Railroads move to high alert and residents evacuate as Hurricane Milton closes in on Florida.
In Business/Political news: Canada launches Indigenous Fisheries Monitoring Fund, and invests in Northern Alberta’s Institute of Technology and in firefighter health and safety; the UK Guardian features BC’s UNDRIP law; Community Forests see support in BC election platforms; Ben Parfitt opines on why BC forest companies invest in the US; and Montana’s Pyramid Mountain Lumber nears full closure.
In Forestry/Wildfire news: ENGO’s push back on FPAC’s caribou recovery research funding; FAIRY CREEK (the documentary) is set to premier in Toronto; Eucalyptus trees are fueling Portugal’s wildfires; and a new study say Germany’s forests are switching from carbon-sink to carbon-source.
Finally, a primer on the European Union Deforestation Regulation delay.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
VANCOUVER, BC — Western Forest Products says it is temporarily curtailing lumber production… from its B.C. sawmills by approximately 30 million board feet during the period from October to December of this year. The reduction will affect operating schedules at all B.C. WFP sawmill locations, including Ladysmith, Saltair, Cowichan Bay, Duke Point and Chemainus sawmills, impacting about 800 employees, said WFP’s Babita Khunkhun. The measures include temporary downtime during the last two weeks of December at those mills. …This comes on top of additional curtailments that took place earlier in the year, for a total reduction of approximately 90 million board feet, or about 10% of the company’s annual lumber capacity. Western Forest Products says the curtailments are due to a combination of market challenges, including weaker lumber demand and higher U.S. softwood lumber duty rates. Click here to read 
It is no overstatement that the outcome of the October 19th election will be hugely pivotal to the future of the province, especially given the dichotomy of the two main political parties with their views on the natural resources sector, including forestry. …A tight race offering different visions for the province means British Columbians will make a choice on the forest sector; continue with the NDP and have faith in their forest policy trajectory to reshape the forest industry or shift to the Conservatives, which will bring more change, albeit with intentions which seems to be more supportive of the forest industry. …
BRITISH COLUMBIA — The platform announcement from the BC NDP includes a range of promising initiatives that signal a commitment to the future of B.C.’s mining and forestry industries says the United Steelworkers union (USW). …Scott Lunny, USW Director for Western Canada… “We have been sounding the alarm for months, the forestry industry is still in crisis after nearly two decades of neglect from John Rustad’s previous B.C. Liberal government. While the platform offers promising solutions, the urgency of the situation cannot be overstated,” said Lunny. “Restricting log exports, stabilizing fibre supply, striving for more jobs per cubic metre of timber harvest and tying the trees to mills that employ British Columbians is the right direction, but will mean little if not swiftly backed by real action. The industry is hemorrhaging jobs and families and communities need to see changes on the ground – not just in policy.”
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Steady rain fell and winds began to gust in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty Hurricane Milton churned toward a potentially catastrophic collision with the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Stragglers face grim odds of surviving, officials said. The Tampa Bay region, home to more than 3.3 million people, hasn’t seen a direct hit from a major hurricane in more than a century. Milton fluctuated between categories 4 and 5 as it approached, but regardless of the distinction in wind speeds, the National Hurricane Center said, it would be a major and extremely dangerous storm when its center makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. …Major bridges around Tampa Bay planned to close in the afternoon, she said, and public shelters were open for evacuees. 
Not even two weeks after Hurricane Helene swamped the Florida coastline, Milton strengthened into a major hurricane that is headed toward the state. The system is threatening the densely populated Tampa metro area — which has a population of more than 3.3 million people — and is menacing the same stretch of coastline that was battered by Helene. Traffic was thick on Interstate 75 heading north on Tuesday as evacuees fled in advance of Milton. Crews were also hurrying to clear debris left by Helene. …According to the National Hurricane Center’s 
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida — Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane Monday on a path toward Florida population centers including Tampa and Orlando, threatening a dangerous storm surge in Tampa Bay and setting the stage for potential mass evacuations less than two weeks after a catastrophic Hurricane Helene swamped the coastline. The storm is expected to stay at about its current strength for the next couple of days, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Helene was also a Category 4 at landfall in northern Florida. Milton had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph over the southern Gulf of Mexico. Its center could make landfall Wednesday in the Tampa Bay area, and it could remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida. …Forecasters warned of a possible 8- to 12-foot storm surge in Tampa Bay and said flash and river flooding could result from 5 to 10 inches of rain in mainland Florida and the Keys.
FORT MILL, South Carolina — Paper Excellence Group companies Domtar Corporation and Resolute Forest Products announced $100,000 in financial support to assist four local communities following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Several communities where Paper Excellence Group operates facilities were in the path of the powerful storm, affecting employees and their loved ones. Company representatives worked in collaboration with community officials to identify four charitable organizations that provide direct aid to hurricane victims in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Additionally, Resolute Tissue is donating 10 pallets of tissue products for eastern Tennessee residents. Company employees in Fort Mill and Bennettsville, South Carolina, are organizing food and supply drives to support communities in western North Carolina and other areas. …When rebuilding begins, the company plans to donate several truckloads of lumber in the Cross City, Florida, area.
Given feedback from international partners about their state of preparations, the European Commission announced October 2 that it’s proposing to delay launching the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). 
USDA is hard at work offering support for farmers impacted by Hurricane Helene. More than a week after its devastation, the agency is still working to grasp just how much has been lost. According to USDA Undersecretary Robert Bonnie, “We’re still assessing the size of the impacts to agriculture and forestry. We know they’re significant. We know there will be short-term impacts and we also know that the impacts on farmer livelihoods will last for potentially years.” With emotions running high, the stress of it all can be overwhelming. “Some of our own offices which were in nearby counties have been hit by the storm. The USDA family and other counties stepping up to triage in field farmer inquiries. …Senate Ag Chair Debbie Stabenow says that she is committed to getting farmers and ranchers the emergency assistance they need as soon as possible.
LISBON, Portugal — For three days in mid-September, wildfires rapidly tore through parts of Portugal… cutting off the top half of the country. …Few people in Europe and the US would have realized that some of their everyday products may have played a role in making these fires worse. Certain toilet paper, tissue and office paper brands are made with materials from eucalyptus trees, a non-native species to Portugal. The eucalyptus globulus is an ideal tree for commercial cultivation because it’s faster-growing, has a larger amount of fiber and produces more pulp than most other species. The problem is eucalyptus trees are particularly flammable. …Proportional to its size, Portugal has more eucalyptus than any country in the world. But in California, the eucalyptus tree has been naturalized. …A debate over the role of eucalyptus in wildfires is brewing, with some studies showing they have little influence in making blazes worse.
OTTAWA — Across Canada, firefighters put themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe, including by helping to fight wildland fires. …Because of their regular exposure to toxic chemicals from burning materials and firefighting foams, firefighters face a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer. … The Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, tabled the National Framework on Cancers Linked to Firefighting in Parliament and announced an investment of $12.29 million over 5 years and $220,000 ongoing, to advance firefighter health and safety. New investments will support the development of guidance for diagnostic testing and new tools to address training needs within the health care sector. This could lead to earlier diagnoses that may result in better health outcomes. To address gaps in equipment and health and safety standards, investments will also support the development of standards for wildland firefighters to support improved occupational health and safety for their unique needs.
