Bob Brash argues that BC forestry’s challenges go well beyond US tariffs, while forest protection and management flexibility dominate the US Roadless Rule debate. In related news: Ontario First Nations are training wildfire firefighters; US lawmakers proposed expanded death benefits for fallen firefighters; and Australian researchers link bushfire risks to the loss of Indigenous burning.
In Business news: the US Lumber Coalition welcomed a NAFTA panel ruling upholding softwood duties; the Structurlam–Walmart legal dispute was settled; former Dryden pulp mill workers are offered health follow-up assessments; and the Supreme Court will hear CN’s appeal involving Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries. Meanwhile: John Puri says the US trade deficit has nothing to do with tariffs; Jock Finlayson says B.C.’s spending problem is now a fiscal crisis; BC Wood offers HR compliance essentials for small businesses; and New Zealand is funding five wood energy projects.
Finally, a Ukrainian cardboard and paper mill suspends production after missile strike.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
The University of British Columbia’s new MacIsaac Health Building is the first project on the Vancouver campus to achieve Canada Green Building Council Zero Carbon Building—Design Standard v2 certification. Designed by Perkins&Will in partnership with Danish partner Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the approximately 25,000 m2 facility brings together nursing, kinesiology, student health and well-being, clinical teaching, research, and academic space. Carbon reduction informed the project’s design and construction strategies. The building also achieved LEED Gold certification. A high-performance envelope is intended to reduce energy demand, while natural-ventilation strategies and heat-recovery systems support operational performance. The project team also completed a whole-building life-cycle assessment to identify opportunities to reduce embodied carbon. Material selection also played a major role. Mass timber forms a key part of the structure and provides exposed timber finishes throughout the building. According to the project team, the material selection helps reduce embodied carbon while referencing Pacific Northwest building traditions.
Edmonton, Alberta – The Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF-IFC) is pleased to announce the 2026 National Award recipients. Recipients have earned distinction through demonstration of exceptional achievements in the field of forestry. The Awards were presented at the Annual National Awards Ceremony and Banquet on September 28 in Edmonton, Alberta. The Institute would like to extend our congratulations to all the award recipients for 2026!
The community of Smithers has been relatively untouched by wildfires… However, drought has significantly impacted the area and the threat of wildfire has become ever present… Our local community wildfire suppression group, the Woodmere Emergency Services Society … visited a recent BC Timber Sales block that was harvested and sold to Hampton Lumber in Burns Lake. …In the spring of 2026 we had a field visit with Hampton to look at the slash/fuel left behind on this block. While Hampton had no legal obligation to do any further clean up, we were impressed that the company recognized the issue and agreed to clean up the block. …at the end of September 2026, we saw that Hampton has gone above and beyond our expectations and has done an exceptional job at their own expense. …Companies like Hampton are what give forestry a good name in British Columbia.
As we move into fall, this is a time share the important role community forests play across BC. September 30 is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It is a time to reflect on our shared history, to listen and learn, and to recognize that reconciliation is ongoing work. Across BC, community forests are contributing to that work by building relationships with First Nations …and learning from the knowledge and values that First Nations bring to caring for the land. …With a provincial election underway, the BCCFA will be working throughout the campaign to bring our priorities forward and help candidates understand what community forests are delivering for BC and what is needed to strengthen the community forest program. In this edition of our newsletter, you’ll find information on:
For harvesting to be profitable on the scale necessary, we need a competitive market for logs, and our forest products industry was decimated with the earlier cessation of harvesting on federal lands. Today, 25% of our lumber supply, worth about $19.7 billion, is imported from Canada. While we ignored our federal forests, the Canadians have been exhausting their easier pickings. With only difficult sites left, they are cutting back, with more cutbacks planned in the future. In the last decade, lumber production there has decreased by 55%. This is an opportunity that we need to capitalize on. By reestablishing a modest forest products industry, we could create a market for the material we need to thin and harvest. Were we to replace the Canadian lumber with domestically produced lumber, the downstream financial stimulus could add an additional $39.4 billion to our GDP. …Let’s consider some of the possible end products for the thinned and harvested timber.
In this months newsletter, you’ll find these stories and more:
Alterations made to Australia’s forests during British colonial rule have amplified the effects of climate change and rendered the country more prone to bushfires, a new study suggests. The research provides evidence for the value of cultural burning by Indigenous communities, scientists from the University of Melbourne say. “Climate records show seasons of comparably dangerous fire weather such as those seen during Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday reoccurred in the region repeatedly before colonisation, yet the open landscape maintained by cultural burning protected the land from catastrophic fire,” Michael-Shawn Fletcher, an author of the new study, said. “When colonisation ended that care, the forest expanded and thickened across the region, loading with fuel.” The study, published in the journal Nature, reconstructed the last 1,000 years of vegetation, fire and erosion in the Croajingolong National Park, East Gippsland, one of the most fire-prone forests in the southeast.
On World Cotton Day, the spotlight shines on one of the world’s most recognizable natural fibers. And rightly so. But let’s be honest for a moment…Cellulose is everywhere. In the clothes we wear, the wipes we use… In packaging, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, hygiene products, industrial applications and countless other products we use every day. And at the heart of many of these value chains sits Dissolving Wood Pulp, quietly enabling innovation, sustainability and performance across global markets. Yet there is still no World Cellulose Day. Perhaps it’s time to fix that. Until then, let’s celebrate together in London. Join industry leaders, producers, traders, technology providers, brands and market experts at the November 9 CELCO Conference 2026. Whether you’re involved in pulp production, fibre manufacturing, trading, investment, technology or end-use applications, CELCO brings together the people shaping the future of the industry. Cotton may have a World Day…but cellulose has a world of applications.
It’s a big win for Yukon’s wildland firefighters. The Yukon government tabled a bill on Tuesday that would amend the territory’s Workers’ Safety and Compensation Act to include wildland firefighters under presumptive cancer coverage. Currently, only full-time and part-time structural firefighters are covered under the act for 19 types of cancer. Wildland firefighters are not included. Laura Lang, Yukon’s minister responsible for the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Board, said wildland firefighters are there to support and protect communities in times of need, so it’s time to reciprocate that support. “Under the proposed change, when a wildland forest fighter is diagnosed with a listed cancer and meets the legislated eligibility requirements, their cancer would be presumed to be work-related,” she said. “For those who qualify, that means less red tape and a lot more straightforward, predictable claims processes.”
