The European Union plans to keep its climate goals but loosen rules to bolster economic growth. In related news: Canada concedes middle ground is collapsing on climate action. In related news: BC defends shíshálh First Nation deal; Hamilton, Ontario is beset by the hemlock woolly adelgid; and forest fires drive up Ukraine war emissions.
In Business news: Irving Paper lay-offs stir pushback by community and union workers; Trump risks supply chain disruption with Chinese shipping levies; Doman’s Arkansas fire cost $2 million; and a fire ravages a Janesville, NY pallet plant. On the market front: Home Depot says high mortgage rates may be the new normal; lumber surges on tariff concerns; and which states are most at risk if Canada is targeted.
Finally, confusion reigns over Trump’s tariff order; and what it could mean for Canadian forest products.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News
Production at High Prairie Forest Products would be impacted by potential tariffs on forest products going to the United States. General manager Brandon Marsh addressed Big Lakes County council about the negative impacts at its regular meeting Feb. 12. …“Here in High Prairie, we rely on our southern neighbours for roughly 50 per cent of our trade,” said Marsh, “This 25 per cent tariff would greatly reduce our ability to move the volume of product we produce here in our community. With the existing solid wood lumber agreements with the U.S., we already have varying levies of penalty applied to our product, which gets compounded with an additional dumping duty. …Part of West Fraser Forest Products Co. Ltd., the High Prairie operation has a staff of about 140 full-time employees while also supporting a large contractor base for other services. Those people rely an a strong market for their jobs to support families and communities, he said.
TUPPER LAKE, N.Y. — Immigrations and Customs Enforcement conducted a raid Feb. 18 at Tupper Lake Pine Mill in New York state and detained nine employees. In a statement …the parent company of the mill, The Matra Group, said that the employees were authorized to work in the U.S. …“Nine employees were detained, all of whom were, to our knowledge, authorized to work in the United States, as we verify all employees through the I-9 process,” Nicholas Drouin, Matra co-president and director of manufacturing said. All U.S. employers must follow that process to verify workers’ identities and employment eligibility. …The mill — formerly known as the Tupper Lake Hardwoods Inc. — is owned by the Quebec-based Matra Group, a lumber harvesting and distribution company. 
President Donald Trump “thrives on unpredictability”, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of REALTORS. In the last 30 days alone, multiple tariffs by Trump have been announced, imposed, called off and hotly debated. Now, the tariffs are beginning to take shape. And homebuilders are wary. …The real outcry, though, regards lumber. Roughly 30% of the lumber used in the United States last year was imported – more than 85% from Canada. …the housing industry is sharing concerns. Shortly after Trump’s inauguration, the NAHB applauded his day-one executive order that urged government agencies to take action to lower housing costs and expand supply. But NAHB chairman Carl Harris said raising tariffs will have the opposite effect. …“Tariffs on lumber and other building materials increase the cost of construction and discourage new development, and consumers end up paying for the tariffs in the form of higher home prices,” Harris said in a press release.
Recently there has been discussion about upcoming forest harvesting plans on Tree Farm Licence 47 on Quadra Island. This area is within the unceded and core territory of the We Wai Kai Nation, who approves all forest management activities on the TFL. The Nation and Mosaic Forest Management have worked closely to develop a constructive relationship based on the recognition that as title holder, We Wai Kai has the right to ensure that resources on Quadra Island are being managed consistent with their conservation values and their right to benefit economically from resource extraction on their title lands. The Nation’s logging company, Way Key, is conducting all harvesting on the TFL on Quadra. Both We Wai Kai and Mosaic recognize there is interest in future harvesting activities. We also know that Islanders want a map that identifies where the old growth is (as part of a spatially explicit strategy) before harvesting occurs. 
YELLOWKNIFE, NT
Kelowna, B.C. – A new documentary, B.C. is Burning, is tackling British Columbia’s wildfire crisis by exploring forest management solutions. The project was sparked in 2024 when Kelowna entrepreneur Rick Maddison, who lost his home in the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire, came across an article by retired forester Murray Wilson about wildfire prevention. The two teamed up to create a film focused on solutions rather than devastation. “I’m hoping if these ideas in the film are adopted, more communities can be protected from this ongoing threat,” says Maddison. …The documentary features interviews with leading experts, including scientists, carbon specialists, and forestry professionals, providing a comprehensive look at the problem and potential solutions. “We’ve spoken with some of the leading people in the field,” says Wilson. “Their insights could change how we manage our forests—and how we protect our communities.” The team is hoping to raise $45,000 to finish production and distribution of their film.
In 2019, the residents of Glade, B.C., learned they had no right to clean drinking water, after members of the Kootenay community waged a legal battle against forestry companies logging in their watershed. A judge sided with the timber companies, arguing that their economic interests outweighed the community’s concerns about its water supply. A similar story has emerged in Wynndel, B.C. — another town in the drought-stricken region — as residents worry about planned logging in their watershed, Duck Creek. Here, in the Kootenays, logging on both private and Crown land is pretty widespread. One resident told reporter Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood that forestry in the area has gotten out of hand, and lack of management on sustainable practices has turned the practice into “corporate slaughter.” …about five per cent (or 4.5 million hectares) of B.C.’s forests are privately owned, which means that the public has little insight, and even less say, into what happens.
Bat species considered to be at risk seem to be in “relative abundance” on the east coast of Vancouver Island. Scott Wilson, wildlife research biologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, gave a first look into data he’s been gathering during a presentation Feb. 20 hosted by Nanaimo and Area Land Trust and Nature Nanaimo. “I’ve worked on migratory birds most of my life and the bats a bit more recently, and we know so much less about bats in comparison to migratory birds,” said Wilson. “I’d say we’re where we were 30 years ago with birds in terms of understanding their habitat needs and their ecology.” …The data shows that in the Nanaimo area, wetlands were significantly preferred by the myotis species, with a relative abundance 6-10 times higher compared to non-wetlands. They were also preferred by the silver-haired hoary and big brown group, but less significantly, with the species also frequenting meadow bluffs. 
PORTLAND, Ore. — An environmental nonprofit is sounding the alarm over the federal funding cuts and hiring freeze instituted by President Donald Trump’s administration, which it said could threaten the population of Oregon’s endangered spotted owl. The widespread layoffs and cuts instituted by the Trump administration have set off a series of protests across the country and around Portland, some of which have focused specifically on the thousands of U.S. National Parks and Forest Service workers who have been fired. The Northwest Forest Plan and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) require the endangered owl population to be monitored, but the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release that the federal freeze means the monitoring “either won’t occur or will be greatly reduced.”
When U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, Canadian officials issued a weaker than expected 2035 emission reduction target to account for the new political reality. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in an interview that after the U.S. election, the government looked at the opportunities and weighed the risks. Competitiveness was top of mind, more so than tariff threat, he said. “Certainly the United States does factor into the competitiveness issue,” he said. “Clearly the United States is moving away from any kind of regulation relating to climate.” …Wilkinson’s comments are the clearest indication yet of American influence on Canada’s plan to navigate the unfolding energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy. …Caroline Brouillette, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, characterized Canada’s “weak” target as “obeying in advance” to U.S. interests.
Carbon offsets are unreliable, fraud-ridden financial tokens that often fail to make any environmental impact at all. And if Mark Carney gets his way, they’re going to be Canada’s next big industry. In his carbon reduction pitch, Carney 
Turkey is poor in oil and gas while its renewable energy sector is heavily reliant on a mix of hydro, wind and solar. But another element is heating up: biofuel – fuel derived directly from biomass, such as wood or plant matter – is gaining interest domestically and creating an export market not available to other renewables. Demand for and output of biomass pellets used in stoves, furnaces and heaters as an alternative to coal or wood to cope with Turkey’s often freezing winters have increased in recent years. Produced by crushing and compressing wood waste, the pellets have a higher per-kilo energy output than gas, coal or oil, and far lower emission levels, according to promoters. Studies estimate Turkey has the raw material to produce up to 1.8 million tonnes of pellets annually, although installed processing capacity has yet to reach this level.
In December 2024, Drax and Pathway Energy announced a multiyear deal that could see Drax supplying upward of 1 million metric tons of wood pellets to Pathway’s currently proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant on the U.S. Gulf Coast. In the months leading up to the announcement, Drax had hinted at such prospects, indicating plans to develop a pipeline of biomass sales opportunities in North America, including in the SAF market. Drax CEO Will Gardiner confirmed as much during a November quarterly earnings call. Currently, Drax has 17 operational wood pellet production plants across North America and a 450,000-metric-ton facility under construction in Longview, Washington. While Drax is well known in the industrial wood pellet industry, Pathway Energy is a new and unique market participant. Pellet Mill Magazine interviewed Pathway Energy CEO Steve Roberts to introduce the company, technology and plans.
Norwegian forestry companies are making history by revolutionizing how timber is transported. Beginning in 2027, Viken AT Market and AT Skog will be the first in the forestry industry to ship timber on zero-emission vessels—a game-changing move that signals a dramatic shift toward sustainable maritime logistics. This breakthrough is made possible through a partnership with Skarv Shipping, which will provide vessels powered by ammonia and electricity, significantly reducing emissions compared to conventional diesel-powered ships. Norway’s timber industry plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, exporting approximately 1 million tons of timber annually to European markets. However, most of this transport has relied on traditional diesel-powered vessels, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. In an effort to push the industry forward, Viken AT Market is committing to zero-emission transport, securing a long-term shipping agreement with Skarv Shipping and Arriva Shipping.
A B.C. company has been fined just under $9,000 for the death of a worker. A WorkSafeBC penalty summary posted online says Crescent Bay Construction Ltd. was fined $8,995.26 on Jan. 23 for the incident at a worksite in Beaton, located south of Revelstoke on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake. “This firm was performing maintenance work on a bridge deck on a forest service road,” said the penalty summary. “WorkSafeBC attended the site after a worker was struck by a tree that fell from a cliff face above the work area. The worker sustained fatal injuries.” WorkSafeBC says their investigation determined “the firm did not adequately identify the hazard of dangerous trees or assess the risks they presented to workers.” The company also failed to “conduct a dangerous tree assessment by a qualified person before work began and failed to ensure the health and safety of all workers at the worksite, both high-risk violations.”
Consultation on proposed B.C. Exposure Limits (ELs) based on the new or revised 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 ACGIH TLVs for selected chemical substances. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) regularly publishes a list of substances for which they have set new or revised Threshold Limit Values (TLVs). A TLV is the airborne concentration of a chemical substance where it is believed that nearly all workers may be exposed over a working lifetime and experience no adverse health effects. TLVs may be expressed as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA), 15-minute short-term exposure limit (STEL), or ceiling limit. Before adopting new or revised TLVs published by the ACGIH, WorkSafeBC reviews relevant data on health effects and the availability of validated sampling methods. …We are requesting stakeholder feedback on the proposed B.C. ELs for 22 substances. Feedback will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 14, 2025.