Port negotiations are set to resume in BC (as log exports are blocked), and Montreal calls on Ottawa to end the strike (as employers table their final offer). In related news: Alberta and Georgia look to expand wood markets; Europe debates duties on Chinese hardwoods; and the US cut its interest rate, as Canada ponders what’s next on rates. Meanwhile, Canadian pontifications on Trump’s win:
- Jack Mintz: we should fight back with pro-growth policies of our own
- Derrick Penner: BC businesses stare down risks of tariff threats
- CBC News: Feelings of angst in New Brunswick business after Trump win
- Andrew Kurjata: Canadian lumber helped US production grow while BC suffers
- John Rustad: Second Trump administration could bring benefits to BC
In other News: Canada is falling behind on its emission targets; tree planting in the Arctic may accelerate climate change; and wildfire risk reduction efforts in Oregon, Arizona, Alberta and Williams Like, BC and Nelson, BC.
Finally, as Remembrance Day nears, tributes from North and South of the 49th.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor
Q3, 2024 financials: 
Business groups say the work stoppage at BC ports is the latest in a run of supply chain disruptions affecting Canadian companies and the country’s economy. Employers at most of the province’s ports locked out their workers November 4 in a dispute involving roughly 700 unionized foremen. The workers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 have been without a contract since March 2023. “It’s been absolutely brutal. I mean, the timing of this is just really challenging,” said Pascal Chan, senior director of transportation, infrastructure and construction at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. …Greater Vancouver Board of Trade president Bridgitte Anderson said the shutdown will disrupt $800 million in goods every day, warning it could put upward pressure on inflation. …Despite the importance of Canada’s ports, Fraser Johnson, a professor at the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario said the rail disruption posed a more imminent threat.
On October 30, at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver, BC, four lumberman — Mitchell Preger, Gregg Riley, Charles Delatorre and Ashley Boeckholt — talked about the complexities of lumber supply and demand. As the lunch keynote for the final day of the Global Wood Summit, “The Lumber Word” podcast team engaged with conference delegates, taking questions via Pigeon Hole while sharing their real-time trading experience in lumber and futures. Hosted by seasoned industry trading veterans this podcast delves deep into the complexities of the lumber supply and demand balance in the physical lumber market. “The Lumber Word” isn’t just for professionals in the industry; it’s for homebuilders and multi-family builders seeking guidance when making budgeting and project purchase decisions. Investors and venture capitalists with an eye on the lumber industry also benefit from the podcast’s grassroots conversations. Listen to the Global Wood Summit edition of the podcast on Spotify and Apple.
PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is refunding Interfor U.S., Inc., about $240,000 after the company challenged its assessed property valuations for 2021-2023. While the county is writing the check, Administrator Todd Mielke said each of the taxing districts which have already collected their portion of Interfor’s payments will have to pay the county back. That likely will happen in the form of deductions from future property tax income, he said. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Interfor, a lumber company that owns a saw mill in Port Angeles, challenged the county’s property assessments of $67.5 million, $58.7 million and $61.7 million, respectively, for its 18.53-acre property located at 243701 U.S. Highway 101. The 2021 challenge was set to go before the state Board of Tax Appeals (BTA) in December, Mielke said. Before that occurred, however, Interfor requested a mediation session between the company and the county.
Over a span of several decades Växjö, a small city in southern Sweden, has grown a reputation as “a living research area” to test different construction materials and building solutions. Wood designed buildings have been a major part of the movement which is why the municipality of 100,000 residents has been nicknamed Timber City, Sweden, a hefty moniker in a country known as a world leader in wood construction. Fredrik Lindblad, who works at Växjö’s Linnaeus University in institutional management focusing on forestry, wood products and housing, said the city has come a long way from its environmental roots in the 1970s. He presented a seminar at Summit 2024, a WoodWorks conference recently in Toronto, highlighting the city’s shift to sustainable building practices primarily through using wood (mass timber in particular) as a building material.
…Through the 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program, the Government of Canada is doing its part to support communities. As of June 2024, the government has signed or was negotiating tree-planting agreements with 11 of 13 provinces and territories, 40 Indigenous partners, 32 municipalities, 86 non-governmental organizations and more, representing a commitment to plant 716 million trees — nearly tripling last year’s total. …The work done to plant millions of trees and sign agreements in 2023 has laid a strong foundation for tree-planting efforts to ramp up in the coming years, including the over 160 million new trees announced today. …2023 was the 2BT program’s most significant year yet. Work for years to come is well underway, starting with today’s announcement of over $200 million. Every new tree planted will benefit the environment as well as Canada’s economy and community well-being. 
The City of Nelson is piloting a new remote-controlled technology to reduce wildfire fuels west of Gyro Park. The area, which has been identified as a high-risk location for fuel mitigation, has a steep slope and is challenging to access. The pilot project is necessary because it would be unfeasible and inefficient to use larger conventional chipping equipment on the complex terrain at Gyro Park. Conventional pile-and-burn techniques were also deemed inappropriate in the majority of the area due to the potential for smoke generation in close proximity to Kootenay Lake Hospital. The small-scale forestry machine the city is piloting is capable of accessing steep terrain, chipping woody materials in place and transporting the chips out of the treatment area for disposal off site.
The Okanagan is increasingly threatened by wildfires due to rising temperatures and drier conditions caused by climate change. To address this growing crisis, the B.C. government has outlined a climate action strategy with several measures that, if tailored to the Okanagan, could effectively mitigate wildfire risks and enhance regional resilience. …The government’s pledge to conserve 30% of B.C.’s lands by 2030 can support wildfire management in regions like the Okanagan, which hosts diverse ecosystems that can serve as natural firebreaks. …Sustainable forestry practices along transportation routes and near communities could help create additional fire barriers. Expanded firefighting resources, such as water reservoirs and aerial capabilities, would improve the region’s response capacity. Protecting watersheds and old-growth forests in the Okanagan is essential, as these ecosystems can act as natural barriers that slow wildfire spread. …Facing heightened wildfire threats due to climate change, the Okanagan has an opportunity to lead with a coordinated, community-driven approach to resilience.
Barrie, Ontario – Since 2007, Forests Ontario has facilitated the planting of 46.5 million trees, enhancing 900,000 hectares of connected forest landscapes through over 8,000 restoration projects across 10 provinces. Now, Forests Ontario is becoming 
Colombia hosted some 23,000 people at the UN biodiversity summit. Political leaders from nearly 200 countries were joined by representatives from Indigenous communities, youth groups, business leaders, NGOs and others. All came to halt Earth’s rampant biodiversity loss. Momentum going in seemed strong. At the last biodiversity conference in 2022, national leaders reached a historic agreement to protect 30% of the world’s land and water by 2030 and to mobilize billions of dollars for nature conservation. This year’s summit, COP16, offered a chance to put forth plans for achieving those goals. But while the “People’s COP” in Cali brought diverse voices to the table and highlighted growing urgency around the biodiversity crisis, progress on its core objectives came up short. Negotiators faced gridlock over key finance decisions and many countries showed lagging ambition. The summit ultimately ended before Parties could reach agreement on a range of issues — most importantly, how to finance conservation at the scale needed.
Canada’s plan to reduce planet warming emissions is “overoptimistic” and is moving “too slowly” to meet its targets, the country’s environment commissioner has warned in a new report. Of the 20 carbon reduction measures audited by Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development Jerry DeMarco, only nine were found to be on track. Another nine faced challenges, while two faced “significant barriers.” …The audited emissions plan did not include emissions from land-use change and forestry. A March 2023 audit from the commissioner found the federal government had failed to properly account for emissions from the country’s forestry sector. …The latest audit called out two ministries — Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada — for failing to follow through on those recommendations and still not properly reporting logging emissions. Michael Polanyi, a policy and campaign manager for Nature Canada, said the commissioner’s criticisms line up with research his group has commissioned.
For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. Meanwhile, Canada’s environment commissioner says the country is still not on track to meet its commitments under the Paris climate agreement. Ottawa has promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to be 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 but thus far they have only fallen seven per cent below 2005 levels. In a report tabled today Jerry DeMarco says his office looked at 20 of the 149 measures from the government’s 2030 Emission Reductions Plan progress report. Only nine of those were on track, another nine were facing challenges, and the other two had significant barriers like delays in meeting milestones. The latest report mirrors many of the findings and concerns DeMarco raised a year ago. However he found the government had moved on the majority of recommendations made in last year’s report.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, New Jersey—Several homes were evacuated on Wednesday due to a wildfire that continued to burn Thursday morning in Ocean County, New Jersey. A total of 25 structures are threatened, officials said in a 7:50 p.m. update. According to the state’s Forest Fire Service, six homes were evacuated on the west side of Stump Tavern Road and there were voluntary evacuations on the east side of Stump Tavern Road. Stump Tavern Road is closed from Route 571 to Route 528 in Jackson Township. Officials said the fire damaged about 175 acres and was 20% contained. Crews are prepping and strengthening firelines and are utilizing backing fire operations to help contain the blaze. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Meantime, fire crews are battling another large wildfire, this time in Burlington County.