From consumer sentiment and housing starts to lumber markets and European producers, the economic fallout from the Iran conflict is increasingly showing up across the forest sector. In related news: the US added 115k jobs in April; BC lost 40k jobs year-to-date; Canadian Home Buiders expect big drops in housing starts; and Taiga reported Q1 net earnings of $9M.
In Wood Product news: a YouTube series on what it takes to turn a tree into a world class building; Freres pushes forward with new mass timber projects; and a Brazil tree may fight COVID-19. In Forestry news: FPAC welcomes Canada’s move to address transportation supply chain challenges; Ontario invests $5M to support forest-based biofuels; Washington state confronts cash crunch due to logging deferrals; and UK’s falling tree nursery production suggests confidence woes.
Finally, today marks the start of International Pulp Week in Vancouver—two days of market intelligence, informed dialogue, and strategic connections across the global pulp supply chain. Keep your eye on the Frog for conference coverage throughout the week.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
In much of Canada, provincial and territorial fuel classification layers are built on vegetation inventory information that can be many years out of date. The inputs behind those layers are often unvalidated and the conditions they describe may not reflect current reality. …Forests change considerably over time. As an example, past harvest activity has restructured stands, and bark beetle infestations have converted millions of hectares of mature lodgepole pine into standing dead fuel. …Provincial layers typically describe fuel type classifications but say little about the structural attributes of those fuels, and nothing about their current seasonal condition. …In the WUI, the difference between a fuel-free buffer and a continuous shrub corridor can be measured in meters. Legacy maps cannot resolve these issues. The consequences of missing them are not abstract.
Canada’s wildfire seasons are no longer episodic shocks. They are systemic and growing more costly with every passing year. Leading wildfire experts who are changing how we think about wildfire science, Indigenous fire stewardship, forest management, and emergency preparedness clearly underscored that new reality during a 
Introducing the Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada (WRCC): Throughout Canada, people are doing inspiring work to improve our wildfire resilience – from 
Students at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) have completed the first year of Canada’s first university-level diploma in wildfire studies, marking a key milestone in a program designed to meet the growing and evolving demands of the wildfire sector.
Wildfire activity is not simply a disruption to forestry work in British Columbia–it has the potential to be a significant occupational hazard. Wildfire smoke and ash can cause respiratory problems, trees impacted by fire can fall unexpectedly and crews could become entrapped by fast moving flame fronts. In recent years, BC has experienced some of the most severe wildfire seasons in Canada. One season alone saw approximately 2.8 million hectares burned, which was more than double previous records and caused widespread evacuations, area closures, and heavy smoke. BC’s forestry sector was significantly impacted, particularly in remote locations that were dangerously exposed to rapidly changing fire conditions.
As wildfires in Canada grow larger, faster and more unpredictable, the challenge facing emergency responders is no longer just putting water on flames, it is understanding what the fire is doing, where it is heading, and how quickly conditions are changing —drones are a critical tool in meeting that challenge.
Wildfire is no longer a distant or hypothetical concern for communities in British Columbia. Over the past several years, North Cowichan has taken meaningful steps to better understand and reduce its wildfire risk—investing in planning, expertise, and long‑term resilience. …Ours is a classic wildland–urban interface (WUI) community. …North Cowichan has recognized that wildfire must be addressed as an ongoing operational and planning consideration rather than a seasonal concern. A key step in advancing this work was the creation of a dedicated wildfire specialist role. This position reflects an understanding that effective wildfire preparedness and response require focused expertise, long‑range planning, and coordination across multiple municipal functions.
After more than three decades working in forestry and wildfire risk in British Columbia, I have come to see our wildfire challenge less as a failure of knowledge and more as a question of how we choose to invest wildfire mitigation funding. …much of the risk we face is well understood and well documented. We know where our most vulnerable forests are in relation to values at risk. We know which communities are exposed and we have a growing body of evidence showing what kinds of interventions can change fire behaviour on the ground. What is less clear is whether our investment patterns reflect that understanding in a meaningful way. …Over the past two decades, spending on fire suppression has consistently outpaced investment in prevention and mitigation.
At a screening of 
Wildfire has become an increasingly visible part of life across Western Canada. Our climate is changing, and wildfire seasons are becoming longer and drier. The best way to tackle wildfire preparedness, prevention, and mitigation is to work together. FireSmart BC is a provincial program dedicated to helping British Columbians understand and reduce their wildfire risk. We serve as the go-to resource for individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities looking to protect themselves and their properties. 
…Built on decades of research, FireSmart BC focuses on how wildfire behaves around structures and how changes on and around a property can influence outcomes during a wildfire. …Wildfire mitigation is a shared responsibility. When renters, landlords, homeowners, businesses, and all levels of government work together, we can collectively reduce the risk and impact of wildfires across British Columbia. …FireSmart BC offers a wide range of resources to support both individuals and organizations.
Statistics Canada says B.C. lost more than 40,000 jobs over the first four months of the year, and more than 11,000 full-time positions last month alone. Premier David Eby says this comes as little surprise, and the explanation is obvious, with a major pillar of the province’s economy continuing to take a beating from a major trade war with the U.S. “Our softwood lumber sector is under huge pressure,” he said. “The tariffs we face are higher than those faced by Russia and Europe when they import wood to the United States. And as a result, Russia and Europe are exporting more wood to the United States than they ever have.” As well, exports from B.C. to the U.S. are down, which is affecting all provinces, Eby says.
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (the Endowment) has partnered with the USDA Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory to highlight innovation, stewardship and economic opportunity in America’s forest products sector through a 
Premier David Eby’s plummeting approval numbers aren’t the only figures the NDP government needs to worry about when it comes to the backlash over Indigenous reconciliation and private property rights. Many B.C. businesses are reporting they plan to scale back operations due to the conflict as well. Almost 74 per cent of B.C. businesses plan to decrease investment due to uncertainty over the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, according to a new survey of senior executives Wednesday by the Business Council of B.C. The majority cite increased time, cost, complexity or uncertainty in permitting caused by the court rulings, policy flips and changing landscape around the NDP’s DRIPA. As many as one-third said they plan to reduce hiring. “The desire to work with Indigenous communities to create prosperity for all remains strong but the message from business leaders is clear: DRIPA isn’t working,” said BCBC president Laura Jones.
Since its launch in 2018, the 
BROMONT, QC
In a public alert, the Village of Sayward — located just over 300 kilometres north of Victoria, B.C. — issued a warning to its residents after the grizzly was spotted within the village on May 4. Residents had been seeing the bear in the area around the village in the days leading up to it officially entering the village’s boundary. …While it’s the first sighting of a grizzly on the Island for the year, sightings are becoming more common. …Historically, the Island has not been considered a year-round habitat for grizzlies, says Nick Scapillati, executive director with the Grizzly Bear Foundation. But sightings of the mom and her cubs goes back to 2024 and Scapillati says that due to the small size of the cubs, they wouldn’t have been able to swim over. He believes it could be evidence of the first ever grizzly cubs to be born on Vancouver Island — a sign that grizzlies could be wintering on the Island. 
A new UBC study has found that lands managed by Indigenous Peoples consistently protect forests, biodiversity and carbon stores at levels equal to or greater than government-designated protected areas—yet most of these lands remain inadequately recognized or resourced. The paper analyzed 111 peer-reviewed papers… Three-quarters of those studies found a positive relationship between Indigenous lands and conservation. …The study also highlights a major gap in the research itself: only seven per cent of the 111 papers included Indigenous authors. “This is a significant disconnect,” said Garry Merkel, co-author and director of UBC’s Centre of Indigenous Land Stewardship and a member of Tahltan Nation. “Scientists often find it difficult to accept Indigenous science as legitimate, resulting in academic research that does not fully reflect Indigenous knowledge systems or perspectives. This work will help future research to be more inclusive and respectful in its acknowledgement of Indigenous communities.”
Parks Canada is scrambling to overhaul its wildfire prevention strategy after internal and federal records tied massive fuel loads of dead timber to the devastation that tore through Jasper in 2024. Appearing before the Senate national finance committee, interim CEO Andrew Campbell said the agency is now shifting toward more aggressive fire mitigation, including controlled burns and clearing dead trees near vulnerable communities. Blacklock’s Reporter said the move comes after widespread criticism that previous management allowed dangerous conditions to persist inside Jasper National Park. …The Canadian Forest Service report, titled Jasper Wildfire Complex 2024 Fire Behaviour Documentation, Reconstruction And Analysis, linked the conditions to a severe mountain pine beetle infestation that peaked years before the blaze. Researchers found the widespread deadwood significantly altered forest conditions, increasing sunlight and wind exposure at ground level, which accelerated drying and made fuels more combustible.
Wildfire investigators found a small cabin, a barbecue, a metal campfire ring and shooting targets near where one of the most destructive wildfires in the Okanagan originated. But while the McDougall Creek wildfire was determined to be human caused, the exact cause of the fire remains “undetermined.” The McDougall Creek was first reported to the BC Wildfire Service on Aug. 15, 2023, putting up a small puff of smoke in the hills above West Kelowna. Two days later, the fire had spread rapidly through a number of Central Okanagan neighbourhoods, destroying nearly 200 homes. This past December, the Ministry of Forests completed its Wildfire Origin and Cause Investigation Report… But despite more than two years of investigation by three wildfire investigators, the cause of the massive fire remains “undetermined.” This is largely due to the fire burning back over the area of origin, destroying any evidence of its ignition.
Dear North Cowichan mayor and council, and Premier David Eby: It’s not surprising a four-councillor cluster voted against a cogent April 15 motion urging our province to review and strengthen our forest policies, including those governing raw-log exports. The difference this time is right-wing councillors Findlay, Manhas, Caljouw Jr., and Hogg seemingly disregarded valley forest workers, and backed corporate timber firms’ desires for less, not more, public land-harvesting rules and regulations. Coun. Chris Justice’s logical, timely motion aimed to boost wood-fibre supplies for Canadian processing and value-added manufacturing — supporting local and Island forestry jobs — partly through a long-sought raw-log export ban. …Admit the current industry’s end is near. Instead, let’s finally explore making alternative, job-rich building materials in North Cowichan and elsewhere.
…I recently wrote about how the Trump administration’s efforts to reorganize the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service and shutter 57 of its 77 research and development (R&D) facilities isn’t really about efficiency—it’s about hollowing out another science agency whose mission is to protect people, places, and livelihoods. The Forest Service has since updated its website to qualify that these R&D closures are “possible” but not a foregone conclusion. Yet, as details emerge, one thing is painfully clear: this plan would dismantle the world’s premier—and largest—wildfire research agency when wildfire risk, climate impacts, and economic losses are accelerating. Given increasing severity of wildfires, losing this research would diminish our understanding of managing forests under climate change. Trump’s plans to end climate studies, allowing forest fuel loads to build and diseases to spread, leaves our hands tied as we try to prevent wildfires without the benefit of evidence-based science.
Oregon’s congressional Democrats on Wednesday warned that federal agencies tasked with helping prevent and fight fires in the Northwest could be understaffed and underprepared going into the 2026 fire season. Oregon’s U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley, and Portland and Willamette Valley-area U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Andrea Salinas left a Wednesday wildfire season briefing at the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in Portland with “deep concerns” about federal agencies’ capacity to respond to what’s expected to be a long and severe fire season in the region. The center is the headquarters for a wildfire prevention and response network that includes nine state and federal agencies across the West. The lawmakers said budget cuts and the loss of staff at federal science and land management agencies — especially at the U.S. Forest Service, tasked with the largest share of federal wildland fire prevention and response — have created needless uncertainty and chaos.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – An annual aerial survey that monitors forest health was significantly reduced in 2025 due to a lack of funding, resulting in many portions of California forests, including the Tahoe area, not being included. Since 2006, the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region’s Aerial Survey Program has flown over California forests every year to observe and document tree mortality, defoliation, and other damage. These annual estimates capture tree mortality patterns and trends, which researchers and foresters use to monitor ecosystem disturbances often caused by insects and disease. The information is also important for fire behavior forecasting. Typically covering large swaths of California landscape and a majority of national forests in California, including the Tahoe National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 2025’s survey was limited to Southern California forests and the far southern Sierra Nevada. The report states surveys were conducted in areas where 2025 drought conditions were most severe.
PORTLAND, Ore. — 
SALEM, Ore. — 
…Wildfires burned more than 1.9 million acres in Oregon in 2024. By the time they finally died down at the end of October, the state had spent more than $350 million fighting them, greatly exceeding the $10 million it had allocated. “By July 21, I had already completely blown through my cash on hand,” said Kyle Williams, Oregon Department of Forestry’s deputy director for fire operations. Contractors weren’t promptly paid for services they’d already provided, from digging fuel breaks to supplying meals, and the state had to hold an emergency legislative session to allocate the money. That summer highlighted the flaws in how the state funds both firefighting and the preventive work that reduces the chances of large, destructive blazes in the first place. This year, as drought and a devastating snowpack stack up across the West, officials are bracing for what could be a challenging fire season. The Idaho Department of Lands has roughly $38 million set aside. 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —The rising cost of jet fuel is putting pressure on airlines and organizations that rely on planes, but Cal Fire says its aerial firefighting operations will not be affected as crews prepare for peak fire season. Cal Fire operates the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world, with aircraft stationed across California to respond to fires wherever they ignite. Despite the high jet fuel costs, the organization says it remains committed to fighting fires without interruption and that public safety is non-negotiable. One way Cal Fire saves money is by conducting some of its training sessions in flight simulators instead of using planes and helicopters. This approach reduces fuel consumption and minimizes wear and tear on the aircraft, which lowers maintenance costs.
Colorado wildfire leaders are bracing for what could be an especially busy and dangerous summer for wildfires across the West. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control presented its wildfire preparedness plan to Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday, April 30, during a news conference where state and federal partners affirmed their readiness to respond and called on the public to prepare. “We are facing a very challenging fire year, where our resources will be tested across not only Colorado, but across the West,” said Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Michael Morgan during the briefing at the division’s hangar in Broomfield. Colorado — and most of the West — is heading into summer after some of the worst winter snowpack conditions on record and persisting widespread drought. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report shows that 100% of Colorado and roughly 70% of the West are facing some level of drought.
OSCODA COUNTY, Mich. — Crews are working to contain a wildfire in Oscoda County after it prompted evacuations Monday. The wildfire is about 100 acres and primarily on national forest land around Camp Ten Road near Lost Sky Ranch. Residents living near Camp 10 Road were evacuated to a shelter Monday afternoon, but were able to return home several hours later. Monday night officials said two structures were destroyed and the fire was about 80 percent contained. …A Red Flag Warning is in effect for parts of Michigan due to critical fire weather, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation.