Region Archives: United States

Business & Politics

Tariffs on softwood lumber is a ‘lose-lose game’ for both Canada, US

CTV News
July 31, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Brian Menzies of the Independent Wood Processors Association speaks on why a trade deal is so important for the softwood lumber industry.

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BC asks PM Carney to keep softwood on radar as tariff deadline looms

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in Global News
July 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

David Eby

BC Premier David Eby says the federal government cannot forget about the fate of British Columbia’s softwood lumber industry as the deadline for a trade deal between the United States and Canada is hours away. Aug. 1 is the deadline the United States has set for a trade deal with Canada, and Eby says he hopes his province’s softwood lumber industry remains on the “radar” of Prime Minister Mark Carney as Ottawa continues negotiations.  told an unrelated news conference that the industry has been the “canary in the coal mine” signalling American protectionism, saying Canadian softwood exports have been subject to “unfair duties” for the “better part of almost two generations,” well before the current trade dispute triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump. But Eby says the dispute’s long-standing nature does not mean the industry “should be ignored,” and resolving it could actually help broker a larger deal.

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Canada-US trade negotiations ‘may not conclude’ by Aug. 1, Carney says

By Holly Cabrera
CBC News
July 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed earlier on Wednesday that trade negotiations have not been finalized just two days ahead of the deadline. “It is possible that [negotiations] may not conclude by the first of August,” Carney said at a news conference on Wednesday. Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for Canada to reach a trade deal and has threatened to impose a 35 per cent tariff on goods that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). …”The president has been very clear … that there are certain sectors that are strategic, in their judgment, to the United States’ economy: aluminum steel, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber,” Carney said. The prime minister previously hinted that the Canadian government is in no rush to finalize a deal by Friday, saying last week that his objective is “not to reach a deal whatever it costs.”

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Free trade carveouts key in potential deal between US and Canada

By Sammy Hudes
The Canadian Press in CP24 News
July 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Business leaders and academics say they hope to see Canada and the US maintain free trade protections for most goods once an agreement is reached, even if the negotiations can’t stave off certain sectoral tariffs. It’s unclear if the two countries will stick to the Aug. 1 deadline for wrapping up talks. Prime Minister Mark Carney said negotiations were in an “intense phase,” but US President Donald Trump told reporters last week that Canada wasn’t a priority. Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly said his organization’s members feel “a good chunk” of trade must remain tariff-free in order for talks to be considered successful. …Kelly said he would not consider it a win for Canada if its trade agreement ends up looking similar to the EU deal. He said the goal should be to keep zero tariffs on products that are currently protected under the CUSMA.

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US Lumber Coalition Comments on Canadian Reaction to US Trade Law Enforcement

The US Lumber Coalition
July 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, DC — A number of organizations and individuals in Canada who have a long history of strongly advocating for Canadian industry have made statements about the increased dumping rate. These statements continue to ignore the fact that the dumping rate went up because Canada intensified its unfair trading behavior – simple as that. These Canadian statements demonstrate a complete misunderstanding of the US trade laws, while continuing to regurgitate misinformation along with Canada First allies in the US such as the National Association of Homebuilders. …Canada ignores the fact that it engages in unfair trade and that antidumping and countervailing duty deposit rates are simply a reflection of Canadian unfair trade behavior. …Canadian officials, such as BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar, have a fundamental misunderstanding of the US trade laws, and instead focus on political rhetoric and advancing misinformation. Messrs. Russ Taylor and David Elstone published an opinion piece highlighting their inability to consider all facts as they strongly advocate for the interests of the BC lumber industry.

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American Forest & Paper Association Welcomes US-EU Trade Deal, Calls for EU’s Deforestation Regulation Exemption

The Paper Advance
July 31, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Heidi Brock

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has voiced support for the initial trade agreement reached between the United States and the European Union, describing it as a positive step toward fairer and more balanced trade. However, AF&PA is raising concerns that the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) remains a significant non-tariff trade barrier for U.S. producers. AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock praised the U.S. administration’s efforts in negotiating the deal, which supports the $3.5 billion worth of essential U.S. forest products shipped annually to the EU. Brock urged the administration to press for a U.S. exemption from the EUDR, arguing that the regulation does not account for the U.S.’s strong record in sustainable forest management. AF&PA notes that while the United States is not a global deforestation hotspot, American manufacturers must comply with the same costly and complex geolocation tracking as producers in higher-risk regions, placing undue burden on U.S. exporters.

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Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to Create America’s First Transcontinental Railroad

Union Pacific
July 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Jim Vena and Mark George

Union Pacific Corporation and Norfolk Southern Corporation announced an agreement to create America’s first transcontinental railroad. These companies will seamlessly connect over 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast, linking approximately 100 ports and nearly every corner of North America. This combination will transform the U.S. supply chain, unleash the industrial strength of American manufacturing, and create new sources of economic growth and workforce opportunity that preserves union jobs. The two legendary railroads have agreed to combine in stock and cash merger, creating a combined enterprise of over $250 billion. The Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad will connect people, strengthen communities, and build a stronger, more competitive America. …The combined company will deliver faster, more comprehensive freight service to U.S. shippers by eliminating interchange delays, opening new routes, expanding intermodal services, and reducing distance and transit time on key rail corridors.

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Boise Cascade workers strike in Billings, Montana

By Darrell Ehrlick
The Daily Montanan
July 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Members of Teamsters Union Local No. 190 in Billings officially went on strike against Boise Cascade on Tuesday, demanding fair wage increases and improved healthcare benefits after months of stalled contract negotiations. The 20 workers cited management’s refusal to offer a fair contract. The strike follows a breakdown in talks after the company failed to address workers’ concerns over stagnant pay and inadequate healthcare coverage. …Teamsters Local No. 190 has been engaged in contract negotiations with Boise Cascade for several months. Despite efforts to reach a fair agreement, the company has not made a serious offer addressing core issues, according to union officials. …Officials at Boise Cascade’s headquarters were not available for comment… However, according to the end-of-the-year report, Boise Cascade showed that sales decreased 2% and earnings per share fell 21%, driven in large part by a cooling in the US residential housing market.

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Georgia-Pacific CEO Announces Retirement, Company Announces Mark Luetters Interim CEO

Georgia-Pacific
July 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Mark Luetters

ATLANTA – Georgia-Pacific announced that Christian Fischer, president and CEO is retiring from the company at the end of October and will work to transition his responsibilities beginning in August. Christian joined Georgia-Pacific in 1989 and has held numerous leadership roles. He was named president and CEO in 2017. Mark Luetters, currently executive VP of Koch, with responsibility overseeing several Koch companies, including Georgia-Pacific, will continue in that role while serving as Georgia-Pacific’s president and CEO. Luetters joined Koch in 1989 and Georgia-Pacific in 2006 and, among other roles, was executive VP of Georgia-Pacific building products for nine years prior to returning to a role in another Koch company in 2018. “I want to thank Christian for his 35 years of significant contribution to Georgia-Pacific. “I look forward to… ultimately naming a new, long-term GP president and CEO at some point within calendar year 2026.”

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Clemson University names Soledad Peresin as director of Wood Utilization + Design Institute

By Jonathan Veit
Clemson University
July 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East

M. Soledad Peresin

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University has appointed M. Soledad Peresin as director of the Wood Utilization + Design Institute (WU+D), a center of excellence dedicated to advancing sustainable wood-based innovations through research, education and industry collaboration. A globally recognized leader in renewable biomaterials and sustainable design, Peresin brings to Clemson more than 20 years of academic and industry experience focused on transforming lignocellulosic biomass into high-value, real-world solutions. She most recently served as a professor in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment at Auburn University. …Peresin earned her Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials from North Carolina State University and Licenciate degree in Analytical Chemistry with a focus on Pulp and Paper Engineering from Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Argentina. Following her doctoral studies, she worked for six years as a Senior Scientist at VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland.

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Finance & Economics

Ottawa positions pension investment as leverage in US trade negotiations

By Freschia Gonzales
Benefits and Pensions Monitor
July 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Canada’s pension funds have more than $1tn invested in the United States, and that figure could grow by $100bn or more annually, said Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for US trade, during a visit to Washington. …Financial Post reported that LeBlanc made the comments in response to questions about whether US President Donald Trump might request specific commitments on Canadian investment as part of trade talks. The US has offered increased foreign investment as a possible pathway to improved trade terms. …Despite the potential growth in US exposure, LeBlanc said the federal government would not direct pension managers to increase their holdings or participate in specific American projects as a condition for reduced tariffs. Canada’s pension funds are already deeply integrated into US markets.

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Why The United States Needs Canada More Than You Think

By Eugenio Catone
Seeking Alpha
July 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

I am surprised at how President Trump is gradually succeeding in his goal. …Canada, along with China, is the only country standing up to the US, but it is inevitable that if no agreement is reached, the chances of a recession will increase. …Canada needs the US to avoid the worst, but the point of the article is different: how much does the US need Canada? My impression is that this issue is often underestimated. …We don’t need their lumber. But is that really the case? …Why Canadian lumber is essential. …The first and probably most important reason is that US forests are mainly privately owned (by companies or families). …Becoming less dependent on Canada is extremely complicated for the US due to the usual logistical challenges. …This industry has been in gradual decline for decades, and wanting to save it in order to be less dependent on Canada is a waste of resources.

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US Publishes New Antidumping Duties for Canadian Softwood Lumber

FEA – Forest Economic Advisors
July 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

On Tuesday, July 29, the US Department of Commerce published the new antidumping duties for the sixth administrative review (AR6) of imports of Canadian softwood lumber products in the Federal Register, thereby making them effective. The DOC first announced the final AR6 antidumping determinations on July 27. The rates are summarized in the table below:

Total deposits on Canadian lumber shipments to the US are now 27.30%, up from 14.40%. The final results of the countervailing duty for AR6 are currently scheduled to be released on August 8. Based on the preliminary countervailing determination released earlier this year (14.38%), lumber duties may approach nearly 35% once both final AR6 rates are published.

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Canadian Lumber Duties Jump Above 25% — With Higher Levies to Come Soon

The National Association of Home Builders
July 28, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

The U.S. Commerce Department has announced it is nearly tripling its anti-dumping duties on Canadian lumber imports from 7.66% to 20.56% following its annual review of existing tariffs. The anti-dumping duties are in addition to current countervailing duties set at 6.74%, which would bring the total lumber duties above 27%. However, the countervailing duty rate is expected to move higher on Aug. 8. Commerce issued a preliminary determination on countervailing duties earlier this year that would raise the countervailing duty rate to 14.38%. Moreover, President Trump’s Section 232 [investigation] could result in higher lumber tariffs. …For years, NAHB has been leading the fight against lumber tariffs because of their detrimental effect on housing affordability. In effect, the lumber tariffs act as a tax on American builders, home buyers and consumers. …We are also urging the administration to move immediately to enter into negotiations with Canada on a new softwood lumber agreement that will… eliminate tariffs altogether.

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Smurfit WestRock reports Q2, 2025 net loss of $25 million

Smurfit Westrock plc
July 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

DUBLIN — Smurfit Westrock announced the financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025. Highlights include: Net Sales of $7,940 million; Net Loss of $26 million, and Adjusted EBITDA 1 of $1,213 million. Tony Smurfit, President and CEO, commented: “I am pleased to report a strong second quarter performance as we continue to deliver in line with our Adjusted EBITDA guidance. This performance is driven by the significant improvement in our North American business… with an Adjusted EBITDA of $752 million as a result of our sharper operating focus and the benefit of our synergy program. “Our Latin American operations, which reported an Adjusted EBITDA of $123 million continue to benefit from strong market positions and improvement in our performance across the region.

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US Fed Remains on Pause Again

By Robert Dietz, Chief Economist
NAHB – Eye on Housing
July 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

At the conclusion of its July meeting, the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee once again held the federal funds rate constant at a top rate of 4.5%. However, two members of the committee dissented from the decision, the largest number of dissenting votes since 1993. Moreover, some economic data – including a slowing housing market – are pointing to a need to resume normalizing the federal funds rate from its current, restrictive stance. In particular, Chair Powell noted in his press conference that the “housing market remains weak” and policy is “modestly restrictive.” NAHB is forecasting two rate reductions before the end of the year, including one at the next Fed meeting in September. 

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China, US Discuss Extending Trade Truce

By Phillip Inman
The Guardian
July 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

US and Chinese negotiators have agreed in principle to push back the deadline for escalating tariffs, although America’s representatives said any extension would need Donald Trump’s approval. Officials from both sides said after two days of talks in Stockholm that while had failed to find a resolution across the many areas of dispute they had agreed to extend a pause due to run out on 12 August. Beijing’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, said the extension of a truce struck in mid-May would allow for further talks, without specifying when and for how long the latest pause would run. However, the US trade representative Jamieson Greer stressed that President Trump would have the “final call” on any extension. …Trump is on course to impose extra tariffs on Mexico and Canada from Friday, barring last-minute deals.

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Clearwater Paper reports Q2, 2025 net income of $3 million

By Clearwater Paper Corporation
Business Wire
July 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

SPOKANE, Washington — Clearwater Paper Corporation, a supplier of bleached paperboard to North American converters reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025. Highlights include: Net sales of $392 million, up 14% primarily due to incremental volume from our acquisition of the Augusta, Georgia mill; Net income from continuing operations of $4 million compared net loss of $42 million; and  Net income of $3 million compared to net loss of $26 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $40 million compared to negative $9 million in the second quarter of 2024. 

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International Paper reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $75 million

International Paper
July 31, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper reported second quarter 2025 net earnings of $75 million and adjusted operating earnings (non-GAAP) of $105 million. Second quarter 2025 net sales were $6.8 billion. …Chief Executive Officer Andy Silvernail. “Our second quarter results reflect a full quarter of our combined International Paper and DS Smith packaging businesses. In Packaging Solutions North America, our commercial efforts are driving increased revenue, and we experienced seasonally higher volumes and a stable demand environment. However, margins slipped as we continue to face cost headwinds. …”Looking ahead,” Silvernail added, “we expect stronger global revenue and earnings in the third quarter, with confirmed strategic wins across our packaging businesses, continued progress on cost-out initiatives, and fewer planned maintenance outages. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canfor CEO, Susan Yurkovich on the Softwood Lumber Board’s role in driving demand

The Softwood Lumber Board
July 31, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, United States

Susan Yurkovich

The lumber industry has made incredible progress on codes and standards and in the market share for wood construction. …This month, SLB Director Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of Canfor, highlights how the SLB is increasing demand for lumber in both new and traditional applications. “At Canfor, we believe the future of building is rooted in sustainability, and lumber is central to that future,” she says. “As a company that operates in both Canada and the United States, we’re proud to be a part of a North American industry that is advancing the use of lumber in both traditional and emerging applications. The Softwood Lumber Board is leading that charge by growing the market for mass timber and highlighting the benefits of using responsibly sourced materials. Their exceptional efforts are playing a critical role in positioning lumber as a renewable, low-carbon solution while helping to drive demand for smart, sustainable construction.”

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Softwood Lumber Board July Monthly Update

Softwood Lumber Board
July 31, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

These stories and more in the July update:

  • Mass Timber Competition Judges Review Innovative K-12 Projects: A panel of leading architects, engineers, and school construction experts convened in June to review 19 innovative project entries in the SLB and USDA Forest Service’s 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools.
  • Industry Leader Highlights the SLB’s Role in Driving Demand: SLB Director Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of Canfor, highlights how the SLB is increasing demand for lumber in both new and traditional applications.
  • Design and Construction Pros Seek Light-Frame Education and Resources From WoodWorks: WoodWorks helps teams maximize the value proposition while achieving quality, code-compliant buildings. 
  • Faculty Workshop at Auburn Fast-Tracks Mass Timber Know-How: Twenty-five architecture faculty from 23 accredited university programs across 17 states gathered on Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design & Construction campus in late May for a three-day Timber Architecture Design Faculty Development Workshop, funded by the SLB and U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. 

 

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Forestry

USDA invests $106M to keep working forests working

US Department of Agriculture
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the US Forest Service is investing $106 million to support state and landowner efforts to conserve private working forestlands across the country. Funded through the Forest Legacy Program, these projects will protect forests vital to the economic and social fabric of local communities – ensuring they remain productive, working forests for Americans and tourists to use and enjoy. …In total, the Forest Service will fund 10 projects across 177,000 acres of state- and privately owned forestlands in Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Oregon and South Carolina. The investments advance President Trump’s Executive Order on Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production by safeguarding forests that supply critical wood products and outdoor recreation opportunities—both of which fuel rural prosperity by creating jobs and supporting rural economies. …To view the full list of 2025 projects, visit the Forest Legacy Program webpage.

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Losses mount for timber companies in Alaska amid China’s import ban

By Avery Ellfeldt
Alaska Public Media
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Trump administration’s tumultuous relationship with China is proving to be a major issue for some companies in Alaska’s forest products industry. That includes in Haines, where a timber sale that was supposed to kick off this spring has stalled amid China’s ban on US log imports. China announced the ban in March, citing concerns over pests like bark and longhorn beetles in US shipments. The move came the same day that China imposed retaliatory tariffs on certain US agricultural products amid President Donald Trump’s global trade war. The decision has had sweeping effects on companies that harvest logs in Alaska and ship them overseas. …The trade disputes have also hit Canadian lumber company Transpac Group. The company in March largely shut down its site on Afognak Island, just north of Kodiak, citing the ban and failed efforts to divert its product to other markets.

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Land owners of the Blue Mountain area coming together to restore the forest to be more fire-resistant

By Zach Volheim
8KPAX Missoula & Western Montana
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

MISSOULA — in the Blue Mountain area in Missoula, trees with a blue ring painted around them are slated for removal as part of a larger plan to restore the forest to its pre-colonial state — a state that was more fire-resistant. The plan involves several agencies collaborating to achieve this goal. …The Blue Mountain Area consists of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service, Missoula County, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and private land owners. They will implement forest treatments to change the forest, as the current state of it is extremely fire-prone. …The ultimate goal of all the agencies is to create open areas with ponderosa pine scattered about. To achieve this, agencies are looking at a combination of mechanized and non-mechanized vegetation management; clearing the forest floor, often through prescribed burning, and removing species like Douglas fir.

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In wildfire-prone Washington state, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests

By Moe Clark
High Country News
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Throughout her two decades working on forestry issues, Jasmine Minbashian has often found herself at odds with the US Forest Service and the timber industry. Her environmental activism started during the second wave of Pacific Northwest “Timber Wars”. …She joined the North Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative in 2019. …The group is one of 19 forest collaboratives focused on public lands in Washington and Oregon that emerged in the wake of the “Timber Wars” in an attempt to find agreement around contentious forestry issues. …These forest collaboratives, touted as a model of consensus-driven conservation, have quietly become influential engines for federal forest management decisions across the West. But critics worry the groups are too aligned with timber interests that prioritize commercial logging, and that they helped pave the way for the Trump administration’s latest effort to expand logging on public lands throughout the country by skirting environmental protection laws.

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Logging Saves Species and Increases Our Water Supply

By Edward Ring, California Policy Center
California Globe
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

There are obvious benefits to logging, grazing, prescribed burns, and mechanical thinning of California’s forests. When you suppress wildfires for what is now over a century, then overregulate and suppress any other means to thin the forest, you get overcrowded and unhealthy forests. California’s trees now have 5 to 10 times more than a historically normal density. They’re competing for an insufficient share of light, water and nutrients, leading to disease, infestations, dehydration and death. Up through the 1980s, California harvested 6 billion board feet per year of timber; the annual harvest is now 25% of that. We have turned our forests into tinderboxes. …For the sake of California’s water supply, its energy security, the safety of people living in the forests, and the health of our trees and wildlife, Californian needs to revive its logging industry. …It will also enable something counterintuitive: precious and endangered wildlife can thrive in a responsibly managed forest.

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Oregon’s wildfire bill cut landowner costs, but didn’t raise funds for fighting large fires

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Wildfires are getting more catastrophic and expensive. For the last decade, Oregon policymakers haven’t been able to agree on how to pay for them. And while lawmakers emerged from this year’s legislative session with a plan to fund wildfire prevention, there’s still no dedicated funding to fight large fires like the Cram Fire, which has burned nearly 100,000 acres in Central Oregon. The total wildfire budget for the next two years is less than the state spent last year alone. And in some cases, costs that used to be borne by insurance plans and private landowners are now the responsibility of all Oregonians. A similar phrase cropped up during multiple interviews with policymakers: The consensus lawmakers reached this year is a good “first step.” What’s less clear is if it’s enough. ….“Oregonians writ large, are going to be the ones to pay for it,” said Casey Kulla, with Oregon Wild.

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NorCal faced 18,000 lightning strikes in July. How often does it cause fires?

By Paris Barraza
The Redding Record Searchlight
July 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Thousands of lightning strikes have been recorded in California recently as portions of the state gear up for more storms, bringing with them potential wildfires. The state’s northern half saw 1,681 lightning strikes between Sunday, July 27, and Monday, July 28, Cal Fire reported, sparking 23 wildfires. Cal Fire units Lassen-Modoc, Shasta-Trinity, and Siskiyou responded to 14 new fires, none of which grew significantly, Cal Fire said as of July 28. Yet, this month, more lightning strikes in short periods have occurred in the state. The U.S. Forest Service Shasta-Trinity National Forest reported on July 26 that Northern California experienced 18,863 lightning strikes due to storms in the area the evening before. …The National Interagency Fire Center has tracked the number of fires in Northern California and Southern California caused by lightning in recent years, showing that thousands of fires in the state and nationwide are caused by nature.

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Forest Service to abandon nine regional offices

By Robert Chaney
The Mountain Journal
July 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The U.S. Forest Service will abandon its nine regional offices as its parent Department of Agriculture consolidates out of Washington, D.C., according to a memo released on Thursday by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “President Trump was elected to make real change in Washington, and we are doing just that by moving our key services outside the beltway and into great American cities across the country,” Rollins said in a statement announcing the reorganization. “We will do so through a transparent and common-sense process that preserves USDA’s critical health and public safety services the American public relies on. We will do right by the great American people who we serve and with respect to the thousands of hardworking USDA employees who so nobly serve their country.” The reorganization plan left many Forest Service experts wondering what the benefit would be, including former Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth, who served during the George W. Bush administration.

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Bark beetles reducing healthy forests into kindling; scientists say that’s good news

By Amanda Pampuro
The Missoula Current
July 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Since the mid-1990s, so-called blooms of bark beetles have affected nearly 80% of Colorado’s 4.2 million acres of pine forest, reducing decades-old trees into firewood. In the process, they’ve literally laid the groundwork for some of the state’s most devastating forest fires, from the 2016 Beaver Creek Fire in Walden to the 2020 East Troublesome Fire in Grand County. Despite rendering postcard views into wildfire fodder, West does not call these beetles a pest. Like fire, they’re just a part of nature here, filling a vital biological niche in their native habitat. In the long term, experts say they even make forests healthier. “Bark beetles serve as the ecological sanitizers of the forest,” said West, who helps manage Colorado’s 24 million acres of state forestland. One paper, published in the journal Nature in 2020, points to the surprising ways bark beetles are reshaping the landscape, for better or worse.

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‘Man’s hand in nature’: Forest Service passes controversial logging in Green Mountain National Forest

By Camryn Woods
VTDigger
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

©US Forest Service

A new logging plan for the Green Mountain National Forest could harvest almost 5 million cubic feet of timber, or enough trees to fill 5,000 school buses. The Telephone Gap Integrated Resource project was approved on June 13 after seven years of assessment. It will manage 72,000 acres of federal, state and private land primarily in the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon, Pittsfield and Pittsford, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Final Decision Notice, a document outlining the new plan. The Forest Service said in its final plan that the Telephone Gap project would improve wildlife habitat, restore soils and wetlands, allow for prescribed burns and trail building and increase logging. But the project has received both praise and pushback from environmental organizations in Vermont over the last few years of its development.

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Bobcats make a comeback in Ohio’s forests

By Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ashland Source
July 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

The Buckeye State is seeing another success story unfold with bobcats. The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a species that is native to Ohio, and one of seven wild cat species found in North America. …Once widespread in Ohio, the wild felines became locally extinct in the mid-1800s due to extensive deforestation and unregulated hunting. Beginning in the 1850s, occasional reports of bobcats surfaced, but prior to 2000, there were never more than five sightings confirmed by the ODNR in a given year, said Lindsey Krusling, a communications specialist with the Division of Wildlife. … In 2024, there were 777 sightings, according to the department’s most recent data. …Krusling attributed the bobcats’ rising population in Ohio to habitat restoration, as forested areas are currently expanding in the eastern United States. “Bobcats, they are very cryptic species, where they are mostly nocturnal, they don’t like to be seen, so they prefer those forested areas,” Krusling said.

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How University of Alabama at Birmingham protects and preserves its nationally recognized urban forest

By Shannon Thompson
UAB Reporter
July 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

For 11 straight years, the National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized UAB as a Tree Campus USA. The recognition is for UAB’s work to plant and care for the more than 4,400 healthy trees on campus, while engaging students and employees in learning about and preserving them. UAB has been honored for the past six years with the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Healthcare designation. The national recognition program celebrates health institutions that make a mission-aligned impact on community wellness through tree education, investment and community engagement. The university’s urban forest is managed by the UAB Facilities Division, which maintains data on its trees: An ongoing project includes collecting details on the more than 17 genus and 24 tree species currently across campus. Students played an important part in helping identify and maintain data on the trees.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Can the US Timber Industry and Forest Carbon Credit Programs Coexist?

By Xanders Peters
Time Magazine
July 30, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

The climate crisis is forcing society to rethink existing technological and ecological systems. At the nexus of this challenge is how the US values and manages forests. Over the past 16 years, start-up carbon credit companies have been buying up hundreds of thousands of acres of American forestland to capture and store CO2. …So far, carbon storage policies or programs are underway in at least half of US states. …In 2021 the industry was worth $2 billion; by 2030 it’s projected to balloon up to $35 billion. …Some experts worry that forest carbon programs will someday threaten US wood supply, with the percentage of forests available for timber shrinking while the amount preserved as a climate mitigation tool increases. …And as the volume of harvested timber shrinks regionally, so do local economies in rural localities. …Analysts, like Russell, say “The world is wide enough for timber industry and natural capital markets to coexist”.

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In Game-Changing Climate Rollback, E.P.A. Aims to Kill a Bedrock Scientific Finding

By Maxine Joselow and Lisa Friedman
New York Times
July 29, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

Lee Zeldin

Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said on Tuesday the Trump administration would revoke the scientific determination that underpins the government’s legal authority to combat climate change. Mr. Zeldin said the E.P.A. planned to rescind the 2009 declaration, known as the endangerment finding, which concluded that planet-warming greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health. …Without the endangerment finding, the E.P.A. would be left with no authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate the greenhouse gas emissions that are accumulating in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. …It would not only reverse current regulations, but, if the move is upheld in court, it could make it significantly harder for future administrations to rein in climate pollution from the burning of coal, oil and gas. …After the proposal is published in the Federal Register, the E.P.A. will solicit comments from the public for 45 days… [A subscription to the New York Times is required for full story access]

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Experts Say Forest Management, Climate Change Driving Wildfire Crisis

By Sophia Murphy
WZMQ CBS News
July 28, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States

As wildfire smoke continues to drift into Michigan from Canada, experts say the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across North America are tied to a combination of climate change and decades of forest management practices. “Fires are a natural part of many forest ecosystems,” said Chad Papa, the Director of the Forest Carbon and Climate Program Department of Forestry at Michigan State University. “But what we’re seeing now is a major departure from historic fire regimes, with hotter, more catastrophic fires and slower forest recovery.” In the western U.S., a history of fire suppression and reduced timber harvesting has led to denser forests that are more prone to combustion. Laws enacted in the 20th century often restricted controlled burns, which experts said have contributed to overgrown conditions that increase wildfire risk.

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Health & Safety

Nebraska wood pellet plant explosion killed 2 girls and an employee

By Margery Beck and Christine Fernando
The Associated Press
July 30, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

FREMONT, Nebraska — The remains of two girls and a relative who were killed in a massive explosion at a Nebraska biofuel plant were recovered Wednesday after crews battled smoldering wreckage and an unstable building for more than 24 hours. Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said earlier at a news conference that the children were at the Horizon Biofuels plant ahead of a doctor’s appointment. …The plant makes animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, using tons of wood waste. Spellerberg said authorities believe Tuesday’s blast was likely a wood dust explosion in the tall elevator tower. …The company has 10 employees, according to the Nebraska Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

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An explosion and fire at a Nebraska plant are preventing a search for 3 missing people

By Margery Beck
ABC News
July 29, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: US East

OMAHA, Neb. — Firefighters in eastern Nebraska battled a fire for hours following an explosion Tuesday at a wood pellet manufacturing plant, but authorities said they have been unable to get close enough to search for three people believed to be missing. The explosion happened at the Horizon Biofuels plant, which makes animal bedding and wood pellets for heating and smoking food, on the south end of Fremont, Nebraska. Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg said three individuals were in the building, but “that’s all we can say at this point,” he said in a briefing Tuesday afternoon. …The facility uses tons of wood waste to manufacture their wood fuel pellets.

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Forest Fires

Crews struggle to contain wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon

By Sejal Govindarao
Associated Press in ABC News
July 29, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

PHOENIX — Historically dry conditions have combined with gusty winds to make it harder for crews to get a handle on a wildfire burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, causing containment figures to plummet as the blaze nearly tripled in size in just a few days. Crews had managed to contain about 26% of the Dragon Bravo Fire last week, but that dropped into single digits as unfavorable conditions helped the flames to spread across more than 110 square miles (about 285 kilometers) by Tuesday The fire made one of its biggest runs on Monday as it raced across 25 square miles of terrain. The periods when the fire is most active is spanning longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said.

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Oregon wildfires: Much of Oregon under fire weather watch, red flag warnings

By Mariah Johnston
Statesman Journal
July 29, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: United States, US West

…The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 29 due to thunderstorms producing abundant lightning and wind gusts up to 50-60 mph, in combination with dry fuels, the alert said. A red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will occur shortly. NWS also issued a fire weather advisory from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 29 due to potential lightning from thunderstorms that could spark new fires and wind gusts that could impact new and existing fires. …The Piper Fire sparked on July 28 from thunderstorms 3 miles northeast of Skookum Creek Campground in the Three Sisters Wilderness. It was estimated to be 20 acres as of July 28. …The High Horn Fire in Malheur County had burned 120 acres as of July 28. …The Skyline Fire, also burning in Malheur County, had burned 38.5 acres as of July 28.

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