Blog Archives

Business & Politics

John Rustad officially sworn in as Nechako Lakes MLA and leader of the opposition party

By Binny Paul
Burns Lake Lakes District News
November 15, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

John Rustad

John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. and now His Majesty’s Official Leader of the Opposition, was officially sworn in as the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding on Nov. 12 in Victoria, following his election on Oct. 19. …Looking ahead, Rustad acknowledged the challenge of balancing his new role as leader of the opposition with his responsibilities to his riding. …He acknowledged the heightened expectations from voters in Northern B.C., particularly regarding economic development, support for the resource sector, and improving connectivity. …On the economic front, Rustad highlighted the challenges facing B.C.’s forestry sector, noting that the province has lost two-thirds of its forestry industry under the current government. Rustad committed to advancing legislation to support resource industries and stimulate economic growth in Northern B.C.

In related coverage: Rustad discusses priorities for northern B.C. following re-election

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Vancouver port strike adds to North American logistics headaches

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
November 13, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

A lockout of dockworker foremen at the Port of Vancouver is just one of a series of chokepoints creating logistical problems for ports, railways and shipping companies in North America, says supply chain and logistics firm ITS Logistics. The prospect of tariffs from a Donald Trump administration could add to the logistical problems as exporters from countries facing tariffs try to get goods shipped to the U.S. before they are imposed. …In Montreal, meanwhile, the Maritime Employers Association locked out 1,200 longshore workers on Sunday night after workers rejected what the employers called a final contract offer. A temporary agreement between terminal operators and union officials on the U.S. East and Gulf Coast recently reopened ports there. Meanwhile, diversions by shippers to avoid the Red Sea – which has become too dangerous for many operators — have created complexities and delays for cargo. 

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John Horgan will be remembered as a popular premier during uncertain times

Resource Works
November 12, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

John Horgan has passed away at 65 after a courageous third battle with cancer. A born-and-raised Vancouver Islander, Horgan was a tough and resilient man who will be remembered as a popular, pragmatic premier who brought principles and honesty with him while navigating a changing economic and political landscape. …Horgan’s path to the premier’s office took him across Canada and beyond. …Between attending university as a young man, Horgan worked in a pulp mill in Ocean Falls, a small community on the Central Coast of BC. This experience provided him with real insight into the province’s resource sector and the communities that depended on it then—and still do today. …Forestry was another sector where Horgan made his mark. His approach emphasized sustainability and partnerships with First Nations, while increasing domestic production and reducing log exports. His attempts to modernize forestry had mixed results, but there was no questioning the honesty and good faith he brought to the table. …We will miss John Horgan.

In related coverage by: 

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Trump tariffs could lead to Quebec sawmills closing, forestry industry fears

CBC News
November 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Quebec forestry companies say they’re worried former U.S. president Donald Trump’s re-election will lead to more plants in the province closing. The president-elect promised a 10 per cent tariff on all imports, including Canadian softwood lumber. The threat has made many Canadian forestry companies, which are already struggling, fear the worst. …Étienne Vézina, Domtar senior director of forestry, said the current tariffs are already leading to some sawmills and plants in Quebec closing. …Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Quebec’s natural resources minister, has tried to reassure the local industry. …”We managed to work with Trump’s team in 2016, and I am convinced that we will continue to find ways for Quebec to come out on top.” The Quebec Forestry Industry Council (QFIC) estimates that $2 billion belonging to companies is stuck at customs because of U.S. tariffs. They want to recover the money, but in the meantime, they say they want loans from Quebec.

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Holland: ready to take on Trump’s lumber tariffs

By Clint Fleury
Northwest Ontario Newswatch
November 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Kevin Holland

THUNDER BAY, Ontario — Softwood lumber tariff increases would present a challenge for Ontario’s forestry industry, but Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland said he’s ready to meet that challenge. On the campaign trail, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump promised to crack down on foreign trade. …“Ontario will have a role in meeting with our partners across Canada and the Federal government in developing that strategy as to how we can really impress upon them the importance of the forestry sector, not just to us but to their to their country as well,” Holland continued. …He said his new role as the associate minister gives him an opportunity to show that Northwestern Ontario is an economic competitor on the global stage. “Forestry has been the cornerstone of our economy for generations and I honestly believe that it’s going to be the cornerstone of our economy moving forward,” Holland said.

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The AZEK Company announces distribution partnership with Capital Lumber

By The AZEK Company
Business Wire
November 18, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

CHICAGO — The AZEK Company, a manufacturer of environmentally sustainable outdoor living products, announced a new strategic distribution partnership with Capital Lumber Company, a distributor of building products in the Western United States. This collaboration will enhance the accessibility of AZEK’s industry-leading product portfolio, supporting the Company’s growing market presence throughout the region, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. …Capital will distribute and market AZEK’s brands, including TimberTech® decking and railing, AZEK Exteriors trim and siding, and Intex® railing and millwork solutions. 

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EU backs ‘loophole’ for member states facing deforestation law

By Alice Hancock, Andy Bounds & Michael Pooler
The Financial Times
November 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

BRUSSELS — EU lawmakers have voted to in effect exempt most member states from a contentious law banning commodities grown on deforested land. …Brussels’ landmark deforestation law was intended to apply to commodities from within and outside the EU, environmental campaigners said a change made to the legislation on Thursday had created a “loophole” for member states. …In a vote on Thursday to approve the delay, conservative lawmakers also led a push to introduce a “no risk” category, whereby companies operating in countries where there was no deforestation would not need to apply the rules. …As it stands, the law requires goods from all countries — regardless of their forest husbandry. The new category would allow countries with stable or increasing forest size to be exempted from all checks. …The ballot marked the first major test of the EU’s ambitious environmental laws following the election of a new parliament.

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EU lawmakers seek change to deforestation law and approve delay

By Philip Blenkinsop
Reuters
November 14, 2024
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

BRUSSELS – The European Parliament sought on Thursday to water down a ban on the import of commodities such as beef and soy linked to deforestation, and backed a one year delay to the new rule, in a fresh push-back against the EU’s environmental agenda. The European Commission proposed a 12-month delay until December 2025 last month after complaints from a group of 20 EU countries, some companies and non-EU countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the United States. However, it did not propose any changes to the substance of the law. …The parliament’s narrow vote to add a new ‘no risk’ category of countries with far lighter controls adds to uncertainty over the regulation as lawmakers will have to enter negotiations with EU governments. …Environmental groups said the vote was a terrible signal. Julia Christian at Fern, said the amendment would give EU forested countries a free pass and was “particularly egregious”.

In related news: Greenpeace calls on Commission to withdraw delay and press ahead with original timeline

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Finance & Economics

Canada’s housing starts rose 8% in October, six month trends is flat

By Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Cision Newswire
November 18, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

OTTAWA — The six-month trend in housing starts was flat in October at 243,522 units. …The total monthly SAAR of housing starts for all areas in Canada increased 8% in October (240,761 units) compared to September (223,391 units), according CMHC. …”Actual year-to-date housing starts are similar to last year, but we continue to see higher activity in the Prairie provinces, Québec and the Atlantic provinces, while Ontario and British Columbia have seen declines in all housing types. The increases in the monthly SAAR in Toronto and Vancouver are a promising sign for Ontario and British Columbia, as they drove the national SAAR increase in October. Despite these results, we remain well below what is required to restore affordability in Canada’s urban centres.” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s Chief Economist.

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Homebuilders forecast ‘grim outlook’ for residential construction in 2025

Ontario Construction
November 18, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — Housing starts over the next few years will likely weaken and the already-dire supply shortage could get even worse, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) is warning. A new report shows employment in new residential construction sector “will probably fall quite a lot” in the years ahead. The report provides an overview of the housing market and develops forecasts covering 2024 to 2028 for Ontario, as well as municipalities in the Census Metropolitan Areas of Toronto, Hamilton and Oshawa. …“The findings of this report are particularly worrisome for builders as they point to a weakening residential construction market at the very time we need to build more housing,” said RESCON president Richard Lyall. …The report paints two scenarios. In both, a further weakening of employment and new housing starts continues well into 2025, followed by a slow recovery of the economy and housing activity during 2026 to 2028.

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GreenFirst reports Q3, 2024 net income of $8.8 million

GreenFirst Forest Products Inc.
November 12, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO, Ontario — GreenFirst Forest Products announced results for the third quarter ended September 28, 2024. Highlights include: Q3 2024 net income from continuing operations was $14.8 million, compared to net loss of $9.9 million in Q2 2024. Adjusted EBITDA for Q3 2024 was positive $15.7 million compared to negative $6.1 million in Q2 2024. Lumber had a negative contribution to Q3 2024 as a result of weak market conditions. Average realized lumber prices of $614/mfbm for Q3 2024 were also lower than the $637/mfbm pricing realized in Q2 2024. …“We remain cautious in the short term, and the Company will continue to focus on tightly managing its costs and liquidity. Finally, as previously announced, GreenFirst will continue its strategy of selling non-core assets.” said Joel Fournier, Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst.

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US Builder Confidence Moves Higher as Election Uncertainty is Lifted

By Robert Dietz
The NAHB Eye on Housing
November 18, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Builder sentiment improved for the third straight month, and builders expect market conditions will continue to improve with Republicans winning control of the White House and Congress. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 46 in November, up three points from October, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Future sales expectations posted a notable increase in the November reading of builder sentiment. …All three HMI sub-indices were up in November. The index charting current sales conditions rose two points to 49, the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months increased seven points to 64 and the gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers posted a three-point gain to 32.

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Fastmarkets expects US housing starts of 1.5 million units in 2025

By Jennifer Coskren
RISI Fastmarkets
November 18, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Jennifer Coskren, Fastmarkets’ director of wood products and timber, comments on the state of the US housing market and a look ahead to 2025. …Construction will ease about 5.5% this year, with the single-family component of our forecast still up 5% to just under one million units. While the September rate cuts by the Federal Reserve may not immediately boost new home construction, future cuts are likely to encourage side lined buyers to enter the market. We are expecting an improvement in construction in 2025. We anticipate a rebound in both single-family and multi-family starts, with a forecast of approximately 1.5 million units, of which 1.1 million of them are single-family. Both single-family and multi-family are forecast to be up around 11%.

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US Building Material Prices Increase While Other Input Prices Fall

By Jesse Wade
The NAHB Eye on Housing
November 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—decreased 0.2% in October according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compared to a year ago, this index is up 0.3% in October after a decline of 0.1% in September. …At the individual commodity level, excluding energy, the five commodities with the highest importance for building materials to the new residential construction index were as follows: ready-mix concrete, general millwork, paving mixtures/ blocks, sheet metal products, and wood office furniture/store fixtures. Across these commodities, there was price growth across the board compared to last year. Ready-mix concrete was up 3.7%, wood office furniture/store fixtures up 3.6%, general millwork up 2.8%, paving mixtures/blocks up 2.4% and sheet metal products up 0.6%.

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US Housing Costs Continue to Drive Inflation

By Fan-Yu Kuo
NAHB – Eye on Housing
November 13, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Inflation picked up again in October, showing the last mile to the 2% target will be the hardest. Shelter costs remained the main driver of inflation, accounting for over 65% of the 12-month increase in the all items less food and energy index. However, the year-over-year change in the shelter index has been below 5% for the second consecutive month, signaling some moderation in housing inflation. While the Fed’s interest rate cuts could help ease some pressure on the housing market, its ability to address rising housing costs is limited, as these increases are driven by a lack of affordable supply and increasing development costs. In fact, tight monetary policy hurts housing supply because it increases the cost of AD&C financing. Shelter costs continue to rise at an elevated pace despite Fed policy tightening. Additional housing supply is the primary solution to tame housing inflation.

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Timber Trades Journal Softwood Update: Market falls short of expectations

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
November 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

When it comes to trading, this year’s UK softwood market fell far short of most importers and merchants’ expectations. With the year-end in sight, the current mood among UK distributors is one of resignation that an upturn is unlikely to materialise before the New Year. Taking all softwood product groups into consideration, demand for construction grades in particular fell away, steeply declining since July. C24 specifications have been the most affected, engendering fierce competition between wholesalers that forced prices down on virtually a monthly basis. For those sellers driven by volume targets and operating from quayside facilities, weak demand created lower stock-turn rates, and at inventory-linked ports, quay rental charges threatened to add to costs creating additional pressure on sellers to slash prices and force stock into the market. …In the UK, the weak demand for structural wood has been masking the fact that there are shortages in the supply chain.

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Timber Developers UK conference charts the position of current timber markets and economics

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
November 14, 2024
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

European sawmillers continue to feel the pressure of poor market conditions, while expectations of a big market boost from the UK Government’s ambitious housebuilding agenda are far from certain, key industry speakers told Timber Development UK’s (TDUK) Global Markets Conference. Construction Productions Association (CPA) economics editor Noble Francis told 200 timber industry representatives that while there were positive early signs of improvements in UK construction, the new Government’s housebuilding target of 1.5 million new homes during the next Parliamentary period was “ludicrous”. …Meanwhile, fellow TDUK conference speaker Olle Berg, EVP market/sales & business development at Setra Group, said Swedish, Finnish and central European sawmillers were really suffering, with the full force of the downturn being felt in Q2, 2024. …US softwood consumption was at healthy levels in 2024 but oversupplied. “The US is looking quite positive; the fundamentals look very good.”

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Top Oregon, Washington, B.C. leaders converge in Portland to plot supercharged housing strategy

By Shane Kavanaugh
Oregon Live
November 18, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West, US West

PORTLAND — A bevy of top political, business and academic leaders across the Pacific Northwest will convene in Portland this week to promote efforts that they hope will dramatically accelerate housing creation in the region. Organizers of the Cascadia Innovation Corridor initiative estimate that Oregon, Washington and British Columbia currently face a combined housing shortage of up to 1 million units over the next two decades. The group’s annual conference seeks to establish a set of regional strategies aimed at closing that gap. Those include everything from permitting consolidation to increased financial incentives for developers and emerging technology that can help slash bureaucratic red tape. …Conference participants will also be able to tour a production facility for mass timber. The Oregon timber industry and political leadership have touted mass timber for years as an opportunity to revive the fortunes of rural communities around the state with homegrown building materials. 

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Paper Industry Announces 2023 U.S. Paper Recycling Rates

The American Forest & Paper Association
PaperAge
November 14, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) announced that 65-69% of paper available for recovery in the United States was recycled in 2023. That amounts to about 46 million tons of paper or 126,000 tons per day. The 2023 cardboard recycling rate was 71% – 76%, which amounts to nearly 33 million tons of cardboard being recycled or 90,000 tons per day. The rate incorporates all primary collection channels, including industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential, combined with a more extensive analysis of U.S. trade data. …The 2023 calculations show that paper remains one of the most highly recycled materials in America, with the industry recycling nearly 60% more paper today than it did in 1990 when initial recycling rate goals were established. “No matter how you measure it, paper recycling is an environmental success story,” said AF&PA President and CEO Heidi Brock.

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GBI Releases Updated Green Globes for Core & Shell and Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors

The Green Building Initiative
November 12, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

PORTLAND, Oregon – The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced the release of updated certification programs, Green Globes for Core & Shell 2024 and Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors 2024. Both programs were informed by GBI’s ANSI standard (ANSI/GBI 01-2024: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Design, New Construction, and Major Renovations). …“GBI’s Green Globes Core & Shell and Sustainable Interior rating systems are proven programs adding to the sustainability continuum for owners and tenants,” said Vicki Worden, GBI President & CEO. “This update of the programs ensures that they continue to reflect the latest science and research while maintaining our commitment to deliver robust yet accessible certification options. …GBI has certified nearly 750M square feet of commercial real estate with Green Globes and the federal Guiding Principles Compliance programs. 

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Boise Cascade Goes Exclusive With Trex Railing and Expands Trex Footprint

By Trex Company
Business Wire
November 13, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

WINCHESTER, Virginia — Trex, the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing, has strengthened its relationship with Boise Cascade, the leading national distributor of building products. Moving forward, Trex will be the only brand of composite decking and deck railings sold and distributed by Boise locations participating in the Trex program across the country, including incremental Trex distribution that Boise is gaining in New Jersey and the surrounding region. This increased commitment to Trex correlates with the brand’s expanded product offering. …Jeff Strom, executive VP of Building Materials Distribution for Boise Cascade Co. “With these latest additions, they now have a railing lineup that parallels their industry-leading decking portfolio and gives us everything our customers and their clients could ever need or want – all from one trusted source.”

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How regional mass timber markets can support decarbonization and help build local economies

By Jake Chidester
The World Economic Forum
November 15, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The global market for mass timber is expected to grow to $3.7 billion by 2032 from $1.5 billion in 2020, according to 2023 report. This growth is being driven by the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific building construction industries. Hyperlocal approaches to creating a mass timber industry are already taking shape around the world. …In North America, British Columbia and Ontario have created local mass timber action plans, while the US city of Boston has  also successfully catalyzed a local mass timber market through targeted accelerator programmes. And in Detroit, Michigan, real estate developer, Bedrock, has partnered with Michigan State University programme MassTimber@MSU, the United States Forest Service and other public, private and academic stakeholders to build the Great Lakes Open-Source Timber Innovation Collaborative. This will further develop mass timber research, manufacturing, fabrication, design and construction capacity in the Great Lakes region.

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Greenbuild Special Report: Meeting the Carbon Emissions Challenge

By Jessica Fiur
The Commercial Property Executive
November 14, 2024
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

“We have limited time to reverse climate change,” Brad Benke, a researcher at Carbon Leadership Forum said at the Greenbuild conference in Philadelphia. In a panel discussion, Benke; Ryan Dirks, senior associate at Perkins Eastman; Matt Roberts, post-doctoral researcher at the Center for the Built Environment at UC Berkeley; and Wyatt Ross, building science engineer at CMTA Inc. shared insights about whole life carbon assessment for buildings, and what to do to reduce carbon emissions. …It’s also not just about the upfront carbon. “That matters a lot, but we need to work on ways to extend service life,” Ross explained. When you’re developing a building, research the materials before purchasing and installing. For example, Dirks shared that linoleum has fewer carbon emissions than rubber. Additionally, mass timber is more sustainable than steel. (Plus, if you have a hybrid of mass timber, it will provide major cost savings.)

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Forestry

Cooperative community wildfire response: Pathways to First Nations’ leadership and partnership

By Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, Dave Pascal, Vanessa Comeau & Lori Daniels
Science Direct
November 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

With the growing scale of wildfires, many First Nations are demanding a stronger role in wildfire response. Disproportionate impacts on Indigenous communities in Canada are motivating these demands: although approximately 5 % of the population identifies as Indigenous, about 42 % of wildfire evacuation events occur communities that are more than half Indigenous. In BC, new pathways for cooperative wildfire response between First Nations and provincial agencies are emerging. …Our research highlights the diverse existing capacities, priority opportunities, and processes required to enhance cooperative pathways. Within First Nations communities, existing capacities include local knowledge, firefighting experience, equipment, funding, relationships, and leadership – an overlooked but fundamental capacity. Priority opportunities include ways to build capacity within and beyond wildfire response, such as fully equipped response crews, full-time year-round wildfire management crews, Emergency Management Coordinators, First Nations Liaisons, and cross-trained wildland and structural crews. 

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Controversial logging bridge in Kananaskis Country’s been removed, for now

By Kevin Wallace
The Okotoks Online
November 12, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

ALBERTA — The controversial logging bridge over the Highwood River in Kananaskis Country has been removed. Back in August West Fraser Timber started removing the bridge and remediating the area after consulting with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The controversy arose because proper approval wasn’t given to Spray Lake Sawmills, the original company that constructed the bridge. …The Highwood River is also a key waterway for Bull trout and Westslope Cutthroat trout. Both are species at risk. The bridge is now approximately 100 metres back from the river with West Fraser planning to remove it at a later date. However, the company is currently engaging stakeholders to refine the draft harvest of trees and is forecasting a new bridge to be put in place by the summer of 2025. West Fraser plans to have the revised plan for public review in the spring of 2025.

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California braces for climate conflict but aligns with Trump on forest management

By Ari Plachta
The Sacramento Bee
November 18, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

California leaders are bracing for a clash with Donald Trump on most environmental issues when he returns to the White House, but they’re surprisingly aligned with him on forest management. Since his first term as president, Trump has blamed the state for its devastating wildfires, telling leaders to thin out its forest and clear out the forest floors to lower risk. Research shows he wasn’t entirely off base. Decades of fire suppression have California left forests overgrown, making them more vulnerable to severe wildfires intensified by climate change. In 2020, the state ramped up efforts to thin forests, setting a goal of treating one million acres of forest land a year. Now it may even support a controversial timber-based energy industry. …Wood pellet biomass is often marketed as renewable. But environmentalists criticize it for releasing significant carbon emissions like fossil fuels and say it incentivizes removal of mature trees from forests.

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More logging is proposed to help curb wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

By Matthew Brown
The Associated Press
November 17, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

U.S. officials would allow increased logging on federal lands across the Pacific Northwest in the name of fighting wildfires and boosting rural economies under proposed changes to a sweeping forest management plan that’s been in place for three decades. The U.S. Forest Service proposal, released Friday, would overhaul the Northwest Forest Plan that governs about 38,000 square miles in Oregon, Washington and California. The plan was adopted in 1994 under President Bill Clinton amid pressure to curb logging that destroyed habitat used by spotted owls. …But federal officials now say worsening wildfires due to climate change mean forests must be more actively managed to increase their resiliency. Increased logging also would provide a more predictable supply of trees for timber companies, helping rural economies that have suffered after lumber mills shut down. The proposal could increase annual timber harvests by at least 33%, according to a draft environmental study.

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US Forest Service ready for your comments about proposed changes to its Northwest Forest Plan

By Jerry Howard
KDRV ABC Newswatch 12
November 15, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The U.S. Forest Service is starting a public comment period today about proposed changes to its forest management plan for Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is taking public input about a proposed amendment to land management plans for national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area. The draft Environmental Impact Statement for the amendment gets published today in the Federal Register, launching an 120-day comment period to allow the public to offer input about how these forests will be managed. …USFS says the draft EIS focuses on balancing economic needs, ecological health, and community safety across the Northwest Forest Plan area. …The Forest Service will review and incorporate feedback to develop a final environmental impact statement, anticipated in 2025.  Comments can be submitted here.

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Animal Welfare Groups Call To Reject U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Plan To Open National Parks To Barred Owl Hunting

The Daily Fly
November 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON — Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy called on superintendents from Olympic National Park, Mount Rainier, and North Cascades national parks to resist a plan by a sister agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to participate in a scheme to kill almost half a million barred owls in the Pacific Northwest over the next 30 years. The USFWS filed a Record of Decision on barred owl management in late August, and last week, AWA and the Center filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle to block the overreaching and unworkable plan targeting a species protected for a century by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. …Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action said, “It has a zero percent chance of success, but it will produce an unheard-of body count of a long-protected owl species.”

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North Carolina Project Repurposes Fallen Trees From Tropical Storm Helene

EIN News – Natural Disasters
November 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Thousands of trees damaged by Tropical Storm Helene will be repurposed under a North Carolina project developed through Interagency Recovery Coordination (IRC), a team of federal, state and local government, non-profits and faith-based organizations. More than 320,000 pounds of wood has already been removed. …Stages of the project include clearing debris and fallen trees from the North Carolina Arboretum south of Asheville.“This marks the transition from response to long-term recovery,” said Thomas J. McCool, federal coordinating officer for North Carolina’s disaster operation. …The project is already sending logs to a staging area to be sorted based on potential use. The wood will then be distributed to residents and communities for firewood, furniture material, mulch and more.

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An Analysis to Support the Southern Forest and Forest Products Outlook

By Jeffrey Prestemon
The USDA Forest Service
November 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

The last decade’s economic, social, and environmental changes have affected the production, consumption, prices, and trade of forest products. This report provides an overview of changes in the U.S. South. …The region today faces uncertainties related to the impacts of new products and wood pellets on traditional products, the effects of climate change on forest growth and disturbances, an evolving trade posture, and economic and population growth. This Outlook sought to clarify the overall effects of some of these phenomena without asserting levels of confidence about their likelihoods. …The study highlighted several knowledge gaps. First, climate is affecting growth, but the growth effects of rising temperatures and higher CO2 levels may be offset by changes in precipitation and shrinking CO2 absorptive capacity of trees, attenuating anticipated increasing timber inventory volumes. …Alterations in disturbances from this changing climate also affect timber mortality, which may counteract increased forest gross growth.

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Hurricane Helene knocked a massive hole in Georgia’s timber industry

By Grant Blankenship
Georgia Public Broadcasting
November 14, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

GEORGIA — In clearing in a pine forest 75 miles east of Macon, in Treutlen County, a pile of stumps and root balls grows as Wade Webb’s logging crew adapts machines made for cutting down trees to the job of slowly plucking them out of the jumble left by the 90-mph winds of Hurricane Helene. …Estimated commercial timber losses come to about $1.8 billion across the four states hit hardest by Helene — Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. But Georgia losses by themselves account for about three quarters of that, some $1.3 billion. That’s according to a joint report by the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Warnell School of Forestry at the University of Georgia. …Gillis said the longer a fallen tree stays on the ground, the more the wood degrades, or blues, and once a tree blues it’s really only good for pulpwood, for paper and cardboard, from then on.

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With federal support, conservationists and timber companies find common ground

By Eileen Hall, Nature Conservancy & Kyle Burdick, Baskahegan Co.
The Bangor Daily News
November 13, 2024
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

DANFORTH, Maine — Protecting the health of Maine’s forests and the waterways that keep them thriving is something both of our organizations can get behind. For The Nature Conservancy, it’s because healthy forests are vital for people and the planet. For Baskahegan, it’s because thriving forests mean jobs and growing local economies. For both of us, addressing the outdated dams and undersized culverts on forest roads that block passage of native fish like Atlantic salmon and brook trout is a top priority. …Last year, the conservation program contributed around $1 million to the construction of a fishway at a dam owned by Baskahegan in Danforth. …The project restored access to 96 miles and nearly 9,000 acres of invaluable alewife spawning habitat in the northern reaches of the Penobscot River watershed — returning fish to waters they haven’t been able to access for 200 years.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Biomass energy is a growing threat for climate, forests and B.C.’s value-added industry

By Rachel Holt and Susan Simard
The Vancouver Sun
November 13, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

A recent wood pellet conference held in B.C. promoted biomass pellets as a green and climate-friendly energy solution. However, this rapidly expanding industry is not the climate saviour it has been made out to be. …These markets promise a climate solution by replacing coal, and so are incentivized globally by billions of dollars in subsidies. ..The story is that biomass pellets are made from wood waste, but in truth, a significant volume comes from whole trees, often from primary forests. …And while industry proponents claim that biomass is carbon-neutral, this only holds true if the trees are left to regrow fully — a process that can take centuries. In the meantime, burning of biomass accelerates carbon emissions at a time when we need immediate reductions. …B.C. should ban the export of wood pellets. International subsidies increase pressure on B.C.s forests and stand contrary to developing a real value-added industry here in B.C.

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Challenges and opportunities for B.C. biofuels

By Nelson Bennett
Business in Vancouver
November 13, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada West

Canada is well-positioned to profit both environmentally and economically from a growing biofuel industry, but faces risks in scaling up biofuel production in a way that is sustainable and competitive, warns a new report by Werner Antweiler at the University of B.C.’s Sauder School of Business. While biofuels can play a significant role in decarbonizing transportation, there can be negative environmental impacts and impacts on food production, Antweiler notes in a new report for the C.D. Howe Institute. On the other hand, biofuels could benefit farmers in the prairie provinces with the production of energy crops, like canola, on marginal farmland, foster new biofuel refining businesses, such as the Tidewater Renewables refinery in Prince George, and make significant emissions reductions in transportation. Biofuels can be made from food crops, like corn, animal fats, biological waste, and non-food crops such as wood waste.

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Carbon markets give environmentalists hope after US elections

By Ross Kerber
Reuters
November 13, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

A rare bright spot for environmentalists in last week’s U.S. election results came in Washington State, where voters easily defeated an attempt to end the state’s carbon market by a margin of 62% to 38%. Analysts said the result was in line with widespread interest in the structures that allow investors to put a price on emissions. …These carbon ‘cap-and-trade’ programs are capitalist, free-market solutions that allow companies to hedge and monetize their energy transition,” said Luke Oliver, of the KraneShares Global Carbon Strategy ETF. Oliver’s $275 million fund tracks an index covering major cap-and-trade programs including one run by the European Union and the California Carbon Allowances system. …The cost of European Union carbon emissions permits stood around 67 euros on Tuesday. The price seemed little affected by U.S. election results or in the following days as President-elect Donald Trump began filling out his administration.

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Denmark will plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest

By
The Associated Press
November 18, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish lawmakers on Monday agreed on a deal to plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest and natural habitats over the next two decades in an effort to reduce fertilizer usage. The government called the agreement “the biggest change to the Danish landscape in over 100 years.” “The Danish nature will change in a way we have not seen since the wetlands were drained in 1864,” said Jeppe Bruus, head of Denmark’s Green Tripartite Ministry, created to implement a green deal reached in June among farmers, the industry, the labor unions and environmental groups. …Danish forests would grow on an additional 250,000 hectares (618,000 acres), and another 140,000 hectares (346,000 acres), which are currently cultivated on climate-damaging low-lying soils, must be converted to nature. Currently, 14.6% of land is covered by forests.

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The 1.5C Climate Goal Is Dead. Why Is COP29 Still Talking About It?

By Aahra Hirsi and John Ainger
Bloomberg Green
November 17, 2024
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

The battle to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius has been a rallying cry for climate action for nearly a decade. Now, with the planet almost certain to blow past the target, diplomats and campaigners at the COP29 summit have found themselves awkwardly clinging to a goal that no longer makes sense. The evidence has become harder and harder to ignore. This year will once again be the hottest on record as greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar and Earth will likely register an average reading of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for the first time. A study released this month using a new technique for measuring the rise in temperatures suggests the world was already 1.49C hotter at the end of 2023. …The mood in Baku has not been hopeful. Leaders from most major economies, consumed by domestic political struggles, failed to turn up. 

Related coverage in the NY Times: At COP29, Climate ‘Optimism Has Been Dampened’

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Forest History & Archives

Laurentian University prof and students are writing a book chronicling Tembec Industries

The Sudbury Star
November 10, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada East

Two Laurentian students are contributing to not only the research but also the writing of a book about a Northern Ontario pulp and paper company. Professor Mark Kuhlberg is “an award-winning author whose work primarily focuses on Canada’s forest history,” the university said. “For his most recent project that will delve into the compelling history of Tembec Industries, Dr. Kuhlberg is leveraging the support of undergraduate students Sarah Gould and Fiona Symington. Through this unique collaborative opportunity, the students will help tell the story of a company with deep roots in Northern Ontario’s community and industrial heritage.” …The book will chronicle the efforts of Tembec’s workers, who fought against the mill’s closure in the 1970s by forming a unique partnership among workers-turned-entrepreneurs, the local community, and various levels of government. …The book, which is supported by Forest History Ontario and an angel donor is expected to be published late 2026.

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How Log Chutes Transformed Canada’s Lumber Industry

By Steve Paikin
TVO Today
November 13, 2024
Category: Forest History & Archives
Region: Canada, Canada East

ONTARIO — The Hawk Lake log chute is a preserved piece of Canada’s past in the Haliburton region. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of chutes like this across the country at the peak of the logging industry. They helped to open the country to resource extraction and settlement, which is why the Township of Algonquin Highlands has rebuilt and preserved this model from the 1860s. But could it, or perhaps, should it, stand for more than just a colonial victory over the natural world? In this episode, we’ll learn how these chutes transformed the lumber industry, but also led to major harms to both the natural world and Indigenous peoples. [YouTube video 10:45 min]

 

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