Region Archives: United States

Today’s Takeaway

US Department of Commerce to Increase Duties on Canadian Softwood Lumber 20.56%

The Tree Frog Forestry News
July 25, 2025
Category: Today's Takeaway
Region: Canada, United States

Breaking News: The US Department of Commerce today announced the final anti-dumping duty rate of 20.56% in the sixth annual antidumping review of unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States. 


The Forest Stewardship Council lifted its suspension of Asia Pulp & Paper in the interest of speedy redress—to Greenpeace’s dismay. In other Business news: Kruger plans a $700M modernization of its Corner Brook mill; Northern Pulp’s cleanup plan is still pending; Port Angeles demands a full cleanup of Rayonier mill site; UPM to curtail paper production due to overcapacity; Weyerhaeuser posts lower Q2, 2025 earnings; the US plans to continue investigating hardwood plywood imports; and the USDA draws criticism for relocating DC staff. Meanwhile: Ontario invests in forest biomass; and the Wood Flooring Association has a new CEO.

In Forestry/Wildfire news: BC’s Forest Practices Board released its annual report; West Fraser and Lake Babine Nation celebrate a new tenure; Ben Parfitt on the fibre challenge faced by BC’s value-added mills; a blockade highlights Quebec’s Indigenous consultation gap; Thompson River University joins National wildfire resilience network; Washington state secures long-delayed wildfire funds; a study say US forest diversity continues to decline, the Fix Our Forests Act draws fire; and Congress moves to stop killing of barred owls.

Finally, West Fraser was justified in safety violation firing, and WorkSafeBC’s proposed regulatory amendments.

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Breaking News

US Department of Commerce to Increase Duties on Canadian Softwood Lumber 20.56%

BC Council of Forest Industries, BC Lumber Trade Council & US Lumber Coalition
July 25, 2025
Category: Breaking News, Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US Department of Commerce today announced the final anti-dumping duty rate of 20.56% in the sixth annual antidumping review of unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States. The review covers lumber imported in calendar year 2023. If the Department’s forthcoming determination in the countervailing duty review is consistent with the preliminary results, the combined rate will be well over 30%.

Council of Forest Industries (COFI):

COFI strongly condemns today’s decision by the US Department of Commerce to once again increase anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber. These unjustified and punitive trade actions continue to harm workers, families, and communities across British Columbia and Canada—and have gone unresolved for far too long.  We call on the Government of Canada to make resolution of the softwood lumber dispute a top national priority. But this latest escalation also underscores a hard truth: we cannot wait for the US to act.  To keep forestry workers employed and communities strong, BC must urgently strengthen the conditions to succeed here at home. That starts with treating forestry as a major project to reach a target harvest of 45 million cubic metres and taking immediate action to restore wood flow, protect jobs, and stabilize the sector—while laying the groundwork for long-term competitiveness. 

US Lumber Coalition:

The US Lumber Coalition applauds Trump Administration’s strong enforcement of the US trade Laws against egregious levels of unfair trade by Canada in softwood lumber. “20.56% – that is the enormous extent to which Canadian producers dumped their lumber in the US market. …Andrew Miller, Chairman of the Coalition said., “The Commerce Department has once again proven the severity of market disruption caused by Canada’s unfair trading. Time has come for Canada to reconcile the size of its industry with market realities. The United States will no longer absorb Canada’s massive excess capacity in lumber at the expense of US mills and communities.” …US lumber industry and workers letter to President Trump. Enforcing U.S. trade laws helps increase the U.S. supply of lumber to build American homes, all without impacting the cost of a new home, as demonstrated by data from the NAHB and Fastmarkets Random Lengths. 

BC Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC):

 The BCLTC is deeply disappointed by today’s final determination by the US Department of Commerce to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber to 20.56%.  This decision represents yet another example of ongoing US protectionism at a time when cross-border cooperation should be a shared priority. “These duties are both unjustified and harmful,” said Kurt Niquidet, President of the BC Lumber Trade Council. “They unfairly penalize forestry workers and families across British Columbia, while further increasing costs for American homebuilders and consumers. Niquidet emphasized the need for a lasting resolution: “Rather than prolonging this decades-old dispute through costly litigation, we urge both governments to pursue a fair and durable agreement that delivers long-term certainty in the softwood lumber trade.” 

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Business & Politics

US Department of Commerce to Increase Duties on Canadian Softwood Lumber 20.56%

BC Council of Forest Industries, BC Lumber Trade Council & US Lumber Coalition
July 25, 2025
Category: Breaking News, Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The US Department of Commerce today announced the final anti-dumping duty rate of 20.56% in the sixth annual antidumping review of unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the United States. The review covers lumber imported in calendar year 2023. If the Department’s forthcoming determination in the countervailing duty review is consistent with the preliminary results, the combined rate will be well over 30%.

Council of Forest Industries (COFI):

COFI strongly condemns today’s decision by the US Department of Commerce to once again increase anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber. These unjustified and punitive trade actions continue to harm workers, families, and communities across British Columbia and Canada—and have gone unresolved for far too long.  We call on the Government of Canada to make resolution of the softwood lumber dispute a top national priority. But this latest escalation also underscores a hard truth: we cannot wait for the US to act.  To keep forestry workers employed and communities strong, BC must urgently strengthen the conditions to succeed here at home. That starts with treating forestry as a major project to reach a target harvest of 45 million cubic metres and taking immediate action to restore wood flow, protect jobs, and stabilize the sector—while laying the groundwork for long-term competitiveness. 

US Lumber Coalition:

The US Lumber Coalition applauds Trump Administration’s strong enforcement of the US trade Laws against egregious levels of unfair trade by Canada in softwood lumber. “20.56% – that is the enormous extent to which Canadian producers dumped their lumber in the US market. …Andrew Miller, Chairman of the Coalition said., “The Commerce Department has once again proven the severity of market disruption caused by Canada’s unfair trading. Time has come for Canada to reconcile the size of its industry with market realities. The United States will no longer absorb Canada’s massive excess capacity in lumber at the expense of US mills and communities.” …US lumber industry and workers letter to President Trump. Enforcing U.S. trade laws helps increase the U.S. supply of lumber to build American homes, all without impacting the cost of a new home, as demonstrated by data from the NAHB and Fastmarkets Random Lengths. 

BC Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC):

 The BCLTC is deeply disappointed by today’s final determination by the US Department of Commerce to raise anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber to 20.56%.  This decision represents yet another example of ongoing US protectionism at a time when cross-border cooperation should be a shared priority. “These duties are both unjustified and harmful,” said Kurt Niquidet, President of the BC Lumber Trade Council. “They unfairly penalize forestry workers and families across British Columbia, while further increasing costs for American homebuilders and consumers. Niquidet emphasized the need for a lasting resolution: “Rather than prolonging this decades-old dispute through costly litigation, we urge both governments to pursue a fair and durable agreement that delivers long-term certainty in the softwood lumber trade.” 

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Canada Employs Unfounded Scare Tactics in Attempt to Attack President Trump’s Successful Trade Policies

The US Lumber Coalition
July 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — CNN published an article citing the Canadian Chamber of Commerce… claiming that tariffs on Canadian building materials, with an emphasis on lumber, will drive up the cost of housing for US consumers. This is incorrect. …”In order to continue seeing the massive growth of US softwood lumber production capacity that we have seen over the last nine years as a result of US trade law enforcement, it is essential that President Trump takes all necessary steps to downsizing Canada’s unsustainable 8 billion board feet of excess lumber capacity that is stifling continued US growth,” said Andrew Miller. …”Canadian softwood lumber companies, not U.S. consumers, directly pay the import duties through their U.S. subsidiaries. …”Canada is desperately trying to avoid paying their bill to the US taxpayers. …They are suggesting relieving Canada from having to pay future duties while continuing to dump their excess lumber into the US market,” added Zoltan van Heyningen.

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Canfor’s 77%-owned subsidiary, Vida AB, expands with Swedish Acquisition

Canfor Corporation
July 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States, International

VANCOUVER, BC – Canfor announced today that its 77%-owned subsidiary, Vida AB, has entered into an agreement to purchase AB Karl Hedin Sågverk from Mattsbo Såg AB and certain minority shareholders for a purchase price of $164 million, including working capital of ~$39 million. AB Karl Hedin Sågverk operates three sawmills located in Central Sweden and will add approximately 230 million board feet to Vida’s annual production capacity. Following completion of this acquisition, Vida will have annual production capacity of approximately 2.1 billion board feet. Annual synergies of approximately $15 million are expected to be achieved within three years as a result of this transaction principally related to alignment of marketing programs as well as log procurement and operational practices. …These operations have access to exceptionally high-quality timber and are well positioned to complement Vida’s high-value product offering,” said CEO Susan Yurkovich. …The transaction is expected to close over the next several months.

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Trump’s USDA to scatter half its Washington staff to field offices. Critics see a ploy to cut jobs

By John O’Connor and Sarah Raza
The Associated Press
July 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois — The US Department of Agriculture will move thousands of employees out of the nation’s capital in a reorganization the agency says will put them closer to customers while saving money, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday. Around 2,600 workers — more than half the Washington, D.C. workforce — will be moved to five hubs stretching from North Carolina to Utah, Rollins said. The union representing federal workers immediately criticized the plan as a ploy to cut federal jobs, pointing out that some 95% of the department’s employees already work outside Washington. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s effort to make the federal government slimmer and more efficient, which received a Supreme Court boost this month. Sen. Amy Klobuchar demanded that department officials appear before the Senate to explain their thinking.” …In the Washington region, the department will vacate three buildings and examine the best use of three others.

USDA Press Release: Secretary Rollins Announces USDA Reorganization, Restoring the Department’s Core Mission of Supporting American Agriculture

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US Trade Commission Votes To Continue Investigations on Hardwood and Decorative Plywood

Decorative Hardwoods Association
July 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) determined that there is a reasonable indication that a US industry is materially injured by reason of imports of hardwood and decorative plywood from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam that are allegedly sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the governments of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. …As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determinations, the US will continue its investigations of imports of hardwood and decorative plywood, with its preliminary antidumping duty determinations due on or about October 29, 2025, and its preliminary countervailing duty determinations due on or about August 15, 2025. The Commission’s public report, Hardwood and Decorative Plywood from China, Indonesia, and Vietnam will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations. The report will be available by August 11, 2025.

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Wood flooring association appoints Stephanie Owen president, CEO

By Karen Koenig
The Woodworking Network
July 23, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

Stephanie Owen

ST. CHARLES, Mo.  – The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has appointed Stephanie Owen as its new president and CEO. This follows an extensive search process led by a volunteer selection committee and unanimous approval by the Executive Committee of NWFA’s Board of Directors. “We are confident that under Stephanie’s leadership, the NWFA will continue to thrive further strengthening our association, advancing the wood flooring industry, and supporting our members and staff in meaningful and impactful ways,” said Steve Brattin, chair of the NWFA Executive Committee. “We are excited for what the future holds for this great association, our incredible industry, our members, and the entire NWFA team.” The news was announced July 23.

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Dormant Grays Harbor pulp mill fined $2.3 million for toxic chemical spills

By Ann Duan
The Olympian
July 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The Washington State Department of Ecology announced that it is fining a Cosmopolis pulp mill owner a total of $2.3 million for ecological damage caused by toxic chemical leaks from the defunct facility. The owner has 30 days to pay the fine or appeal to the Pollution Control Hearings Board. The Cosmo Specialty Fibers pulp mill, once a Weyerhaeuser specialty cellulose mill, shuttered its operations in 2022, but the facility’s non-operational storage tanks have leaked toxic chemicals ever since. …The site’s owner [Richard Bassett] has been issued several notices to address dangerous spills for almost a decade, but the Department’s request has consistently been met with inaction. …In April, Bassett said he intends to reconcile with the state after he reopens operations at the mill. …Bassett’s track record shows an interest in Northwest towns with decrepit pulp mills. His past ventures include an unsuccessful attempt 20 years ago to reopen the Port Alice mill in British Columbia.

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Port Angeles City Council wants full cleanup of the Rayonier Mill site

By Emily Hanson
Peninsula Daily News
July 24, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

City Council

PORT ANGELES, Washington — The Port Angeles City Council is in favor of a complete, timely cleanup of the Rayonier Mill site. The council voted 5-0 to direct staff to write to the state Department of Ecology following a special meeting Tuesday night. Deputy Mayor Navarra Carr said… “Ecology has failed and taken advantage of Port Angeles, adding that the city needs to hold its elected officials and department heads responsible and make sure Rayonier fulfills its obligations to the people of Port Angeles”. …On July 8, Ecology proposed a cleanup which would take the contaminated soil and pile it up on 10 acres under a cap of clean gravel, geotextile fabric and then clean soil to support vegetation. …That option wasn’t good enough. …The city is supporting removing all of the contaminated soil from the site and truck it to a landfill designed to handle toxic soil.

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Forestry veteran Daniel DeArmond joins University of Arkansas at Monticello as assistant professor of wood production

The Magnolia Reporter
July 28, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Daniel DeArmond

The University of Arkansas at Monticello is welcoming Daniel DeArmond, a faculty member with roots as deep as the redwoods he once logged. DeArmond joins the College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources as the new assistant professor of wood procurement/marketing. With more than 20 years’ experience in both industrial forestry and international forest research, DeArmond brings a global perspective and hands-on expertise to the classroom. A native of Humboldt County, California, DeArmond holds a bachelor of science in forestry from Humboldt State University, and both a master’s and doctorate in tropical forest science from the National Institute of Amazonian Research in Brazil. …Having experience with both temperate and tropical forest systems, DeArmond offers UAM students a rare global perspective on wood production and forest operations.

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A Cut Above

By Tony Taglovore
The Forum News
July 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

In April 2021, Shreveport attorney Rich Lamb saw an opportunity. Lamb’s family has owned timberlands for several generations. …Fast forward to today. A more than $100 million Southern yellow pine sawmill sits outside of Plain Dealing. …Lamb learned that Canadian companies were relocating to the southern United States to build sawmills due to the unfavorable business climate in Canada. Lamb raised money and recruited Canadian company Teal Jones as an operating partner… Teal Jones acquired 57% of the sawmill, with Lamb and local investors owning the remaining 43%. But in 2024, Teal needed to sell. “Because of the pricing environment, interest rate environment and political climate in Canada, Teal Jones got into financial distress and went into reorganization,” Lamb explained. “They needed to sell their 57% interest to get liquidity.” Fortunately for Lamb and his group, a new buyer was found. Earlier this month, Sumitomo Forestry America Inc. purchased Teal Jones’ stake in the mill.

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Texas timber industry eyes new opportunities amid steady markets

By Karn Dhingra
Texas A&M AgriLife Today
July 22, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Texas’ timber industry continues to generate a significant economic impact for the state, with employment and output levels holding steady compared to 2023, said Eric Taylor, Ph.D., a silviculturist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M Forest Service. Market conditions remain largely unchanged from two years ago, with strong demand for sawtimber, coming primarily from pine trees in East Texas. On the flipside, there is an oversupply of smaller-diameter trees, keeping pulpwood prices soft, Taylor said. Roughly one-fifth of the state…provides about 12 million productive acres of timber out of roughly 22 million acres in the region. Most of the land is privately owned… While the Texas timber sector generally operates as a net-importer state, trade with Mexico and Canada accounts for 88% of Texas’ exports and 42% of its imports in 2024, Taylor said. …One bright spot is the growing interest in mass timber…

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Finance & Economics

West Fraser Timber reports Q2, 2025 loss of $24 million

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd.
July 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber reported the second quarter results of 2025. …Second quarter sales were $1.532 billion, compared to $1.459 billion in the first quarter of 2025. Second quarter earnings were $(24) million compared to earnings of $42 million in the first quarter of 2025. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $84 million compared to $195 million in the first quarter of 2025. Highlights include: Lumber segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $15 million; North America Engineered Wood Products (“NA EWP”) segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $68 million; Pulp & Paper segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $(1) million; and Europe Engineered Wood Products (“Europe EWP”) segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $2 million. “Demand for many of our wood-based building products slowed in the second quarter as spring building activity fell short of our expectations. This was more acute in our NA EWP segment, which experienced further easing of demand as the quarter progressed, consistent with government data pointing to softer U.S. new home construction,” said CEO Sean McLaren.

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Trade panel remands Commerce’s antidumping methods in softwood lumber dispute

CUSMA Panel Review
July 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

A CUSMA Chapter 10 binational panel remanded [for further explanation] two statistical methodologies in the US Department of Commerce’s Administrative Review 1 antidumping duty determination on Canadian softwood lumber, requiring Commerce to reassess its use of the Cohen’s d test and to apply weighted pooled variances in its meaningful-difference analysis according to the panel’s Decision and Order. …The panel affirmed all other aspect of the results challenged in this appeal…The review stems from a December 22, 2020 request by Resolute Forest Products and the Ontario Forest Industries Association. …The panel remanded Commerce’s application of Cohen’s d because the Federal Circuit’s decision in Marmen Inc. v. United States Wind Tower Trade Coalition requires that the test’s key assumptions, normal data distribution, equal variances and adequate sample size, be demonstrated before use. …The panel also remanded Commerce’s pooling of variances, directing the Department to use weighted pooled variances that reflect differing sample sizes. …Commerce must respond by October 20, 2025.

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Lethargic sales in most framing lumber markets despite anticipation of increased duties on imports from Canada

By Joe Pruski
RISI Fastmarkets
July 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber markets remained flat this week as vacation time, industry gatherings, sweltering heat and general economic uncertainty contributed to sluggish sales. Minimal immediate needs limited replenishment purchases to modest volumes while a lack of clarity regarding near-term prospects stifled speculative trading across North American framing lumber markets. 2×4 led gains in many species, but the increases were modest. Seasonal factors, including unusually heavy rainfall and normal summer heat, contributed to the ongoing sluggish pace across the South. Mills worked hard to capture modest premiums. The coming hike in duties on Canadian shipments to the US did little to alter the ongoing lack of urgency among buyers. …Sales of Western S-P-F were governed by tepid demand and uncertainty regarding the timing and scope of higher duties and potential tariffs. …Sales in the Coast region were lukewarm with most lumber markets trends holding. 

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Lumber Furtures Trade Above $680

Trading Economics
July 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures traded above $680 per thousand board feet, approaching the two-and-a-half-year peak of $685 recorded on March?24th, driven by a squeeze on supply meeting unfaltering construction demand. On the demand front, US housing starts held surprisingly steady at an annualized 1.6?million units in June even as existing-home sales slipped 2.7% to a nine-month low, ensuring that framing requirements remained robust. At the same time, US softwood lumber tariffs on Canadian imports continue to add roughly 9% to landed costs, while Pacific Northwest mills have withdrawn nearly 20% of regional capacity for mid-season maintenance, sharply curtailing shipments to distributors. Internationally, imports from Europe and New?Zealand are throttled by 25% duties on Russian lumber and persistent ocean-freight bottlenecks, collectively depleting distributor inventories to their lowest levels in more than two years and reinforcing today’s sharp advance in futures prices. [END]

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America’s largest homebuilder D.R. Horton isn’t seeing an acceleration in softening

By Lance Lambert
ResiClub Analytics
July 23, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

On Tuesday, D.R. Horton—America’s most valuable and largest homebuilder, with a $46 billion market capitalization and ranked No. 123 on the Fortune 500—reported its third-quarter earnings for the three months ending June 30. While D.R. Horton’s earnings didn’t wow investors, the fact that there wasn’t an accelerated softening beyond what homebuilders—including D.R. Horton—had already reported earlier this year was enough for some Wall Street investors to buy back into homebuilder stocks. …COO Michael Murray says, “It [higher duties on Canadian lumber] will have some potential impact, but we’ve not quantified that. I know it is a significant step up in the tariff rates, I think, going to effect next month. But, you know, we’re buying some percentage of that wood and there’s some substitutionary product that would be available as well. Based on where that pricing ultimately settles.”

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What the US’ 50% Tariff on Brazil Could Mean for Pulp and Paper Markets

ResourceWise Forest Products Blog
July 17, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

On July 9, 2025, US President Trump announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil, with the new policy slated to take effect August 1, 2025. …The Brazilian government stated it would take reciprocal measures. …The announcement has drawn attention from a wide range of industries, particularly those with significant US–Brazil trade exposure. These include forest products… Brazil is a global leader in pulp production with the US playing both a direct trade partner role and a downstream consumer of Brazilian fiber-based materials. …Brazil produces 29% of the global market pulp capacity. This means many countries rely on imports from Brazil to support domestic demand across paperboard, packaging, hygiene, and tissue segments. …For US companies, Brazilian hardwood pulp is a crucial feedstock for high-performance and cost-effective paper production. Any shift in trade policy—such as a potential 50% tariff—could dramatically alter sourcing economics, disrupt supply agreements, and push buyers to reassess supplier portfolios.

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Finish firm UPM reports Q2, 2025 earnings of €71 million

Reuters in Trading View
July 24, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

Finnish forestry group UPM-Kymmene reported a 31% drop in its second-quarter operating profit, as uncertainty related to President Donald Trump’s trade policies weakened demand and the U.S. dollar. The group has five US sites for producing paper and labelling materials and it also exports products into the country, though the tariff effects were felt globally. “UPM Fibres was indirectly impacted by the escalating trade tensions. In China, orders halted during the height of the trade tensions between the US and China,” CEO Massimo Reynaudo said in the statement. …It also forecast a comparable operating profit of 425-650 million euros for the second half of 2025, up from the 413 million it had recorded in the first six months of the year.

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Weyerhaeuser reports Q2, 2025 net earnings of $87 million

Weyerhaeuser
July 24, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

SEATTLE — Weyerhaeuser reported second quarter net earnings of $87 million on net sales of $1.9 billion. This compares with net earnings of $173 million on net sales of $1.9 billion for the same period last year and net earnings of $83 million for first quarter 2025. …Adjusted EBITDA for second quarter 2025 was $336 million, compared with $410 million for the same period last year and $328 million for first quarter 2025. “Our teams delivered solid operating performance in the second quarter,” said CEO Devin W. Stockfish. …Weyerhaeuser anticipates third quarter earnings before special items will be approximately $60 million lower than the second quarter and Adjusted EBITDA will be approximately $80 million lower than the second quarter due to the timing and mix of real estate sales. 

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Mass timber could combat germs in hospital settings

By Matthew Thibault
Construction Dive
July 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Mass timber may have antimicrobial benefits that could make it useful for hospital construction, according to a recent study from the University of Oregon. The research team found that when wood was exposed to a brief wetting, it tested lower for levels of bacterial abundance than an empty plastic enclosure used as a control. “People generally think of wood as unhygienic in a medical setting,” said Mark Fretz, assistant professor, co-director of the University of Oregon’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment and principal investigator for the study. “But wood actually transfers microbes at a lower rate than other less porous materials such as stainless steel.”

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Milwaukee is building contemporary timber towers. What about Chicago?

By Edward Keegan
The Chicago Tribune
July 27, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

CHICAGO — …Milwaukee, our neighbor to the north has become a hotbed for the development of timber towers — tall buildings that use relatively new mass timber technologies that can replace the steel and concrete traditionally used to support such structures. Since 2022, Milwaukee has been home to the tallest timber tower in the world — the 25-story Ascent MKE at 284 feet in height. That’s no Sears Tower, but when you consider that most wood-framed buildings are one to four stories tall, it’s quite an achievement. …For all the stunning achievements that Chicago architects and engineers have accomplished over the last century and a half, there’s still a deeply conservative streak that runs through the city’s building culture. Fire, through several key historical events, is at fault. …So, perhaps it’s not surprising that we now lag many places in the development of new construction with mass timber.

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Mass Timber Curriculum Development for Engineering Students

Michigan State University
July 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Mass timber is an emerging construction technology growing in popularity in the United States. One obstacle to the gradual adoption of mass timber construction is the limited availability of qualified engineers and designers. Although successful efforts have been made to address research topics related to mass timber design and … adoption as a construction material, little research has been conducted to identify desired student outcomes for undergraduate civil or structural engineering students working with mass timber after graduation. This paper describes the development of an industry-guided educational resource for curriculum development to improve the alignment between undergraduate student outcomes and employer requirements related to mass timber design. …The findings reflect a prioritization of competencies related to the design of mass timber elements and structures, an understanding of material characteristics, the navigation of available design resources, contributions to project deliverables, and the support of sustainability goals. 

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Forestry

Congress Moves To Stop Killing Of 500,000 Barred Owls To Save Spotted Owls

By Mark Heinz
Cowboy State Daily
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Forming an unusual alliance, environmental and animal welfare groups have pulled together a bipartisan effort in Congress, united by universal disdain for a Biden-era plan to massacre nearly 500,000 barred owls. Killing off barred owls in an effort to save endangered spotted owls is “wasteful, inhumane and unworkable,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy said. Those groups hailed the introduction Wednesday of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify the Biden-era barred owl management strategy. …In September 2024, the Biden administration approved a $1.3 billion plan for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) agents to shoot about 470,000 barred owls over the next 30 years in Washington, Oregon and California.  The justification was to give spotted owls a better chance of recovery under the assumption that barred owls bully their smaller cousins out of vital, old-growth forest habitat. …Federal wildlife agents have killed roughly 4,500 barred owls since 2009. 

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The Fix Our Forests Act prioritizes industry over nature

By Rob Lewis
The Hill
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

America’s public forests are under assault. We have already seen the massive timber harvests called for by President Trump’s executive order, the elimination of the Roadless Rule, and the gutting of wildlife protection efforts. Those are the broad stokes, but there are also finer maneuvers underway, such as abandoning the traditional practice whereby forest personnel paint-mark the trees selected for cutting, handing those decisions over instead to the timber companies themselves. Or the various subsections that keep popping up in the “Big Beautiful Bill” — for example, giving timber companies an option to pay for hastened environmental review and defunding endangered species recovery efforts. It also arbitrarily requires the Forest Service to increase harvests by 250 million acres annually for nine years. This is the context within which we must now view the Fix Our Forests Act, a logging-in-the-name-of-fire-prevention bill, stuffed with provisions that significantly override scientific and citizen review.

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Gluesenkamp Perez introduces bipartisan bill to strengthen forestry career pathways

The Chehalis-Centralia Chronicle
July 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Rep. David Rouzer, R-North Carolina, recently introduced the bipartisan Jobs in the Woods Act, which aims to connect young people with careers and training in forestry. The bill would create a grant program for nonprofit organizations, state governments and colleges to utilize for workforce training in forestry-related fields. With most of the forest manufacturing industry located in rural areas, the bill would give individuals the opportunity to learn skills that can serve them and their communities. …This year, Gluesenkamp Perez urged the Trump administration to refrain from cuts to federal workers that could negatively impact timber production, wildfire readiness and recreation in Southwest Washington, according to the release. Following the president’s executive order to increase domestic lumber production on federal lands, Gluesenkamp Perez expressed support for an approach that prioritizes small, independent logging, trucking and mill operators.

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New Documentary Reveals Canada’s Boreal Forests Getting Clearcut for Toilet Paper

By Charmin Kills Forests
Cision PRNewswire
July 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

NEW YORK — A new documentary released by Charmin Kills Forests, entitled “CHARMIN WIPES OUT A FOREST,” exposes how Procter & Gamble toilet paper and paper towels are made by clear-cutting Canada’s boreal forests. The film’s producer, forest activist Brian Rodgers. The 26 minute film is touring 23 cities, where it is being screened from a mobile video truck. …Filmed on location in Canada … the documentary features scientists, experts, and descendants of Procter & Gamble‘s founders who petitioned the company to stop using virgin fiber from Canada’s boreal forest. In addition to Youtube, the film is posted, along with photographs, links to social media posts, published studies, and other documentation and resources, on Charminkillsforests.org. The Charmin Kills Forests campaign is organized by a small, self-funded team of environmental advocates. It focuses on Charmin as one especially offensive consumer product among others using 100% virgin pulp from one of Earth’s few remaining wild forests.

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Forest service firefighters use drones with ping pong balls to fight California wildfire

By Jessica Skropanic
Redding Record Searchlight
July 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

REDDING, California — In firefighting, drones get used to see hot spots in the dark, map the size of fires and look for damage. But the recent Green Fire also proves the flying robots also are effective in starting backfires on terrain firefighters cannot safely get to in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. “If the mission is dull, dumb or dangerous, send the drone,” said John Schuler, a firefighter and US Forest Service spokesperson on the Green Fire. Drones can go where no firefighter can: Into remote areas that are difficult to impossible for crews to reach, and where manned aircraft have trouble flying due to smoke or other safety concerns. Firefighters like those on the Green Fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest are using drones to check fire size and directions wildfires are moving. They do the latter by dropping ping pong balls full of chemicals, said Schuler.

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Goats assigned to Reno wildfire prevention work in urban wildland interface

By Jeniffer Solis
Nevada Current
July 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

@Wiki

Hundreds of goats will mow down dead vegetation across hilly terrain in Reno over the next month in an effort to reduce wildfires in an area prone to burning. Buildup of dead vegetation near homes, has created a wildfire hazard the Reno Fire Department hopes to mitigate by introducing 250 goats that will eat away dry brush for the next 45 days. “They’re working all day long,” said Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran. The move comes as wildfire season approaches its peak this month. Wildfire season in Nevada has lengthened due to climate change. Last year, nearly 860 wildfires burned about 104,000 acres of land across Nevada, according to the Nevada Division of Forestry. …The goats, from High Desert Graziers in nearby Smith Valley, are bred to consume a wide variety of non-native grasses and weeds that fuel wildfires including bitterbrush, manzanita, and cheatgrass.

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Yellowstone aspen may be recovering thanks to 1990s reintroduction of wolves

By Sharon Udasin
The Hill
July 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The restoration of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park has helped revive an aspen tree population unique to the region, a new study has found. Quaking aspen, one of the few deciduous tree species in the northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem, is once again thriving, after suffering severe decline during the 20th century, according to a new study. “This is a remarkable case of ecological restoration,” lead author, Luke Painter, at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, said. The decline in aspen growth occurred in tandem with a surge in Rocky Mountain elk, which had lost a key predator following the elimination of wolves from the region by 1930. …At the same time… aspen recovery hasn’t been uniform across northern Yellowstone — and the growth is subject to numerous potential threats including climate change and encroachment of coniferous trees, are possible such factors. And other herbivores have increased in the region.

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A century of data reveals declining forest diversity

By Rami Jameel
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have analyzed 96 years of forest census data to better understand ecological changes and inform management practices. Their study reveals concerning homogenization trends. This means the forest has become less diverse over time, losing trees that played a critical role in its ecosystem. The researchers analyzed census data from Trelease Woods, which the university acquired in 1917. Homogenization was linked to the spread of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, and Ophiostoma fungi, which causes Dutch elm disease. Many deciduous forests are losing diversity, co-author Jennifer Fraterrigo said. …She worked on the study with her former graduate student, Jennifer Álvarez, who is currently an environmental assessment researcher at the Illinois State Geological Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois. Integrative biology professor James Dalling and former NRES forest ecologist John Edgington were also co-authors on the study.

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Washington wildfire fighting efforts ‘finally’ get $20 million after delays

By Daniel Schrager
The Bellingham Herald
July 25, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The state of Washington will get about $20 million for wildfire fighting efforts after a months-long delay, a Washington congresswoman confirmed Thursday. The Trump administration distributed $280 million in federal funding to forestry agencies across the country, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington. The money will help fund the Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ efforts to train and equip wildland firefighters across the state. “The state of Washington is in the middle of an active and dangerous wildfire season,” Cantwell said in a news release. “After questioning the Chief of the Forest Service and the Secretary of Agriculture, I am pleased that Washington — and all states — are finally receiving the funding they need to prepare for and respond to wildfires this summer and in the future.”

Additional coverage from the Bellingham Herald: Could Trump budget cuts hurt WA wildfire fighting efforts? We asked an expert. “According to Robyn Whitney, strategic advisor to the State Forester, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, will operate at full capacity this summer, regardless of possible federal budget cuts.

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Colorado ski resort fights mountain beetle infestation with this unique substance

By Jonathan Ingraham
Denver Gazette
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) in central Colorado has been dealing with a mountain pine beetle infestation for the last two years, but the Gunnison County resort is fighting back using small packets of pheromones stapled to trees.  Beetles were first detected mountainside at CBMR in 2023… During the 2024 season, ground crews revisited large areas of lodgepole pine within and around CBMR’s boundaries, confirming limited but recent beetle activity among the trees. …But now CBMR Mountain Operations, alongside rangers with the U.S. Forest Service, are fighting the beetles back with the help of verbenone pheromone packets. Verbenone is an anti-aggregation pheromone produced by mountain pine beetles to indicate a tree has reached maximum capacity, letting other beetles know there are no resources available to consume within the tree.

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Salt River Project plans to thin another 50,000 acres in five years

By Peter Aleshire
The Payson Roundup
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

The Salt River Project has extended its partnership with the state to thin watersheds, which will also improve fire protection for communities in Rim Country and the White Mountains. In the past five years, The Valley utility has worked with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management to thin 35,000 acres of overgrown forest, including a portion of the watershed of the C.C. Cragin Reservoir. SRP has also signed long-term contracts to buy electricity from NovoBiopower, the state’s only biomass burning power plant. The Snowflake power plant remains crucial to forest restoration efforts by providing one of the few markets for the tons of low-value biomass removed on each acre treated. SRP issued a release this week stating it hopes to fund the treatment of another 52,000 acres in the next five years. SRP also helped thin overgrown forests outside Payson, adding to a buffer zone protecting the community from wildfires.

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Time for action. Proper forest management is a matter of survival

By Nathan Magsig, County of Fresno
The Fresno Bee
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Nathan Magsig

If you’re from California, you’ve likely seen it — our once-thriving forests are turning into graveyards of dead trees, and the threat of wildfire looms larger every year. Since 2010, over 27 million trees have died in Fresno County alone. The combined effects of drought, beetle infestations, and bureaucratic gridlock have left our forests vulnerable and our communities exposed. The tragic 2020 Creek Fire, which devastated entire neighborhoods and ecosystems, is just one of many examples of what happens when we fail to act. Let me be clear: this is not just a forestry problem. It’s a public safety emergency, an economic threat, and an environmental crisis — all rolled into one. …Our policies have not kept up with the crisis. Regulatory and budgetary roadblocks have stifled forest management efforts. Even when we have willing landowners and local governments, they’re hamstrung by red tape and a lack of resources.

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Montana logging project can continue — for now — despite environmental concerns

By Hillel Aron
Courthouse News Service
July 22, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A major logging project in Montana can continue after a federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by four environmental groups. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the Round Star logging project, which covers 28,300 acres of land about 13 miles west of the city of Whitefish. …The agencies also approved the construction of nearly 20 miles of permanent roads in the national forest. …The four conservation groups — Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Native Ecosystems Council, Council on Wildlife and Fish and Yellowstone to Uintas Connection — sued to stop the logging in January, and filed their motion for a preliminary injunction months later. By that time, the logging was already underway. …Though the timing of the motion wasn’t a dealbreaker for the motion, DeSoto also found that the plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of the case.

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New Opportunities for Forest Resources Association and Universities to Collaborate on Expanding Wood Supply Chain Workforce Development

By Clay Altizer
The Forest Resources Association
July 24, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

Our universities have played an active role in supporting the forest products industry over the years. Numerous applied research projects have helped address supply chain issues. Drs. Charlie Blinn (University of Minnesota) and Joe Conrad (University of Georgia) recently collaborated to evaluate logging capacity in the Lake States and the Southern US. …Dr. Conrad’s “Benchmark Data on Log Truck Insurance Premiums, Claims, and Transportation Safety Practices in the US South” is an example of FRA-funded research aimed at improving transportation safety and supply chain efficiency. …Last week, the US Forest Service announced its 2025 Wood Innovations Grant recipients.  Approximately $80 million will be awarded to “spur wood products manufacturing, expand active forest management, and accelerate energy innovation across America’s timber-producing communities”. FRA will receive funding for its proposal “Enhancing the Wood Supply Chain Workforce” to “expand its southern U.S. logging and wood supply chain training program nationwide”—to support workforce development in timber-producing communities.

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Golden, Collins introduce bipartisan legislation to create disaster relief fund for loggers

United States Congressman Jared Golden
July 23, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, which would establish a new program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support loggers who have lost income due to natural disasters. …Current law excludes loggers from the kinds of disaster relief and assistance available to other industries, including fishermen and farmers, when natural disasters strike. Under the Loggers Economic Assistance and Relief Act, a disaster declaration from the president or governor would unlock federal assistance eligibility for logging businesses with at least a 10 percent loss in revenue or volume compared to the prior year. Covered damage would include high winds, fire, flooding, insect infestation and drought. “There must be a safety net to ensure one particularly bad season cannot uproot logging families and communities” Golden said. 

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Health & Safety

Arbitrator dismisses grievance, determines that West Fraser worker termination was approapriate

By Jeffrey Smith
The Canadian HR Reporter
July 24, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, United States

100 MILE HOUSE, BC — West Fraser Mills (WFM) had just cause to fire a worker who violated a safety policy on May 13, 2024, and tried to minimize the risk involved, according to an arbitrator. …WFM had a lock-out procedure program and policy that were mandatory for employees performing work on energized equipment, including conveyor belts. …On May 28, WFM terminated the worker’s employment for cause. The union grieved, conceding that discipline was warranted but arguing that termination was excessive for an employee with 19 years of service and no safety-related discipline. …The arbitrator noted that the central issue as whether termination was an excessive response, pointing out that violation of safety rules constitutes a serious workplace offence and lock-out procedures are among the most important safety features in workplaces such as lumber mills. …The arbitrator also found that the worker’s conduct following the incident raised concerns over whether he would work safely if reinstated.

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Forest Fires

A look at megafires as an Oregon wildfire approaches the 100,000-acre mark

By Isabella O’Malley and Sarah Brumfield
Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 22, 2025
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

©Wasco County

A wildfire burning in a sparsely populated region of central Oregon has become the largest fire burning in the U.S. this year and is on the verge of surpassing 100,000 acres to become what’s officially known as a megafire. Nearly 900 personnel have been battling the Cram Fire northeast of Madras, and they have it about 73% contained with more than 95,000 acres burned. Here’s a look at what megafires are and their increasing frequency in the warming world. …There were at least 14 wildfires that burned more than 100,000 acres in the U.S. in 2024, according to a report by the National Interagency Coordination Center. A 2022 Interior Department report found that the number of megafires, which it defined as more than 100,000 acres, had increased in the preceding decade. The amount of forest area burned each year in the western U.S. has approximately tripled since the 1980s, according to Brian Harvey, professor of forest fire science at the University of Washington.

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