Kansas City Southern will begin talks with CN Rail, as the slugfest between Canadian archrivals (CN and CP) gets ugly. In other Business news: new home sales jump again in the US, Gorman’s Nick Arkle on why lumber is so expensive; Brock Mulligan on the related boon for Alberta’s forest industry; the Wall Street Journal on why this market ride is more robust than past booms; and Cees de Jager on the Softwood Lumber Board 2020 ROI. Companies in the news include: Paper Excellence, Kandola Forest Products, and Biewer Lumber.

In Forestry/Climate news: Joe Biden’s Climate Summit fails to satisfy the critics, particularly on the biomass and media coverage front; and in mass timber news, BC to study economics of its use in affordable housing; and Wisconsin considers early adoption of codes permitting its use.

Finally, is a coveted guitar wood on the stairway to heaven?

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor