Tuesday Note: Don’t forget to commemorate (virtually if need be) Remembrance Day in Canada, Veterans Day in the USA. The Frogs will be back on Wednesday.
Monday’s News: The UN climate talks kicked off today in Brazil, absent the United States. In related news: what does a successful COP30 look like; what’s Canada’s role; the US says the summit is misguided; and Germany supports UN’s tropical forest protection scheme. In Forestry news: Pacific Regeneration Technologies is concerned about the end of Canada’s 2B Tree program; California has a seed collection crisis; new research on how Redwoods fare amid wildfires; the unpredictability of Oregon’s landslides; and why Sweden’s forest policy matters.
In Business/Politics news: Zoltan van Heyningen says US duties exist because of past and ongoing harm; Bob Brash says BC needs to own its role in undermining the forest sector’s prosperity; Vaughn Palmer and Mayor Maureen Pinkney opine on West Fraser’s 100 Mile House mill closure; and CTV interviews Derek Nighbor on the fed’s support for lumber. Meanwhile: JD Irving’s Dixfield, Maine mill was damaged by fire; and Doman and Taiga report Q3, 2025 earnings.
Finally, WorkSafeBC fines the BC government for two wildfire fighting incidents from 2023.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Following Tree Frog News’ November 7 op-ed, “
Canada’s forestry industry plans to divert a significant share of its wood exports from the US to new international markets. …The aim to send some 1bn board feet to alternative markets underscores how Trump’s tariffs are starting to reshape some global supply chains, although tensions between the US and Canada over wood exports have simmered for more than half a century. …“The US simply needs to fact-check better before they end up with a large shortage of lumber that may cause further housing shortages,” said Rick Doman, chair of FII BC. …Zoltan van Heyningen for the US Lumber Coalition said the American timber industry could replace 1bn board feet of Canadian imports “without batting an eyelid”. …The NAHB says at just 64% of capacity it “will take years” for US domestic lumber production to expand to meet industry demands. …Mike McDonald, a UK-based consultant, acknowledged it would take time to establish confidence among European consumers. [to access the full story a FT subscription is required]
HONG KONG — It is an image that just a year ago would have seemed unfathomable: the Canadian and Chinese leaders standing side by side. …The tide began turning early last month… Prime Minister Carney and leader Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in South Korea – the first time leaders of the two countries had met in eight years. …That has since been followed by another ministerial visit to China. China also reinstated Canada to its approved travel list for tour groups. …But as leaders in Ottawa and Beijing signal it may be time to start doing business again, some experts warn China could be attempting to exploit Canada at a vulnerable moment. …Meanwhile, the US has increasingly ramped up its economic war on its northern neighbor. …Beijing has said it will drop the canola tariffs if Ottawa does the same for Chinese electric vehicles.
West Fraser-100 Mile Lumber employees like Kris Taylor are taking each day as it comes, following the announcement of the 
PRINCE ALBERT, Saskatchewan — The sale of a defunct Prince Albert pulp and paper mill from Domtar to the Ontario-based BMI Group has ended plans to re-open the mill and sparked a search for industrial business tenants for the site. “The site will never be a pulp mill again. That is for sure,” said Chris Rickett, BMI Group’s head of government and community relations. After eight months of negotiations, BMI purchased the former Weyerhaeuser Prince Albert pulp mill site and buildings from Domtar, Canada’s largest pulp and paper company. …The former Weyerhauser Prince Albert Pulp and Paper Mill ceased operations in 2006. Approximately 700 workers at the mill lost their jobs, with further indirect job losses in the forestry industry. A spokesperson for the One Sky Forest Products said it is gathering investors to build an oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturing plant on the former mill site. 
Members of the management team for West Fraser’s 100 Mile Lumber appeared in front of the District of 100 Mile House Council to answer questions about the permanent closure of their 100 Mile House mill by the end of December. …Mayor Maureen Pinkney began the meeting, noting that the closure is sad news and that she was surprised they were going straight to closure without any curtailment. …Rob Baron, West Fraser’s regional manager of operations, said “The conditions that precipitated the decision to go to permanent closure are really entirely related to long-term viability related to the high cost of saw logs coming to this mill”. …They’re currently getting their shutdown coordinator set up and have resources on site to help their employees through the transition. …Baron said West Fraser doesn’t have any plans for what they’ll be doing with the property in the future, but welcomes anyone interested in the facility to contact them.
EAR FALLS, Ontario — Northerners know what it means to put in an honest day’s work. …But in Ear Falls, that northern way of life is under threat. In October, Interfor announced the indefinite closure of the Ear Falls sawmill. Over 160 jobs have vanished, and the community is left waiting—hoping that leaders in Ottawa and Toronto will step up, restore these jobs, and fight for the future of Ear Falls. But Ear Falls did not just stand by, they united. Workers, families, municipal leaders, Unifor, and MPP Sol Mamakwa stood shoulder to shoulder to demand action. …But the response from Premier Ford and Prime Minster Carney? Deafening silence. The indefinite closure of Ear Falls’ sawmill, and the silence from Conservative and Liberal governments lay bare the legacy of under-development, under-investment, and under-representation that holds Northerners back.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.2% on a year-over-year basis in October, down from a 2.4% increase in September. The all-items CPI decelerated largely due to gasoline prices, which fell at a faster pace year over year in October (-9.4%) compared with September (-4.1%). Excluding gasoline, the CPI rose 2.6% in October, matching the increase in September. …The CPI rose 0.2% month over month in October. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the CPI was up 0.1%. …Consumers paid more year over year in October for homeowners’ home and mortgage insurance (+6.8%) and passenger vehicle insurance premiums (+7.3%). Among the provinces, prices rose the most in Alberta for both measures, with a 13.7% increase in homeowners’ home and mortgage insurance and a 17.8% increase in passenger vehicle insurance premiums.
The US Census Bureau announced the following value put in place construction statistics. …Construction spending during August 2025 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,169.5 billion, 0.2 percent (±0.7 percent) above the revised July estimate of $2,165.0 billion. The August figure is 1.6 percent (±1.5 percent) below the August 2024 estimate of $2,205.3 billion. During the first eight months of this year, construction spending amounted to $1,438.0 billion, 1.8 percent (±1.0 percent) below the $1,463.7 billion for the same period in 2024. …Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,652.1 billion, 0.3 percent (±0.5 percent) above the revised July estimate of $1,647.5 billion. …In August, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $517.3 billion, virtually unchanged from (±1.2 percent) the revised July estimate of $517.5 billion. 
The Supreme Court could decide on the legality of many of the Trump administration’s tariffs within months, but the ruling won’t impact many of the administration’s levies on imported construction materials such as lumber, steel, aluminum and copper. …Many construction materials imported into the US will remain subject to hefty tariffs regardless of how the Supreme Court rules. Some homebuilding leaders warn that home prices could increase by thousands of dollars beginning next year. …Cristian deRitis, at Moody’s Analytics, said “While importers of other building materials might experience some relief, this could be temporary. The administration may choose to expand the Section 232 tariffs as a fallback strategy if the reciprocal tariffs are invalidated,” deRitis said. …There hasn’t yet been an increase in lumber prices, but NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes forecasted that the lumber tariffs “will create additional headwinds for an already challenged housing market by further raising construction and renovation costs.”
The global pulp and paper industry is entering a new period of uncertainty after several turbulent years marked by supply chain shocks, rising costs, and shifting market dynamics. While packaging demand continues to grow, analysts warn that the rapid build-up of new capacity could soon trigger a global oversupply of fibre-based products. According to a recent market analysis, the global paper and pulp market was valued at 500 billion USD in 2024 and is expected to reach 650 billion USD by 2033, representing an annual growth rate of around four per cent. The trend, however, hides deep structural divides – strong expansion in packaging and tissue paper, but continued decline in printing and writing grades. …Analysts agree that the coming decade will determine whether the paper and pulp sector can balance growth with sustainability – or whether the combination of overcapacity, energy costs, and environmental constraints will usher in a new era of consolidation.
Logs are a familiar sight on the beaches along the coast of Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii and are often viewed positively, as they can stabilize the banks, be used for firewood or act as benches by beach-goers. However, new research from the University of Victoria (UVic) shows that these logs are not as innocuous as they seem. According to a study published by UVic biologist Tom Reimchen and two of his students, free-floating logs that wash ashore, referred to as drift logs, are causing widespread destruction of rocky intertidal ecosystems communities along the coast of Western Canada. …While drift logs may seem rather stable to the casual observer, more than 90 per cent of logs are displaced annually, and log movement during storms is frequent and extensive. This movement disrupts the ecological environment in the intertidal zone—the stretch of beach between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide. …This research was published in 
A First Nations joint-venture forestry company is under fire for its burning practices. C̕awak ʔqin Forestry recently lit up a series of burn piles only a few metres from where a local company turns post harvest wood waste into much needed hogfuel for the Catalyst paper mill. Under provincial guidelines, forest harvesters are supposed to look for grinding or chipping opportunities ahead of burning. Keith Wyton from the local air quality council says local governments should push foresters to not burn. …Forest companies are allowed to pile and burn slash at this time of year, but Wyton wants the BC Government to step in. …C̕awak ʔqin General Manager Geoff Payne said they were operating within provincial guidelines and were permitted to burn. C̕awak ʔqin Forestry is a joint venture between Western Forest Products and the Huu-ay-aht First Nation.
ALBERTA — Crowsnest Pass, the lowest pass through the Rocky Mountains between New Mexico and Jasper National Park, is home to Alberta’s rarest, most tree-species-rich forest. Some species growing here are as rare in Alberta as sage grouse and woodland caribou. …Trees don’t thrive within this forest. They cling to life. …A question I’ve long posed to society and the managers of southwestern Alberta’s matchstick forest is this: Is it economically viable to manage this forest for timber production? …Some years ago, I was selected to sit on a Government of Alberta advisory committee creating a vision for future management of this forest. …Alberta’s forest managers, responding to the problem they helped create, have now placed a new prescription on the pharmacist’s cutting block. The old prescription — clear-cut logging. The new prescription — profoundly expanded clear-cut logging.
BANFF, Alberta – Because of this importance of whitebark pine, Parks Canada is working across the mountain national parks of Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper, Revelstoke-Glacier and Waterton Lakes to try to give endangered whitebark pine a fighting chance. The higher elevation trees, which can live to be 1,000 years old, are dying off at an alarming rate. Climate change, more than a century of wildfire suppression and mountain pine beetle are all playing a role, but the biggest threat comes from white pine blister rust. …One clear sign of infection is orange blisters on the bark. McLellan said less than one per cent of whitebark pine are naturally resistant to the rust. …Charlie McLellan said last summer about 6,500 rust-resistant saplings were planted in the Banff National Park field unit and in Kootenay National Park – made up of whitebark pine and limber pine, another species recommended to be listed as endangered.
The Washington Forest Practices Board may vote Nov. 12 to widen and lengthen riparian buffers, taking millions of dollars worth of timber out of production. Forest landowners and the wood-products are mounting a last-ditch effort to persuade the board to not adopt what they say would be a massive taking of private property. The state Department of Ecology says wider and longer buffers would keep timber harvests from raising temperatures in non-fish bearing streams in most cases. Timber groups haven’t been in a battle this divisive since the industry, state agencies and tribes settled on seminal logging rules in 1999, Washington Forest Protection Association’s Darin Cramer said. …Studies confirmed logging raises water temperatures. The timber industry argues that even if temperatures rise, they soon go down and generally do not exceed acceptable levels. Massachusetts-based consultant Industrial Economics estimates the rule will take somewhere between 67,000 acres and 170,000 acres out of production.
Every year, there are thousands of landslides in Oregon. Geologists say the number is increasing due to climate change. …Swaths of the Pacific Northwest are particularly prone, thanks to a combination of mountainous landscape and heavy rainfall. “Over the last couple decades, the landslides and the surface processes and surface hazards that I’ve been working on have become much more prominent, primarily due to climate change and humans inhabiting more areas in hazardous terrain,” said Josh Roering, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Oregon. …Roering is one of the geologists involved in the newly formed Center for Land Surface Hazards (CLaSH). A $15 million NSF grant jumpstarted the center that will study landslides and other surface hazards. While CLaSH is housed in the University of Michigan, it is a collaboration with more than a dozen academic, governmental and community partners across the country. 
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has confirmed that Motion 30/2025 passed at its General Assembly in Panama. The motion establishes a roadmap for a digital information and volume-control system designed to strengthen the integrity of FSC claims and reduce the risk of false or fraudulent declarations within the supply chain. FSC says the measure will support greater transparency and traceability across certified products. …The Policy Motion reads: FSC shall gradually phase in a requirement for Certificate Holders to use a universal information and volume control system. This system shall be implemented using a risk-based, stepwise approach with full implementation no later than 2030. FSC should also establish supporting tools and services to ensure that all producers and companies can comply with the requirement.
The controversial law was supposed to come into force in December last year but the latest proposal would see its implementation delayed for a second time to late 2026. European lawmakers backed on Thursday a proposal to slash due diligence requirements for business operators under the European Union’s anti-deforestation law, after pressure from industry groups and countries outside Europe claimed the law was too burdensome. The ballot followed the European Commission’s announcement last month of an IT glitch that effectively delayed the law’s implementation until the end of 2026. …Under the new draft bill to simplify the law, lawmakers backed a Commission proposal that seeks to reduce the data load handled by the IT system linked to the EU’s anti-deforestation law and to cut the administrative burden for farmers, foresters and other economic operators. …While most member states back the delay to 2026, many others continue to hold divergent views.
Drax power plant has continued to burn 250-year-old trees sourced from some of Canada’s oldest forests despite growing scrutiny of its sustainability claims, forestry experts say. A new report suggests it is “highly likely” that Britain’s biggest power plant sourced some wood from ecologically valuable forests as recently as this summer. Drax, Britain’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, has received billions of pounds in subsidies from burning biomass derived largely from wood. The report, by Stand.earth, claims that a subsidiary of Drax Group received hundreds of truckloads of whole logs at its biomass pellet sites throughout 2024 and into 2025, which were likely to have included trees that were hundreds of years old. The report could raise fresh questions for the owner of the North Yorkshire power plant, which has been forced in recent years to defend its sustainability claims while receiving more than £2m a day in green energy subsidies from UK bill payers.
BRAZIL — More than 30 years after the world first came together in Brazil to tackle climate change, global temperatures are still rising and so is impatience with talk over action. …For decades, protecting forests felt like an uphill struggle. Now, that’s changing. Forest nations and partners around the world are rewriting the economics of conservation, turning forest stewardship into an engine of prosperity and sustainable growth. In Guyana, our pioneering system for high-integrity carbon credits has shown how trees can be worth more standing than cut down. Brazil’s leadership on the new Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) is creating a predictable, long-term finance reward for countries to preserve their forests and direct proceeds to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Across the world, investors are beginning to recognise that keeping forests standing is not just good for the planet, it’s good for their bottom line.
WorkSafeBC has fined the Provincial Government over $750,000 in connection with a pair of incidents involving the BC Wildfire Service that date back to 2023. An administrative penalty of $759,369 was levied on Sept. 25 following investigations into the two incidents – one of which led to the death of a firefighter near Fort St. John, while the other could have killed or injured multiple firefighters in the North Shuswap. In that North Shuswap incident, previous inspection reports by WorkSafeBC determined that a group of five Brazilian firefighters became “trapped by extreme fire behavior” during a planned ignition. …WorkSafeBC determined that a lack of planning, training, and communication were all contributing factors. …The other incident dates back to July 28, 2023, when 25-year-old firefighter, Zak Muise, was killed while fighting the Donnie Creek fire. WorkSafeBC determined that neither worker was wearing a helmet, the passenger had not been using a seatbelt, and the passenger-side retention netting had been damaged.