If you’re not already concerned about the global decline of white oak forests, you should be — especially if you’re a bourbon drinker. While oaks provide habitat, food, and shelter for many species, they’re also the cornerstone for aging bourbon. By law, bourbon must be aged in new, charred American oak barrels. Most distilleries use white oak for its strength, flavor profile, and the rich color it creates… Oak tree reduction has been recorded in 39 countries, and 31% of the 430 known oak species are on the verge of extinction. Invasive species, drought, fires, and soil compaction are primarily to blame. While there hasn’t been much action or acknowledgment from policymakers, the bourbon industry recognized the potential threat as far back as 1998, understanding that without oak trees, they’d have no product.
The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) and Woodsure (A division of Axis Insurance Managers Inc.) announced a new partnership between their WoodWorks and Woodsure programs respectively. This strategic collaboration is expected to help support the increased adoption of wood construction in Canada. The positive influences of design innovation, advanced materials, new building codes, and the evolving priorities of society are driving change in the construction sector; in particular, these influences are driving the expanded use of advanced wood construction… However, as with the adoption of any new technology, perceived unknowns can create barriers that need to be to overcome. One such barrier is access to insurance for this new class of technologically advanced wood buildings.
The concept of building small apartment buildings with a single staircase is being met with renewed debate, this time in Burnaby. Earlier this year, the province announced building code changes that removed the requirement to have two stairwells in multi-unit buildings of up to six storeys. The province argues that allowing single stairwells will allow for more units in buildings and that modern safety regulations have eliminated the need for two stairwells. But designer and housing advocate Bryn Davidson says he’s been told a municipal planner in Burnaby that the city won’t accept single-stairwell designs, due to safety concerns from the local fire department… groups say the B.C. government made its changes outside of Canada’s national code development process, while the International Codes Council rejected a similar proposed change in May.
Two clean energy projects are underway in Sequim and Port Angeles, aided by funding obtained from the state Department of Commerce. These projects will help reduce byproduct waste for the Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC) and aid in construction of an independent microgrid for the Clallam County Public Utility District (PUD) No. 1. The CRTC will use about two-thirds of its $437,000 grant to buy equipment that can repurpose wood byproducts resulting from housing kit production. The remaining one-third will go to the Makah Tribe, which will also use the funds to reduce wood byproducts… The CRTC thermally modifies the lumber, which collapses the wood and removes much of the moisture, resulting in pressure-treated wood without the use of chemicals.
A recent 
Following a $1.6M investment from the Government of Canada, Trans Canada Trail is excited to introduce a new program to help local trail groups fund tree-planting activities across Canada. The Planting for Tomorrow program provides funding for tree-planting, invasive species removal, seed collection and seed starting projects. These projects will contribute to nature-based solutions that improve ecosystems, enhance biodiversity and engage local communities from coast to coast to coast in volunteerism and participation… Trans Canada Trail will partner with trail groups across the country to plant 150,000 trees over the next three years. This program’s launch follows consultation with trail groups to understand their capacity and need to plant trees and tree-planting pilot projects.
There is no solution to climate change and terrestrial biodiversity loss that does not involve healthy forest ecosystems. Canada is deeply committed to the principles of sustainable forest management. We are working with domestic and international partners to support healthy forests for generations to come. Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced an investment of over $20 million to support initiatives that advance sustainable forest policy and forest stewardship globally. Through Canada’s 
The survey examines Canadians’ views toward the value of trees. The value and role of trees is top of mind as Canadians experience extreme weather events with 79% of Canada agreeing that recent heat waves and warnings have made them think about the importance of trees in our cities to help keep them cooler. In addition, Canadian recognize the important contribution trees make to addressing climate change, keeping Canada’s air and water clean and providing habitat for animals. Download a slideshow with highlights from the survey 
As the gap between burned areas and replanting widens year after year, scientists see big challenges beyond where to put seedlings. The U.S. currently lacks the ability to collect enough seeds from living trees and the nursery capacity to grow seedlings for replanting on a scale anywhere close to stemming accelerating losses, researchers say. It also doesn’t have enough trained workers to plant and monitor trees. The Forest Service said the biggest roadblock to replanting on public land is completing environmental and cultural assessments and preparing severely burned areas so they’re safe to plant. That can take years — while more forests are lost to fire… 
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People with common sense only agree to spend huge sums of money if they are sure of getting a worthwhile result. Logically, you’d expect Canadian government websites would have the information we need to make a common-sense decision: how much will Net Zero cost us, and what benefit in “global cooling” will our spending achieve?… For Canada alone, the Royal Bank of Canada suggests reaching 75 per cent of Net Zero by 2050 will cost $60 billion Cdn a year, which works out to about $1,500 a year for every Canadian, or $6,000 a year for a family of four… Faced with these numbers, a person with common sense asks: if we make ourselves poorer by $6,000 or more per household a year, how much “global warming” will our sacrifices prevent?
You’ve probably heard that the Biden administration’s signature climate law, the 
Forest carbon credits, which pay governments and private landowners to conserve carbon-rich forests as a way to slow climate change, face mounting criticism for being less effective than advertised. Brazil’s top climate official is pushing back on their dubious reputation… In Brazil, fighting deforestation is synonymous with fighting climate change. The country has about 60% forest cover and is home to the majority of the Amazon rainforest. More than half of Brazil’s emissions are tied to changes in land use and deforestation… Companies, governments and others can sell forest carbon credits to groups looking to offset their own emissions. But the credits have not always worked as intended: Investigations have pointed to flawed accounting and exaggerated claims.
