Canada defends forest industry support amid US Lumber Coalition pressure, says diversification will reduce lumber dependence. In related news: FPAC’s Derek Nighbor welcomes Canada’s diversification program; RBC Economics reviews the decades-long softwood dispute; FEA’s Paul Jannke updates the Section 122 duty implications for wood products; and more on BC Premier Eby’s trade mission to India. In other Business news: paper industry trends; lumber futures new low; and Q4 earnings reports from Stella-Jones, Drax and Cascades.

In Forestry news: Mosaic tests a new approach to forest management in Koksilah Watershed; a First Nations coalition prepares to take over Canfor’s timber allocation; and Bayer faces new court challenges after Roundup deal. Meanwhile: entries open for the Marcus Wallenberg Prize; news from SFI’s Project Learning Tree and the BC Forest Safety Council; annual convention updates by COFI (April 8-10), and OFIA (April 28-29); and CWC’s webinar on affordable housing and mass timber (March 5).

Finally, when firefighters choose to sleep in a wood building, that tells you something about how far mass timber has come.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor