Blog Archives

Opinion / EdiTOADial

Rigged by Design? How Method and Policy Keep U.S. Lumber Duties High

Kelly McCloskey, Editor
Tree Frog Forestry News
November 7, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, United States

Kelly McCloskey

Every so often, a technical story reveals a simple truth—showing how easily numbers, once baked into the system, can become policy. A recent essay by analyst Alice Palmer… shows how the US Department of Commerce’s anti-dumping calculations turn fair trade into a numerical fiction—and why, even as markets shift, the duties stay high. …Palmer’s finding naturally raises a broader question: if one methodological choice can create a margin from nothing, are other elements in the system doing similar work? …Tree Frog reached out to Palmer and looked further into how the duty calculations are made—first, anti-dumping, then countervailing duties and finally timing. Taken together, the analysis points to a consistent pattern: much of the duty burden reflects method and timing rather than market reality. …If the anti-dumping and countervailing duties were recalculated using complete data (no zeroing), domestic benchmarks (no non-comparable price substitution), and up-to-date prices (no cycle lag), their combined rate—now roughly 35%—could fall to minimal levels.

In the wider context, the methodological issues described here are not just statistical—they reflect a system without an effective referee. The WTO Appellate Body remains dormant after the US blocked new appointments, and the Canada–US–Mexico Agreement (known in Canada as CUSMA and in the United States as USMCA) offers no practical remedy. The usual checks on bias have eroded, leaving little recourse for affected industries. Political-risk analyst Robert McKellar argues that this represents “a structural vulnerability: when the rules are written by the same players who benefit from them.” Just recently, the US Lumber Coalition reinforced that trend, urging that any USMCA extension be conditioned on eliminating the Chapter 10 binational panel review process—a move that would effectively eliminate external oversight of US trade-remedy decisions. …As McKellar noted, this tension between political power and economic logic typifies today’s protectionist era—a system where duties reflect not only distorted math but also the absence of a functioning arbiter to restore balance.

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Markets struggle to see the path ahead as confidence erodes and housing recovery looks unlikely before spring

By Kevin Mason, Managing Director
ERA Forest Products Research
November 3, 2025
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, United States

Kevin Mason

As we begin to think about our 2026 forecasts, we (and the market) are challenged by the declining quality of information. Across geographies and sectors, both the quantity and quality of stats have been deteriorating over the past few years, reducing the market’s ability to understand the present context and the future outlook. …At the same time, the need for quality and timely stats is greater than ever. The full impact of seismic changes in global free and fair trade is still unfolding. Commercial pivots take time given pre-tariff inventory builds, contracts, and buyer familiarity and preference. …Producers also lack confidence, impacting the willingness to invest in (or close) assets that drive our supply/demand models. Finally, we worry about investor confidence, as assessing an appropriate risk-weighted return is much more difficult in the current environment.

As a result of the ongoing US government shutdown, much of the regular housing data (starts, permits, etc.) have not been published this month, meaning that we are flying blind, to an extent, in terms of US housing analysis. However, based upon recent solid-wood pricing trends and commentary from industry contacts, there is little to suggest that the US housing market has shown any improvement in the past few weeks. With a seasonally slower period for housing demand and homebuilding activity approaching very quickly, we are unlikely to see any marked improvement in US housing before next spring (at the earliest). …While the US housing market may see some minor tailwinds from improving affordability over the coming months, that boost to housing (and wood products) demand could be more than offset by the negative impacts of the ongoing government shutdown.

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Business & Politics

Budget 2025: Measures to transform Canada’s softwood lumber industry

Natural Resources Canada
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

On August 5, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $1.25 billion aid package to support the softwood lumber sector as it faces increasingly challenging operational constraints. This package is also intended to retool and pivot to new markets. It includes:

  • $700 million in loan guarantees to help companies confront immediate pressures facing the softwood lumber sector, which will give the sector needed liquidity to maintain and restructure, if necessary, their operations. This will be delivered through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).
  • $500 million to supercharge product and market diversification and make the industry more competitive globally, delivered through Natural Resources Canada’s suite of forest industry transformation programs starting in the 2026–2027 fiscal year. These programs include the Forest Innovation Program, Investments in Forest Industry Transformation, Green Construction Through Wood, the Indigenous Forestry Initiative, the Global Forest Leadership Program and its precursor Expanding Market Opportunities program, and the Forest Systems Information and Technology Enhancement program.
  • $50 million over three years, led by Employment and Social Development Canada, to help reskill and support more than 6,000 affected forest workers through Labour Market Development Agreements. 

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US housing demand and production constraints ensure a strong import role for lumber

By Glen O’Kelly and Håkan Ekström
The American Journal of Transportation
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Håkan Ekström

Glen O’Kelly

The US has never produced enough softwood lumber to satisfy its own demand. …The US represents roughly 27% of global softwood lumber demand, but only 20% of global supply — a structural gap that requires large-scale imports. Canada remains the dominant source, supplying about 80% of US imports over the last decade and projected to supply more than 22% in 2025, according to a new report. Despite recurring political claims that the US can become self-sufficient in lumber production, the report concludes that the scale of change required makes that unrealistic. To replace the ~25 million m. of imports currently entering the market each year, the country would need to build around 75 new, modern sawmills. That would require capital investment exceeding 12x the total US sawmill investment over the past fifteen years — and would take more than a decade under ideal conditions. …Proposals to increase logging on federal lands are also unlikely to meaningfully reduce import dependence. 

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B.C. forestry summit called as industry being hammered by U.S. fees

The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER — Politicians from B.C. and Ottawa will meet in Vancouver today for a forestry summit on how to prop up the industry in the face of American fees and tariffs topping 50 per cent. Federal politicians including Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, along with B.C. Premier David Eby and his forests and jobs ministers, are set to discuss ways to support workers and businesses being hammered by the increased fees. In September, the Americans imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian companies ranging from 26 per cent to more than 47 per cent, and then added another 10 per cent last month, claiming Canada’s industry is a U.S. national security threat. B.C.’s goal for the summit is to push for more federal help for the industry that employs tens of thousands of workers in the province. The softwood lumber dispute has been a friction point for decades.

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Rosemary Barton speaks with Nick Arkle about hopes for upcoming softwood lumber summit

CBC News
November 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks to Nick Arkle, CEO of the Gorman Group in B.C., about what support the softwood lumber sector would like to see from the upcoming emergency summit with federal and provincial ministers. 

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How the U.S. Supreme Court’s tariff decision could impact Canada

By Kelly Geraldine Malone
The Canadian Press in CTV News
November 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s tariff agenda is set to face a major legal hurdle in the US Supreme Court this week but no matter the ruling, it will not spare Canada from all of the president’s devastating duties. The US Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday from businesses and states that say Trump’s use of a national security statute — the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 — to hit nearly every nation with tariffs is illegal. The hearing will combine two cases: one pushing back on what are usually referred to as Trump’s reciprocal tariffs and the other which also argues against the fentanyl-related duties on Canada, Mexico and China. It will not impact Trump’s expanding use of tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. …Carlo Dade at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, said no matter the outcome of the hearing, Canada will be facing tariffs.

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Canada’s forestry sector wants budget to offer support for now and future

By Sarah Plowman
CTV News
November 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The head of the Forest Products Association of Canada wants the upcoming federal budget to help “future-proof” the forestry sector while tariffs and duties pile up, as some mills have already been forced to curtail production or close. “Let’s not waste a crisis,” said Derek Nighbor, FPAC’s president and CEO. “Let’s use this as a moment to future-proof and future-ready our industry, and to support our workers and ensure that some of these mills can operate, for decades to come.” …When the budget is shared Nov. 4, Nighbor will be looking for more details on spending to help the forestry industry diversify its export markets. He also expects to learn more about spending on innovation to help retool mills and support a growing, mass timber, prefabricated modular homebuilding industry. …Lana Payne, Unifor’s national president, said she also wants to see a made-in-Canada housing strategy that relies on Canadian lumber.

See the Forest Products Association of Canada press release: Canada’s Forest Sector Seeks Clear Signals in Budget 2025 to Set Stage for Recovery and Growth

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Lumber industry warns of crisis as B.C. and Ottawa prepare for softwood summit

By Brent Jang
The Globe and Mail
October 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

Canada’s lumber industry is warning of a crisis as the BC government and Ottawa prepare for a softwood summit to discuss the long-standing trade dispute with the US. The BC Lumber Trade Council, the Forest Products Association of Canada, the Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance and the Independent Wood Processors Association of BC are among the groups sounding the alarm. “It has been 10 years since the last softwood lumber agreement expired,” said Andy Rielly, chair of the group of wood processors. “But everyone is just trying to survive until the next quarter.” …“We’re going into some pretty dark times,” said David Elstone, managing director of Spar Tree Group. “I’m not optimistic that there will be a resolution to the softwood lumber dispute any time soon.” Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada, said sawmills are already dealing with shift reductions and prolonged shutdowns. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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Negotiators were taking ‘important steps’ before Trump halted talks, ambassador says

By Darren Major
CBC News
October 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Kirsten Hillman

Canada’s Ambassador to the US Kirsten Hillman told a Senate committee that negotiators were trying to ‘work out the contours of a first step’ for a trade arrangement before US President Trump abruptly ended trade discussions last week. Hillman was asked at the committee hearing where talks were headed before the sudden halt. While she indicated progress had been made since Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Washington earlier this month, she said some sticking points remained. “I don’t want to suggest that we were on the verge of an arrangement. But we had made more progress, in my opinion, in those weeks than we had in a very long time,” Hillman said. …“The US expressed the desire to start with a few issues and try to move those along, while not jettisoning the others,” Hillman said.

In related coverage:

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U.S. Senate votes 50-46 to nullify Trump tariffs on Canada, with four Republicans crossing aisle

By Steven Groves
The Associated Press in CTV News
October 29, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON — The US Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would nullify US tariffs on Canada, just as US President Trump is engaged in trade talks in Asia as well as an increasingly bitter trade spat with US’s northern neighbour. The 50-46 tally was the latest in a series of votes this week to terminate the national emergencies that Trump has used to impose tariffs. While the resolutions won’t ultimately take effect, they have proven to be an effective way for Democrats to expose cracks between the president’s trade policy and Republican senators who have traditionally supported free trade arguments. …The Senate passed a similar resolution applying to Brazilian tariffs on Tuesday. …Vice-President JD Vance visited Republicans during a closed-door luncheon this week and also argued that they should steer clear of trade policy while the president negotiates deals.

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Bailey says Ottawa must support B.C. forestry as it supports Ontario’s car industry

By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Brenda Bailey

British Columbia’s finance minister said she thinks the newly announced federal budget aligns with provincial priorities, but is calling on Ottawa to follow through on supporting forestry and the North Coast Transmission Line. Brenda Bailey said B.C. expects the federal government to support workers in the softwood lumber industry, which is now facing what she calls “extraordinary” duties and tariffs of up to more than 45%. …Bailey’s comments come after an emergency meeting on softwood lumber earlier this week between Premier David Eby and Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-US trade, among others. Both Victoria and Ottawa have subsequently agreed to creating a working group to support the industry. …The Forest Products Association of Canada said the federal government must find more certain trading arrangements with the US. President Derek Nighbor said that “lumber must remain a priority at the negotiating table.”

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Lumber subsidies make for a vicious circle

By Les Leyne
Vancouver is Awesome
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Les Leyne

The more lifelines governments throw to the sinking forest industry, the more tangled it gets in the quicksand of US trade policy. …Responding to a powerful lobby group, the US wants to suffocate the Canadian forest industry and choke off all lumber imports, to the benefit of US timber firms. They are unlikely to be able to fully meet demand, but they’ll make a fortune trying, because shortages cause price hikes. The US Lumber Coalition has been successful convincing politicians that Canadian lumber is a threat to the American way of life. It orchestrated billions of dollars worth of penalties stretching back decades. It is now engaged in the endgame — eliminating the imports completely. …Monday’s softwood summit is an example of how vicious the circular argument gets. …It was telling that the Council of Forest Industries concentrated on a number of provincial policy changes that are needed, not just emergency federal help.

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Feds form working group with B.C. to support forestry sector

The Canadian Press
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Politicians from BC and Ottawa met in Vancouver Monday for a forestry summit, where they agreed to create a working group on supporting the industry in the face of ever-increasing U.S. fees and tariffs. …Speaking after the forestry summit on Monday, he said the federal government’s commitment to a working group with the province felt “very heartening.” Kim Haakstad, the president of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, said in a statement that the group is pleased the governments are working together to keep people working — even when markets are challenging. Haakstad said the working group should also include the industry to help focus on keeping mills open, which means prioritizing a new softwood lumber deal and accelerating the rollout of the $1.2 billion from federal government.

Additional Coverage:

  • United Steelworkers: Forestry workers need action now — “The USW is encouraged by the shared understanding that the situation is urgent, that forestry jobs are worth fighting for and that the time for action is now.”
  • CPAC: Politicians speak with reporters in Vancouver after meeting for a forestry summit. VIDEO LINK

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Trump lays the lumber on BC and Eby’s elbows are up

By Tom Fletcher
The Western Standard
November 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Uh oh. BC Premier David Eby is about to launch his own anti-tariff advertising campaign aimed at US citizens. Eby said this week he expects ads targeting US lumber penalties to begin airing some time in November. It’s safe to say they will not mention Ronald Reagan. …Eby’s teaser for the BC ad campaign shows stacks of Canadian lumber, overlaid with a simplified graph of “winners” and “losers,” terms US President Trump likes to use. In these ads, the losers are American consumers and the Canadian lumber industry, and the winners are the Russians. “It’s important to speak directly to Americans looking to build homes or renovate,” Eby said. …Eby’s got a better case on lumber trade than Ford has on cars and trucks. US home builders have acknowledged that they can’t produce enough lumber for domestic needs, despite Trump’s claim that the US has plenty of trees.

Additional coverage in the National Observer (subscription required): Eby sidesteps Carney with anti-tariff ads after Ontario blowup

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New Brunswick premier eyes federal budget for more softwood lumber supports, strategies

By Laura Brown
CTV News
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Susan Holt

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says a working group between BC and Ottawa sparked to support the forest industry was an initiative by BC, and that NB has its own strategy. The working group was announced in Vancouver, a promise by Ottawa to find ways to help an industry that’s been heavily impacted by tariffs. “Obviously, softwood lumber continues to be something that we have been raising with the Americans,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-US trade. …Holt told reporters Tuesday she’s expecting to hear about further support for the industry in the coming weeks, that will include N.B. “New Brunswick has been advocating for support on softwood lumber and engaging with our industry to talk about what they need specifically and pushing the federal government to provide solutions and meet our needs here, in New Brunswick,” she said. The industry employs over 24,000 people in the province.

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LeBlanc opens door to increased help for softwood lumber sector

By Adam Huras
The Telegraph-Journal
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Dominic LeBlanc

Dominic LeBlanc is opening the door to increased supports for the country’s softwood lumber sector. The New Brunswick MP and federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade made the comments while in British Columbia on Monday at a forestry summit amid climbing U.S. tariffs for the industry. Standing together in Vancouver, LeBlanc and B.C. Premier David Eby announced the creation of the Transformation Task Force to identify further help beyond existing programs, with a deadline of just weeks. It’s a task force that is specific to B.C. and won’t include New Brunswick. But an official in LeBlanc’s office told Brunswick News there’s a commitment to work with every jurisdiction, including New Brunswick, to quickly ensure the right supports are in place. But Premier Susan Holt has said that doesn’t go far enough, hoping for direct subsidies for the industry.

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Shutdown at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper begins, Kruger officials anxious to start $700 million retrofit

By Tonya Organ
Bay FM 101.1
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Last week, parent company Kruger announced the shutdown due to critically low water levels at the Grand Lake reservoir, which is used to generate electricity at Deer Lake Power to source newsprint production. Mill workers at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper will be handling different duties today as production has stopped and a shutdown is underway and for how long depends on nature. Last week, parent company Kruger announced the shutdown due to critically low water levels at the Grand Lake reservoir. …The company had been in discussions with the previous government about the proposed diversification plan and Pelley says they’re anxious to begin talks with the newly sworn in government. Pelley says it’s critical to get this project started as soon as possible and one interesting piece of this project is that it includes a wind farm.

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A pivot for Kap Paper

By Nicole Stoffman
The Timmins Daily Press
October 31, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Kap Paper will pivot to energy-generation, bio products like engineered wood, higher value paper and packaging products to withstand US tariffs and the declining demand for newsprint. …Kap Paper CEO Terry Skiffington was speaking to a gathering of civic leaders and mill workers for an in-person announcement of $10 million from the federal government, that, combined with another $16.8 million from the province, will allow the mill to keep operating while it comes up with a future business plan. …After announcing a “phased restart” Oct. 17, Skiffington confirmed Friday all of the mill’s 300 employees are back at work. …Rebuilding the mill to produce bio resource energy such as green hydrogen, and diversifying to produce solid wood products will cost in the hundreds of millions, Skiffington said. …Timmins MP, Gaetan Malette said the funding has likely saved the sawmills in Calstock, Hearst, Kapuskasing, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake, Chapleau and Timmins.

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Corner Brook needs months of rain to restore paper mill reservoir, Kruger says

By Alex Kennedy and Maddie Ryan
CBC News
October 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

CORNER BROOK, Newfoundland — Corner Brook Pulp and Paper will temporarily pause newsprint production starting Monday due to low water levels impacting the ability of Deer Lake Power to supply sufficient energy to operate the mill. Darren Pelley, VP of special projects with Kruger, said that water levels at the Grand Lake reservoir have hit critical, historically low levels. The mill had been closed earlier this week for maintenance on a boiler, he said, but won’t be able to operate without the water it needs. …Workers will be assigned to other activities during the shutdown. The mill employs about 400 people, and marked a century of operation in Corner Brook this summer. Kruger said the shutdown will last until water levels are restored. …This summer, Kruger announced a $700-million investment plan to bring the mill into the future.

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China restores soybean licenses for U.S. firms, ends log ban

By Ella ‌Cao, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo
Reuters in Yahoo! Finance
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

BEIJING — China will restore soybean import licences for three US firms ​and lift its suspension on US log ‌imports starting November 10, its customs authority said on Friday in ‌another sign of easing trade tensions between the two nations. …The halt on US log imports was a retaliatory ‍measure after US President Trump’s March 1 order to investigate lumber imports. Investor sentiment improved after Trump met Chinese ​leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, reducing fears that ‌the world’s two largest economies might abandon efforts to resolve their trade disputes. Following the meeting, Beijing lifted tariffs on some US farm goods. …However, traders remain cautious, as a ‍10% ⁠tariff on all US imports remains in effect, limiting ⁠expectations for a broader recovery in trade flows.

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CPKC reaches tentative collective agreements in United States

By Canadian Pacific Kansas City
Cision Newswire
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said it has reached 13 new tentative collective agreements with unions in the United States representing carmen, hostlers, laborers, clerks, maintenance workers, as well as mechanical and engineering supervisor employees. Six tentative five-year collective agreements have been reached with the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen. ….Five agreements have been reached with the Transportation Communications Union and American Railway and Airway Supervisors Association. …Two other agreements have been reached with National Conference of Firemen and Oilers employees on the Soo Line and Kansas City Southern properties. …The tentative agreements are pending ratification by the union’s membership. 

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Supreme Court enters the lion’s den on Trump tariffs

By Nina Totenberg
National Public Radio
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a consequential case with potentially profound economic consequences for the country and the presidency: The issue is tariffs. Oral arguments in the case are set for 10 a.m. ET. …The up and down, fluctuating tariffs around the world spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs. In some two dozen previous cases, the Supreme Court has been largely receptive to Trump’s claims of presidential authority, but those victories came on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket, allowing Trump policies to take effect on a temporary basis while the litigation played out in the lower courts. In contrast, the tariff cases are the real deal, with the court having ordered full briefing and expedited arguments in the case, and offering the justices the first real opportunity to say “no” to the president.

In related coverage:

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US Lumber Coalition says USMCA extension should be conditioned on elimination of Binational Panel Review Process

The US Lumber Coalition
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The US Lumber Coalition in its comments to the United States Trade Representative has requested that any extension of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) should be conditioned on the elimination of the Chapter 10 binational panel review process. The Chapter 10 process strips US courts of jurisdiction to review determinations of the US Department of Commerce and the US International Trade Commission. In this alternative process, review of US agency determinations and issues of US law are decided by panels that include non-citizens outside of constitutional oversight or democratic accountability. …“USMCA Chapter 10 is unconstitutional, plain and simple. …“The US Lumber industry has had no choice but to invoke the US trade remedy laws against softwood lumber imports from Canada. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these laws has been undermined as they apply to Canada through Chapter 10 of the USMCA,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair.

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Supreme Court prepares to weigh tariffs fight in test of Trump’s power

By Melissa Quinn
CBC NewsB
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

WASHINGTON — Lindsay Hagerman and small business owners across the US could see some stability in the coming weeks, with the Supreme Court set to consider Wednesday whether Mr. Trump has the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on nearly every country under a federal emergency powers law. Lower courts have ruled his most sweeping duties are illegal, and a decision from the Supreme Court upholding those decisions could deal a blow to the president’s efforts to use tariffs as leverage in negotiations with foreign countries and to pressure US companies to invest in domestic manufacturing. But a ruling from the high court against Mr. Trump, who appointed three of the justices, could also have significant implications for presidential power. …The Trump administration is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the levies, arguing that Congress has long given the president broad authority to impose tariffs to address emergencies.

Related coverage by:

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Senate Approves 3 Resolutions to Limit President’s Tariff Authority

The National Association of Home Builders
October 30, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

The Senate has voted to approve three resolutions that would rescind President Trump’s authority to impose tariffs on foreign imports based on national security considerations. By a 52-48 vote, the Senate approved S.J. Res. 81, that would rescind the 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods that Trump imposed this summer. …By a similar 50-46 vote, the Senate approved S.J. Res. 77, that would rescind the 35% rate on imported goods from Canada. (This resolution does not deal with the 45% tariff rate currently on Canadian lumber imports.) …The three Senate votes are largely symbolic as House Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear that the House will not vote on any measure to roll back tariffs based on Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency. …Trump’s justification faces numerous legal challenges. …The case has moved to the Supreme Court, which is due to hear oral arguments on Nov. 5.

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Woodland Pulp pausing mill operations until end of December

By Emmett Gartner
The Maine Monitor
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

BAILEYVILLE, Maine — Woodland Pulp announced to its employees on Tuesday that the company will pause manufacturing at its Baileyville pulp mill and wood chip plant from late November to mid-December. During that month-long hiatus, the company will temporarily lay off 144 employees at both facilities, said Scott Beal. Woodland Pulp is Washington County’s largest employer, and the layoffs will apply to about one third of the mill workforce. Beal attributed the “extended downtime” to declining prices in the global pulp market. …Poised on the banks of the St. Croix River across from Canada, Woodland Pulp is one of Maine’s last major mills. …Daigneault said that broader tariffs on Canadian and European manufacturing equipment may add to the financial difficulties Maine mills are already experiencing. …Woodland Pulp is one of six mills in the northeast US and Quebec that have recently paused or decreased wood deliveries.

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LP Building Solutions Announces CEO Transition Plan

By Louisiana Pacific Corporation
Businesswire
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Brad Southern

Jason Ringblom

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — LP Building Solutions announced that Chief Executive Officer Brad Southern will retire effective February 19, 2026, after leading the company since 2017. The Board of Directors has appointed LP President Jason Ringblom to succeed Southern. “I want to thank Brad for his visionary leadership and lasting impact on LP,” said LP Director Dustan McCoy. …A 21-year LP veteran, including eight years on the Executive Team, Ringblom has extensive expertise in sales, marketing, and operations. Before becoming President, he served as Executive VP and General Manager of LP’s OSB and Siding businesses prior to their integration. He now oversees all global manufacturing and commercial operations, driving alignment and performance across the organization. Ringblom joined LP in 2004 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Forest Products Marketing and Business Management from the University of Minnesota.

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Arkansas’ Trade War Casualties

By Arkansas Business Staff
Arkansas Business
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Arkansas’ timber industry, like Arkansas’ agriculture industry, is in trouble. The causes of the trouble are various, but one cause stands out for both: the Trump administration’s trade war. In October, Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans, R-Cabot, joined the speakers of the Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina houses of representatives urging Congress to move to relieve “an industry in crisis.” “Under current US trade policy, products and shipments from US exporters are becoming stuck en route to their final destination due to immediately imposed tariffs,” the letter said. The state’s forestry sector supports more than 50,000 jobs and contributes about $6.1 billion to Arkansas’ economy, more than 4% of the state’s GDP. “The trade war has impacted our ability to export hardwood logs out of Arkansas,” Matthew Pelkki, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, said. [to access the full story an Arkansas Business subscription is required]

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Finance & Economics

Mercer reports Q3, 2025 net loss of $81 million

Mercer International Inc.
November 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, International

NEW YORK — Mercer International reported third quarter 2025 Operating EBITDA of negative $28.1 million, a decrease from positive $50.5 million in the same quarter of 2024 and negative $20.9 million in the second quarter of 2025. In the third quarter of 2025, net loss was $80.8 million compared to $17.6 million in the same quarter of 2024 and $86.1 million in the second quarter of 2025. Mr. Juan Carlos Bueno, CEO, stated: “In the third quarter of 2025, persistent global economic and trade uncertainties, fiber scarcity in Germany as well as the impact of pulp substitution accelerated the decline in pulp market demand and pricing, which negatively impacted our operating results and contributed to a $20.4 million non-cash inventory impairment charge in the quarter.

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Interfor reports Q3, 2025 net loss of $216 million

Interfor Corporation
November 6, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

BURNABY, BC — Interfor reported its Q3, 2025 results. The company recorded a net loss of $215.8 million compared to net earnings of $11.1 million in Q2’25 and a net loss of $105.7 million in Q3’24. Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $183.8 million on sales of $689.3 million in Q3’25 versus Adjusted EBITDA of $17.2 million on sales of $780.5 million in Q2’25 and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $22.0 million on sales of $692.7 million in Q3’24. Lumber production of 912 million board feet was down 23 million board feet versus the preceding quarter. This decline largely reflects the Company’s announcement on September 4, 2025, to temporarily curtail production. …Weak lumber market conditions were reflected in Interfor’s average selling price of $618 per mfbm, down $66 per mfbm versus Q2’25. …Interfor’s strategy of maintaining a diversified portfolio of operations in multiple regions allows the Company to both reduce risk and maximize returns on capital over the business cycle.

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Canfor Corp report Q3, 2025 net loss of $172 million

Canfor Corporation
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor Corporation reported its third quarter of 2025 results. The Company reported an operating loss of $208 million and a net loss of $172 million. …Canfor’s CEO, Susan Yurkovich, stated: “The ongoing global economic and trade uncertainty, in conjunction with punitive US softwood lumber duties, led to persistently weak market conditions and subdued demand across all of our operating regions during the third quarter of 2025. …For the lumber segment, the operating loss was $182.2 million for the third quarter of 2025, compared to the previous quarter’s operating loss of $229.2 million. …For the pulp and paper segment, the operating loss was $16.0 million for the third quarter of 2025, compared to an operating loss of $5.3 million for the second quarter of 2025. …Global pulp market fundamentals remained at depressed levels throughout the third quarter; markets in China were persistently weak, while North American markets softened, adjusting to the lower pricing environment in other regions.

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Lumber Futures Steady Around $540

Trading Economics
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Lumber futures steadied around $540 per thousand board feet, hovering near seven-week lows, after a sharp selloff driven mainly by softer US construction demand and lingering post-rally inventories. US housing starts and builder activity failed to accelerate, leaving order flow thin and dealer and distributor stocks higher than the summer buying binge implied. Supply has only partially adjusted, with North American mills signaling temporary curtailments, but looming US softwood measures and announced support for Canada’s industry have kept export channels and production incentives intact, preventing a rapid physical tightening. Traders are now pricing a likely mix of modest Q4 production cuts, seasonal pre-winter restocking and the risk of trade-related disruptions.

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CN Rail reports Q3, 2025 net income of $1,139 million

By CN Rail
The Financial Post
October 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada

MONTREAL — CN Rail reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025. Highlights include: Revenues of C$4,165 million, an increase of C$55 million, or 1%; Net income of C$1,139 million, an increase of C$54 million, or 5%. …Tracy Robinson, President and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are taking decisive actions to navigate a challenging macro environment including doubling down on productivity efforts, setting our 2026 capital spend at C$2.8 billion*, down nearly C$600 million from this year’s levels, driving increased free cash flow on a go-forward basis. We are positioning this business to benefit from higher future volumes and ensuring everything we do enhances our customers and shareholders long term value.”

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Canadian Pacific profits leap despite U.S. tariff turmoil and looming merger prospect

By Christopher Reynolds
The Canadian Press in BNN Bloomberg
October 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Canadian Pacific Kansas City reported a big profit boost in its latest quarter despite US tariff disruption and fears over fallout from a potential merger of rivals down the line. The railway saw net income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 rise 10% year-over-year to $917 million. Revenues increased three per cent to $3.66 billion on the back of higher shipping volumes. Grain, potash and container volumes rose markedly year-over-year while forest products — struggling under a sectoral tariff imposed by US President Trump — and energy, chemicals and plastics sagged. …Cross-border steel shipments also dropped due to 50% US tariffs on imports of the metal, though CPKC helped make up the decline with domestic traffic and direct Canada-to-Mexico trade, said chief marketing officer John Brooks. A new item of concern crossed the CEO’s desk over the summer. Union Pacific announced in July it wants to buy Norfolk Southern, and potentially trigger a final wave of rail mergers.

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What 45% tariffs mean for B.C.’s forest sector

By Harry Nelson, Associate Professor
UBC News
October 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Harry Nelson

Tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber have climbed to 45%. …UBC faculty of forestry associate professor Harry Nelson says this escalation pushes BC’s forestry sector into uncharted territory, threatening not just sawmills but also pulp and secondary manufacturing. …Yes—tariffs this high, combined with the aftermath of fires and beetle outbreaks, are an existential threat. Canada has already paid the U.S. about $10 billion in lumber duties, and we’re unlikely to recover much of that this time. …Do you expect more mill curtailments and closures? It’s hard to imagine we won’t. Companies are weighing whether to curtail, temporarily close or shut down entirely. …The wild card is demand, which continues to fall. If it drops further, the pressure on producers will intensify. …The sawmill sector will be hit hard, but so will contractors and the pulp and paper sector. 

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Cascades report Q3, 2025 net earnings of $29 million

Cascades Inc.
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS, Quebec — Cascades reported its unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended September 30, 2025. Highlights include: Sales of $1,238 million (compared with $1,187 million in Q2 2025 and $1,201 million in Q3 2024); and net income of $29 million (compared with $3 million loss in Q2 2025 and $1million in Q3 2024). …Hugues Simon, CEO, commented: “Third quarter consolidated results were driven by stronger volume, good operational execution, benefits from ongoing profitability initiatives, and favourable raw material and selling price trends. Our packaging business, in particular, had a stronger than expected quarter.”

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Stella-Jones reports Q3, 2025 net income of $88 million

Stella-Jones Inc.
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL, Quebec – Stella-Jones announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2025. Highlights include: Sales of $958 million, up 5% from Q3 2024; Operating income of $135 million, up 4% from Q3 2024; EBITDA of $171 million, or 17.8% margin, up 6% from Q3 2024; and Net Income of $88 million, up 10% from Q3, 2024. …“Stella-Jones achieved another solid performance in the third quarter, supported by volume improvements, robust margins, improved cash flow and a strong balance sheet,” said Eric Vachon, CEO. …The increase in pressure-treated wood sales resulted from an increase in utility poles and industrial products volumes and higher pricing for railway ties and residential lumber. This was partially offset by lower pricing for utility poles. Logs and lumber sales decreased by $14 million or 47%, mainly driven by lower logs activity.

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Acadian Timber reports Q3, 2025 net income of $2.9 million

Acadian Timber Corp.
October 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick – Acadian Timber  reported financial and operating results1 for the three months ended September 27, 2025. Acadian generated sales of $23.0 million, compared to $26.0 million in the prior year period. …Operating costs and expenses decreased $2.0 million compared to the prior year period as a result of decreased timber sales volumes and timber services activity, partially offset by higher average operating costs and expenses per m3 produced in Maine as a result of a more fixed cost structure and lower production levels. Net income for the third quarter totaled $2.9 million compared to net income of $2.2 million in the same period of 2024, due to higher non-cash fair value adjustments and lower income tax expense, partially offset by lower operating income and higher interest expense. 

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A Slump in Cardboard Box Sales Is Stoking Fears of Lackluster Holiday Shopping

By Ilena Peng
Bloomberg Economics
November 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

An extended slowdown in sales of cardboard boxes is intensifying concern that this holiday season will be a disappointing one for US retailers. US corrugated box shipments fell to the lowest third-quarter reading since 2015, maintaining the more measured pace seen in the previous quarter, according to the Fibre Box Association. Packaging companies in recent weeks have warned that economic uncertainty is weighing on retailers and consumers. …This time of year is crucial for the box industry, with shipments typically peaking in October as retailers prepare for the holidays. Box plants said orders were flat or below normal in October, while US consumer sentiment fell to a five-month low and manufacturing activity dropped for an eighth straight month. …US box industry shipments are poised to drop 1% to 1.5% this year versus 2024,” IP’s Andy Silvernail said last week. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]

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Tylenol, Kleenex, Band-Aid and more put under one roof in $48.7 billion consumer brands deal

By Michelle Chapman
The Associated Press
November 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, International

Kimberly-Clark is buying Tylenol maker Kenvue in a cash and stock deal worth about $48.7 billion, creating a massive consumer health goods company. Shareholders of Kimberly-Clark will own about 54% of the combined company. Kenvue shareholders will own about 46%. The combined company will have a large stable of household brands under one roof, putting Kenvue’s Listerine mouthwash and Band-Aid side-by-side with Kimberly-Clark’s Cottonelle toilet paper, Huggies and Kleenex tissues. It will also generate about $32 billion in annual revenue. Kenvue has spent a relatively brief period as an independent company, having been spun off by Johnson & Johnson two years ago. The deal announced Monday is among the largest corporate takeovers of the year. …The deal is expected to close in the second half of next year. It still needs approval from shareholders of both both companies. …Shares of Kimberly-Clark slipped more than 15% before the market open, while Kenvue’s stock jumped more than 20%.

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The Fed Cuts amid Partly Cloudy Conditions

By Robert Dietz, Chief Economist
NAHB Eye on Housing
October 29, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

With the government shutdown limiting the quantity of economic data available to markets and policymakers, the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) enacted a widely anticipated 25 basis point cut for the short-term federal funds rate. This marks the second consecutive cut this Fall, and the move decreases the policy rate to an upper rate of 4.0%. Reflecting that the market anticipated this policy move, long-term rates were relatively unchanged after the FOMC announcement. …With respect to housing supply, in contrast to movement for long-term rates, the reduction of the federal funds rate will have a direct, beneficial effect on interest rates for acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) loans, the key financing channel for private builders who build more than 60% of single-family homes. This will reduce lending costs for builders across the nation and enable more attainable supply.

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PotlatchDeltic reports Q3, 2025 net income of $26 million

PotlatchDeltic Corporation
November 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

SPOKANE, Washington — PotlatchDeltic reported net income of $25.9 million on revenues of $314.2 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. Excluding after-tax special items, including merger-related expenses, adjusted net income was $27.8 million for the third quarter of 2025. Net income was $3.3 million on revenues of $255.1 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. …”We are pleased with the strong operational performance across all business segments during the third quarter,” said Eric Cremers, CEO. “Our Wood Products segment delivered disciplined cost management, positioning the division to capitalize when market conditions improve. Looking ahead, we remain focused on completing the pending merger with Rayonier – a transformative transaction expected to close in late first quarter or early second quarter 2026. 

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Boise Cascade reports Q3, 2025 net income of $21.8 million

By Boise Cascade Corporation
Businesswire
November 3, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

BOISE, Idaho — Boise Cascade reported net income of $21.8 million on sales of $1.7 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025, compared with net income of $91.0 million on sales of $1.7 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. “In the face of subdued demand and commodity pricing headwinds, we were able to post good earnings for the third quarter of 2025,” said Nate Jorgensen, CEO. …Wood Products’ segment loss was $12.1 million compared to segment income of $53.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024. The decrease in segment income was due to lower EWP and plywood sales prices and sales volumes, as well as higher per-unit conversion costs. …BMD segment income decreased $20.5 million to $54.3 million from $74.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

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Weyerhaeuser reports Q3, 2025 net earnings of $80 million

Weyerhaeuser Company
October 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US West

SEATTLE, Washington — Weyerhaeuser reported third quarter net earnings of $80 million on net sales of $1.7 billion. This compares with net earnings of $28 million on net sales of $1.7 billion for the same period last year and net earnings of $87 million for second quarter 2025. Excluding an after-tax benefit of $40 million for special items, the company reported third quarter net earnings of $40 million. This compares with net earnings before special items of $35 million for third quarter 2024. …Weyerhaeuser anticipates fourth quarter earnings before special items and Adjusted EBITDA will be slightly lower than the third quarter. For lumber, the company expects lower sales volumes. For oriented strand board, the company anticipates sales volumes and fiber costs to be comparable to the third quarter. For engineered wood products, the company expects sales volumes to be lower.

Additional updates from Weyerhaeuser: Weyerhaeuser provides update on timberlands portfolio optimization actions

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Rayonier reports Q3, 2025 net income of $43.2 million

Rayonier Advanced Materials
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

WILDLIGHT, Florida — Rayonier reported third quarter net income attributable to Rayonier of $43.2 million on revenues of $177.5 million. This compares to net income attributable to Rayonier of $28.8 million on revenues of $124.1 million in the prior year quarter. The third quarter results included a $7.0 million asset impairment charge. Excluding this item and adjusting for pro forma net income adjustments, net income was $50.2 million. This compares to pro forma net income of $11.1 million in the prior year period. …Mark McHugh, President and CEO, “On October 14, we announced a merger of equals with PotlatchDeltic. …The transaction is expected to close in late first quarter or early second quarter 2026.”

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Louisiana Pacific reports Q3, 2025 net income of $9 million

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
November 5, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Louisiana-Pacific reported its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025. Net sales for the third quarter of 2025 decreased by $59 million to $663 million compared to the prior-year period. Siding revenue increased by $22 million (or 5%), primarily due to 5% higher selling prices. OSB revenue decreased by $74 million, driven by a decline in prices. Net income for the third quarter of 2025 decreased year over year by $82 million to $9 million. …The decline primarily reflects a $71 million decrease in Adjusted EBITDA… including a $55 million impact from lower OSB prices, $5 million effect from lower OSB volumes, $12 million in selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A), and $2 million in tariff expenses. 

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Bluelinx reports Q3, 2025 net income of $1.7 million

Bluelinx Holdings Inc.
November 4, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

ATLANTA — BlueLinx reported financial results for the three fiscal months ended September 27, 2025. Highlights include: Net sales of $749 million; Gross profit of $108 million; Net income of $1.7 million; Adjusted EBITDA of $22.4 million, or 3.0% of net sales, which includes expense of $2.2 million related to adjustments for import duty items for prior periods; and On November 3, 2025, announced the acquisition of Disdero Lumber Company. Shyam Reddy, CEO, said “Structural products benefited from a year-over-year increase in lumber prices, although panel pricing continued to see pressure during the quarter. In addition, the acquisition of Disdero Lumber Company will significantly boost our presence in premium specialty products categories.”

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Japan Housing Starts Fall Less than Estimated

Trading View
October 30, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International

Japan’s housing starts dropped 7.3% year-on-year in September 2025, below market consensus of a 7.9% decline and slower than a 9.8% fall in the previous month. This marked the sixth consecutive monthly decrease but the mildest in the sequence. New dwelling starts fell at a slower rate for owned homes (-5.6% vs -10.6% in August) and prefabricated housing (-0.4% vs -13.3%). Meanwhile, new construction starts remained weak for rented (-8.2% vs -8.1%) and built-for-sale (-8.3% vs -8.2%). At the same time, housing starts rebounded for issued units (53.7% vs -67.5%), and two-by-four homes (2.1% vs -6.3%). [END]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

The Architecture Foundation of BC Celebrates Design Excellence

The REMI Network
November 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The winners of the AFBC Architectural Awards of Excellence were announced October 27th in Vancouver. The bi-annual awards represent the highest level of architectural award in British Columbia, celebrating design excellence for projects across the province. The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Awards in Architecture recognize excellence in completed architectural projects and went to two projects this year: Northern Secwepemc Cultural Centre by McFarland Marceau Architects, and The Butterfly + First Baptist Church Complex by Revery Architecture. Eleven projects received a Design Excellence Award. …The Emerging Firm Award went to Eitaro Hirota Architecture. Two Equity Awards were handed out to: “Masque: A Modern Beaux Arts Ball” by The Field Collective and Daylu Dena Council Multipurpose Cultural Centre by Scott M Kemp Architect. Fraser Mills Presentation Centre by Patkau Architects was selected as the winner of the inaugural Bing Thom award.

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Timber Development UK publishes new guidance on the Construction Products Regulation

Specification OnLine UK
November 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A new guidance document explaining the requirements of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for timber and wood-based products has been launched by Timber Development UK (TDUK). This latest resource for the timber sector clarifies how manufacturers, importers and distributors can ensure they remain compliant when placing timber products on the UK construction market. The Construction Products Regulation, first introduced in 2013, sets legal responsibilities for anyone supplying construction materials covered by a designated or harmonised standard. The new TDUK guide outlines what these obligations mean for timber businesses and how to meet them, including guidance on CE and UKCA marking, Declarations of Performance, and the specific product standards that apply across the wood sector – from structural timber and panels to glulam, LVL, and timber cladding. …The publication is available to download from the TDUK website.

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Lyocell vs cotton: which fabric wins for sustainability in 2025?

World Day
October 29, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Understanding the differences between lyocell vs cotton becomes crucial when choosing sustainable, comfortable fabrics for your wardrobe and home. Over 68% of US consumers now prioritize eco-friendly textiles in their purchasing decisions, yet many remain confused about lyocell’s advantages over traditional cotton. This comprehensive guide reveals the exact properties, environmental impact, and performance characteristics that distinguish these two popular fabrics in 2025. …Lyocell is a regenerated cellulose fiber made from wood pulp through an innovative closed-loop manufacturing process that recovers over 99% of solvents used in production. …The choice between lyocell vs cotton depends on your priorities: sustainability goals, budget constraints, specific use applications, and care preferences. Neither fiber is universally superior—each excels in different scenarios. Choose lyocell if you prioritize: environmental sustainability, moisture-wicking performance, luxury feel, and durability. …Our sustainability analysis shows lyocell winning decisively with 78% less water usage, no pesticide requirements, and complete biodegradability. 

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Forestry

BC Wildfire Service reports all northeast BC wildfires ‘under control’ going into winter

By Steve Berard
Energetic City Fort St. John
October 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

FORT ST. JOHN, BC — Every single wildfire in northeast B.C. is now either ‘under control’ or extinguished as temperatures decline and snow starts to fall across the province. The BC Wildfire Service website shows the last two ‘out of control’ wildfires in the region, both located near Fort Nelson — are now ‘under control.’That means they’re not expected to spread beyond their current boundaries, as opposed to an ‘out of control’ wildfire that’s expected to keep burning aggressively. …Several other wildfires that were previously listed as ‘being held’ — meaning they’re expected to temporarily remain within their current boundaries, but could become ‘out of control’ again — have also been downgraded to ‘under control.’ …This year’s wildfire season saw over 300 wildfires in the PGFC coverage area.

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Murrelet Mountain – A new clash over old growth forests is ready to erupt

By Zoe Blunt
The Watershed Sentinel
November 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The steep flanks of Tsitika Mountain on northern Vancouver Island are scarred with clearcuts and slash piles almost to the boundary of the Tsitika Mountain and Robson Bight ecological reserves. High above the Tsitika River, 34 hectares of towering conifers, cliffs, and waterfalls are on the auction block. The parcel, labelled TA 1375 by BC Timber Sales, was recommended for deferral by BC’s advisory panel. That would have suspended logging, possibly permanently. Instead, BCTS is putting TA 1375 up for sale. …The steep and rugged terrain is a challenge for prospective loggers, but they face plenty of other obstacles. …Independent researchers at Tsitika Mountain made a surprising discovery this year: a Pacific Wild program recorded over 300 marbled murrelets flying through the area in one month.

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Alberta’s wildfire season unofficially ends; here’s a breakdown

By Jacqueline Wilson
CTV News
October 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Alberta’s wildfire season unofficially came to an end Oct. 31, though there are still 30 burning. Since the season began on March 1, there have been 1,245 wildfires across the province. Nearly 682,000 hectares were scorched—slightly less than 2024 (705,621) and much less than 2023 (2,212,399). The Calgary Forest Area had 63 wildfires that burned around 35 hectares—the lowest number compared to the other zones in the province. The Slave Lake Forest Area was the most damaged, with more than 379,000 hectares burned from 214 wildfires. The moderate fire season around Calgary was thanks to normal temperatures from June to August, with a warmer May and September. The rain also kept fires at bay with the third-wettest July on record in Calgary. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, there were 110 hours of smoke this year. “This is not a lot compared to most of the recent years,” said Natalie Hasell, ECCC warning preparedness meteorologist.

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Banff takes lessons from destructive Jasper wildfire: ‘FireSmart works’

By Cathy Ellis
Rocky Mountain Outlook
October 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

BANFF – Most of the homes destroyed by the destructive Jasper wildfire were in neighbourhoods with many combustible roofs, highly flammable conifer trees and woody vegetation close to buildings after embers showered down on the national park townsite. That’s according to one of two independent Parks Canada-commissioned reports released last week, which examined the devastating wildfire in Jasper in July 2024 that destroyed 358 buildings – approximately one-third of the national park townsite. …“Once structures ignited, strong winds drove fire growth through densely-built up neighbourhoods, with structure to structure ignition dominating the spread,” according to the 71-page report by FP Innovation Wildfire Operations. “In the areas surrounding the townsite, continuous fuel pathways were often present between the wildland and structures. Consequently, a high proportion of ignitions were likely caused by direct flame contact and radiant heat emanating from burning wildland fuels. …The findings in FP Innovation’s report, said Martens, reiterate that “FireSmart works.”

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New study examines how best to address species declines in Southern Ontario

By Ivan Semeniuk
The Globe and Mail
November 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Southern Ontario’s rural heartland features bucolic farm country and a growing suburban footprint. It is also home to at least 133 species of vertebrates, insects and plants that are at risk of elimination. That presents a conservation conundrum: How best to protect so many species at risk in one of the country’s most populated and productive landscapes? Researchers have provided a study of what it would cost to rescue a significant fraction of Southern Ontario’s threatened wildlife. The answer – about $113-million a year for 27 years – illustrates the magnitude of the challenge and offers a strategic roadmap. The study aims to provide guidance on how best to address species declines in Southern Ontario. The task is especially complex because most of the land in the region is privately owned and, barring some exceptions, outside the jurisdiction of the federal Species at Risk Act. …The study was conducted in collaboration with WWF Canada. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

Additional coverage from the University of British Columbia: 130 species in Southern Ontario at risk of local extinction by 2050 if no new actions taken

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Ontario’s 2025 Wildland Fire Season Officially Ends

By Ministry of Natural Resources
Government of Ontario
November 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — As the 2025 fire season ends, Ontario’s fire crews, aviation services and support staff responded to 643 fires between April and October with 597,654 hectares burned. While the 2025 fire season began with an early active start, the coordinated efforts of frontline staff, municipalities, Indigenous communities and firefighting crews ensured a rapid response to protect people and communities from wildland fires. …With the rest of Canada also experiencing a demanding fire season, Ontario extended support to our partners, with over 400 fire personnel and six aircraft supporting firefighting in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, as well as south of the border in Minnesota. As this year’s fire season ends, Ontario is now turning its focus to ensuring provincial fire crews are ready to respond next fire season. …The 2026 fire season will begin on April 1, 2026.

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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) in support of biobased supply chains

Forest Stewardship Council
October 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, International

In a decisive step toward advancing the transition to a biobased economy, based on a more credible, interconnected, and efficient certification landscape, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) are joining forces in a new collaboration, supported by the ISEAL Innovations Fund. The project — “Frameworks for Recognition: Unlocking Certified Flows Across Sustainability Systems” — will develop and pilot robust, scalable methodologies that allow materials certified under one credible system, such as RSB’s bio-based inputs, to be recognised within another, such as FSC’s forest-based certification. If successful, this cross recognition certification model could represent a breakthrough for circular sourcing, improving  supply chain efficiency, and the scaling of biobased supply chains .Key outcomes from the partnership between FSC and RSB include: a scalable model for  mutual recognition between certification schemes,AI-Enhanced monitoring,  interoperable data sharing, Industrial trials.

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Repeal of roadless rule could mean return of timber wars

By Jason Kauffman
Columbia Insight
November 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

BOISI, Idaho — The Trump Administration’s decision earlier this year to do away with the 2001 Roadless Area Conseravtion Rule on national forest lands sent shockwaves through environmental and outdoor recreation communities. According to environmentalists and an Idaho public official who has been involved in roadless rule politics since the issue’s inception, the move could transport stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest back to the rancor and political divisions of the timber war years. …“The national rule itself put the whole timber wars to bed. It really did,” said James Caswell, former director of the Bureau of Land Management. …The rule led to conditions in which environmentalists became less combative about forest management, according to Caswell. Instead, enviros became more willing to work with timber industry and Forest Service officials. …The decision puts the forest objectives of fishermen, hunters, ATVers, bird watchers and others on the back burner.

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Wildfire risk making timberland less valuable, long harvest rotations less feasible

By Steve Lundeberg
Oregon State University
November 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

CORVALLIS, Oregon – Rising wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest combined with notoriously volatile timber pricing may lower forestland values by as much as 50% and persuade plantation owners to harvest trees much earlier than planned, a new analysis of Douglas-fir forests shows. Under the worst-case scenarios, modeling by researchers at Oregon State University suggests harvesting trees at 24 years would make the most economic sense. Absent wildfire risk, the optimal age would be 65 years. Generally, private landowners harvest between those two ages, but it’s not a surprise for the optimal rotation age to go down in these scenarios, the scientists say. “Basically, under high wildfire risk that rises with stand age, every year you wait to harvest you’re rolling the dice,” said Mindy Crandall, at OSU College of Forestry. Earlier harvesting reduces both long-term timber revenue and carbon storage potential, as well as impacting wood quality, adds study co-author Andres Susaeta.

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Oregon forest coalition fights to revive logging antitrust lawsuit

By Monique Merrill
Courthouse News Service
November 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

PORTLAND, Oregon — The question of whether two logging companies conspired to monopolize markets in an eastern Oregon forest came before a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday as a coalition urged the court to revive its antitrust challenge. US Circuit Judge Milan Smith noted the case was unlike other antitrust suits. …In 2013, the U.S. Forest Service granted the logging company Iron Triangle a 10-year stewardship contract for the Malheur National Forest, as well as associated logging rights. A group of landowners, loggers and an eastern Oregon lumber sawmill — known collectively as the Malheur Forest Coalition — sued Iron Triangle in 2022, arguing that the company exploited control of the contract and should be blocked from competing for harvest rights in U.S. Forest Service public auctions. The lower court denied the request, prompting a new complaint adding the Malheur Lumber Company as a defendant.

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Plan to kill 450,000 owls creates odd political bedfellows—loggers and environmentalists

By Lila Seidman
Phys.Org
October 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The strange political bedfellows created by efforts to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest just got even stranger. Already Republican members of Congress were allied with animal rights activists. They don’t want trained shooters to kill up to 450,000 barred owls, which are outcompeting northern spotted owls, under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan approved last year that would unfold over three decades. Now, timber interests are aligning with environmentalists in favor of culling the owls. Some logging advocates are afraid nixing the plan will slow down timber harvesting. Roughly 2.6 million acres of timberlands in western Oregon managed by the Bureau of Land Management are governed by resource management plans contingent on the barred owl cull going forward, according to Travis Joseph, president and chief executive of the American Forest Resource Council, a trade association representing mills, loggers, lumber buyers and other stakeholders in the region.

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Forest Service restarts effort to change decades-old Pacific Northwest forest policy

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
October 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A yearslong endeavor to change logging and environmental policies for millions of acres of Pacific Northwest forests is getting a restart. The US Forest Service will update the Northwest Forest Plan, a set of policies that broadly dictates where logging can occur on 25 million acres of forests in Oregon, Washington and northwest California. …Environmental groups worry new changes that could be made to this plan under the Trump administration will increase logging in mature and old-growth forests. …The Forest Service published its proposed changes in a draft environmental impact statement in November 2024 and received over 3,400 public comments. Now the Forest Service under the Trump administration wants to issue a new draft. …A Forest Service spokesperson said the agency will publish a new draft amendment next fall, and that the Forest Service will allow people to review the draft and weigh in during a 90-day public comment period.

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The only constant is change, but new forestry rule ignores that

By Elaine Oneil, Washington Farm Forestry Association
The Chronicle
October 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Elaine Oneil

It makes no sense that Washington’s Department of Ecology has decided there can be no measurable temperature change at no time in no place on our forested headwater streams after timber harvest. They are willing to force a vote on a new rule at the Forest Practices Board. …Small forest landowners have been arguing against this proposed taking of private assets for nearly a decade. The Department of Ecology says it’s just enforcing the Clean Water Act, but the Clean Water Act doesn’t say that there can be no change at no time in no place — that is an interpretation by the Department of Ecology, and not a reasonable one. They also say it’s to protect the fish; there are no fish in these headwater streams. …Please join me as the Forest Practices Board takes their final vote on this matter on Nov. 12.

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Can wood be good? Green forestry standards demystified, from FSC to SFI

By Tom Perkins, environmental reporter
The Guardian US
November 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Durable, renewable and biodegradable, wood is an ideal material. And as we grapple with the aftermath of synthetic materials, such as forever chemicals and microplastics, the humble material growing in our literal backyards is suddenly looking pretty appealing again. But how do you know it wasn’t clearcut from a rainforest? Figuring out logging practices, deforestation policies, impact on wildlife, pesticide use, and impact on indigenous communities “can be really challenging”, said Linda Walker at the World Wildlife Fund. …That’s where certifications come in. A growing number of wood industry certifications are designed to guide consumers. They’re not perfect. Some have rules written by big timber. Almost all of them receive payments from companies seeking certifications. There is no seal that encompasses every issue, but don’t let perfect be the enemy of good – even the most flawed badges have some baseline value.

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Interpol announces a new global fight against illegal deforestation

By Steven Grattan
The Associated Press
November 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BOGOTA, Colombia — Interpol and partners launched a global law enforcement effort Wednesday aimed at dismantling criminal networks behind illegal logging, timber trafficking and gold mining, which drive large-scale deforestation and generate billions in illicit profits each year. The effort announced ahead of the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil will focus mainly on tropical forests in Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Peru. “Criminals are making billions by looting the planet’s forests,” Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said. “The only way to stop them is through determined law enforcement action and strong international cooperation.” …The announcement follows a major crackdown in the Amazon Basin last week, when Brazilian police, supported by Interpol, destroyed more than 270 illegal mining dredges operating on the Madeira River. Authorities said the raids dealt a significant blow to criminal groups linked to gold-smuggling networks that span Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.

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EU ambassadors rebel against Commission’s deforestation plans

By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro
EURACTIV
October 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

A majority of EU ambassadors is advocating that the European Commission delay the enforcement of new anti-deforestation laws for everyone, not just small companies, three diplomatic sources told Euractiv on Wednesday. The news comes amid a new push in Brussels to delay and simplify the implementation of the EU’s new deforestation rules, approved in 2023. …Last week, the Commission unveiled plans to simplify reporting requirements by reducing the amount of data companies must upload to the IT system. The changes include a de facto exemption for small farmers and foresters who need only provide the postal code of their land. …However, as part of the same proposal, the Commission proposed only to delay enforcement for small companies and suspend non-compliance penalties for all operators for six months. Member states remain unconvinced. Most EU ambassadors said the rules should not take effect on 30 December 2025, and that any delay should cover all affected operators.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Arizona officials, industry leaders call for second biomass power plant

By Peter Aleshire
The Payson Roundup
October 28, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: United States, US West

ARIZONA — Restoring Arizona’s wildfire-threatened forests depends on building a second biomass-burning power plant, a coalition of public officials and timber industry executives said. The state’s only biomass-burning plant is operating at capacity, which means many forest thinning and restoration projects will stall without a second plant to process low-value wood slash and biomass, speakers said at the October meeting of the Natural Resources Working Group. “It’s a biomass apocalypse,” said Brad Worsley, head of Novo BioPower, the state’s only biomass-burning power plant. Eastern Arizona Counties Executive Director Pascal Berlioux said he was frustrated by the lack of state and federal action after years of discussion about how to make forest restoration economical. …Novo BioPower in Snowflake remains the state’s only biomass-burning power plant.  …Worsley said the plant survived shortages caused by delays in Forest Service approval of thinning projects and is now operating at its limit.

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Brazil’s Forest Fund Gets Its First Pledges – A $5 billion start

By Daniel Carvalho and Dayanne Sousa
Bloomberg
November 7, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Brazil’s main plan to protect the Amazon rainforest, the centerpiece of its COP30 climate agenda, is moving ahead — with Norway playing a key role in its launch, though initial funding falls well short of expectations. The Tropical Forest Forever Facility, or TFFF, designed to support the conservation of endangered forests worldwide, will receive around $5 billion in pledged contributions — far short of its $25 billion target. Norway and France have agreed to join Brazil in investing in the fund, while Germany will announce its contribution on Friday, Brazilian ministers said on Thursday. “It is an unprecedented initiative,” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said. “Forests are worth far more standing than felled.” The new fund could play a pivotal role in forest protection as the current climate policies and green finance remain insufficient to address the magnitude of the global challenge, said Lula.

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Google deal for Amazon reforestation makes Brazilian startup its top carbon credit supplier

By Brad Haynes
Reuters in BNN Bloomberg
November 6, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

BELEM, Brazil — Google has struck its biggest carbon removal deal, agreeing to finance restoration of the Amazon rainforest with Brazilian startup Mombak, as big tech hunts for high-quality credits to offset emissions tied to energy-hungry data centres. The companies said the deal would offset 200,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. …The agreement highlights how big tech is looking for ways to soften the climate impacts of its huge investment in power-intensive data centres for AI, driving demand to offset carbon emissions through Brazil’s nascent reforestation industry. Last year, Alphabet’s Google committed more than US$100 million to an array of different carbon capture technologies, from enhanced rock weathering and biochar to direct air capture and a project making rivers more acidic. But when it came time to double down, it was hard to beat the efficiency of planting trees. [to access the full story a Bloomberg subscription is required]

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EU Agrees Weakened Climate Target in Final-Hour Deal for COP30

By Kate Abnett, Inti Landauro and Benoit Van Overstraeten
Reuters in Insurance Journal
November 5, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

EU climate ministers agreed a 2040 climate change target in the early hours of Wednesday after watering down the goal in last-minute negotiations, as they raced to clinch the deal before the UN COP30 summit in Brazil. Climate ministers from European Union countries approved in a public vote a compromise to cut emissions 90% by 2040, from 1990 levels, but with flexibilities to weaken this aim. The weakened target would let countries buy foreign carbon credits to cover up to 5% of the 90% emissions-cutting goal. That would effectively weaken to 85% the emissions cuts required from European industries, and pay foreign countries to cut emissions on Europe’s behalf to make up the rest. The EU also agreed to consider the option, in future, to use international carbon credits to meet a further 5%. Additionally, countries agreed a 2035 target to cut emissions in a range of 66.25-72.5%. The UN asked all governments to submit 2035 climate plans before COP30 opens Thursday.

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EU considers ‘brake clause’ in race to agree on 2040 climate goals

Yahoo! News
November 3, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

EU ministers are closing in on a deal for the bloc’s 2040 climate target, with a proposed ‘brake clause’ offering flexibility if Europe’s forests fail to absorb enough carbon. The “brake clause” could allow the European Union soften its 2040 climate target in future years – a move aimed at giving countries breathing room if Europe’s forests fail to soak up enough carbon dioxide to meet the goal. According to a draft proposal, EU countries are considering allowing an adjustment to the target if forest and land-use activities – which play a vital role in absorbing emissions – fall short. The idea is to build in some flexibility, without derailing the bloc’s overall climate ambitions. The EU’s environment ministers are expected to meet on 4 November in a bid to finalise the new 2040 target – in time for EC President Ursula von der Leyen to take a fresh commitment to the Cop30 climate summit on 6 November.

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Health & Safety

A natural remedy that may help fight infection and protect against dementia

By Dana Milbank
The Washington Post
October 31, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States

BOSTON — Susan Abookire, an internist and professor at Harvard Medical School, had a cure for all that ailed me. But I was going to have a difficult time getting her prescription filled at CVS. …I was participating, somewhat skeptically, in a forest bathing session Abookire was leading at Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum for seven young doctors. It’s part of resident training at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is looking for ways to reduce stress and burnout within the profession. …Before I looked into forest bathing, I had feared it might be another goofy wellness fad like Gwyneth Paltrow’s jade eggs and Tucker Carlson’s genital tanning. But here was a doctor from a top medical school guiding some of the brightest young medical minds into the woods. …So I did what the doctor ordered. I introduced myself to a mushroom. [to access the full story a Washington Post subscription is required]

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Logging Truck Accidents in Oregon: Legal Rights for Injured Drivers and Families

Local Accidents Reports
October 29, 2025
Category: Health & Safety
Region: United States, US West

Oregon’s timber industry is one of the strongest in the nation, supporting thousands of jobs and fueling much of the state’s rural economy. But with the constant transport of heavy logs through the Coast Range, along I-5 near Eugene, and across the rugged highways of eastern Oregon, serious accidents involving logging trucks occur far too often. …Understanding your legal rights is the first step toward recovery and accountability. Common Causes of Logging Truck Accidents in Oregon: Logging trucks often travel on steep grades, winding roads, and rural routes not designed for heavy loads. Highways like Oregon’s Highway 26 through the Coast Range are particularly dangerous in winter when slick conditions and poor visibility can turn routine hauls into deadly crashes. Some of the most common causes of timber-related truck collisions include overloaded or unsecured logs… Brake or equipment failure… Driver fatigue or distraction… Speeding or unsafe turns.

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