The Government of BC approved a tenure transfer from Weyerhaeuser to Gorman Group—marking a rare bright spot for BC forestry. In related news: BC First Nations gain control of three Clayoquot Sound forest areas; a COFI’s 2026 panel will tackle fibre access and competitiveness; Trump’s logging push faces new forest challenges in Oregon; a Swedish study says managed forests store less carbon; smokeless fuels may be bad for your health; and the winner-and-loser species from the 2021 heat wave.
In other news: Kruger’s hydrogen plan for Kamloops may not be more efficient; LEGO employs mass timber for its office building; and Domtar touts its status as the world’s largest holder of both FSC and SFI management certificates. Meanwhile: perspectives on the Canada-US-Mexico trade negotiations; California recycling labeling law is being challenged; and the paper industry says it’s ready for ‘Made in Europe‘ recycling policy.
Finally, Canada and allies signal willingness to participate in US effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Kemptville, ON — Under the leadership of Canadian Forest Owners (CFO), the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA), along with partnering associations nationwide, has appointed BrokerLink as our exclusive insurance broker. This 
Last year was hard on workers in some industries within B.C.’s resource sector, particularly forestry, and 2026 doesn’t look like it’s starting much better. Statistics Canada’s February labour force survey, the report that tracks overall unemployment, tracked job losses in both the natural resources and manufacturing sectors for both the previous month and for the 12 months since the same month in 2025. Natural resources … had a year-over-year loss of 9,300 jobs from February 2025 to February 2026. The manufacturing classification, which includes lumber production, had a year-over-year loss of 12,200, according to StatCan. StatCan’s … survey of employment and payroll counted at least 1,200 job losses in forestry, which include logging and supporting jobs, and at least 800 job losses in sawmills between December 2024 and December 2025. …“The worst was probably in the fourth quarter (of 2025) when the full bite of the duties hit, and then the (U.S.) tariffs,” said industry consultant Russ Taylor. “That’s when we saw a lot more of the jobs falling off.”
PCL Constructors Canada Inc. (Toronto) earned a pair of awards at the Toronto Construction Association’s (TCA) Best of the Best Awards. Presented at the TCA’s 158th Annual General Meeting, PCL was awarded Project Achievement Awards for the Kingsway College Senior School Phase 2 renovation and George Brown Polytechnic’s Limberlost Place. Creating a new era for George Brown Polytechnic students and faculty, Limberlost Place exemplifies what’s possible through collaboration, out-of-the-box thinking and a shared commitment to building a resilient future. The 10-storey mass timber, net-zero educational facility integrates first-of-its-kind solutions including the cross-laminated timber (CLT) slab band structural system and North America’s largest mass timber columns spanning three storeys. Early engagement from the entire team during the preconstruction phase was crucial to design development and determining constructability.
A cross-sector group of packaging producers, farmers, restaurants and grocers has filed a class action lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of SB 343, California’s controversial recycling labeling law. The coalition argues the legislation imposes unconstitutional restrictions on free speech, ultimately working against recycling participation programs by making it harder for consumers to understand what can and cannot go in the bin. At the heart of the complaint is SB 343’s prohibition on the use of widely recognized recycling symbols and claims, even when those claims are factually accurate, according to the suit. Under the law, producers cannot label packaging as recyclable unless it meets state-defined, “rigid” criteria that allegedly fails to reflect how recycling actually works. …“SB 343 establishes labeling standards that could discourage innovation and limit the ability to provide accurate recycling information to consumers,” the American Forest and Paper Association stated.
The wood industry produces enormous quantities of lignocellulosic by-products, such as sawdust, and their incineration for energy recovery results in substantial carbon emissions and the loss of valuable raw materials. Here, we introduce struvite as a fully recyclable inorganic binder for the consolidation of sawdust into high-performance hybrid materials. The mineral binder is produced in situ by an enzymatically induced solution-mediated phase transformation driven by ureolytic protein bodies extracted from watermelon seeds. The resulting material exhibits excellent fire resistance with a long time to ignition (51 ± 1 s), low peak heat release (118 ± 2 kW m−2), and fast flame self-extinction due to efficient char-layer formation. Moreover, it displays high compressive strength (4.71 ± 0.37 MPa). Crucially for sustainability, the struvite binder can be recovered under mild aqueous conditions without loss of performance, offering a valid path toward a circular materials economy.
GATINEAU, QC — Today, during Canada Water Week, the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, is announcing the release of the National Freshwater Science Agenda, which aims to better align freshwater science and research efforts across Canada. The Science Agenda is the result of over two years of engagement efforts led by Environment and Climate Change Canada with input from more than 800 science experts, Knowledge Holders, experts, and science users across governments and sectors, Indigenous organizations, and Canada’s freshwater science community. It is grounded in Western science and Indigenous Knowledge and reflects the diverse scientific needs and perspectives that are relevant to partners and stakeholders across the country. It outlines interconnected themes including bridging, braiding, and weaving Indigenous science and Knowledge; water availability; land‑use stressors and water pollution; ecosystem resilience and biodiversity; socio‑ecological considerations; and economic research.
Daria Mykhailovych, a Sooke resident, has been raising awareness across Greater Victoria about a petition calling on the provincial government to strengthen protections for British Columbia’s remaining old-growth forests in hopes of encouraging more people to support it. …Originally from Ukraine, she said landscapes like those on Vancouver Island are rare elsewhere in the world. …The petition was launched in fall 2025 by two B.C. forest ecologists, Dr. Suzanne Simard, a professor at University of British Columbia, and independent ecologist Dr. Rachel Holt. Originally, the petition was started with a goal of getting 10,000 signatures. As of March, 16, the petition has received support from about 4,070 people. …“Our concern is that we’ve been cutting these forests at an unsustainable rate,” Simard said. “We wanted to raise awareness and encourage people to question whether the path we’re on is good for the people of British Columbia and for the forests themselves.”
BC Timber Sales is bringing forward an application to establish 17 new cut blocks on Crown land east of Okanagan Falls and Penticton. The application is being brought to the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen on March 19 for support, as the proposed cut blocks are located within the boundaries of the Okanagan Falls electoral area. The 17 cut blocks total 494.7 hectares, and the proposal would also see road construction and road deactivation. The rehabilitation process for the roads would include tree replanting. The land is in an RDOS-designated resource area, and a staff report says the proposed cutblocks fall within watercourse development permit areas and “important ecosystem areas.” The advisory planning committee for Okanagan Falls gave its support to the application at its March 9 meeting, while requesting that any approval be subject to a full environmental assessment.
Columbia Basin organizations and residents are benefiting from $3 million in wildfire reduction funding through a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and Columbia Basin Trust, according to a March 17 funding announcement. The projects are guided by FireSmart principles and aim to reduce wildfire risk and strengthen local resilience. The practical projects range from managing wildfire fuels to educating residents. Actions include hiring FireSmart coordinators, preparing fuel-treatment plans, carrying out on-the-ground fuel management and providing FireSmart training. The program is tailored to the Columbia Basin and is part of B.C.’s Community Resiliency Investment Program. The Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Service and Columbia Basin Trust are partners in delivering this support.
Vermonters are weighing the impacts of a federal bill — the 
This week, we have yet another reminder that Idaho can’t possibly afford to take over or manage federal lands. A forthcoming study, which will be published Friday, provides the most recent reliable estimates of exactly how much Idaho would lose if it were to take over federal lands. The study, which was commissioned by Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Idaho Business for the Outdoors, the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, and the Idaho Wildlife Federation, was performed by Peterson and Associates, which has long been a go-to source for economic analysis of this type in Idaho. While the full results won’t be released until Friday, the top-line figures are stark. Idaho would lose $837.7 million directly, in the form of spending by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, as well as Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools payments. That’s nearly 16% of Idaho’s general fund budget.
Three organizations and an individual are suing the Gardiner District of the Custer Gallatin National Forest — for a plan they say hurts the already-endangered whitebark pine tree while ignoring lynx and grizzly habitat, and relying on unproven studies. The groups say the federal government is ignoring its rules and seems to be disregarding its own maps of protected lynx area in an effort to preserve the rare whitebark pine trees, despite admitting in its own documents that the efforts to preserve the trees could actually harm them. The lawsuit … centers on logging north of Yellowstone National Park. A technique, called “daylight thinning,” which involves removing trees near a whitebark pine, is not backed by scientific research according to the court documents, and the organizations point out that the Forest Service admits that in the process of thinning, it could actually wind up killing some of the whitebark pine trees. 
You have until Monday to provide input on the Trump administration’s plan to dramatically increase logging in western Oregon forests. Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management 
OREGON — 
A federal judge in Alaska 
At a commercial tree nursery near Evans, western Louisiana, pine seedlings are sprayed with a liquid extract teeming with hundreds of species of wild soil fungi. Brad Ouseman, the nursery manager, is confident he will see results from this fungal inoculation, which is intended to improve yields and reduce the need for artificial fertilisers. Colin Averill, the founder of Funga, the startup company that supplied the spray, likens the treatment to a faecal microbiome transplant for young pine trees. Funga treats young pine trees with wild microbes derived from the soils of thriving pine forests. “We’re taking the whole soil community,” Averill says. “As a result, we get all the complexity and all the interactions that come with it.” The goal: trees that grow fast, drawing down more carbon dioxide, with less reliance on artificial fertilisers. …“Our next big target is Douglas fir in the Pacific north-west,” says Averill.
WASHINGTON — The Carbon Business Council announced the launch of the Direct Storage of Biomass (DSB) Coalition, a new industry working group bringing together leading companies to advance understanding, credibility, and responsible deployment of direct biomass storage as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathway. Direct storage of biomass, also referred to as terrestrial storage of biomass, involves durably storing organic material such as waste wood from forests, agricultural residues like corn stover, biochar, or other plant and biological matter. Storing these organic residues allow the carbon previously absorbed by the biomass to be durably locked out of the active carbon cycle. The biomass can be safely buried, stored deep underground in sealed reservoirs, wells or other containers. DSB can deliver durable atmospheric carbon removal while leveraging existing forestry, agricultural, and biomass-handling infrastructure. …The DSB Coalition is part of the Carbon Business Council’s broader initiative to scale carbon removal across air, land, rock, and water. 
The Tree Frog Forestry News encourages readers to check out the WorkSafeBC Spring 2026 issue of WorkSafe Magazine. The lead story has a strong focus on preventing “struck-by” incidents and improving safety around mobile equipment. It highlights how B.C. forest-product operations are redesigning worksites with engineered controls—such as barriers, walkways, and traffic systems—to better separate workers from moving equipment. Additional features include practical tools to help employers assess and control struck-by risks, along with guidance on roadside work planning and traffic management. The issue also tackles hearing safety, cautioning that personal audio devices are not a substitute for approved hearing protection. WorkSafeBC updates round out the edition, including a refreshed commercial fishing safety guide, clarified rules for reporting tips and gratuities, and progress on asbestos licensing and certification programs. Together, the issue emphasizes proactive planning, clear controls, and shared responsibility as key to safer workplaces across B.C.
New research has found that burning “smokeless” or low-smoke fuels may be causing new air pollution hazards on streets and in homes. Sold as alternatives to burning coal, wood and peat at home, tests reveal their smoke contains large quantities of tiny ultrafine particles, that can deposit themselves deep in our lungs. The findings were an accidental discovery while researchers were testing fuels in traditional and modern eco design stoves. As expected, burning alternative fuels, both smokeless coal ovoids and briquettes made from olive stones, produced less particle pollution compared with wood or coal. …For each kilogram burned, the low-smoke fuels produced between two and three times more ultrafine particles than wood or coal. …The size of the ultrafine particles means that they are deposited deep in the lungs, multiplying the health impact. In Dublin, the low smoke fuels accounted for more than half of ultrafine particles that can deposit in people’s lungs.