Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled his Fortress North America strategy in support of renewing CUSMA. In related news: Trump says he’s not looking to renew; Pennsylvania’s governor says that’s reckless; but US industries want it preserved. In other Business news: Ontario supports Bernie McGlynn Lumber’s expansion; Louisiana supports C&C Forest Products’ sawmill rebuild; Stora Enso secures food packaging certification; and West Fraser strengthens UK timber partnership. Meanwhile: US inflation bypassed housing; lumber futures rose to 8-month high; and Japan’s lumber producers are gaining share.
In Forestry news: Canada’s Senate report calls for better wildfire coordination; BC’s Forests Minister visits Revelstoke; US lawmakers revive efforts to repeal the roadless rule; US budget cuts reduce fuel treatments; and France adds 157,000 hectares of protected forest. Meanwhile: more kudos for Ontario WoodWorks’ Marianne Berube; and the latest on the upcoming Wood Pellet Association of Canada AGM.
Finally, could logging practices help save New Hampshire’s moose from winter ticks?
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Vancouver, BC — Canfor Corporation announced today that it has entered into an agreement with PinkWood Ltd. to purchase its I-joist business for $68.0 million, including working capital. Founded in 2009, PinkWood is the largest Ijoist facility in Western Canada, producing engineered wood joists for residential, multi-family, and commercial construction. Located in Calgary, AB, PinkWood has 120 employees, with production capacity of 46 million linear feet. The purchase price represents a 5 times EBITDA multiple based on current production levels and earnings, including identified synergies. … “PinkWood is a leading manufacturer of high-quality I-joists with a strong management team and stable returns,” said Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of Canfor. “Canfor’s acquisition of PinkWood complements our operations in Western Canada by enhancing product diversification and supporting the continued expansion of our value-added manufacturing capabilities.
MILDMAY — The Ontario government is investing $1.6 million in Bernie McGlynn Lumber Ltd. to support a major expansion and modernization project at the company’s sawmill in Mildmay. The investment will more than double the company’s production space, increase output by 47 per cent, create five new good-paying jobs and support 13 existing positions. As part of its plan to protect Ontario forestry workers and businesses, the province is making strategic investments to help the forest sector adapt, compete and grow in the face of U.S. tariffs. …The government’s investment through the Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program will support Bernie McGlynn Lumber’s $5.3 million project to construct a new 30,000-square-foot facility and install upgraded equipment, including a first-in-Ontario thermal-treating kiln system and a double-bladed bandsaw. 
Mississauga city staff are reviewing a proposal for a “wood recovery facility” and an associated office building near Winston Churchill Boulevard and Lakeshore Road near the Oakville border. Applications have been submitted to amend the official plan and zoning to permit the facility, which would recover wood material to be used as a fuel source, according to the city. …local councillor, Alvin Tedjo said the cement plant provides roughly a third of all the cement for the province but still uses coal, adding the proposed wood recovery plant would provide low-carbon fuels. “The idea is that this plant would then create and process the materials in order to be used in the cement process which would then significantly reduce the use of coal and actually is part of removing coal completely from the (cement) plant so that we can be fully coal-free in Mississauga,” Tedjo said in a June 4 interview.
Three years ago, the Ontario Building Code required that any developer taking on a mid-rise wood-frame building had to construct stairwells out of non-combustible material. That was expensive. It made construction challenging, and, according to the 
New York’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) has not reached the finish line. The state legislature adjourned without voting on
Japanese domestic 2×4 production rose 33.9% in 2025 to 112,610 m³, while more housing companies are specifying domestic dimension lumber. For Canadian exporters, the message is clear: competition is no longer only imported lumber from Europe or Russia. Domestic Japanese producers are also gaining ground, especially in Sugi-based 2×4 applications. Japan’s domestic 2×4 segment is still relatively small compared with the country’s total structural wood market, but the latest survey results show a market moving decisively in favour of local supply. That matters for Canadian producers because Japan remains one of the world’s most important premium wood markets, and 2×4 construction has historically been a core outlet for Canadian dimension lumber. The Association to Promote the Use of Domestic Wood in 2×4 Construction recently released the results of its annual survey of domestic 2×4 production and usage trends. …The survey results indicate a significant increase in Japanese domestic dimension lumber production and consumption. 
The first eight wolves arrived through the Roosevelt Arch on the morning of 12 January 1995, in a horse trailer escorted by two park service patrol cars. The wolves had been live-trapped in three different packs in Jasper National Park and the surrounding wilderness of Alberta, Canada, weighed, fitted with radio collars, and flown south. Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation lawyers had obtained a stay from a federal appeals court before the plane landed, and the wolves spent the next several hours confined in their transport crates while the legal status of the project was resolved. The stay was lifted just after midnight. …What happened in the thirty years after 1995 has become one of the most-cited and most-contested case studies in contemporary ecology.
Mature and old-growth forests are vital for biodiversity, carbon storage, cultural traditions and economic activity. But in Alaska and British Columbia, these rich resources haven’t been reliably mapped, leaving much unknown about what land is protected. Now, University of Oregon researchers are leading a comprehensive mapping effort that sheds light on the location, makeup and conservation status of old-growth forests across the region. Their data show that more than 40% of mature and old growth forests in the study area are in places that lack permanent legislative protection. These forests also store the most carbon in the study area. …Old-growth forests in Alaska and British Columbia are protected through a range of land classifications, including national parks, national monuments and wilderness areas. But by far the greatest area of old-growth forest was found in “Inventoried Roadless Areas” in Alaska.
When BC’s community forestry leaders gather each year, one of the sector’s highest honours is the Robin Hood Memorial Award for Excellence in Community Forestry. Established in 2016, the award recognizes the community forest that best exemplifies the values of British Columbia’s community forestry program—leadership, innovation, local economic opportunity, stewardship, and a passion for community forestry. The award is presented jointly by the 
The rain this weekend … has certainly reduced the fire danger rating in B.C. The precipitation, even though it varied in different regions, was widespread throughout the province. According to Taylor Colman, fire information officer at the BC Wildfire Service, the rain lowered the fire rating from high and extreme to moderate in Chilcotin, the Peace Region, the South Thompson, and the Fraser Canyon. “The rain rehydrated those lighter forest fuels such as grasses, needles, brush, anything on the surface layer of the forest floor and then the duration and the amount was enough to penetrate into the deeper layers of the forest floor as well,” Colman explained. “… so that reduced the fire danger rating in those areas of concern.” …There are currently 16 active wildfires in B.C.
The U.S. Forest Service has faced budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, and a new analysis shows those cuts are impacting how much land the agency is able to treat to prevent wildfires. The Forest Service treated 35 percent fewer acres for wildfire mitigation in 2025, compared with the previous year. Mitigation efforts include tree thinning, brush clearing, and prescribed burning. That’s according to Forest Service data assessed by the public lands advocacy group, Center for Western Priorities. That means nearly one and a half million fewer acres were treated overall. These treatments lower wildfire risks, and make fires easier to fight, which better protects communities and keeps firefighters safe. In a state-by-state breakdown, the Center’s analysis found 63% less acres of Forest Service land in Montana were treated for wildfire risk. The Trump administration has proposed further cuts to the U.S. Forest Service’s budget, staff, and local support – including closing regional offices nationwide.
Barred owls …are now officially under attack themselves. Theoretically, they’ve been in danger since the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife released its barred owl management plan in 2024, announcing its intention to kill tens of thousands of barred owls per year for up to 30 years to protect the northern spotted owl and California spotted owl populations. The federal government and some environmentalist groups agree that protecting the endangered owl is necessary, but others argue it is inhumane and exists only to aid the timber industry. It’s been two years since the plan’s announcement, but only since November has a group in Washington officially begun killing barred owls… The Yakama Nation Tribe in South Central Washington has initiated barred owl management on reservation lands and is actively killing the once-protected species. They are the first and currently the only group in Washington to do so.
In fall, hoards of winter ticks latch on to New Hampshire’s moose — sometimes upward of 50,000 per adult animal. Over the course of the winter, the ticks drink their fill of blood, weakening adult moose and sometimes killing calves. …a team of New Hampshire researchers has a new hypothesis: Could the way forests are logged make moose more or less likely to encounter parasites? …Winter ticks are the driving force behind years of decline in Northeastern moose populations. …In recent decades, parasitism of moose by winter ticks has boomed… major driver was a boom in the local moose population… The sheer abundance of hosts helped tick populations in the region reach the high levels they remain at today. …One option is raising hunting quotas to reduce the number of moose… Another line of attack is the use of pesticides. …But there’s another idea … that has not been extensively studied: managing their habitat.
From the rainforests of French Guiana to ancient woodlands in eastern France, thousands of hectares of forest are gaining new protections. On 9 June, France said it has created seven new biological reserves and expanded two existing ones. Together, they safeguard an additional 157,000 hectares of forest as it works toward placing 10 per cent of its land under ‘strong protection’ by 2030. “This translates into less pressure on natural environments and stronger protection for species and habitats,” says Monique Barbut, France’s minister for ecological transition, biodiversity and international climate and nature negotiations. However, the vast majority of that land – around 99.5 per cent – lies in a single reserve in French Guiana, France’s overseas territory in South America. The new reserves in metropolitan France collectively cover under 1,000 hectares. …The remaining eight reserves, spread across metropolitan France, range from the mountain forests of Bannes-Ravines in the Vosges to the Mediterranean woodlands of Pas de la Lauze in Hérault.
Attend WPAC’s annual conference, September 22-23, 2026! This year’s theme, Building Canada Stronger: Navigating the Global Wood Pellet Transition, covers securing supply, resilient energy and next-gen bioenergy. Day 1, Tuesday, September 22, 2026, focuses on the global outlook, policy and supply foundations. …There are still sponsorship spots available for the conference—Canada’s largest gathering of our industry. This event brings together key decision-makers from across Canada and global markets, offering a unique opportunity to increase your visibility, connect with partners, and strengthen your position in the sector. It’s also an opportunity to support WPAC’s advocacy, safety initiatives and industry-wide technical leadership in Canada and around the world.