Citing timber supply challenges and soft lumber markets—West Fraser Timber is permanently closing both its 100 Mile House, BC, and Augusta, Georgia, sawmills. In related news: Maine’s Woodland Pulp pauses until January; Interfor (-$216M); Mercer (-81M); and Suzano ($115M) report their Q3 net earnings; Oregon’s Chinook Forest Partners acquires South Coast Lumber; and Appalachian Wood Pellets responds to a fire in West Virginia.
In Wood Product news: Alberta looks to grow the Asian market; BC and Michigan seek to advance mass timber’s prospects; and the UK addresses timber’s fire safety and construction standards. In Forestry/Climate news: Canada’s private land forests demand recognition; Oregon State researchers say wildfire risk is reducing timberland values; the loss of the Roadless Rule could trigger new timber wars; and Brazil’s new forest fund gets a $5B start at COP30.
Finally, Rigged by design? How method and policy keep US lumber duties high.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
The softwood timber tariffs levied by the U.S. have begun to hit the lumber industry hard. Citing a drooping softwood lumber demand, compounded by higher duties and additional tariffs that have reached 45 per cent for U.S. markets, West Fraser Timber announced Thursday its plans to permanently shutter both its Augusta, Ga., and 100 Mile House lumber mills by the end of 2025. Approximately 165 employees at the 100 Mile House mill will be laid off, as the company says it can’t secure an adequate volume of economically viable timber. The closing of the mill drops West Fraser’s capacity by 160 million board feet. …The closure of the Augusta lumber mill is a result of challenging lumber demand, and the loss of economically viable residual outlets, which combined has compromised the mill’s long-term viability. Around 130 employees will be laid off there, and further reduce West Fraser’s capacity by 140 million board feet.
OTTAWA, ON – Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources today as part of its study on the forest industry, which is being severely affected by the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of CFO, and Vincent Miville, Vice-Chair of CFO and Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Forest Producers, presented recommendations aimed at better recognizing the strategic role of forest owners and the importance of private forests in Canada. CFO represents 480,000 forest owners who collectively own about 10% of Canada’s forested land, but account for 20% of the country’s timber production. These owners supply wood to the forest industry, contribute to regional economies, and provide essential environmental services to rural communities. “The lack of understanding of private forests is a blind spot in Canada’s forest and trade policy, and as a result, support programs for the sector often overlook their essential contribution,” said de Vries.
TORONTO – United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement on the federal Budget 2025: This budget recognizes something workers have been saying for years. Canada needs to build more at home and expand its industrial capacity. The commitments on Buy-Canadian procurement, industrial strategy and trade enforcement are important steps forward and reflect priorities Steelworkers have been advocating for across the country. There are meaningful investments in steel, forestry, critical minerals and manufacturing – sectors that support thousands of good union jobs and anchor regional economies and communities. We welcome tools that can help stabilize supply chains and strengthen domestic production. …Buy-Canadian rules must be enforced, industrial dollars must translate into real jobs and production on the ground, and forestry and industrial communities need long-term certainty, not temporary relief. We see steps in the right direction. Now it’s about follow-through.
Forest Products Association of Canada put forward 19 practical recommendations for Budget 2025 focusing on three areas where immediate federal action can make a tangible difference: Smarter regulation to improve competitiveness; Clear signals to improve investment confidence; and Stronger trade and market access measures to protect Canadian jobs. …Hundreds of rural and northern communities depend on a strong forest sector. The Government of Canada’s $1.25 billion softwood package is welcome support for the immediate term, but finding a path to a more certain trading arrangement with the United States remains the Canadian forest sector’s top priority. …The inclusion of Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for biomass projects in Budget 2025 is a welcome, long-overdue step for Canada’s forest sector. …With the right tax measures in place, these projects can modernize mill operations, sustain and grow jobs in rural and northern communities, and strengthen Canada’s position as a secure producer of renewable energy.
Campbell River, BC — La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership (LKSM) is ready to sit down at the bargaining table with the USW at any time, and has been ready throughout this strike, which it has made clear many times to the USW. However the USW has repeatedly refused to do so, as recently as October 24. Despite repeated invitations from LKSM, the USW has also declined both meaningful negotiations and mediation to assist the bargaining process, unnecessarily prolonging this months-long strike. “LKSM’s First Nations shareholders are dismayed and extremely frustrated by the provincial government’s failure to help both parties to make progress through the appointment of a mediator, especially given the hardships the forestry industry is facing right now,” says Nanwakolas Council President Dallas Smith. “Mediation is an opportunity to bring the parties together …and yet BC still has failed to appoint a mediator after all this time.”
Was Premier David Eby ever really serious about running anti-American softwood lumber ads? Maybe, briefly, back when nobody cared about $100,000 worth of sponsored content promoting B.C. wood products. But after Ontario’s ads blew up Canada-U.S. trade talks, Eby seemed to realize the true value of his campaign — namely, in not running it at all. On Monday, Eby all but admitted his tough talk over the past 10 days about the urgent need to educate Americans on B.C.’s softwood sector was just leverage to score a meeting with federal cabinet ministers. …The premier had spent several weeks loudly proclaiming that these softwood ads were essential, and that they would go forward regardless of what the federal government thought. …In exchange for backing off his threat, Eby hyped up a “softwood summit” on Monday his government called the “turning point in our fight for forestry workers.”
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Multiple volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services responded Wednesday night to a fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets that affected multiple buildings. Officials reported the blaze has been contained, and no injuries were reported. Preston County Office of Emergency Management Director Justin Wolfe said initial reports of the blaze at 383 Mill Road were received at 11:33 p.m. Wednesday. …Initial reports noted that crews mounted an attack against the blaze, with additional fire departments being requested for assistance. Based on reports, the fire affected structures outside the main plant, including an open trailer with material, an open roofed storage structure and a belt-to-silo apparatus, and encroached on a maintenance building.
Weyerhaeuser will use $102 million of proceeds from a municipal bond sale to help finance the construction of solid waste disposal facilities at its engineered wood plant in Arkansas. The Resource Recovery Revenue Bonds Series 2025 will be sold by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, which will then lend the money to the timber and forest products company. …The bonds are special and limited revenue obligations of the issuer. Weyerhaeuser will use the money to help finance a portion of the costs of the acquisition, construction, equipping and installation of solid waste disposal facilities at its TimberStrand plant under construction near the city of Monticello in Drew County. Proceeds will also be used to pay the costs of bond issuance. TimberStrand is a brand name for a type of engineered wood product called laminated strand lumber and is manufactured by Weyerhaeuser. 
Vancouver, BC — Western Forest Products Inc. reported Adjusted EBITDA of negative $65.9 million in the third quarter of 2025, which included a non-cash export duty expense of $59.5 million related to the determination of final duty rates from the sixth Administrative Review. In comparison, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of negative $10.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, which included a $1.0 million export duty recovery related to the determination of final duty rates from the fifth AR, and Adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2025. Net loss was $61.3 million in the third quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $19.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, and net loss of $17.4 million in the second quarter of 2025.
A technique used for the long-term preservation of human and animal remains is now being tested on Western red cedar. Plastination, originally designed to embalm the dead, is now being used to improve the functionality and durability of advanced composite materials. A team from UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering has been experimenting with the technique and published a study that examined the 
Michigan is the latest state to launch an initiative aimed at accelerating mass timber construction. The new Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program will provide cash awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000, along with technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities, to encourage the use of engineered wood in new buildings. Although mass timber products are not yet manufactured in Michigan, interest in the material is growing rapidly. …The Catalyst program, produced collaboratively by the Michigan DNR, MassTimber@MSU, the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, and WoodWorks, will support early-stage projects that use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material. …Awarded teams will join a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and Woodworks to work through design, procurement, cost estimation, and code approval challenges. …In New York City, the NYCEDC’s Mass Timber Studio offers $25,000 Grants and technical support for early-stage projects…. In the Southeast, the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator… provides funding and technical assistance to teams exploring timber-based design solutions.
The Liberal government is dropping its goal to plant two billion trees by 2031 as part of Tuesday’s budget, according to sources familiar with the matter. The government currently has contracts that they intend to fulfil to plant one billion trees, one source said. The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month that the budget will include a “climate competitiveness strategy.” But this is another key Trudeau-era climate policy that Carney has dropped since becoming leader, after ending the consumer carbon tax and pushing back the electric-vehicle sales mandate. …The government has struggled to keep up with the commitment, missing its annual planting targets in the past two years. Over 228 million trees have been planted so far, according to Natural Resources Canada’s latest update — leaving more than 1.7 billion in order to reach the target by 2030-31.
Local governments are frustrated after receiving a long-awaited answer to when legislative changes are coming to the law governing how some forest lands are managed in B.C. The answer: with the trade war targeting B.C. lumber, the priority is protecting forestry jobs. …The 2003 Private Managed Forest Land (PMFL) Act puts no limit on the volume of timber that can be harvested, contrary to logging on Crown land. It’s administered by the Private Managed Forest Council, two of the five members of which have active vested interest in PMFLs. …The ministry maintains modernization to the act is being considered. In July… CBC reported the ministry is “working to modernize the act following the 2019 review.” When asked what changed between July and August, the ministry repeated it “continues to work with the Private Forest Landowners Association and the Managed Forest Council to modernize the Private Managed Forest Land Program.”
NANAIMO, BC: Following Vancouver Island’s devastating wildfire season, Mosaic is focusing on ways it can help reduce the chances of fires starting or limit their damage. Mosaic responded to 34 wildfires in 2025—a 19% increase over the previous year’s 26 fires. This year, all five of the most significant blazes were human-caused. The first concerning fire ignited near Campbell River in early May, making 2025 one of the earliest wildfire starts for the company. The Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni burned almost 2,400 hectares of Mosaic lands—roughly the size of the city of Duncan—destroying new forests and conserved old growth while causing community evacuations and road closures. Throughout the season, Mosaic’s fire crews worked with BC Wildfire Service, contractors, First Nations and emergency responders to protect communities and forests. 
The Ministry of Natural Resources says nearly 6,000 square kilometres burned in Ontario this wildfire season, much more than last year and well above the province’s 10-year average. The ministry says 643 wildfires were recorded between April and October, with 597,654 hectares — or just over 5,976 square kilometres — burned. The province says 480 fires burned nearly 900 square kilometres in 2024, and the 10-year average for Ontario is 712 fires and about 2,100 square kilometres burned. Figures released by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in August showed that Canada’s 2025 wildfire season was the second-worst on record. Those figures suggested the fires tore through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick. Scientists say that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has made Canada’s fire seasons longer and more intense.
A federal judge has halted a logging project in the Kootenai National Forest, saying the federal government failed to correctly analyze the impacts to grizzly bears. The Knotty Pine Project, a 10-year project that would have authorized 7,465 acres of prescribed burning and 2,593 acres of commercial harvest in the Cabinet-Yaak Mountains, has been in litigation since 2022. The Center for Biological Diversity led a coalition of environmental groups …in suing the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying it could devastate the small group of grizzly bears that lives in the region due to increased roadwork. U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen granted a preliminary junction the following year, but issued his final ruling last week. …“High road densities in low elevation habitats may result in grizzly bear avoidance or displacement from important spring habitat and high mortality risks,” Christensen wrote.
Britain’s biggest power plant will continue to earn more than £1m a day from burning wood pellets under a new government subsidy contract designed to halve its financial support, according to analysts. The Drax power plant in North Yorkshire is in line to earn £458.6m a year between 2027 and 2031 after the government agreed to extend its subsidies beyond 2026, according to analysts at Ember, a climate thinktank. The earnings are well below the £869m in subsidies handed to the Drax power plant last year for generating about 5% of the UK’s electricity from burning biomass after the government promised to curb the use of biomass in Britain’s power system. Under the contract, Drax will be paid to run just over a quarter of the time, down sharply from almost two-thirds of time currently. But the price it will earn for each unit of electricity generated will rise.