The Canadian back-to-work rail decision—lauded by business, panned by union—echoes past rail shutdowns. In other Business news: a fire damaged Maine’s Sebastian Lumber mill; Timberlab is set to announce its Oregon CLT mill location; Hinton, Alberta moves on Mondi agreement; International Paper’s Tom Hamic to lead IP’s container and containerboard business; and Paper Excellence celebrates four Quebec safety recognitions. Meanwhile: interest rates are moving down; lumber prices are moving up; and US homebuilding is on the rebound.
In Forestry news: a Quebec mayor says caribou protections will devastate her community; the ongoing saga of logging in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country; ForestryWorksforBC makes the case for BC forestry; Michigan’s forest management plan is up for review; and EU companies share US exporter concerns over the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Finally, California could soon have an official state slug and crab.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Those who work in the woods know all too well that wildfires are undiscerning in what they burn: working forest, parks, old growth forests, wildlife habitat—if there is fuel, it will burn. No matter what your view on how our forests should be managed, it is hard to avoid the reality that wildfire is a threat to our businesses, our livelihoods, as well as to our health and well-being. …To gain a better sense of community perspectives regarding wildfire resiliency, the BC Council of Forest Industries worked with Abacus Data to survey 1,500 British Columbians last spring. The survey found the public perceives wildfires as a problem that is getting worse. Polling showed that 75% of the public follows the news about wildfires closely; in other words, it is a top-of-mind subject; 35% reported that wildfires have already had a large impact on their lives with 74% having experienced smoke from wildfires. 
In the span of 15 years, Paper Excellence has become Canada’s largest pulp and paper producer, and even expanded into solid wood products in Canada and the U.S. with the acquisition in 2023 of Montreal-based, Resolute Forest Products. The company has been on a buying spree in the last five years that has included the purchase of B.C.-based Catalyst Paper in 2019 and Montreal-based Domtar in 2021. …The CBC recently published a detailed investigation concerning its potential connections with Indonesian-based, Asia Pulp & Paper, as well as its past connections with Chinese banking concerns. The fundamental questions they raised were where all the financing for these transactions is coming from and what is the end goal? …The question from an industry perspective is whether Paper Excellence is good for Canadian forestry? The answer to this point is an unequivocal yes, if plans like the one to rebuild the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan pulp mill are any indication. 
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Canada-U.S. relations took centre stage at the federal cabinet retreat in Halifax. …Eight months ago Trudeau launched a renewed Team Canada approach, restoring the game plan initiated under the first Donald Trump presidency. …The tumultuous four years of Trump’s time in the White House was difficult for Canada, as he forced a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and imposed punishing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. …Canada is looking to shore up its interests ahead of him possibly winning again in November, but even if vice-president Kamala Harris prevails, irritants and U.S. protectionism remain in play. …Ongoing U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber remain a large point of disagreement between the two countries. Imposed in 2017, the tariffs remain in place despite multiple Canadian challenges, and earlier this month the Biden-Harris government moved to increase them.
The framing lumber composite price rose 1.5% during the week ending Aug. 23. After dropping to their lowest level since April 2020, lumber prices have now risen for six consecutive weeks. NAHB continually tracks the latest lumber prices and futures prices, and provides an overview of the behaviors within the U.S. framing lumber market. …The Random Lengths framing lumber composite price rose 1.5% from the previous week (Prices are up 7.0% in the past month, but they are still 6.8% lower than one year ago. Thus far, 2024 has been the least volatile year for lumber prices since 2019). The price of lumber futures fell 4.4%, and the continue trading at a premium of over $100 (Prices are 1.9% lower than a year ago). The structural panel composite price rose 0.8% from the previous week (OSB prices increased 0.9%. Western Fir plywood prices were flat. Southern Yellow Pine plywood prices increased 2.0%.)
Economists see the Bank of Canada cutting interest rates for a third consecutive meeting next week, continuing what’s anticipated to be a steady downward trend in borrowing costs over the next year as inflation eases. Policymakers led by governor Tiff Macklem are expected to lower the benchmark overnight rate to 4.25 per cent at their Sept. 4 meeting, according to the median estimate in an August poll conducted by Bloomberg. Economists are also forecasting faster and deeper cuts to borrowing costs over the next year, and see the central bank reducing the policy rate from the current 4.5 per cent to three per cent by next July. In 2026, the overnight rate is expected to average 2.75 per cent, the data show.
The homebuilding sector is experiencing a resurgence, with recent reports highlighting a pick-up in demand for new homes as of August 2024. This uptick comes in the wake of persistent challenges such as the softness in remodeling and repair markets, which have been affected by the so-called lock-in effect, and sluggish multi-family construction that continues to impact lumber markets. Despite these hurdles, the overall outlook for homebuilders is increasingly positive, driven by favorable mortgage rates and robust demand trends. …While the homebuilding sector has faced its share of obstacles, including fluctuating mortgage rates and a slowdown in certain construction areas, recent trends suggest a positive shift. Major builders are reporting stronger demand and improved traffic, supported by lower mortgage rates and renewed buyer interest. As we move through the latter half of 2024, the combination of favorable conditions and supportive government policies is likely to sustain momentum in the homebuilding sector.
DUBLIN, Ireland — The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) has urged the government to adopt more sustainable construction methods to reduce sector emissions immediately. Publishing its annual review of Ireland’s industry and waste sectors, the CCAC emphasised the need for increased timber use and modern construction methods (MMC). It also called for whole-life carbon assessments and targets in planning public buildings to meet sectoral targets. …Marie Donnelly, Chair, CCAC, said: “One of the primary sources of industrial emissions is cement production. …“Updates to the building regulations that support increased use of timber in construction should be consolidated with the establishment of a high-level cross-departmental task force to prepare an overarching national strategy for the development and expansion of all aspects of the timber industry in Ireland. …48% to 50% of new-build homes in Ireland are timber-framed, compared to less than 25% in 2021. 
Decades of work to suppress fires in Jasper National Park may have inadvertently contributed to conditions that fed a devastating wildfire that ripped through Jasper in July, experts say. The fire, which burned in the Jasper townsite, was the largest in the national park in over 100 years, according to Parks Canada. The fire consumed more than 33,000 hectares. While fires are not uncommon in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, studies suggest the number and size of fires has significantly decreased over the last century, largely due to suppression. “We conclude fire suppression has altered the fire regime and reduced resilience of the mountain forests in Jasper National Park,” Raphael Chavardes and Lori Daniels wrote in a 2016 research paper. The paper was part of Chavardes’s master’s degree at UBC and Daniels was his supervisor. …Chavardes said, prior to Jasper becoming protected in 1907 by the federal government, the forest burned about every 40 to 60 years, on average.
JASPER — Parks Canada says a weekend drenching of rain on parts of Jasper National Park is doing a lot to quell fire activity, but the wet weather also comes with a warning. In a daily update on the local wildfire situation, Parks Canada says parts of the national park received over 30 millimetres of rain on Friday night. …But Parks Canada cautions all that rain could make slopes and burned trees unstable, and gusty or shifting winds could cause fire-weakened trees with loose roots to fall. The wildfire that prompted a weeks-long evacuation of the park and the Jasper townsite was declared “being held” last weekend. Jasper National Park and the town are still closed to visitors, but Highway 16 through the park is open and the Icefields Parkway that connects Jasper to Banff and Lake Louise reopened to through traffic last week.
WASHINGTON — To figure out what really works when nations try to fight climate change, researchers looked at 1,500 ways countries have tried to curb heat-trapping gases. Their answer: Not many have done the job. And success often means someone has to pay a price, whether at the pump or elsewhere. In only 63 cases since 1998, did researchers find policies that resulted in significant cuts of carbon pollution, a new study in Thursday’s 
MONTRÉAL — Pulp & Paper Canada recently named four Quebec-based Paper Excellence Group mills at the top of its annual health and safety rankings. These honors reflect the company’s overall efforts to ensure a safe working environment at our sites. Domtar’s Windsor paper mill was named safest mill in category A – facilities with more than 80,000 worker hours per month. Resolute mills took the top three spots in category C – facilities with less than 50,000 worker hours per month. The Saint-Félicien pulp mill finished in first place, while the Alma and Dolbeau paper mills finished in second and third place respectively. Richard Tremblay, president of the Paper Excellence Group’s Pulp and Tissue business unit. “Our goal is zero injuries at every location. This is an area where we will not compromise. We should be proud of this recognition.”