Veteran analyst Russ Taylor weighs in on the Canada–US lumber dispute — separating fact from fiction amid an era of protectionism. In related news: the US Lumber Coalition responded to Tree Frog’s op-ed without addressing the source of past bias; and Canada highlights budget investments in the forest sector. Meanwhile: RBC says PotlatchDeltic’s merger with Rayonier will dilute the benefit of lumber duties; GreenFirst reports Q3 loss of $57 million, and more on West Fraser’s mill closures from Augusta, Georgia.
In Forestry/Climate news: the Fraser Institute says BC should focus on actual environmental problems; the Sierra Club says BC’s feast on big, old trees is approaching its end; the Washington forestland owners’ riparian-buffer battle; Oregon offices say Trump’s policies increase wildfire risk; and a new study says climate change expands wildfire dangers worldwide.
Finally, BC-focused documentaries in the news address wildfires, flooding and old-growth.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
CASTLEGAR, BC
The softwood timber tariffs levied by the U.S. have begun to hit the lumber industry hard. Citing a drooping softwood lumber demand, compounded by higher duties and additional tariffs that have reached 45 per cent for U.S. markets, West Fraser Timber announced Thursday its plans to permanently shutter both its Augusta, Ga., and 100 Mile House lumber mills by the end of 2025. Approximately 165 employees at the 100 Mile House mill will be laid off, as the company says it can’t secure an adequate volume of economically viable timber. The closing of the mill drops West Fraser’s capacity by 160 million board feet. …The closure of the Augusta lumber mill is a result of challenging lumber demand, and the loss of economically viable residual outlets, which combined has compromised the mill’s long-term viability. Around 130 employees will be laid off there, and further reduce West Fraser’s capacity by 140 million board feet.
OTTAWA, ON – Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources today as part of its study on the forest industry, which is being severely affected by the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of CFO, and Vincent Miville, Vice-Chair of CFO and Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Forest Producers, presented recommendations aimed at better recognizing the strategic role of forest owners and the importance of private forests in Canada. CFO represents 480,000 forest owners who collectively own about 10% of Canada’s forested land, but account for 20% of the country’s timber production. These owners supply wood to the forest industry, contribute to regional economies, and provide essential environmental services to rural communities. “The lack of understanding of private forests is a blind spot in Canada’s forest and trade policy, and as a result, support programs for the sector often overlook their essential contribution,” said de Vries.
TORONTO – United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement on the federal Budget 2025: This budget recognizes something workers have been saying for years. Canada needs to build more at home and expand its industrial capacity. The commitments on Buy-Canadian procurement, industrial strategy and trade enforcement are important steps forward and reflect priorities Steelworkers have been advocating for across the country. There are meaningful investments in steel, forestry, critical minerals and manufacturing – sectors that support thousands of good union jobs and anchor regional economies and communities. We welcome tools that can help stabilize supply chains and strengthen domestic production. …Buy-Canadian rules must be enforced, industrial dollars must translate into real jobs and production on the ground, and forestry and industrial communities need long-term certainty, not temporary relief. We see steps in the right direction. Now it’s about follow-through.
Forest Products Association of Canada put forward 19 practical recommendations for Budget 2025 focusing on three areas where immediate federal action can make a tangible difference: Smarter regulation to improve competitiveness; Clear signals to improve investment confidence; and Stronger trade and market access measures to protect Canadian jobs. …Hundreds of rural and northern communities depend on a strong forest sector. The Government of Canada’s $1.25 billion softwood package is welcome support for the immediate term, but finding a path to a more certain trading arrangement with the United States remains the Canadian forest sector’s top priority. …The inclusion of Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for biomass projects in Budget 2025 is a welcome, long-overdue step for Canada’s forest sector. …With the right tax measures in place, these projects can modernize mill operations, sustain and grow jobs in rural and northern communities, and strengthen Canada’s position as a secure producer of renewable energy.
Campbell River, BC — La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership (LKSM) is ready to sit down at the bargaining table with the USW at any time, and has been ready throughout this strike, which it has made clear many times to the USW. However the USW has repeatedly refused to do so, as recently as October 24. Despite repeated invitations from LKSM, the USW has also declined both meaningful negotiations and mediation to assist the bargaining process, unnecessarily prolonging this months-long strike. “LKSM’s First Nations shareholders are dismayed and extremely frustrated by the provincial government’s failure to help both parties to make progress through the appointment of a mediator, especially given the hardships the forestry industry is facing right now,” says Nanwakolas Council President Dallas Smith. “Mediation is an opportunity to bring the parties together …and yet BC still has failed to appoint a mediator after all this time.”
Was Premier David Eby ever really serious about running anti-American softwood lumber ads? Maybe, briefly, back when nobody cared about $100,000 worth of sponsored content promoting B.C. wood products. But after Ontario’s ads blew up Canada-U.S. trade talks, Eby seemed to realize the true value of his campaign — namely, in not running it at all. On Monday, Eby all but admitted his tough talk over the past 10 days about the urgent need to educate Americans on B.C.’s softwood sector was just leverage to score a meeting with federal cabinet ministers. …The premier had spent several weeks loudly proclaiming that these softwood ads were essential, and that they would go forward regardless of what the federal government thought. …In exchange for backing off his threat, Eby hyped up a “softwood summit” on Monday his government called the “turning point in our fight for forestry workers.”
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province is walking back plans to run anti-tariff advertisements in the United States after a meeting with federal officials about the province’s beleaguered forestry sector. Eby said Monday that B.C. won’t be running the ads “by ourselves,” in favour of aligning with the federal government in its dealings with the U.S. government under President Donald Trump. “The unfair and unjustified tariffs imposed by the White House on this sector directly threatens thousands of jobs right across the country,” Eby said at a news conference after a forestry summit meeting with federal officials and others. …”Minister LeBlanc didn’t have to ask,” Eby answered Monday when a reporter asked LeBlanc if he requested that the B.C. government hold off on its anti-tariff advertising campaign. “I knew that it was a source of anxiety for many people, including potentially the federal government.”
Following today’s BC Forestry Summit, the TLA was pleased to hear the encouraging remarks from Premier Eby and the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. Their commitment to … addressing softwood lumber tariffs is an important step toward ensuring the long-term stability and competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector. As the backbone of most BC communities, the TLA appreciates today’s much needed recognition that forestry remains critical to both BC and Canada’s economies. The TLA emphasizes the importance of ensuring that a portion of the federal government’s $700 million in funding directly supports forestry’s timber harvesting contractors. …this support can strengthen a sustainable and more certain forest industry. BC was once the lowest cost lumber producer in North America and is now amongst the highest… There is an urgent need to improve certainty by diversifying markets, enhancing access to fibre, and reducing costs to ensure the industry’s long-term viability and global competitiveness.
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Multiple volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services responded Wednesday night to a fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets that affected multiple buildings. Officials reported the blaze has been contained, and no injuries were reported. Preston County Office of Emergency Management Director Justin Wolfe said initial reports of the blaze at 383 Mill Road were received at 11:33 p.m. Wednesday. …Initial reports noted that crews mounted an attack against the blaze, with additional fire departments being requested for assistance. Based on reports, the fire affected structures outside the main plant, including an open trailer with material, an open roofed storage structure and a belt-to-silo apparatus, and encroached on a maintenance building.
Weyerhaeuser will use $102 million of proceeds from a municipal bond sale to help finance the construction of solid waste disposal facilities at its engineered wood plant in Arkansas. The Resource Recovery Revenue Bonds Series 2025 will be sold by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, which will then lend the money to the timber and forest products company. …The bonds are special and limited revenue obligations of the issuer. Weyerhaeuser will use the money to help finance a portion of the costs of the acquisition, construction, equipping and installation of solid waste disposal facilities at its TimberStrand plant under construction near the city of Monticello in Drew County. Proceeds will also be used to pay the costs of bond issuance. TimberStrand is a brand name for a type of engineered wood product called laminated strand lumber and is manufactured by Weyerhaeuser. 
Vancouver, BC — Western Forest Products Inc. reported Adjusted EBITDA of negative $65.9 million in the third quarter of 2025, which included a non-cash export duty expense of $59.5 million related to the determination of final duty rates from the sixth Administrative Review. In comparison, the Company reported Adjusted EBITDA of negative $10.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, which included a $1.0 million export duty recovery related to the determination of final duty rates from the fifth AR, and Adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million in the second quarter of 2025. Net loss was $61.3 million in the third quarter of 2025, as compared to a net loss of $19.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, and net loss of $17.4 million in the second quarter of 2025.
A technique used for the long-term preservation of human and animal remains is now being tested on Western red cedar. Plastination, originally designed to embalm the dead, is now being used to improve the functionality and durability of advanced composite materials. A team from UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering has been experimenting with the technique and published a study that examined the 
Michigan is the latest state to launch an initiative aimed at accelerating mass timber construction. The new Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program will provide cash awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000, along with technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities, to encourage the use of engineered wood in new buildings. Although mass timber products are not yet manufactured in Michigan, interest in the material is growing rapidly. …The Catalyst program, produced collaboratively by the Michigan DNR, MassTimber@MSU, the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, and WoodWorks, will support early-stage projects that use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material. …Awarded teams will join a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and Woodworks to work through design, procurement, cost estimation, and code approval challenges. …In New York City, the NYCEDC’s Mass Timber Studio offers $25,000 Grants and technical support for early-stage projects…. In the Southeast, the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator… provides funding and technical assistance to teams exploring timber-based design solutions.
The Liberal government is dropping its goal to plant two billion trees by 2031 as part of Tuesday’s budget, according to sources familiar with the matter. The government currently has contracts that they intend to fulfil to plant one billion trees, one source said. The news was first reported by the Globe and Mail. Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month that the budget will include a “climate competitiveness strategy.” But this is another key Trudeau-era climate policy that Carney has dropped since becoming leader, after ending the consumer carbon tax and pushing back the electric-vehicle sales mandate. …The government has struggled to keep up with the commitment, missing its annual planting targets in the past two years. Over 228 million trees have been planted so far, according to Natural Resources Canada’s latest update — leaving more than 1.7 billion in order to reach the target by 2030-31.
Local residents are invited to share their input on the development of the Mackenzie forest landscape plan (FLP), which will guide long-term forest management in the area. “This is an opportunity for Mackenzie residents to share what matters most about your forests,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “Forests are part of who we are and your voices guide how they’re managed.” People can share their thoughts through a survey, open from Monday, Nov. 10 until Dec. 22, 2025. …FLPs are intended to be developed in partnership with First Nations to ensure meaningful participation in forestry planning and decision-making. Tsay Keh Dene Nation has partnered with the Province on the Mackenzie FLP. Engagement with other First Nations in the area continues. Community engagement is also a key part of every FLP, ensuring everyone in the area has an opportunity to be heard. 
Murray Wilson believes active forest management is crucial to reducing greenhouse emissions. The connection between the two is wildfires. “If you can reduce wildfires, just on carbon alone – your CO2 emissions – you’re doing a good thing,” said the retired Vernon forester… For the past year, Wilson has been sharing this message, about the need for active forest management, with residents and politicians through his new and first film, the documentary B.C. is Burning. …The Shuswap Climate Action Society, Forsite Consultants Ltd. and Canoe Forest Products will present the film in Salmon Arm on Nov. 26, with a Q&A moderated by Salmon Arm Mayor Alan Harrison. …Wilson will be screening the documentary at the B.C. Legislature. He said government officials, including B.C. Wildfire assistant deputy minister Rob Schweitzer, featured in the film, have taken part in past screenings and question periods. He views this as a sign the documentary is resonating with the Province.
Biologist Amber Peters and the Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS) screened their highly-anticipated film, Safe Haven: The Rainbow-Jordan Wilderness, about the biodiverse and nearly-untouched inland temperate rainforest just north of Revelstoke. “This is the best example of a fully-intact inland temperate rainforest,” Peters said. … The Rainbow-Jordan is likely “the largest pocket of intact temperate rainforest in the region” around Revelstoke, Wildsight Revelstoke branch manager Reanne Harvey said. “The forest itself has been in that space for over a thousand years.” … The 30-minute film, produced in collaboration with Damien Gillis, advocates for the B.C. government to protect these expanses of hard-to-access and undisturbed old-growth from logging as a Class A provincial park. Unlike an old-growth protected area or Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, park status would ensure legislated protection for the Rainbow-Jordan, Peters told some 200 attendees at the screening.
The PRT tree seedling nursery …with locations in Canada and the United States is North America’s largest producer of container-grown forest seedlings. …But at time when the forestry sector is facing hurdles such as softwood lumber duties and new American tariffs, the 2 Billion Trees program will be scrapped in the proposed federal 2025 budget. …a billion trees would have been grown from seed in nurseries like PRT and then planted across Canada. …Brinkman Reforestation is the largest tree planting company in Canada and says the industry is facing enough hurdles without having the 2 Billion Trees program cancelled. …In Black Creek, three generations of the same family have been growing tree seedlings at Sylvan Vale Nurseries. …manager Siriol Paquet says extra programs like 2 Billion Trees are important at at time when logging is declining, because if trees aren’t being cut, then they don’t need to be replaced with new ones.
Local governments are frustrated after receiving a long-awaited answer to when legislative changes are coming to the law governing how some forest lands are managed in B.C. The answer: with the trade war targeting B.C. lumber, the priority is protecting forestry jobs. …The 2003 Private Managed Forest Land (PMFL) Act puts no limit on the volume of timber that can be harvested, contrary to logging on Crown land. It’s administered by the Private Managed Forest Council, two of the five members of which have active vested interest in PMFLs. …The ministry maintains modernization to the act is being considered. In July… CBC reported the ministry is “working to modernize the act following the 2019 review.” When asked what changed between July and August, the ministry repeated it “continues to work with the Private Forest Landowners Association and the Managed Forest Council to modernize the Private Managed Forest Land Program.”
NANAIMO, BC: Following Vancouver Island’s devastating wildfire season, Mosaic is focusing on ways it can help reduce the chances of fires starting or limit their damage. Mosaic responded to 34 wildfires in 2025—a 19% increase over the previous year’s 26 fires. This year, all five of the most significant blazes were human-caused. The first concerning fire ignited near Campbell River in early May, making 2025 one of the earliest wildfire starts for the company. The Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni burned almost 2,400 hectares of Mosaic lands—roughly the size of the city of Duncan—destroying new forests and conserved old growth while causing community evacuations and road closures. Throughout the season, Mosaic’s fire crews worked with BC Wildfire Service, contractors, First Nations and emergency responders to protect communities and forests. 
Campbell River council has given the green light to the fire department to apply for a $419,000 grant through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. This funding will help mitigate wildfire risks within the city over the next five years. Fire Chief Kelly Bellefleur and Assistant Fire Chief Stephanie Bremer told council the grant will be used to develop a new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan (CWRP) with a more comprehensive, science-based framework. It will assess current wildfire risks in the city, identify priority treatment zones, and establish a five-year framework for wildfire mitigation and community preparedness. The grant will also help the city upgrade the fire department’s capacity to fight wildfires by purchasing a Type 2 Structure Protection Unit, a mobile trailer equipped with pumps, hoses and sprinklers designed to protect multiple structures during a wildfire, among other priorities.
Local governments on Vancouver Island are frustrated after finally receiving a long-awaited answer to when legislative changes are coming to the law governing how some forest lands are managed in BC. The answer … after years of fighting, change is not coming. The 2003 Private Managed Forest Land (PMFL) Act puts no limit on the volume of timber that can be harvested, contrary to logging on Crown land. …“What they’re looking for is the same standards that apply on Crown land to apply on private property,” BC’s Minister of Forests, Ravi Parmar said. “…we have a number of private licensees that do really good work in BC, and I would highlight Mosaic being the largest.” Parmar added he has recently spoken to Mosaic … and feels the company is taking steps to address local government concerns that don’t require legislative changes. 
The Ministry of Natural Resources says nearly 6,000 square kilometres burned in Ontario this wildfire season, much more than last year and well above the province’s 10-year average. The ministry says 643 wildfires were recorded between April and October, with 597,654 hectares — or just over 5,976 square kilometres — burned. The province says 480 fires burned nearly 900 square kilometres in 2024, and the 10-year average for Ontario is 712 fires and about 2,100 square kilometres burned. Figures released by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in August showed that Canada’s 2025 wildfire season was the second-worst on record. Those figures suggested the fires tore through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick. Scientists say that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has made Canada’s fire seasons longer and more intense.
Policies by the Trump administration are putting communities at increased risk for wildfire because federal funding for fuels treatment work is becoming more difficult to obtain. That is the opinion of a group of policymakers and politicians who convened in Bend last week to discuss how best to manage local forests. Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler, Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang and State Senator Anthony Broadman — all Democrats — were among those in attendance… Members of the group said there is a lack of clarity over future treatments in the Deschutes National Forest following years of mitigation work that cleared the forest floor of fuels and thinned areas to prevent a fast-moving crown fire. …Chang said he is especially concerned with the Trump administration’s Fix our Forest Act … The bill relies mostly on logging and cattle grazing to clear fuels that cause catastrophic wildfire, but funding for prescribed burning isn’t part of the legislation. 
Rising wildfire risk in the Pacific Northwest combined with volatile timber pricing may lower forestland values by as much as 50% and persuade property owners to harvest Douglas fir trees much earlier than planned, according to a new analysis. The optimal age to harvest Douglas fir trees — absent fire risk — would be 65 years. The study, from Oregon State University researchers, suggests that harvesting trees at 24 years would make the most economic sense under the worst-case scenarios. “Basically, under high wildfire risk that rises with stand age, every year you wait to harvest you’re rolling the dice,” said Mindy Crandall, an associate professor in the OSU College of Forestry. Co-author Andres Susaeta, an OSU forestry assistant professor, said the study was a simulation, but researchers are confident in the direction of results. Susaeta said earlier harvesting reduces both long-term timber revenue and impacts wood quality.
Albuquerque, NM — A new report by Grassroots Wildland Firefighters reveals a troubling decline in wildfire prevention work across the nation. According to the report, hazardous fuel reduction efforts on U.S. Forest Service land are down 38% since January 2025 compared to recent years, following significant federal budget cuts to staffing and resources. Hazardous fuel treatments are critical in preventing catastrophic wildfires. These projects include thinning overgrown forests, clearing brush, and conducting prescribed burns to reduce the vegetation that feeds wildfires. The group’s findings directly contradict recent public assurances from administration officials that land management agencies remain adequately funded and staffed. …The analysis shows mitigation work has fallen especially low in Idaho and Montana, where fewer than 30% of acres have been treated this year compared to previous averages. …Grassroots Wildland Firefighters warn that unless funding is restored, the nation’s wildfire season will grow increasingly severe and dangerous in the years ahead.
A bipartisan piece of legislation that could have big impacts on the nation’s forest land continues to move quickly through Congress, pushing through a Senate committee last month. The Fix Our Forests Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate in April and co-sponsored by Sen. Tim Sheehy, along with Senators from California, Utah and Colorado. The legislation seeks to promote prescribed burns, expand the state-federal Good Neighbor Authority program, increase collaboration among fire agencies and improve reforestation efforts after fires. It also makes some rule changes that could impact how areas designated as high fire danger are managed and how projects in those areas proceed. …The legislation has received some support from environmental and outdoor advocacy groups… But there has also been some concern with it, namely around how it could change the process of forest projects, especially those in a declared “emergency fireshed management” area.
Cal Poly Humboldt study in partnership with Save the Redwoods League reveals how second-growth forests respond to modern wildfires and what managers can do to protect them. California’s coast redwoods have stood for centuries, weathering a changing climate, logging, and time itself. But in an era of hotter, more frequent wildfires, their future resilience depends on how we care for them, according to new research published in Forest Ecology and Management. The study sought to understand the effects of wildfire on coast redwoods—the tallest trees in the world. Results revealed that redwoods in second-growth forests largely survived extreme wildfires in 2020 and quickly resprouted from their trunks and bases. Researchers also discovered that forest structure—how dense the trees are and which species are present—strongly influences fire severity, highlighting the importance of management efforts such as thinning, reducing fuel loads, and encouraging fire-resistant species.
A federal judge has halted a logging project in the Kootenai National Forest, saying the federal government failed to correctly analyze the impacts to grizzly bears. The Knotty Pine Project, a 10-year project that would have authorized 7,465 acres of prescribed burning and 2,593 acres of commercial harvest in the Cabinet-Yaak Mountains, has been in litigation since 2022. The Center for Biological Diversity led a coalition of environmental groups …in suing the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying it could devastate the small group of grizzly bears that lives in the region due to increased roadwork. U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen granted a preliminary junction the following year, but issued his final ruling last week. …“High road densities in low elevation habitats may result in grizzly bear avoidance or displacement from important spring habitat and high mortality risks,” Christensen wrote.
The Ministry of Family and Social Services and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry have launched the “Every Family One Sapling Our Green Homeland” campaign, a joint initiative that plants a sapling in the name of every newborn baby and newlywed couple across Türkiye. The project aims to support environmental sustainability while promoting demographic growth and family values. Announced within the framework of the “November 11 National Forestation Day,” declared by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the campaign reflects Türkiye’s commitment to both population development and ecological preservation. The initiative is designed to strengthen the country’s ongoing “Green Homeland Mobilization” by encouraging citizens to contribute to afforestation efforts starting from birth or marriage. As part of the campaign’s official launch, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı visited Ankara Bilkent City Hospital to meet with newborn babies and their families.
Sweden is one of the world’s largest exporters of forest-based products… Decisions made in Sweden about how forests are managed ripple outward far beyond the kingdom’s borders. That is why the Swedish government’s recent forestry inquiry should matter not just to those living in Sweden, but to anyone concerned about the global climate crisis. The inquiry’s central message is clear: increase forest growth, harvest more biomass, and thereby contribute to the green transition. This might sound promising. More trees mean more carbon absorbed, more wood products to replace unsustainable products. But the plan overlooks the most important part of the forest: the soil. …The government’s proposal even encourages fertilization with nitrogen to speed up tree growth. This can work in the short term, but after a decade, the effect largely disappears. …If Sweden does not get this right, what happens in Sweden’s forests will not stay in Sweden’s forests.
Wildfire experts from around the globe convened at Istanbul Forest Innovation Week (IFIW) to evaluate Türkiye’s approach to forest fire management, unanimously acknowledging the country’s advanced capacity in both fire detection and intervention. Experts emphasized the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), as a critical factor in Türkiye’s rising prominence in global wildfire resilience. Tiago Oliveira, chairperson of the Portuguese Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, highlighted the multifaceted challenges climate change poses to forests worldwide. He underscored that warming trends are prolonging fire seasons and increasing the number of days with severe fire conditions. Oliveira also stressed the indispensable role of local communities living near forests. … Warning about extreme fire scenarios, Oliveira noted, “When difficult conditions triggered by climate change occur, very intense fires begin, making firefighting extremely challenging because water can become ineffective.”
Britain’s biggest power plant will continue to earn more than £1m a day from burning wood pellets under a new government subsidy contract designed to halve its financial support, according to analysts. The Drax power plant in North Yorkshire is in line to earn £458.6m a year between 2027 and 2031 after the government agreed to extend its subsidies beyond 2026, according to analysts at Ember, a climate thinktank. The earnings are well below the £869m in subsidies handed to the Drax power plant last year for generating about 5% of the UK’s electricity from burning biomass after the government promised to curb the use of biomass in Britain’s power system. Under the contract, Drax will be paid to run just over a quarter of the time, down sharply from almost two-thirds of time currently. But the price it will earn for each unit of electricity generated will rise.
Panama – Unveiled today at its General Assembly, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) reports a sharp slide in public concern for climate change, even after the hottest year on record. The 2025 Global Consumer Awareness Survey – conducted with Ipsos across 50 countries and 40,000+ respondents – find war and conflict (52%) now dominate public worries while climate change trails at 31%. That is a 21-point gap in the 2025 snapshot. Looking only at the 32 countries surveyed in both 2022 and 2025, the concern gap has widened from 12 points in 2022 – where economic hardship was on top position – to 16 points in 2025. …While ‘climate change’ may rank lower as an abstract global issue in the 50-country snapshot, across the forestry module markets, the impacts felt through forests –wildfires, droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss – rank among the top concerns within the forestry sector.