Tolko announced six weeks of downtime at its Kelowna BC mill, while the communities of Mackenzie, Houston, Clinton and Kelowna grapple with the fallout of mill closures. In related news: BC MLA Rustad calls for the replacement of Forest Minister Donaldson. 

In Forestry/Climate news: ENGOs criticize Trump’s choice to head public lands, thinning advocates pan Arizona’s biomass decision; researchers say longleaf pines depend on fire, but a warming climate means less Douglas-fir planting; and Norwegian researchers say climate change killed 200 reindeer. 

In wildfire news: Montana and Oregon fires cause smoke warnings and evacuations; dry lightning is causing havoc in Nova Scotia; and BC is rehabilitating its Cariboo forests and protecting its Okanagan watersheds.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor