BC forestry CEOs say fibre access, land certainty and regulatory reform are urgent — not optional. Other COFI 2026 keynotes include:
- COFI Chair Greg Stewart opens with call for collective action
- Canada pledges partnership in forest sector transformation
- Regional Chief Teegee calls for full DRIPA implementation
- Economist Bryan Yu sees slowing growth, persistent uncertainty ahead
- Minister Parmar outlines working forest vision, commits to structural shift
- Opinion researcher Bruce Anderson sees policy window opening for forestry
In Business news: the new softwood lumber duty rates announced by Commerce are panned by Minister Parmar and BC’s Independent Wood Processors, but praised by the US Lumber Coalition. Meanwhile: Mercer’s debt challenges persist; Russian forest companies face bankruptcy; and US consumer prices surge, while US remodeling sentiment edges down.
In Forestry news: criminal contempt charges were approved for BC old-growth protesters; BC’s forests are being reviewed to death; Mississippi researchers enhance forestry decision-making software; Oregon NGOs hold public meetings on forest protections; US logging is said to be less harmful than you think; and more on the USFS research station closures ahead of an expected catastrophic wildfire season.
Finally, more coverage of yesterday at COFI here. Today’s presentations will be in Monday’s news.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor