BC-based San Group receives creditor protection, seeks approval for sale and investment-solicitation process. In related news: Roseburg Forest Products lays off 79; Sierra Pacific signs agreement with USDA; and J.P. Morgan acquires 40,000 acres on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Meanwhile: Ontario’s Origin Materials converts wood into plastic; and straw buildings make a comeback in Slovakia.
In Forestry news: AFPA’s Jason Krips call to action on Alberta’s forests; Ontario’s Graydon Smith tables bill on carbon capture and fire mitigation; retired deputy chief of US Forest Service opines on old-growth protection; Quesnel, BC gets ready to launch its community forest; and Mission, BC shows how a municipal forest can be profitable.
Finally, an explanation for 2023’s record-breaking temperatures—Earth’s albedo.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
As industries increasingly adopt sustainability considerations across their value chains, the importance of environmental product declarations (EPD) cannot be overstated. By systematically assessing the environmental impacts of a product from cradle to grave, businesses can gain valuable insight into their supply chain, pinpoint areas for improvement, and make informed strategic decisions that align with both regulatory requirements and customer expectations. As stakeholders increasingly demand accountability and verifiable environmental performance, embracing EPDs becomes a cornerstone of a forward-thinking and resilient sustainability strategy.
2024 has been an interesting year on a number of fronts. More importantly, it marked BCFSC commemorating 20 years of service to the industry, where a number of Forest Safety News stories were shared over the course of the year through the lens of industry and staff reflecting on the forest industry’s journey to improving safety. The first theme shared in these stories related to acknowledging the history of the unacceptable number of injuries and work-related deaths. The second theme that emerged highlighted the efforts of industry pulling together to make dynamic and positive change.
The Alberta Forest Products Association just wrapped up our 82nd AGM and conference. This year’s event was held in Banff, which is new for us, as we’ve been going to Jasper for decades. Sadly, the fires in Jasper meant that community was not able to host us this year. As an industry, we are heartbroken to see what happened in Jasper. We were also very saddened to learn that firefighter Morgan Kitchen was killed fighting the Jasper fire. Our wildland firefighters make tremendous sacrifices to protect our communities and deserve our gratitude. …the AGM was a great opportunity celebrate our successes as an industry and as an association. Despite ups and downs in markets and in the forest industry across Canada, Alberta has remained relatively stable. This means that we are able to not only focus on the present, but also on the future. Three initiatives that we are especially proud of are the Work Wild Program, Love Alberta Forests campaign, and our Forestry Talks podcast.
After 14 years of dedicated leadership, Dr. Charles Jago is stepping down as Chair of the Sinclar Group Forest Products Board of Directors. …Charles is a long-serving community member of northern BC, providing leadership and valued guidance on the boards of several local institutions. He is a former President of the University of Northern British Columbia and the namesake of the Charles Jago Northern Sport Center. …On behalf of the Sinclar Board of Directors, I express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Charles Jago for his leadership and commitment to the success of our company. With Dr. Jago’s departure, I am pleased to introduce our new Board Chair, Betty Ann Shiels. Betty Ann is a long-time resident of Prince George. She obtained her B. Comm from the University of Alberta and began her career in Prince George with Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. She … was an Assurance and Advisory partner with Deloitte for 20 years…
The Truck Loggers Association (TLA) is an advocacy organization seeking a dynamic and visionary executive director to lead our organization in lobbying government for fair policies to meet the needs of our members. The executive director will play a key role in shaping the future of the association by effectively influencing policymakers, ensuring membership growth, and advancing the interests of forest dependent contractors, suppliers and communities who depend on a sustainable forest industry. The executive director is responsible for executing effective advocacy, delivering strategic leadership, and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Truck Loggers Association including member services, communications, and financial management. This individual will work closely with the Board of Directors, staff, and key stakeholders to further the TLA’s mission and vision. This is a full-time permanent position. This is a remote-work position requiring regular travel to meetings and events throughout the province.
RIDDLE, Oregon — Roseburg Forest Products laid off approximately 2.5% of its workforce across all North American locations early last month, while 120 positions are slated to be filled at Oregon facilities through 2026. “As we near the end of 2024, soft demand for wood products and broad-based pricing pressure continue to be a drag on our industry,” said Roseburg Forest Products spokesperson Sarah Smith in an email. “Looking into 2025, we do not expect near-term recovery in demand, and as a result, we are positioning to weather another challenging year.” Roseburg Forest Products manages 600,000 acres of timberland in Oregon, Virginia and North Carolina, according to the company website. Through the harvest of these timberlands, Roseburg Forest Products offers a variety of wood products including plywood, fiberboard and laminate products. …Smith said the move to eliminate these positions was a necessary one to cut “unnecessary costs.”
President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada to target drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration… Trump’s announcement of his plans has spurred questions about what tariffs mean for American consumers, as well as the products that may face additional fees. Oil and “billions worth of wood and paper” are imported from Canada to America, USA TODAY reported. …Congress has the authority to make U.S. tariff policy, and the legislative branch usually set tariff rates before the 1930s… However, Congress has “delegated extensive tariff-setting authority to the President” for decades. Through certain statutes, the president can impose or adjust tariffs, such as adjusting tariffs on imports that threaten U.S. national security or raise tariff rates when the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that an import surge has injured an American industry, according to the Congressional Research Service.
TORONTO
The live Christmas tree industry is experiencing a resurgence, but B.C. farmers are finding it hard to meet rising customer demand. In the last six years—more B.C. consumers have looked to purchase a live Christmas tree says BC Christmas Tree Association president Paul Huesken. The first reason is the experiential part of going out and cutting down a tree. …The second factor is consumers becoming more conscientious about their carbon footprints. …2024 has been one of the best growing seasons in the last decade due to summer rain. …Nevertheless, rising demand and a decline in farms due to land costs and succession challenges has created a significant shortage of trees in B.C. …Two of the most significant challenges facing businesses are the cost of land and the six to 10 years of intensive labour required to grow a Christmas tree … forcing BC to source roughly 400,000 trees annually from outside the province.
Executive Director’s Message: October was a significant month for Woodlots BC, marked by key accomplishments in strategic planning, conference organization, and internal organizational changes. Now that the restructuring has settled down the Board of Directors for Woodlots BC have started to meet on a quarterly basis. Most of the changes and restructuring have been completed. Strategic Plan: The organization started a Strategic Review of the Woodlots BC by meeting for two days before the Conference in Quesnel. This process was facilitated by Tom Lewis. We are currently creating 4 objectives that we will focus on over the next while in order to advocate for the Woodlot Licence program. Click the Read More below to see the full newsletter with Conference Coverage, Minister’s Award Recipient, Executive Director’s Report, Commercial Thinning and Moose, Woodlots BC Bursary Recipient, New Board Members, Four Steps to Burning, and CBST Guidelines.
University of New Brunswick forestry professor Anthony Taylor began a research project to examine what was killing balsam fir trees favoured by many Canadians to decorate their homes at Christmas. …in a paper recently published in the journal “Frontiers in Forests and Global Change,” Taylor and his co-authors identify the cause of the die-off in western New Brunswick and eastern Maine as drought and high temperatures brought on by climate change. “Identifying the broad scale climate anomalies, such as a drought, associated with the reported sudden balsam fir mortality in 2018 could prove useful to determine the likelihood of future mortality in response to climate change,” the study says. Taylor said he was shocked by “that much” death of balsam firs. …Taylor said heat and drought have weakened balsam firs, making them more vulnerable to pests and diseases that they would otherwise be able to defend against. 
Ontario Nature is collaborating with the forestry industry, Indigenous communities, local communities and environmental organizations to permanently protect at least one million hectares of important lands in Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests. To get certified by FSC, forestry companies must set aside at least 10 percent of the lands that they manage for industrial logging to conserve ecosystems and biodiversity. These lands present a significant opportunity for Ontario to contribute to the Government of Canada’s commitment to protect of at least 30 percent of lands and inland waters by 2030… These protected areas in waiting have already been selected as prime candidates for protection from forestry activity, but they’re stuck in limbo… …the Government of Ontario has not formally recognized the areas identified, leaving them open to mining, hydro development and potential changes in forest management.
Bonn – The European Parliament, Council of the European Union (EU), and EU Commission have agreed to a 
Diplomats agreed earlier this month to new rules governing carbon credits. But while they were deliberating, the scientists who defined “net zero” in 2009, found something wrong with the math underlying those debates. “Achieving ‘net zero’ no longer means what we meant by it,” said Myles Allen, professor of geosystem science at University of Oxford, an author of a new paper in the journal Nature. Their new analysis skewers an assumption at the heart of how countries and companies track emissions — that a ton of CO2 is the same everywhere, whether it’s dispersed in the atmosphere, embedded in forest wood or pulled from the air and pumped deep underground. That fungibility is the foundation of carbon markets. It lets a ton of CO2 in a forest stand as a fair trade for a ton put in the atmosphere. That rule-of-thumb turns out to be a vast oversimplification that could render many well-meaning net-zero efforts meaningless.
From December 2, 2024, to February 28, 2025, WorkSafeBC is accepting expressions of interest from providers seeking to offer training that requires approval by WorkSafeBC. We are now accepting expressions of interest for the following training:
Wood burning stoves are now the UK’s biggest source of toxic particles in air pollution and could be giving you cancer, according to a new report. A third of all PM2.5 emissions now come from log and coal-burning fires in homes. PM2.5 particles are too small to be filtered out and studies suggest they enter the bloodstream and have been linked to serious heart disease and lung cancer. One analysis of 17 studies found breathing in PM2.5 particles increases the risk of dying from lung cancer by 11 per cent. One US study found using a wood-burning stove indoors increase the chance of women developing lung cancer by 43 per cent. Another US study found people who use their wood burner for more than 30 days a year increase their lung cancer risk 68 per cent.