high-use recreation area zones didn’t accurately reflect what Southeast Alaskans want.

Read More

Washington public lands agency confronts operating cash crunch, as logging revenue lags

By Aspen Ford
The Washington Standard
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A regional timber industry group warns that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is headed for deep budget trouble that will result in state worker layoffs and force taxpayers to foot more of the bill to keep the agency running. Counties that rely on logging revenue from land the agency manages could be at financial risk, too, argues the American Forest Resource Council. …Foresters inside the agency are pointing to Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove’s decision to pause some timber sales for eight months as a reason for the looming deficit in a key operating account, which covers many of the department’s expenses for managing timberland. …Upthegrove and other agency leadership say recent management decisions are not to blame for the low balance. …Timber harvesting hit a 22-year low last year, but it’s on the rise now, according to Heath Heikkila, director of government affairs with the American Forest Resource Council.

Read More

University of California, Davis Study Finds Every $1 Spent on Wildfire Prevention Saves $3.75 as Forest Fuel Treatments Reduce Wildfire Spread

By Amy Quinton
Sierra Sun Times
May 10, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Every dollar spent on forest fuel treatments saves about $3.75 in wildfire damages, according to a new study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, of nearly 300 fires in the western United States. The study estimated that the treatments, such as forest thinning and prescribed burns, prevented $2.8 billion in losses, reduced wildfire spread and fire severity. …The study is the first to evaluate the economic value of Forest Service fuel treatments across the West at a large-scale using data from wildfires that encountered fuel treatments rather than relying on wildfire simulation models. It was published today in Science. …“Our results suggest that when fewer resources are available to agencies like the Forest Service, more of the economic burden of wildfires falls on the public” said lead author Frederik Strabo, a postdoctoral scholar. …Across the fires studied, fuel treatments reduced total burned area by 36%, or about 152,000 acres, relative to a scenario without treatments.

Read More

Washington public lands agency confronts operating cash crunch, as logging revenue lags

By Aspen Ford
The Washington State Standard
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

The American Forest Resource Council warns that Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is headed for deep budget trouble that will result in state worker layoffs and force taxpayers to foot more of the bill to keep the agency running. Counties that rely on logging revenue from land the agency manages could be at financial risk, too. While it’s become common for the group to clash with the department, they’re not the only ones complaining. Foresters inside the agency are pointing to Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove’s decision to pause some timber sales for eight months as a reason for the looming deficit in a key operating account, which covers many of the department’s expenses for managing timberland. …Upthegrove and other agency leadership say … it has less to do with recent timber sale activity on state land and more to do with the timing of when logging revenue reaches the agency.  

Read More

Wildfire damages and the cost-effective role of forest fuel treatments

By Frederik Strabo, Calvin Bryan and Matthew Reimer
Science Magazine
May 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Wildfires are among the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century, intensified by the accumulation of forest fuels after a century of fire suppression policies. Although fuel-reduction treatments (“fuel treatments”) are a primary tool for reducing wildfire risk, they remain underutilized, partly owing to limited evidence of their economic value. In this study, we integrated high-resolution data on wildfires, fuel treatments, suppression effort, and damages across the Western United States to assess their cost-effectiveness. Using a quasi-experimental design, we found that fuel treatments reduced wildfire spread and severity, avoiding an estimated $2.8 billion in damages by limiting structure loss, cutting carbon dioxide emissions, and lowering fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure. Each dollar invested yielded $3.73 in expected benefits. Our findings demonstrate the value of fuel treatment investments and offer guidance for maximizing their effectiveness.

Read More

Oregon’s congressional Democrats raise concerns about federal wildfire response in the Northwest

By Alex Baumhardt
Oregon Public Broadcasting
May 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Oregon’s congressional Democrats on Wednesday warned that federal agencies tasked with helping prevent and fight fires in the Northwest could be understaffed and underprepared going into the 2026 fire season. Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Portland and Willamette Valley-area U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas left a Wednesday wildfire season briefing at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland with “deep concerns” about federal agencies’ capacity to respond to what’s expected to be a long and severe fire season in the region. The center is the headquarters for a wildfire prevention and response network that includes nine state and federal agencies across the West. The lawmakers said budget cuts and the loss of staff at federal science and land management agencies — especially at the U.S. Forest Service, tasked with the largest share of federal wildland fire prevention and response — have created needless uncertainty and chaos.

Read More

Lack of funding significantly reduced 2025 aerial forest surveys

By Katelyn Welsh
Sierra Sun Times
May 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – An annual aerial survey that monitors forest health was significantly reduced in 2025 due to a lack of funding, resulting in many portions of California forests, including the Tahoe area, not being included. Since 2006, the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region’s Aerial Survey Program has flown over California forests every year to observe and document tree mortality, defoliation, and other damage. These annual estimates capture tree mortality patterns and trends, which researchers and foresters use to monitor ecosystem disturbances often caused by insects and disease. The information is also important for fire behavior forecasting. Typically covering large swaths of California landscape and a majority of national forests in California, including the Tahoe National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 2025’s survey was limited to Southern California forests and the far southern Sierra Nevada. The report states surveys were conducted in areas where 2025 drought conditions were most severe.

Read More

U.S. Forest Service drops large logging, thinning project near Yellowstone National Park

By Darrell Ehrlick
Daily Montanan
May 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A large logging project near Cooke City and an entrance to Yellowstone National Park has been scrubbed by the U. S. Forest Service after conservation groups challenged the federal government, saying it was using unproven methods at the risk of several endangered species. The Cooke City Fuels Project was withdrawn by the Forest Service and would have encompassed 19,921 acres. …The Forest Service would have removed other trees and brush around the endangered Whitebark Pine trees as a means to bolster their chances of survival. However, the conservation groups which challenged the project said that there was no scientific research validating the technique. …The lawsuit had also claimed that the Forest Service disregarded wide swaths of designated Canada lynx habitat. Also, the suit pointed out that increased logging activities and road building in the area would disrupt grizzly bear habitat.

Read More

Mill closures, rising costs strain Wisconsin’s forest industry

By Maddie Schaffer
Civic Media
May 11, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

Fred Clark (©Wiki)

Wisconsin’s forest industry is facing growing pressure from mill closures, rising logging costs and changing timber markets. Former state lawmaker Fred Clark says the future of the Northwoods economy depends on long-term investment in the state’s forests. Clark, who is currently running for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, recently published a letter calling for renewed investment in Wisconsin forests and the industries tied to them. Clark has a long background in forestry and conservation, including work as a forest ecologist, forester and land conservation consultant. He has also served on the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board and the Wisconsin Council on Forestry. “We can’t be assured that the next hundred years are going to be easy if we don’t act smartly about it,” Clark said in a recent interview with WHSM and WBZH.

Read More

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Evaluating New Potential Markets Abroad For Wood Pellets

By Katie Schroeder, Associate Editor, Pellet Mill Magazine
Biomass Magazine
May 11, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, International

Many US pellet exporters are evaluating new potential markets abroad to diversify their portfolios and adjust to evolving policy landscapes. At the same time, other countries around the world are increasing production and use of wood pellets as a coal replacement for power generation, as well as renewable heating option for residential heating systems and industrial utilization. From Vietnam to smaller markets such as Poland, global wood pellet production continues to grow. …US manufacturers produced over 11 million tons of wood pellets in 2025, including premium and utility pellets. A majority of that volume was exported—an estimated total of 9.37 million tons last year. Globally, pellet producers are experiencing a tug of war between increased biomass use due to decarbonization efforts and increased scrutiny from programs such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation and other countries’ evolving policy mechanisms. …Finding new substantial markets for US pellets may prove to be a challenge. 

Read More

Forest Fires

10 Manitoba firefighters land in Minnesota to help state’s wildfire fight

CBC News
May 11, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West, US West

Manitoba is returning the favour to a southern neighbour that sent firefighters to the province during last year’s devastating wildfire season that killed two people and displaced 33,000 others. Ten Manitoba firefighters landed in Bemidji, Minn., on Saturday to help with that state’s wildfire-fighting efforts. “You were there for us, we will be there for you,” said Ian Bushie, Manitoba’s natural resources minister. …Manitoba and Minnesota are part of the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact and share resources during major fires. …There was a blaze near Lake Bemidji State Park over the weekend that burned around eight acres. “While their fires are not out of control, this is assistance and relief for the crews that they have on the ground there,” Bushie said in an interview. He added the firefighters are on a 14-day deployment but could be called back early if conditions change.

Read More

Prescribed burn turns into wildfire 14 miles from Bend

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
May 8, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

A multi-day prescribed burn in Deschutes County jumped containment lines on Thursday, prompting fire agencies to declare a wildfire. The fire on Pine Mountain, about 14 miles southeast of Bend, grew to 2,866 acres by Friday afternoon with the perimeter listed as 25% contained. The fire was mostly burning on federal land, as well as some private land. The wildfire declaration should help the U.S. Forest Service and local fire agencies tap into additional resources — like equipment and extra hands — as they dig containment lines around the fire’s perimeter. …That morning, the smoke appeared to be petering out, based on camera footage from the Oregon Hazards Lab’s wildfire camera networks. …On Thursday morning, the Forest Service announced it was canceling the burn “due to unfavorable conditions.” The agency declared the burn had turned into a wildfire that afternoon, after multiple spot fires appeared outside of the burn’s boundaries.

Read More

Crews battle Northern Michigan wildfire for third day

By Justine Lofton
Michigan Live
May 6, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US East

OSCODA COUNTY, MI – Firefighters are holding the line around a 124-acre wildfire in Northern Michigan today. This is the third day of firefighting operations around the Mapes Fire, which started on Monday, about five miles west of Mio in Oscoda County. As of this morning, the fire is 90% contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The fire began on private property on Mapes Road in Big Creek Township. It quickly spread to public land and has burned mostly within the Huron-Manistee National Forest. At least two structures have been destroyed. Residents on Camp 10 Road were evacuated from their homes Monday afternoon but were allowed to return later that day. Reports say the fire was caused by downed power lines and high wind speed, as determined by a Michigan Department of Natural Resources inspector. However, the USFS says the cause is under investigation.

Read More

Crews work to contain 100 acre wildfire amid critical fire weather

By Roxanne Werly
UpNorthLive
May 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US East

OSCODA COUNTY, Mich. — Crews are working to contain a wildfire in Oscoda County after it prompted evacuations Monday. The wildfire is about 100 acres and primarily on national forest land around Camp Ten Road near Lost Sky Ranch. Residents living near Camp 10 Road were evacuated to a shelter Monday afternoon, but were able to return home several hours later. Monday night officials said two structures were destroyed and the fire was about 80 percent contained. …A Red Flag Warning is in effect for parts of Michigan due to critical fire weather, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation.

Read More