The BC Supreme Court’s decision in Cowichan v. Canada has drawn national attention. For the first time, a Canadian court has granted a declaration of Aboriginal title over privately owned lands. …But at the same time, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in J.D. Irving v. Wolastoqey Nation ruled that the private lands held by timber companies were not subject to declarations of Aboriginal title. …We need to understand each ruling to understand the trajectory of Canadian law’s engagement with reconciliation. It’s clear that the rulings in fact point in just one direction, because Cowichan can be sustained only by rewriting the Supreme Court’s settled doctrine of Aboriginal title, while Wolastoqey, with one severable modification, remains faithful to it. Of the two decisions, only Wolastoqey offers an approach that is legally sound and clear in its application. …Wolastoqey demonstrates that proven wrongs can be addressed through compensation and negotiation without unsettling land titles or distorting the doctrine of Aboriginal title; Cowichan does the opposite. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]
In a world of colourful economic pie charts and slick bar graphs, the image of a three-sided circle is both awkward and uncomfortable. Yet this image may depict the emerging fate of the Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement. For Canada, the wild ride through Trumpian trade policy has now entered a decisive phase. …Some rules of the road ahead are beginning to take shape. First there is a recognition and begrudging acceptance that there will be some tariffs where CUSMA had none. …Secondly, despite warm commitments to the trilateral CUSMA relationship, Canada and Mexico are engaged in separate bilateral discussions with the US. …Enter the three-sided circle. Here the current comprehensive trilateral agreement would evolve into three bilateral trade agreements bound by a core centre that holds common rules and undertakings. …In triaging the trade-wounded, no sector deserves a bigger fix than Canada’s softwood lumber industry. Its market access to the US has been battered by 40 years of aggressive protectionism. 
While Canada’s economy is far more reliant on exports to the US than vice versa, Canadian negotiators have crucial ammunition in their efforts to land a trade deal that reduces or eliminates tariffs imposed by US President Trump. …Canada’s attempts to negotiate relief from Trump’s tariffs on such exports as steel, aluminum, automobiles and softwood lumber are now wrapped into fresh talks on renewing the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). …Barry Appleton, says Canada needs to shift its strategy by exerting its leverage as a crucial U.S. customer. …Inu Manak, says the US needs Canadian natural resources to achieve the industrial policy goals set out by the US administration. …Canada is among the top sources of foreign direct investment in the U.S., largely as a result of decisions by pension funds. …The US has repeatedly emphasized the importance of steady access to a reliable supply of critical minerals.
Trade watchers say they are shocked at the latest tactic being used by the US to shore up its tariff wall against Canada after a legal setback last month. US Trade Representative (USTR) launched investigations into 60 economies under Section 301(b) of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 to determine whether they have failed to impose or enforce bans on imports produced with forced labour. But critics in the Washington beltway say the 301 probes are basically a “show trial” and that the verdict is sure to go against trading partners such as Canada. Canada is being grouped together with China and dozens of other countries for these investigations. The probes will examine whether Ottawa’s forced-labour rules and framework… are sufficient for screening goods produced by child or forced labour. …“This has nothing to do with forced labour,” said Inu Manak, at the Council on Foreign Relations. …He thinks the administration is constructing a pretext to defend the tariffs it’s already planning.
Princeton’s mill celebrated not just new owners but a new name as well with the handover of forestry tenures from Weyerhaeuser to West Kelowna-based Gorman Bros on March 19. …The transfer of the timber tenures has happened quickly since being announced in September 2025, as far as tenure transfers go and especially with the new legislative requirements to consider public interest. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said “Here you have a company that is continuing to make investments in BC in a time where things are tough right now in forestry. …That speaks well to the future of forestry and gives me the hope and optimism.” …The Ministry of Forests received nearly 300 letters in support of the Gorman tenure transfer from individuals, businesses, First Nations, contractors, community forests and unions during the public input period. “This is a good step forward for a sustainable forestry sector,” Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne said.
The final step in a $120-million investment into BC’s forestry sector by a West Kelowna family-owned forestry company has concluded, following the Minister of Forests’ official approval of a tenure transfer from Weyerhaeuser to Gorman Group. “Gorman Group is investing in the future of forestry, investing in a new chapter for Princeton, and investing in the transformation of the community into a real forestry hub,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. …“By approving this tenure transfer, we are supporting a company that believes in value-added manufacturing, using every fibre to its fullest potential and keeping jobs here at home.” …The transferred tenures total approximately 682,000 cubic metres. …“We recognize that any Crown tenure transfer comes with important responsibilities and obligations to First Nations, communities and employees who depend on the long-term stewardship of the land and the careful use of the fibre,” said Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Group. 
Acadian Timber, one of Canada’s largest forest landowners, wants to close the performance gap between New Brunswick and its business in Maine, a goal its new interim CEO says is achievable despite labour and market challenges. …Malcolm Cockwell, who was named interim boss last month, said, “There are a lot of strong companies here that are investing in their facilities and running them pretty consistently even in challenging markets. Maine is a little bit more hit-and-miss with facilities not being as consistent with their operating schedule and a number of facilities dropping out over the last couple of years.” Acadian has just under 1 million hectares of land under management across New Brunswick and northeastern Maine, with approximately 313,000 hectares of freehold timberlands – privately owned forest land – in New Brunswick and 121,000 in Maine. …One way to make that happen in Maine is to improve Acadian Timber’s contractor base.
WASHINGTON STATE– Current and former employees are suing Western Forest Products’ Vancouver operation, alleging the company failed to give employees breaks and pay wages owed. …Western manufactures lumber at its Fruit Valley location and formerly operated a Columbia Vista sawmill that closed after a fire last year. …The group of current and former employees also allege Western Forest Products didn’t keep accurate payroll records. The complaint states about 40 employees could have been impacted by the alleged practices. Babita Khunkhun, spokesperson for Western Forest Products, said “While we cannot comment on the specifics of the allegations at this time, we take all employee concerns seriously,” Khunkhun said. The company is reviewing the lawsuit and will respond through the appropriate legal process, she added. Western Forest Products recently unveiled plans to expand its Fruit Valley manufacturing operation.
PENSACOLA, Florida — West Fraser is requesting a tax break from Escambia County as the lumber company prepares for a planned expansion at its McDavid sawmill. Escambia County staff prepared a draft ordinance proposing the Canadian-based lumber company receive a 70% ad valorem tax exemption for a period of five years. …West Fraser applied for an EDATE for the assessed value of certain improvements. If the exemption is granted… over the next five years, the estimate of the taxable value lost to the county if the exemption is granted is $70,252,000 improvements to real property. In 2023, the board adopted a resolution supporting West Fraser’s expansion and agreed to consider the lumber company’s EDATE application when it was submitted. The county is scheduled to vote March 26 at its board meeting on scheduling a public hearing to consider establishing an EDATE for West Fraser. 
At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, US Department of Agriculture Administrator J.R. Claeys announced the USDA is guaranteeing $115.2 million across eight states (
Rising bunker prices are now hitting Swedish sawmill exporters on every trade lane, with the Strait of Hormuz closure driving up costs across routes and cutting off Middle East volumes, with no end in sight. That is according to Setra Group’s Olle Berg, Executive Vice President of market and business development at one of Sweden’s largest processors, who exports sawn timber, glulam, CLT, and structural components to Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. And according to Berg, the damage was coming through on two fronts – one from high oil prices now feeding into bunker costs regardless of destination, and the other from direct shipments to the Middle East, with container prices, surcharges and risk premiums climbing exponentially. “For Swedish sawmills, the volumes to the area are relatively small — but not insignificant,” Berg told a Timber Exchange webinar focused on the impact of the conflict on global sawmilling. 
Lumber futures fell below $600 per thousand board feet as a slowdown in the North American housing market and rising financing costs outweighed persistent supply constraints. This downward pressure was driven by a 5.4% decline in building permits and a sharp 14.2% collapse in single-family housing starts, which signaled a cooling of construction activity as the spring season began. Additionally, 30-year fixed mortgage rates climbed to 6.22% following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady, the market was further pressured by a sharp drop in crude oil prices that reduced the energy-heavy transport and production overheads. These factors effectively neutralized the marginal one-point gain in the NAHB Housing Market Index to 38, leaving 37% of builders reliant on deep price cuts to move a 2.4% increase in unsold inventory. Structural supply issues like the 45% combined duties on Canadian softwood and ongoing sawmill closures continue to provide a floor.
The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate at 2.25% today as the economy performs below expectations, but war in the Middle East threatens higher inflation. The central bank’s decision to keep to the sidelines today was widely expected, but the future path for the policy rate is much less clear. Governor Tiff Macklem says in prepared remarks that the Bank of Canada is in a “dilemma” with U.S. trade uncertainty keeping the economy soft, but the Iran war sending global oil prices surging and likely spurring higher inflation in the months to come. Macklem says the central bank will look through the immediate inflationary hit from the war, but monetary policymakers will move to prevent persistent price hikes if the conflict persists or broadens. Statistics Canada reported an economic contraction in the fourth quarter of the year and sharp job losses in February.
VANCOUVER, BC — Conifex Timber reported results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2025. EBITDA* from continuing operations was negative $12.6 million for the quarter and negative $27.5 million for the year, compared to EBITDA of negative $2.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and negative $13.6 million for the year. Net loss was $35.7 million or negative $0.87 per share for the year versus net loss in the preceding year of $29.8 million. …Our lumber production was 147.9 million board feet in 2025 reflecting an annualized operating rate of 62%. Lumber production in 2025 benefited from higher operating rates in the first half of the year but was impacted by curtailments and modified operating configurations in the second half of 2025 in response to lower lumber prices and higher duty deposit rates and tariff impositions. Lumber production in 2024 was 134.8 million board feet, reflecting an annualized operating rate of 56%.
ONTARIO — Potential buyers across Ontario are poised to receive a significant tax discount on newly-built homes, but only for a limited time, as the Ford government looks to boost a sector struggling with a slump in sales. As part of his spring budget, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is expected to announce that the provincial portion of the harmonized sales tax will be removed for anyone buying a newly-constructed home, rewriting a policy the government introduced just months ago. …Ontario’s pledge to waive its portion of the HST came shortly after a similar announcement by the federal government — allowing first-time homebuyers to save up to $130,000 on a new home under $1 million, and lower rebates for homes costing up to $1.5 million. But the offer failed to ignite the market, forcing the government to take a second pass at the policy, and offer the discount to a wider swath of purchasers. 
Economists have pulled up their risk assessments of a U.S. contraction amid heightened uncertainty over geopolitical risk and a labor market that for the past year has shown strains over the past year. “I’m concerned recession risks are uncomfortably high and on the rise,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “Recession is a real threat here.” Twin concerns about growth and unemployment have triggered talk of stagflation, a characterization that Fed Chair Jerome Powell has rejected. But the threat of a prolonged war, pressure on consumers and a labor market that, outside of health care, lost hundreds of thousands of jobs last year has kept concerns elevated.
The Trump Administration is scavenging for ideas to lower costs for home-buyers. One idea being considered is to ease credit checks for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—that is, backed by taxpayers. Americans saw a version of this policy two decades ago, and it didn’t end well. Mortgage rates have dropped in the last year, but many Americans still can’t afford to buy a home. Enter the Mortgage Bankers Association, which is lobbying the Administration to let lenders underwrite mortgages based on a single credit report. The outfit says this would reduce borrower costs. Maybe, but taxpayers may pay a bigger price later if this results in more defaults. The Federal Housing Finance Agency currently requires lenders to pull three credit reports. …The real reason lenders want to eliminate the tri-merge requirement is so they can make more loans to borrowers with poor credit. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]
According to a joint study from the American Institute of Architects, the Associated General Contractors of America, and ConstructConnect® News, tariff-driven cost increases are causing delays and cancellations for some projects across the country. …The NAHB has worked alongside Senators Jacky Rosen and Chris Coons to introduce legislation that would address the housing affordability crisis by creating an exemption process for building materials from tariffs. The Housing Tariff Exclusion Act would exempt many home building materials from President Trump’s current and future tariffs and allow importers to apply for tariff exemptions. …Though the Housing Tariff Exclusion Act has not been passed yet, it would be a boon to not only manufacturers, but also to the construction teams and homeowners across the country that have been unable to move forward with their projects due to the current leap in pricing. 
US stocks were set to surge at the opening bell Monday, after President Donald Trump announced that he was postponing all military strikes on Iranian power plants for a 5-day period. Iranian state media responded to Trump’s post by saying the US president has “backed down” after Iran’s firm response. Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency also relayed a message from the nation’s foreign ministry that, “there is no dialogue between Tehran and Washington.” S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures initially soared about 3% on Trump’s post, but those gains faded to about 1.6% after the statements from Iranian media. …Oil prices also fell about 5%, with U.S. crude oil trading down to around $92 per barrel around 8:15 a.m. ET. International Brent crude oil fell to around $105 per barrel. Initially, oil prices had plummeted 10% on Trump’s post.
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials, convening in a wartime setting that began less than three weeks ago, are expected to hold interest rates steady on Wednesday even as a fresh jump in oil prices and data showing a rise in some aspects of inflation even before the start of the war with Iran may prompt them to recast the outlook for the U.S. economy, inflation and monetary policy. New projections to be released by the U.S. central bank at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) will show how policymakers assess the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s decision to launch an open-ended conflict in the Middle East, but the environment remained volatile even as they began the second day of their latest two-day policy meeting. …US producer prices rose in February by 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Rising producer prices can feed into retail costs and signal higher future inflation.
COLORADO — The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) unanimously voted to table its decision on adopting eight new building-related codes. Those are the 2024 editions of international codes, including the residential code, building code, energy and conservation code, mechanical code, fuel and gas code, existing building code, property maintenance code, and the swimming pool and spa code. During the meeting, the BoCC also considered, and unanimously approved, Resolution 2026-27, adopting the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (CWRC), along with amendments to snow load requirements for manufactured structures. …Commissioner John Ranson described them as an “unfunded mandate,” adding, “there’s no two-ways about it.” He mentioned that in conversations with local builders, many are preparing for these codes to make construction costs go up.
CONCORD, New Hampshire — A bill moving forward at the State House aims to address a decades-old discrepancy in how wood strength is rated. New Hampshire lawmakers approved Senate Bill 529, which gives preference to US-harvest lumber. The bill requires state-funded building projects to include design specifications for US-sourced spruce-pine-fir. …In the early 1990s, the U.S. and Canada developed separate systems to rate the strength of framing lumber. Canadian lumber is labeled SPF, while American lumber is labeled SPFs. SPFs ended up with a lower design strength value, even though the wood used on both sides of the border is nearly identical. …Over time, the difference in design specifications has given Canadian lumber a competitive advantage, putting Hampshire lumber at a disadvantage. While lawmakers can’t change international industry standards, they can influence how the state purchases lumber for its own construction projects.
The Brussels-based Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has released a statement indicating the forests and “state-of-the-art recycling system” of Europe stand ready to serve European Union policies supporting “Made in Europe” objectives. “A ‘Made in EU’ competitiveness model should be anchored in sustainably sourced biomass, high quality recycled materials and European technological leadership across these sectors,” states CEPI. The forest products and paper sectors can help Europe “build a more resilient, future proof growth model,” continues the group, that can be less reliant on coal, gas and other fossil fuels. Among resources the continent has in abundance, according to CEPI, are “sustainably managed forests, efficient recycling systems and the industrial know how that powers them. This pragmatic approach aligns industrial policy with Europe’s bio-based, circular strengths and advances some of the Clean Industrial Deal’s (CID’s) original ambitions.”
A national organization is seeking people with experience in Canada’s forestry sector as they put together a working group that will examine ways to improve forest recovery following wildfires. Jessica Kaknevicius is the CEO of Forests Canada. She said last year the group reached out to tree planting organizations, to ask them how they are changing their planting practices after forest fires. “We got a lot of insight in terms of this kind of gap of knowledge with how should we be planting differently?” “That’s everywhere from looking at species selection, to looking at how densely are we planting, health and safety of planters, where are we planting, all those things,” she said. “From that dialogue last year, what really came about was the need to bring together a national working group to share best practices, identify gaps, to get better trees in the ground, and really focus on survivability.”
In Oregon… fights over how much to cut defined the 1980s and ’90s. Steep declines in timber harvest, meant to save Oregon’s last ancient forests, ripped an urban-rural divide that still festers. Today, Oregon still produces the most softwood lumber in the US. But the state’s timber harvest has hovered near historic lows, at least seven mills have closed since 2024 and logging on federal lands has been limited. President Trump’s administration wants to change that. …The moves have been met with cautious optimism in Oregon’s timber industry. …Environmental and outdoors groups, meanwhile, are gearing up to fight. …Battles between timber and environmental groups are quieter now than during the pitched height of the Forest Wars, but they never went away. A lot else has changed, however. Wildfires have become the state’s biggest issue, there have been historic agreements between the two sides and there’s a new industry, mass timber.
When the US announced plans to rescind a rule limiting roadbuilding and timber harvests on national forests, officials called the repeal necessary to prevent and manage wildfires. But as the USDA prepares to release its draft environmental impact statement for the rescission, that justification is unraveling. And many critics of the move see the claim that roads are needed to fight fires in remote forests as cover for a giveaway to the timber industry. …Wildfires on federal lands average about five times the size of those in the rest of the country, leading some land managers to argue that national forests are a front line for fighting the nation’s steep increase in wildland blazes. Yet a new study has fire scientists, frontline firefighters, legal experts and the agency’s own historical record saying that roads don’t reduce wildfire risk; they multiply it. [see 
MICHIGAN — A disastrous ice storm last spring gut-punched Michigan’s multi-billion-dollar forestry sector. One year later, experts say the damage from that storm – which coated and snapped trees with up to an inch of ice accumulation across millions of acres of Northern Michigan forests – will ripple through timber markets for decades. The March 28-30, 2025, storm wiped out years of future logging contracts and reshaped forestry plans across the heart of the state’s “wood basket.” “It’s going to take 100 years to get this sorted out,” said Dan Heckman, forestry planning and modeling specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The storm was so disruptive to existing logging plans that the state had to recalibrate its latest 10-year forest management plan. Northern Michigan’s red pine plantations and aspen stands took the brunt of the damage. Public and private foresters have spent the past year trying to salvage what financial value they can. 
Years after logging at his Mariaville woodlot, Bob Seymour expected to see new hardwood trees growing in the understory. In fact, he took it as a given after decades in the Maine woods that natural regrowth would crop up. Instead, almost all of the young trees in some sections are eastern white pines he had planted. He believes that’s largely because deer populations are growing and eating more hardwood saplings, which means fewer trees and less diversity in the future. …It’s one of the most concerning changes that Seymour, a retired UMaine silviculture professor, has seen in almost five decades of experience researching forest management. …Such challenges to understanding and managing the Maine woods have grown in recent years amid climate change, which has brought destructive new pests, fast-moving diseases, invasive plants that take over, and warmer winters that change growing, harvesting and wildlife conditions.
Finland’s sawmill industry is warning of serious economic fallout if proposed restrictions on logging are implemented. According to industry representatives, between 3,000 and 4,000 jobs could be lost, while export revenues and overall economic activity may decline significantly. The debate follows calls from Finland’s climate and nature panels to reduce logging levels in order to meet climate and biodiversity targets. The proposal would cut annual harvest volumes by around 15 per cent by 2035. The industry group Sahateollisuus ry says the impact could be substantial. CEO Tino Aalto argues that limiting logging poses a direct threat to the sector. …He estimates that the total economic impact could reach around 3 billion euros, as both export revenues and income from timber sales decline. …At the same time, the sector is already under pressure. Rising raw material costs and weak demand have weighed on profitability. …The conflict between climate policy and industrial competitiveness is therefore set to continue.
A key plank of Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s climate plan will likely miss its target implementation date, industry sources said, raising new doubts about Canada meeting its environmental goals in the face of higher oil prices and uncertain US trade policy. Carney, a former UN climate envoy, committed last fall to negotiating a stronger industrial carbon pricing policy with Alberta by April 1. He is counting on a strengthened pollution pricing scheme to keep Canada’s emission reduction targets on track after rolling back many of his predecessor Trudeau’s climate policies to restore friendlier relations with the oil-and-gas producing province and prioritize economic growth. Two industry sources say these negotiations have been challenging, and that no deal will be struck by the April 1 deadline because large oil sands companies are pushing back on parts of the federal proposal. …Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson has acknowledged there may be a slight delay.
With the April 1, 2026, deadline for the Alberta-Ottawa memorandum of understanding fast approaching, leading climate policy experts are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to restore the strength and integrity of Canada’s industrial carbon pricing system to increase competitiveness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 
Drax, the U.K. company that operates the world’s largest wood-fired power plant, recently made headlines when it said that it will stop using trees cut down in Canada as part of its feedstock. But the move, which has been hailed by some in the environmental community as a huge milestone, won’t make an iota of difference on the ground in Canada — or anywhere else for that matter. That’s because Drax is both a major consumer and producer of wood pellets, which are burned like coal, natural gas and oil in thermal power plants around the world to produce electricity. …The company will shift to sourcing those pellets from elsewhere. …One consequential but almost completely ignored aspect of the Drax story is that “switching” from coal to wood hasn’t made so much as a dent in global demand for coal — or greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, worldwide use of both wood and coal continues to rise.
For more than 30 years, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization has told us how terrible things are getting with global climate change. Their annual “State of the Climate” report is a compendium of climate change facts and figures collected throughout the previous 365 days. It’s an authoritative look at the state of our global climate and its increasingly precarious condition. …This year’s edition, covering 2025, is out today. The findings are stark, even frightening. But, like every year, it also feels like a bit of a rehash. …The fact that the past 11 years were the hottest on record? Yawn. The announcement that greenhouse gases in the air are at unprecedented levels for all of human history? Wake me when you’ve got something new to report. …The findings should be jarring reminders of planetary vital signs flashing red. But similar observations were made last year … and the year before that.
LOUISIANA — Legislation to expand wood pellet manufacturing in Louisiana is gaining traction despite concerns over the industry’s connection to underground carbon storage, which has attracted a growing number of critics among state lawmakers. Louisiana is a burgeoning producer of wood pellets, which have been branded as a sustainable alternative to coal for generating electricity in overseas markets. As of 2023, mills in the South produced about 85% of the America’s wood pellet exports, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Reps. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, and Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck, are carrying the proposed Louisiana Wood Pellet Manufacturing Strengthening Act. It directs the Louisiana Economic Development agency to promote the expansion of the industry throughout the state. …Legislators who have become hostile to carbon dioxide sequestration projects in their local districts openly disagree with economic development officials on whether the wood pellet industry even needs to store the CO2 they generate.
The EU’s General Court has rejected a legal challenge aimed at reversing the European Commission’s decision to categorize forest biomass energy as a sustainable investment within the bloc’s green finance framework. The court’s decision, issued on 18 March 2026 dismissed an attempt to annul a Commission ruling from July 2022, which had turned down a request for an internal review of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139. This regulation set the technical criteria for determining which forestry management and bioenergy practices can be regarded as environmentally sustainable. The plaintiffs, including Robin Wood and six other environmental NGOs, contended that the Commission’s designation of forestry and forest bioenergy as sustainable was illegal and violated EU legislation, particularly the Taxonomy Regulation. These rulings affirm that the Commission possesses significant discretion in establishing and implementing the taxonomy’s technical criteria, allowing politically sensitive sectors like bioenergy.