The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) released a new national research report, titled Canada’s Forest Economy: An Analysis of the National Supply Chain and Community Investment Impact, which underscores the forest sector’s vital contributions to Canada’s economy, rural development, and urban sustainability. Produced with the expertise of iTOTEM Analytics and in partnership with BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) – the report highlights how 19 leading forest products companies in Canada are sustaining a network of 30,000 vendors spanning approximately 1,595 municipalities nationwide.
Together, these partnerships generated $14.9 billion in supply chain expenditures in 2022 alone, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% since 2020. In alignment with the First Nations Major Projects Coalition Conference Valuing Reconciliation in Global Markets happening this week, the forestry sector is deeply invested in partnering with Indigenous communities across the country and learning more on how reconciliation strengthens both commercial success & project sustainability.
“The forest products sector touches every corner of Canada,” said FPAC President and CEO Derek Nighbor. …Beyond supply chain expenditures, the study also revealed that between 2020 and 2022, the forest sector made $39.2 million in community investments – supporting over 2,000 organizations across 380 communities with funding for health, education, public amenities, and Indigenous initiatives. “As our sector continues to evolve, this research helps shine a light on the outsized and interconnected role that Canada’s forest sector, along with our commitment to growing the economy and building strong partnerships across rural and urban communities alike, plays in Canada’s national economy,” added Nighbor.
WASHINGTON – The US Commerce Department said on Wednesday it is opening a probe into national security impacts of imports of medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks and related parts into the United States. The “Section 232” investigation could form the basis of grounds to impose new tariffs on work trucks, buses, vans and other larger vehicles. Tariffs would hurt Mexico, as it is the largest exporter of trucks to the US. …Canada and Japan are also large exporters of larger trucks to the US. The Commerce Department is seeking public comment by mid-May on the extent to which domestic production of trucks and truck parts can meet domestic demand. …It also wants comments on the impacts on prices “due to foreign unfair trade practices and state-sponsored overproduction”. …Higher tariffs on commercial vehicles could put pressure on transportation costs.
SALEM, Oregon — The Oregon Senate on Monday passed a bill to establish a lumber-grading pilot training pilot program. “This bill opens the door for small sawmill operators to participate in local housing solutions,” said Sen. Todd Nash, R-Enterprise, the bill’s sponsor. “Forty years ago, Eastern Oregon had 69 mills. Today, only seven remain. This is a practical step to support rural economies and increase housing options using locally sourced materials.” Senate Bill 1061, otherwise known as the Oregon Forests to Homes Act, would operate through Oregon State University’s Extension Service, in partnership with the Department of Consumer and Business Services. …Once certified as a grader, a mill owner could sell his lumber directly to a builder. Certified small sawmill operators will be able to sell lumber directly to homeowners or their agents for use in single-family homes or duplexes.
Risks are high that the global economy will slip into recession this year, according to a majority of economists in a Reuters poll, in which scores said US President Donald Trump’s tariffs have damaged business sentiment. Just three months ago, the same group of economists covering nearly 50 economies had expected the global economy to grow at a strong, steady clip. …While Trump has suspended the heaviest tariffs imposed on almost all trading partners for a few months, a 10% blanket duty remains, as well as a 145% tariff on China, the United States’ largest trading partner. …Showing unusual unanimity… three-quarters of economists cut their 2025 global growth forecast, bringing the median to 2.7% from 3.0% in a January poll. …China and Russia were forecast to grow 4.5% and 1.7% respectively, outperforming the US. However, growth forecasts for Mexico and Canada were downgraded from January by some of the largest margins, to 0.2% and 1.2%.
The US economy contracted in the first three months of 2025 on an import surge at the start of President Trump’s second term in office as he wages a potentially costly trade war. Gross domestic product fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, according to a Commerce Department report adjusted for seasonal factors and inflation. This was the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022. Economists had been looking for a gain of 0.4% after GDP rose by 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024. However, over the past day or so some Wall Street economists changed their outlook to negative growth, largely because of an unexpected rise in imports as companies and consumers sought to get ahead of the Trump tariffs implemented in early April. …The more telling number for the future of the expansion was consumer spending, and it grew, but at a relatively weak pace,” said Robert Frick. 
The clock is ticking on trade deals that the US will need to strike with many nations, most notably China, to avoid what Trump’s Treasury Secretary has described as an “unsustainable” tariffs war. But in the U.S. farming sector, the damage has already been done and the economic crisis already begun. US agriculture exporters say the global backlash to President Trump’s tariffs is punishing them, especially a decline in Chinese buying of US farm products, leading to cancelled export orders and layoffs. Peter Friedmann, of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition …says “massive” financial losses are already being shared by its members. …A wood pulp and paperboard exporter reported to the trade group the immediate cancellation or hold of 6,400 metric tons in a warehouse and a hold of 15 railcars sitting in what is known in the supply chain as “demurrage,” when fees are charged for delayed movement of goods.
UK — Housing starts in the UK have lagged behind completions for the sixth successive quarter, including to the latest official data. Around 32,000 homes were started in the last quarter of 2024, compared to just over 49,000 completed during the same period, according to the Office for National Statistics. The number of starts is down from 37,000 in the preceding quarter and well below the average of 42,000 homes which have been started per quarter since the ONS resumed gathering the data after the pandemic in April 2022. Completions have remained more stable, rising in the last quarter of 2024 from 41,500 in the third quarter, with an average of just over 49,000 completions a year since the pandemic. Pocket Living chief executive Paul Rickard said: “By any measure these are a disappointing set of figures and continue to highlight the massive challenge the government has.”
The BC government says it will only meet half of its 2030 target to lower greenhouse gas emissions. In an annual 
VANCOUVER, BC — Svante Technologies, a leader in carbon capture and removal technology, announced that its joint carbon capture and storage project with Mercer International has advanced to the Front-end Engineering and Design Phase 2 (FEL-2). Also known as Pre-FEED, this phase involves engineering, cost estimation, and risk analysis to evaluate the project’s commercial viability. …The carbon capture project targets biogenic CO2 emissions from Mercer’s Peace River pulp mill, where the biomass is sourced from sustainably managed forests. Advancing to the Pre-FEED stage will support further development of the integrated design, cost estimates, and risk assessments—key steps toward a final investment decision and potential implementation. …Utilizing a Novel Carbon Capture Technology for Commercial Deployment, Svante’s second-generation capture technology maximizes low-grade waste heat from pulp mills, reducing energy consumption and increasing cost-effectiveness.
The Sustainable Biomass Program (SPB) published its Annual Review 2024, capturing a year of growth, strategic progress, and continued delivery as the biomass certification scheme of choice. With 2024 marking the second year of its current three-year strategy, SBP has consolidated its position in a rapidly evolving sustainability landscape, while laying firm foundations for the years ahead. “2024 outcomes reflect a busy and productive year for SBP. We saw significant growth in certified biomass volumes and certificate holder numbers, but equally important we took proactive steps to define our contribution to global challenges, from carbon and climate to regulatory compliance and sustainability governance. With growth comes an increased responsibility to ensure that assurance and oversight of compliance are rigorously maintained,”stated Carsten Huljus, CEO of SBP.
A New Jersey teenager is being charged with arson following a