JD Irving proposed a lands swap to help New Brunswick meet its conservation goals. In related news: a new study on Boreal tree planting and carbon neutrality in Canada; carbon credits could help Georgia’s forest industry; BC First Nations acquire some of Canfor’s timber rights; BC Timber Sales grapple with watershed logging in West Kootenay; Ontario invests in natural resources research; IKEA completes forest land acquisition; and Vietnam focuses on sustainable timber sourcing. Meanwhile: the latest news from the BC First Nations Forestry Council.
In Business news: Ontario helps Kap Paper complete its market-pivot study; Oregon counties get pay bump from logging; CN Rail reports tariff hit and forest products revenue drop; and Canada’s Real GDP was unchanged in November. Meanwhile: Unifor Canada toutes forestry for sustainable jobs action; and mass timber news from Cleveland, Ohio, and Redmond, Oregon.
Finally, On World Wetlands Day—a focus on forest conservation and climate resilience.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
Nick Arkle, BSF’84, and Louise Arkle, BA’82, MA’85
John Mohammed, BSc(ForSci)’91
The Regional District of Nanaimo board will plead with fellow municipalities to pressure the B.C. and Canadian governments to prohibit raw log exports. At the Jan. 27 RDN board meeting, Paul Manly, City of Nanaimo director, proposed a resolution for the upcoming Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities conference, asking B.C. local governments to call on senior government to “ban the export of raw logs and lumber cants from B.C. to ensure that forests harvested [on] Crown land and private-managed forest lands are processed in B.C.…” The resolution passed and will be brought before AVICC. Should it pass there, it would be forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities. Manly …pointed to recent mill closures on the Island, with a key factor being “lack of accessible and affordable fibre”. …Leanne Salter, Coombs area director, said she thought the resolution needed to be tweaked.
Cherie Whelan has been named the new chief executive officer of the B.C. Forest Safety Council. She takes over on April 1 from Rob Moonen, who announced his retirement in October. Whelan served as CEO of the Newfoundland & Labrador Construction Safety Association for two years and previously held the position of director of SAFE Companies at B.C. Forest Safety Council. The Nanaimo-based council delivers safety training and advisory services to British Columbia’s forest industry.
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VICTORIA — The president of the Tahltan Central Government, Kerry Carlick, said British Columbia shouldn’t change its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, just as the First Nation and the provincial government celebrate a landmark agreement based on the legislation. Carlick said it is not a “good idea to take anything away from DRIPA,” adding that “if anything, it should be strengthened.” Carlick was speaking at an event with deputy premier Niki Sharma where they co-signed an agreement to share mineral tax revenue from the Eskay Creek mine. The ceremony came after the provincial government issued an environmental assessment certificate to Eskay Creek Mining Ltd. to restart gold and silver mining after a first-of-its kind collaborative assessment process with the First Nation under DRIPA. The provincial government has said it plans to revise the act after a series of court rulings around Aboriginal title, responding specifically to those decisions.
The Municipality of North Cowichan says it is preparing for the possibility of another mill closure in Chemainus, while hoping it can be avoided. Western Forest Products announced Friday it is extending curtailment at the Chemainus sawmill, affecting about 150 workers. Mayor Rob Douglas said the priority is protecting jobs and preparing for potential financial impacts. “We’re going to be looking at impacts on our tax base, especially with the municipality already seeing the effects of the Crofton mill closure this year,” Douglas said. “We’ll prepare for the potential closure of the Chemainus mill in 2027.” Douglas said a permanent closure in Chemainus would affect future finances, but not to the same extent as the Crofton mill shutdown. “Western Forest Products has three sites, and with two of them operating that will continue to provide a significant portion of our industrial tax revenue,” he said.
KENORA — Ontario New Democrats and union leaders say government should find ways to keep mills in Ear Falls, Ignace and elsewhere open, but with more worker involvement. “The bottom line is that when things are run on the corporate bottom lines only, communities get left behind, workers lose jobs, profits go out and the problems stay in the community,” said Luke Hildebrand, president of the NDP’s Kenora–Rainy River constituency association. “So the only long-term solution is workers having a stake in the future and not just a paycheque.” Hildebrand noted a petition calling on governments to “take immediate action to reopen the Ear Falls sawmill and stop the shutdown of Ignace sawmill” has gathered about 300 signatures. It also calls for establishment of a “forestry job protection task force,” development of “a unified provincial–federal strategy to ensure that Canadian lumber is used in Canadian homes” and support for worker equity in mills.
ALEXANDRIA, Va.
Canada’s wildfire seasons are growing longer, larger and more destructive, according to a six-decade analysis of fire records by the federal government’s Canadian Forest Service. The study shows the trend isn’t being driven by more frequent fires but by a smaller number of increasingly large wildfires that are burning more land than in the past, reinforcing a trend federal scientists first identified years ago. In 2019, fire scientists with Natural Resources Canada published a study that suggested wildfire activity across the country had 
The latest newsletter from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC reflects on ongoing forestry challenges and emphasizes the value of collaboration, proactive planning, and shared solutions to strengthen forest health and resilience across British Columbia. It highlights a safety tip from the BC Forest Safety Council focused on mental health support for forestry workers, offering a free, confidential service to help industry professionals navigate stress. The newsletter also announces a new Extension Specialist position through a partnership with the Silviculture Innovation Program (SIP) aimed at translating technical and field knowledge into practical forestry resources. There’s a Faces of Forestry feature on Jennifer Grenz, plus links to a range of recent FESBC-funded project stories — from wildfire rehabilitation to biomass utilization — showcasing work being done by partners and communities province-wide.
Another dire warning is coming from B.C.’s forest industry, but this time from the tree-planting side, with those working in reforestation saying funding is running out as record wildfires took out huge sections of the province’s forests. A Western Forest Products greenhouse in Saanichton produces hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings. Many will be planted on Vancouver Island, according to Christina Lavoie, nursery supervisor, Western Forest Products, Saanich Forestry Centre. B.C. logging companies are legally required to restore the trees they harvest, but as the industry shrinks, fewer trees are being planted. Add to that the loss of trees due to years of record forest fires. …At the Western Forestry Contractors’ Association annual conference, there is concern about just how many trees are being lost to forest fires, and pests on public lands. …Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says he’s working with industry on solutions.
The BC Truck Loggers Association sent a letter to the North Island College regarding the potential discontinuation of two forestry programs. This would mean a significant loss of forestry education for the forest industry, and we’re asking for your support by copying and pasting our letter into an email and sending it to the college Board of Governors at bog@nic.bc.ca …The North Island College forestry programs are an essential contributor to education and economic opportunity for students in Campbell River and the north Island and provides an important stream of new graduates for forestry businesses. The program has strong backing from local industry, government and First Nations, and it would be regrettable to see the program discontinued at a time when sustained investment in forestry education is vital to British Columbia’s future.
We are pleased to announce the upcoming 
It’s pretty bold to make the theme of this year’s BC Natural Resources Forum “momentum for continued growth.” What growth are we continuing? We’ve lost a bunch more mills here in the north and the industry is on the ropes with Donald Trump’s tariffs. If anything the momentum has been in the opposite direction. The momentum is heading towards catastrophic decline. At least with forestry. And we can’t let that happen. We need the pulp mills in Prince George and we need our forest industry. …We need to rethink what we are doing and find a way to do things better — and cheaper. …One direction we can move in is we start thinning the plantations close to town. …Unfortunately, BC Timber Sales is not committed to this idea. …As far as anyone can tell, they believe thinning will reduce the Annual Allowable Cut.
Two conservation groups are suing the Trump administration, challenging a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule that strips public comment requirements from most national forest projects. In a federal 
The Washington wood-products industry says timber harvests will spiral downward if lawmakers pass a bill championed by Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove. At Upthegrove’s request, legislators are considering authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to sell “ecosystem services,” possibly by delaying or canceling timber harvests. DNR officials say ecosystem services could be a new source of revenue as businesses buy carbon credits to “offset” their emissions. Carbon credits could add to the money rural counties and schools receive from timber sales, according to DNR. The timber industry, backed by the Washington State Association of Counties, argues its more likely ecosystem services would replace timber sales. Rural public services would get less money, Paul Jewell, the counties’ policy director, said. More importantly, rural counties will lose timber jobs, he said. “Sales of ecosystem services can’t replace those economic benefits,” he told the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 28.
A 34-year-old rule exempting some commercial logging projects on federal lands from environmental review is unlawful, a federal judge recently ruled. Judge Michael McShane in the U.S. District Court in Medford earlier this month struck down the exemption, and with it, reversed recent approvals for three commercial logging projects covering tens of thousands of acres in Fremont-Winema National Forest in southern Oregon. The decision is the result of a 2022 lawsuit brought against the U.S. Forest Service by regional conservation groups Oregon Wild, WildEarth Guardians and GO Alliance. Since 1992, the U.S. Forest Service has been able to bypass environmental reviews required by federal law for logging projects on federal land, if the logging is meant to “improve forest stand conditions,” habitat or prevent wildfires, without “significant effect” on the human environment.
Over the past year, a wave of high-profile development proposals — from oil fields and mining roads to timber projects — has reshaped a fast-moving debate, propelling Alaska into the center of the national conversation over how to balance energy production with conservation. These projects have revived long-running tensions over what the state’s public lands are for, and who they ultimately benefit. The federal government has long viewed Alaska as resource-rich, a posture that’s intensified under the Trump administration. After meeting Trump in 2018, Gov. Mike Dunleavy called Alaska “America’s natural resource warehouse.” But the last time Alaska figured this prominently in national energy and conservation debates was in the late 1970s, said Philip Wight, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. What makes today’s landscape different, Wight said, is a unified federal government pushing multiple contentious development proposals at once, with fewer moderate Republicans willing to oppose them ….
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources aerially surveyed more than 13.5 million acres last year, checking for forest damage across the state’s forestland. Its findings are included in the recently released 2025 Forest Health Annual Report. Brian Schwingle, forest health program coordinator, said the annual survey and report is important because it tracks trends and reveals what is impacting trees, allowing the managers to make decisions for healthier, more resilient forests. “The two biggest tree health stories in 2025 in Minnesota were the derecho, the big blowdown in Bemidji, and the three big wildfires in northeast Minnesota in May,” he said, noting prior spruce budworm damage helped fuel the fires. In July, a derecho damaged 11,600 acres in and around Bemidji. Derecho, a Spanish word for straight, is a widespread, straight-line windstorm associated with a band of fast-moving thunderstorms. They can leave serious damage in their wake.
HCM CITY — Proactive compliance with legal timber sourcing and sustainability standards is essential not only for business survival, but also for repositioning Việt Nam’s wood industry towards greater transparency, responsibility, and higher value creation in global supply chains, speakers said at a seminar in HCM City on January 29. Speaking at the Forest Talk & Link seminar themed “Wood Consumption, Climate Change and Deforestation-Free Requirements”, Võ Quang Hà, Chairman of the HCM City Structure Architecture Wood Association (SAWA), said Việt Nam exported more than US$17 billion worth of wood and wood products in 2025, ranking among the world’s leading furniture exporters. However, an estimated $4–5 billion in export revenue still derives from low-value wood chips and pellets, underscoring the sector’s significant untapped potential for value-added growth. Developing large-timber plantations was identified as a key solution.
Mexico’s National Forestry Commission has issued the 2026 Rules of Operation for its Sustainable Forestry Development for Wellbeing Program, establishing requirements to access federal funding. The rules guidelines governing the allocation of public resources to strengthen sustainable forest development across Mexico. The program is structured around six support components: community forest management and sustainable value chains; commercial and agroforestry plantations; forest restoration; environmental services; forest protection; and capacity building and local development. Through these components, financial support will be provided to ejidos, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities, women-led forestry enterprises, and landowners of forested and preferentially forested land. Eligible projects include sustainable forest management, forest and agroforestry plantations, ecosystem restoration, conservation of environmental services, and protection against wildfires, pests, and diseases. Support also covers training and research activities, with a cross-cutting gender approach designed to strengthen women’s participation—particularly Indigenous and Afro-Mexican women—in decision-making and forestry value chains.
A new study finds that Canada could remove at least five times its annual carbon emissions with strategic planting of more than six million trees along the northern edge of the boreal forest. The 
Record forest fires, under-utilized agricultural residues like straw and husks and struggling sawmills have left Canada with an abundance of undervalued biomass. If carefully and strategically managed, this resource could become a powerful ally in the fight against climate change. Canada’s biomass sectors are facing significant uncertainty because of political and natural disruptions. The forestry sector was hit last year by new American tariffs announced by the Donald Trump administration on Canadian forest products, bringing the total duties imposed on Canadian lumber to 45 per cent. The agricultural and agri-food sector is also particularly vulnerable, since it exports more than 70 per cent of its main crops. In addition to facing these political uncertainties, biomass sectors are increasingly experiencing the effects of climate disasters. 
What do northern communities need to make bioenergy projects successful? That was a key question addressed during the Arctic Bioenergy Summit and Tour in Yellowknife earlier this week. Hosted by the Arctic Energy Alliance and Wood Pellet Association of Canada, the event began with a day-long tour of buildings in Yellowknife that use biomass heating systems followed by a two-day conference at the Chateau Nova Hotel. “We’re the lead jurisdiction in Canada in terms of adoption of biomass for space heating and wood pellets,” Mark Heyck, executive director of the Arctic Energy Alliance, told Cabin Radio. “We want to continue that conversation, see where the future of that fuel source is going here in the Northwest Territories, but also learn from other jurisdictions in Canada and around the circumpolar world about what they’re working on.” …Following the conference, the Arctic Energy Alliance hosted a biomass boiler operator training course. 
NEW YORK
…Timber prices have been low for a long time; they never really recovered from the 2008 housing crash. Nearly a dozen paper mills closed across the South in recent years, and Hurricane Helene tore down trees in much of Georgia and the Carolinas. It’s left many in Georgia, one of the leading states for forestry, with a dilemma: what do you do when your income relies on a forest but nobody wants to buy your trees? A group of researchers and industry leaders thinks paying landowners for carbon storage could help. “We may see a decline in the number of acres that are kept in forests and the quality of the land that is forested,” said David Eady with Georgia Tech’s business school. Losing those trees would shrink the industry and be devastating for the environment. …So Eady and others asked: why not use that carbon storage to keep foresters in business?
A door company in Ireland says it holds the key to turning wood dust into electricity to help power its factory. It’s part of a new multimillion-pound investment by O&S Doors. The company says the onsite renewable heat and energy technology is “a first on the island of Ireland”. Currently the company takes wood dust left over from the manufacturing process and ships it to England where it is used as animal bedding or sent to landfill. But the company – located just outside Benburb in County Tyrone – has revealed new details of its plans to install a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power system. It will turn the dust into millions of units of electricity that can reused to power parts of the factory. …O&S Doors says its biomass-fuelled combined heat and power system will harness MDF dust.
The energy industry initially sold wood pellets as a way to clean up coal. And governments bought into that assumption. But now policymakers are questioning that position and even reversing course. At the center of this debate is a UK-based power company called Drax, which converted Europe’s largest coal plant into a biomass facility—one fueled by wood pellets that it imported from southern states in the United States. The debate raises a multitude of questions, namely those centered on pollution and costs. That is, if the additive creates more pollution than either wind or solar energy, why bother, especially since it comes from a power source that depends on subsidies? Merry Dickinson, campaign director for the Dogwood Alliance, told me that Drax now operates entirely on woody biomass… “The amount of wood required … is beyond what is available as waste wood,” Dickinson says. “…much of the supply consists of whole trees.” [Forbes allows 4 free articles per month]