Category Archives: Business & Politics

Business & Politics

U.S.-Canada Trade Relations: Current Tensions And Future Outlook

By Kyla Kitamura
US Congressional Research Service
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

The United States and Canada have one of the largest bilateral trade relationships in the world, including highly integrated energy and automotive markets. Since 1989, U.S.-Canada trade has been governed by the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, then by the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and now by the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Since 2025, U.S.-Canada trade tensions have increased following the imposition of U.S. tariffs on key Canadian exports. The two countries, along with Mexico, also are scheduled to engage in a review of USMCA in July 2026. …The United States and Canada have had a decades-long dispute over trade in softwood lumber. The last agreement… expired in October 2015. Since the agreement’s expiration, the United States has imposed antidumping (AD) and countervailing duties (CVD) on imports of Canadian softwood lumber. Canada has challenged the duties through NAFTA, USMCA, the WTO, and the U.S. Court of International Trade..

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Clarity in Canadian law of Aboriginal title is not optional

By Joesph Roberson, retired judge of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal
The Globe and Mail
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

The BC Supreme Court’s decision in Cowichan v. Canada has drawn national attention. For the first time, a Canadian court has granted a declaration of Aboriginal title over privately owned lands. …But at the same time, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal in J.D. Irving v. Wolastoqey Nation ruled that the private lands held by timber companies were not subject to declarations of Aboriginal title. …We need to understand each ruling to understand the trajectory of Canadian law’s engagement with reconciliation. It’s clear that the rulings in fact point in just one direction, because Cowichan can be sustained only by rewriting the Supreme Court’s settled doctrine of Aboriginal title, while Wolastoqey, with one severable modification, remains faithful to it. Of the two decisions, only Wolastoqey offers an approach that is legally sound and clear in its application. …Wolastoqey demonstrates that proven wrongs can be addressed through compensation and negotiation without unsettling land titles or distorting the doctrine of Aboriginal title; Cowichan does the opposite. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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B.C. pushes for ‘long-term softwood lumber deal’ as U.S. group praises tariffs

CBC News
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar is in Ottawa pushing the federal government to prioritize a softwood lumber deal with the US. That’s as a US lumber lobby group praises the Trump administration for reducing ‘harmful’ Canadian imports with the use of tariffs.

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Tariff-hit industries struggling as trade war drags into second year

By Ian Bickis
The Canadian Press in the Victoria Times Colonist
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

TORONTO — Canadian businesses hit by targeted U.S. tariffs are struggling to respond as the trade war drags into its second year. …industries like metal production, lumber and automobiles continue to face steep duties more than a year after U.S. President Donald Trump upended the global status quo. Companies have cut staff, pulled back on production and pushed for government action as the heavy duties continue to shake the crucial and long-standing trade relationship with the U.S. …“Because of the way that these tariffs are imposed … five to six key manufacturing subsectors are really, really hurting versus the rest of the economy”, said Claire Fan, senior economist at RBC. …The softwood lumber industry was hit by harsh duties back in 2017, which Trump has since added to, resulting in production down over 25 per cent since the first round, she noted. The result is 22 mills closed since 2022 and another 50 with reduced operations…

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Canadian Imports Are Being Replaced by U.S. Production – A Direct Result of U.S. Trade Law Enforcement and the Section 232 Tariff

By US Lumber Coalition
PR Newswire
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Zoltan van Heyningen

WASHINGTON — Strong US trade law enforcement measures coupled with the appropriate application of Section 232 tariff measures have resulted in reducing Canada’s softwood lumber market share in the US from 32% in 2016 to an average of 18.6% over the most recent quarter of available data. This significant reduction in Canadian market share comes as a direct result of the US Lumber Coalition filing trade cases and President Trump’s imposition of Section 232 tariff measures. …”The latest Canadian market share data demonstrates that Canadian imports can and should be replaced by US production. More US lumber produced by US workers to provide a more stable domestic supply of lumber for US housing is a win for American forestry workers and communities,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director. …”The most recent USMCA panel decisions likewise have concluded that Canada engaged in dumping, is subsidizing its industry, and that lumber imports are harming US producers”.

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Gorman brothers celebrates 75 years in the Okanagan by expanding into a massive new sawmill

By Nelson Bennett
Resource Works
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

From wooden fruit boxes to telephone poles and finger-joint boards, the Gorman Brothers company has managed to survive and grow for 75 years in the Okanagan by developing niche and specialty wood products. The family-owned wood business, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in business this year, recently started a new chapter in its long, steady growth story when it acquired a sawmill and forest tenure from Weyerhaeuser for $120 million. The acquisition includes the former Weyerhaeuser sawmill in Princeton, which has been rebranded as Similkameen Forest Products, and forest tenure totaling 682,000 cubic metres. …Until the recent purchase of the Princeton mill, Gorman Brothers was one of the few sawmillers in B.C. that did not produce conventional structural lumber like two-by-fours. It produces mainly “appearance grade” interior and exterior boards for home finishing and renovation – ceiling and soffit boards, wainscotting and trim, decking and siding.

 

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BC Timber Sales to increase fibre access, strengthen long-term forest outcomes, protect jobs

By the Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Ravi Parmar

The Province has introduced legislative amendments to the Forest Act and Forest and Range Practices Act, which empower BC Timber Sales (BCTS) to improve access to fibre, create more opportunities for loggers and contractors, deepen partnerships with First Nations and strengthen its stewardship role in B.C.’s forests. “Our path forward for forestry means a BC Timber Sales that moves fibre faster, creates more opportunities for workers and contractors, and ensures local logs go to local mills,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “These changes matter to the workers grinding it out in the bush, to the worker on the mill line who will see a steady stream of timber, and to local companies and communities who will be able to access the fibre they need.” These legislative amendments are expected to increase B.C.’s fibre supply by as much as 800,000 cubic metres, directly supporting faster fibre delivery, stronger local economies and more responsive forest stewardship.

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Spearhead Pushes Possibilities with $60 Million Glulam Expansion

By Spearhead
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Spearhead, a Nelson, BC-based family-owned timber fabricator, is investing $60 million in a new production facility housing a highly specialized glulam manufacturing line and advanced CNC machining technology — purpose-built to drive innovation and push possibilities in mass timber construction and advanced timber fabrication. With construction already underway, the new facility sits immediately adjacent to Spearhead’s existing operation just outside of Nelson, BC — a site the company has called home for almost 30 years. …The project team includes Leckie Studio as architect of record, Fast + Epp as engineer of record, and HR Pacific as general contractor. …Spearhead is creating over 60 new full time jobs in Nelson, taking the company’s headcount to over 120. The project has already received $7.5 million in provincial funding from the Manufacturing Jobs Fund, reflecting broader recognition of mass timber’s role in Canada’s forestry and construction future, with additional funding partnerships to be announced soon.

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B.C. introducing legislative amendments to increase wood fibre supply

Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The B.C. government says it’s making legislative changes to bolster access to wood fibre, including timber damaged by wildfires, insects and windstorms. The Forests Ministry says the changes will potentially increase the supply of fibre by as much as 17,700 truckloads and allow B.C. Timber Sales to auction off contracts for forestry thinning, wildfire risk reduction and damaged timber salvage. A statement from the ministry says these “fibre-generating activities” will be available to forestry contractors and value-added mills. …B.C.’s forestry industry has been facing a shortage of fibre as the Wood Pellet Association of Canada said in 2025 that the fibre supply has fallen more than 40 per cent since 2018… Kurt Niquidet with B.C. Council of Forest Industries said in 2024 that local and global demand for wood products to build more affordable housing is growing, but the forestry industry is also facing a “critical shortage” of timber for B.C. mills.

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COFI 2026: Last chance to register as convention approaches

Council of Forest Industries
March 31, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) Annual Convention is just days away, with registration closing April 2 for the April 8–10 event at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver.

Forestry is a Solution theme focuses on sector challenges and opportunities
With BC’s forest sector at a crossroads, this year’s convention brings together leaders from industry, government, First Nations and local communities to advance solutions tied to housing, wildfire resilience, reconciliation and economic stability.

Program highlights include trade, fibre supply and wildfire resilience
Attendees can expect keynote speakers and panel discussions on global markets, competitiveness, product diversification and wood supply, alongside a trade show and networking opportunities across the forest sector supply chain.

Over 600 delegates expected at Western Canada’s largest forestry gathering
The convention offers a key platform for collaboration and dialogue, positioning forestry as part of the solution to some of BC’s most pressing challenges.

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Meggin Messenger has been appointed chair of BC Forest Practices Board

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
March 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Meggin Messenger

Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests, has appointed Meggin Messenger as chair of the independent forest auditing and investigating body for a three-year term, effective Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Messenger is a registered professional forester with an undergraduate degree in forestry and a master’s degree in public administration. Before being appointed to this new role, Messenger worked as an executive director in the BC Public Service and has led work on forestry, land use, resource stewardship, community development, climate change and sustainability. …The Forest Practices Board is B.C.’s independent watchdog for sound forest and range practices, reporting its findings and recommendations directly to the public and government. The board audits forest and range practices and appropriateness of government enforcement on public lands, investigates public complaints and current forestry issues, participates in administrative appeals and makes recommendations for improvement to practices and legislation.

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Ottawa to supply $15.6M to tariff-impacted Saskatchewan workers and employers

The Canadian Press in Global News
March 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Buckley Belanger

The federal government says it’s funding a $15.6-million program that supports Saskatchewan workers and employers affected by tariffs. Ottawa says the three-year program is available to those in the steel and softwood lumber industries, along with other sectors affected by foreign duties. It says the funding would support up to 1,800 workers in Saskatchewan who may face unemployment and require new skills to keep their jobs. The government says supports will be delivered through SaskJobs. Buckley Belanger, Canada’s secretary of state for rural development, says the funding gives workers a fair shot when tariffs hit their industries hard. Canadian businesses slapped with targeted US levies have said they’re struggling. …Saskatchewan Career Training Minister Eric Schmalz said his province’s diverse economy has allowed it to lessen the brunt of tariffs.

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Ottawa is changing—what does it mean for forestry?

Council of Forest Industries
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

The Council of Forest Industries 2026 conventions welcomes veteran strategist Bruce Anderson as a luncheon keynote. Anderson brings more than three decades of insight into public opinion and Canadian politics to a timely luncheon keynote. One of Canada’s most respected market and opinion researchers, Anderson has advised major corporations and organizations—from Royal Bank of Canada and TELUS to Enbridge and Teck Resources—as well as numerous industry groups and NGOs. Formerly Chairman of Abacus Data, he is a familiar voice on Canadian media, including CBC News At Issue panel, the Good Talk podcast with Peter Mansbridge & Chantal Hebert, and is a contributor to publications such as The Globe and Mail and Maclean’s. Drawing on current research, Anderson will explore how Ottawa’s evolving agenda is reshaping trade, investment, and resource development—and what it will take to ensure forestry remains central to Canada’s economic future. A must-attend session for anyone watching the intersection of politics, public opinion, and the forest sector.

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Alberta moves to ease trade rules on consumer goods coming from other provinces

By Jack Farrell
CBC News
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Alberta’s government has tabled legislation to ease regulations and barriers to more easily enable the sale of some goods from other provinces. It’s part of a commitment Alberta made with its provincial and federal counterparts in signing an interprovincial free trade pact in November. That trade accord, which is supposed to take effect this summer, would see provinces recognize each other’s regulations for most consumer and capital products to avoid duplicative inspections and requirements. …Government officials told reporters before the bill was tabled that manufacturers in industries such as oil and gas, lumber and logging and fertilizer producers will likely see the most positive impact once the pact takes effect.

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Canada built its forest industry for one customer. B.C. is now paying the price

By Jordan Solomon, president and CEO, Ecostrat
Vancouver Sun
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

B.C.’s latest budget confirmed: One of the province’s foundational industries has lost more than half its public revenue base in a single economic cycle. Forestry revenues are projected at $521 million, down from $1.3 billion just a few years ago. …It is a structural failure. For decades, Canada built its forest economy around a single export market and a narrow set of commodity products. That strategy has now been exposed as dangerously fragile. …The issue is not a lack of fibre, skills, infrastructure or industrial heritage. …The issue is the absence of investment-grade data and intelligence that allow global firms to move quickly from site selection to financing and construction. …Canada already has a strong global investment attraction network through Invest in Canada and the trade commissioner service… What is missing is nationally consistent, standardized data sets on forest biomass availability, infrastructure capacity, workforce readiness, and permitting pathways that allow those teams to respond immediately when firms begin evaluating locations.

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BC Forests Minister Parmar to speak at COFI 2026 convention

BC Council of Forest Industries
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

With just 13 days to go, anticipation is building for the COFI Convention 2026, taking place April 8–10 at the JW Marriott Parq in Vancouver—bringing together more than 600 leaders from industry, government, First Nations, and communities under the theme Forestry is a Solution. A featured session, The Path Forward: Building Resiliency for the Future, will see the Hon. Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests and Makenzie Leine, Deputy Minister of Forests in conversation with COFI President and CEO Kim Haakstad. Against a backdrop of fibre supply pressures and shifting global markets, the discussion will explore both immediate actions and long-term strategies to restore predictability, strengthen competitiveness, and position BC as a global leader in sustainable forestry. With keynotes, panels, and networking opportunities across the supply chain, registration remains open for what is set to be Western Canada’s largest forest sector gathering.

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Rethinking Forest Management: A Conversation on the Future of Forestry in B.C. with Shannon Janzen

By Rez Dog Walkers
YouTube
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West

Join Dallas Smith in this episode of the Rez Dog Walkers Podcast as he sits down with Shannon Janzen, former Vice President at Western Forest Products and a key contributor to the recent independent report, From Conflict to Care: BC’s Forest Future, for a thoughtful conversation on the challenges and future of British Columbia’s forestry sector. Shannon shares her perspective on the structural barriers impacting the industry today. She also explores lessons learned from her work as a consultant supporting Indigenous communities in business development, highlighting the growing importance of collaboration between Nations and the opportunity to rethink forest management with respect to the unique challenges faced by different regions across B.C. Dallas and Shannon also explore the background and some of the key findings of the recent report, highlighting the need to find opportunities amidst the challenges and the importance of building trusting relationships as a prerequisite for certainty and sustainability.

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B.C. mulls plan to weaken DRIPA, in secret document shared with First Nations leaders

By Alessia Passafiume
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

David Eby

OTTAWA — BC Premier David Eby is considering amendments that would weaken the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, after two recent court decisions siding with First Nations under the law’s current wording. Amendments proposed in a confidential letter and document sent to some First Nations leaders in BC on Monday say the government is looking to change the wording to promise “ongoing processes” to align “select” legislation with the bill, known as DRIPA. The current wording of the “Purpose of the Act” section says it is “to affirm the application of the Declaration to the laws of British Columbia.” First Nations leaders, along with more than 130 civil society organizations including the B.C. Federation of Labour, have called on Eby to leave the bill alone. …The province is hosting a briefing about the proposed changes with First Nations leaders on Wednesday, asking for feedback by 4 p.m. Friday.

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Inside New Brunswick’s Forest Economy: A Conversation with JD Irving’s Jason Limongelli

By David Campbell and Don Mills
Yopur Greater Moncton
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Jason Limongelli

Our guest on this episode of the Insights Podcast is Jason Limongelli, Vice President, Woodlands Division with JD Irving, Limited. The forest products industry is the most important driver of economic activity in New Brunswick, generating nearly a billion dollars in tax and royalty revenue in 2024 and supporting one out of every 17 jobs in the province. Despite its importance, most people don’t really understand how it works. How many trees get cut down every year? How long does it take for a tree to reach full maturity? How many trees are planted each year? What does it mean to manage a Crown Land license? Jason answers all these questions and more. He also tells us about JDI. [podcast is 1h 7min long

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Ontario’s 2026 budget sees deficit hit $13.8B amid looming global instability

By Adam Carter
CBC News
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

Peter Bethlenfalvy

The spectre of worldwide instability looms large in Ontario’s 2026 budget, which includes a small business income tax cut alongside a temporary reprieve on HST for buyers of new homes — but also pushes back a balanced budget for yet another year with a higher-than projected deficit. The $244-billion spending plan is replete with phrases like “uncertainty” and “heightened trade tensions,” and includes an increase in reserve spending from $1.5 billion in 2026-27 to $2.5 billion in 2028-29. …Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said “Geopolitical forces that may have once felt distant have now reached our shores,” he said. “Global economic and trade tensions, supply chain disruptions, shifting markets — simply put, the world has changed, and we must change with it.” …The province’s recently announced plan to temporarily remove HST for buyers of new homes remains, with plans in place for the full 13% tax to be removed for new homes valued up to $1 million.

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Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre kicks off program support for startup companies in forestry sector

Northern Ontario Business
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada East

The Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre (NOIC), in partnership with the Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) and the Centre for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE), is pleased to announce the launch of its first accelerator program under The Boreal Springboard. This initiative, inaugurated in fall 2025, is designed to strengthen and diversify northwestern Ontario’s forestry sector by supporting the commercialization of innovative forest-based solutions. The accelerator is a 12-week, intensive program that delivers targeted investment of resources and supports into innovative early-stage companies. Participating companies are advancing new forest-based products and technologies that add value to the region’s abundant and sustainably managed forest resources. This value creation may be achieved through improved efficiencies for the operations of established incumbents in the sector, or through the development of new products, markets, and applications that build out around our core capacities, regional fibre supply, and residual streams.

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Acadian Timber sharpens U.S. focus amid labour, market strains

By Payge Woodard
The Telegraph-Journal
March 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East, United States

Acadian Timber, one of Canada’s largest forest landowners, wants to close the performance gap between New Brunswick and its business in Maine, a goal its new interim CEO says is achievable despite labour and market challenges. …Malcolm Cockwell, who was named interim boss last month, said, “There are a lot of strong companies here that are investing in their facilities and running them pretty consistently even in challenging markets. Maine is a little bit more hit-and-miss with facilities not being as consistent with their operating schedule and a number of facilities dropping out over the last couple of years.” Acadian has just under 1 million hectares of land under management across New Brunswick and northeastern Maine, with approximately 313,000 hectares of freehold timberlands – privately owned forest land – in New Brunswick and 121,000 in Maine. …One way to make that happen in Maine is to improve Acadian Timber’s contractor base.

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Supreme Court’s tariff decision still leaves a ‘mess’ for companies trying to grab refunds

By Peter Crabb and Alison Larson
The Conversation US
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

US companies stung by President Trump’s emergency tariffs had hoped for relief when the US Supreme Court ruled in their favor. But settling on a remedy – namely, rebate checks from the government – may be an even bigger headache. Fresh wrinkles are prompting businesses to take different routes as they try to recoup money, with many opting to sue to improve their odds. These lawsuits are also underscoring the complex ways that tariffs worked their way through corporate accounting. In some cases, their cost was a clear line item; in others, the impact was muddier – say, through changed supply lines or selective increases in retail pricing. And some have backed off from a legal fight altogether and sold their refund rights to investment firms, often at a deep discount, figuring that getting something is better than risk getting nothing. …Consider the different approaches taken by FedEx and the retail chain Costco.

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BC reaction to US Supreme Court tariff ruling

Global News
March 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

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European Parliament gives conditional approval to EU-US trade deal

By Jessica Rawnsley
BBC News
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

The European Parliament has backed legislation to implement an EU-US trade deal, following months of uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. A majority of lawmakers voted in favour of the measures on Thursday, but added a series of safeguards to ensure the US honours its side of the deal struck last July. The legislation would set tariffs at 15% for most EU goods – down from the 30% initially threatened – in exchange for European investment in the US and the removal of EU import duties on US industrial goods. The vote comes after months of delay following Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and a US Supreme Court ruling that found some of his tariffs unlawful. The EU assembly voted by 417 to 154, and 71 abstentions, in favour of the legislation. The text will need to be signed off by all of the bloc’s 27 member states, with a concluding vote expected in April or May.

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Preliminary Determination in the Countervailing Duty Investigation of High Purity Dissolving Pulp from Brazil

The Federal Register
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International

On March 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) announced its preliminary affirmative determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of high purity dissolving pulp from Brazil. Commerce’s preliminarily determined that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of high purity dissolving pulp (dissolving pulp) from Brazil. The period of investigation is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination. …Commerce preliminarily determines that the following countervailable subsidy rates exist: Company Bracell Bahia Specialty Cellulose S.A. 3.67%, All Others 3.56%. …The final determination for the CVD investigation has been aligned with the concurrent antidumping duty investigation of high purity dissolving pulp from Brazil and Norway, and therefore, is scheduled to be announced on August 4, 2026, unless postponed. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting a concurrent injury investigation.  

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Push grows for second biomass plant as thinning efforts face deadline

By Peter Aleshire
Payson Roundup
March 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US West

Arizona — Efforts to scale up forest thinning across northern Arizona are intensifying, as local officials, industry representatives and environmental groups warn that time is running short to reduce wildfire risk and protect critical watersheds. “Everybody is aware now that there is a biomass issue, but very, very, very few people have any real knowledge of the solution,” Eastern Arizona Counties Organization Executive Director Pascal Berlioux said during a recent Natural Resources Working Group meeting. A broad coalition is advocating for construction of a second biomass-burning power plant, arguing it is essential to prevent the collapse of the region’s wood products industry. Without that industry, leaders say, large-scale thinning efforts could stall, increasing the likelihood of severe wildfires threatening forest communities. 

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Current, former workers sue Western Forest Products’ Vancouver, Washington operation

By Sarah Wolf
The Columbian
March 20, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON STATE– Current and former employees are suing Western Forest Products’ Vancouver operation, alleging the company failed to give employees breaks and pay wages owed. …Western manufactures lumber at its Fruit Valley location and formerly operated a Columbia Vista sawmill that closed after a fire last year. …The group of current and former employees also allege Western Forest Products didn’t keep accurate payroll records. The complaint states about 40 employees could have been impacted by the alleged practices. Babita Khunkhun, spokesperson for Western Forest Products, said “While we cannot comment on the specifics of the allegations at this time, we take all employee concerns seriously,” Khunkhun said. The company is reviewing the lawsuit and will respond through the appropriate legal process, she added. Western Forest Products recently unveiled plans to expand its Fruit Valley manufacturing operation.

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Biofuel plant incentive bill clears Wisconsin Senate

By Celia Horns and Tom Stankard
The Leader Telegram
March 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

Romaine Quinn

An incentive package for a proposed aviation biofuel facility in Hayward cleared the Senate 31–2 and now heads to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk for final approval. The bill passed through the Assembly 94–5 last month. …Senator Romaine Quinn praised the bill’s potential to bring economic development to the state’s northern region and its forestry industry… “This will fundamentally change the trajectory of the forestry industry in this state — raising the value of timber, improving forest health, and bolstering 2,000 jobs across Northern Wisconsin.” …The technology used to convert woody biomass into SAF is proven, but has yet to be scaled commercially. …Green said it “not only revives Wisconsin’s timber markets after years of decline, but will also bolster thousands of jobs across Northern Wisconsin.” “By utilizing 80% Wisconsin-sourced wood, the project ensures a strong, homegrown market for loggers and foresters while encouraging better forest management practices,” he said

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Hearing set for Georgia Pacific’s polluted water discharge plan

By James Call, USA Today
The Tallahassee Democrat
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing in April on Georgia Pacific’s request to release stormwater runoff from a closed paper mill into the Fenholloway River near Perry.  The Koch Industries subsidiary is embroiled in a dispute with neighboring landowners that has forced it to seek a permit to discharge 5 million gallons of polluted water daily from the site of the closed Foley Cellulose plant into the river. In December, GP submitted the permit application after an arbitrator sided with Four Rivers Land & Timber, who had blocked GP’s use of a 15-mile-long pipeline built to carry the discharge to the river’s mouth at the Gulf. …While there is no new effluent or wastewater, because GP has significantly dismantled the plant, there are pollutants in the ground accumulated during the 70 years the plant was in operation. 

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Georgia-Pacific Announces President & CEO; Duncan to Lead Nearly 100-year-old Atlanta-Based Manufacturing Company

Georgia Pacific
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

David Duncan

ATLANTA – Georgia-Pacific announced that effective immediately, David Duncan, executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific’s consumer products group, has been named president and CEO. Mark Luetters, who currently serves as executive vice president of Koch had temporarily served as CEO since 2025. David Duncan, executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific’s consumer products group, has been named president and CEO. He’s been with the company since 2018 in leadership roles and has 28 years of experience at Koch companies. Prior to joining Georgia-Pacific, he served as president of performance solutions at INVISTA. …Vivek Joshi, currently president of the consumer tissue, towel and napkins (TTN) business, will become executive vice president of the consumer products business. 

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Domtar to idle East Alabama fluff pulp mill, affecting 285 jobs

By William Thornton
All Alabama
March 24, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

COOSA PINES, Alabama — Pulp and tissue company Domtar announced it will indefinitely idle operations at its Coosa Pines fluff pulp mill in May. The decision will impact 285 employees, the company said. The mill on the Coosa River in Talladega County began operating in 1950 as a joint venture between Kimberly-Clark and newspaper publishers. For several years, it produced newsprint for publishers, mostly in the Southeast. It has an estimated annual economic impact of $569 million. “The Coosa Pines mill has been challenged by difficult market conditions, as well as its aged assets, resulting in high costs of maintaining and operating the facility, underscoring the need for this strategic decision,” Domtar said in a statement. Domtar said it will conduct a “safe and orderly wind-down of production” at the plant, and will support employees “through career transition resources, benefits guidance, and open communications during this period.

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West Fraser asks Escambia for tax break as sawmill plans expansion

By Mollye Barrows
Pensacola News Journal
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

PENSACOLA, Florida — West Fraser is requesting a tax break from Escambia County as the lumber company prepares for a planned expansion at its McDavid sawmill. Escambia County staff prepared a draft ordinance proposing the Canadian-based lumber company receive a 70% ad valorem tax exemption for a period of five years. …West Fraser applied for an EDATE for the assessed value of certain improvements. If the exemption is granted… over the next five years, the estimate of the taxable value lost to the county if the exemption is granted is $70,252,000 improvements to real property. In 2023, the board adopted a resolution supporting West Fraser’s expansion and agreed to consider the lumber company’s EDATE application when it was submitted. The county is scheduled to vote March 26 at its board meeting on scheduling a public hearing to consider establishing an EDATE for West Fraser. 

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Five Alabama startups join new forestry accelerator

Business Alabama
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

ALABAMA — Five forestry companies from the Southeast make up the inaugural cohort of the Alabama Forestry Accelerator. The accelerator aims to increase technology and business innovation in the forestry industry. Forestry in Alabama generates an estimated $36 billion in annual economic impact, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce. The state ranks fourth in lumber production and second in pulp and paper production. The Alabama Forestry Accelerator is hosted in Dothan’s Wiregrass Innovation Center, in partnership with HudsonAlpha Wiregrass. …The five companies making up the inaugural class are:

  • Chonex, of Baldwin County, converts agricultural and industry byproducts into biofertilizers.
  • Contreras Forestry, in Birmingham, is building on reforestation and utility forestry operations.
  • Druid, based in North Carolina, developed a smart camera system that monitors plant health.
  • Shellulose, in Auburn, creates a biodegradable alternative to plastics from forestry waste.
  • TreeTracker, of Starkville, Mississippi, provides a mobile, web-based forest management platform.

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USDA Announces $115.2 Million Investment to Expand Timber Production in Eight States

The US Department of Agriculture
March 23, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

At the Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference, US Department of Agriculture Administrator J.R. Claeys announced the USDA is guaranteeing $115.2 million across eight states (California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Wisconsin) through the Timber Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program (TPEP) to ensure sawmills and other wood processing facilities have the necessary funding to establish, reopen, expand, or improve their operations. These investments represent a commitment to expand American timber production by 25%, reduce wildfire risk, and save American lives and communities by strengthening domestic wood processing capacity. …A selection of project highlights from states receiving funding include: $12.3 million loan to Beachcombers in Oklahoma to acquire two Teal-Jones sawmills, located in Antlers, Oklahoma, and Liberty, Mississippi. $800,000 loan to Timber Professionals Cooperative Enterprises in Wisconsin to assist in re-opening a sawmill in Shawano County, Wisconsin.

In related coverage with different highlights from states receiving funding:

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Fibre Excellence takes legal action against the French government

Byu Faustine Loison
Print Industry News
March 27, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

FRANCE — Fibre Excellence has taken the next step in its battle with the French government. The pulp producer, which operates two sites in Saint-Gaudens and Tarascon, has requested a preliminary administrative appeal, a compulsory step before referring the matter to the administrative judge. For the industrialist, “the future of the company and the French forest-wood-paper industry is at stake between now and mid-April”. Committed to a conciliation procedure “unsuccessful to date in avoiding receivership” management is now looking to “to obtain a written response from the State”. …Without a commitment by April 14, the situation could tip over the edge, warns Fibre Excellence, which is talking about suspension of payments. And Fibre Excellence will be “forced” to refer the matter to the administrative judge, who may order modifications to the contract in question, but also “grant compensation commensurate with the damage suffered”.

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Pulp & Beyond 2026: Featuring pulp and paper industry trends and challenges

By: Simon Matthis
Pulp Paper News
March 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Highly exposed to energy costs, today’s unpredictable global trade politics and the crisis in the Middle East are impacting the pulp and paper industry in many ways. These developments will certainly be reflected at Pulp & Beyond 2026, the leading forest-based bioeconomy event in Northern Europe, taking place on 15–16 April 2026 at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki, Finland. However, the main theme of this year’s event—focusing on the role of artificial intelligence in process industries, innovation within the forest sector, and the future of the bioeconomy—was defined before the Middle East war broke out, along with the subsequent oil and gas crisis, turbulence in global stock markets, and the growing risk of an unprecedented global recession. Pulp & Beyond 2026 will be held April 14-17 in Finland at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.

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World order has irrevocably changed: World Trade Organization chief

Reuters in CTV News
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

GENEVA — The head of the World Trade Organization said on Thursday the multilateral system has fundamentally changed and that countries must look to the future to consider how to reform the global trade system. …“We must look to the future,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told delegates at the opening of the 14th WTO ministerial conference in Yaounde, Cameroon. While 72% of global trade still takes place under WTO rules, with growth in AI-related trade providing a bright spot, Okonjo-Iweala said the world trading system faces significant uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict and impact of U.S. tariffs on countries around the world. Okonjo-Iweala set out a list of problems facing the WTO, including the paralysis of the WTO’s dispute settlement body and transparency in notifying the use of subsidies. …“Lack of transparency leads to lack of trust, and that breeds suspicions of unfairness and anti-competitive behaviors,” she said.

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The New Zealand Forest Owners Association announces new leadership

New Zealand Forest Owners Association
March 25, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) has announced new leadership following its Annual General Meeting on 19 March, with Dean Witehira elected as President – succeeding outgoing President, Matt Wakelin – and Sean McBride elected as Vice President. Currently chief operating officer at Kaingaroa Tipu, Dean holds more than 35 years’ expertise across the entire forest value chain. He has played a key role in managing one of the country’s largest forestry estates in the central North Island and is widely recognised for his leadership in large-scale forest operations, investment systems and high-risk operational environments. Forestry is at the heart of New Zealand’s economic and environmental future. While our forests already deliver jobs, support regional communities and provide climate solutions, Dean says there is still more we can do.

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Hormuz Sealed, Costs Climbing — Swedish Timber Exports Cornered on Two Fronts

Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
March 26, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Rising bunker prices are now hitting Swedish sawmill exporters on every trade lane, with the Strait of Hormuz closure driving up costs across routes and cutting off Middle East volumes, with no end in sight. That is according to Setra Group’s Olle Berg, Executive Vice President of market and business development at one of Sweden’s largest processors, who exports sawn timber, glulam, CLT, and structural components to Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. And according to Berg, the damage was coming through on two fronts – one from high oil prices now feeding into bunker costs regardless of destination, and the other from direct shipments to the Middle East, with container prices, surcharges and risk premiums climbing exponentially. “For Swedish sawmills, the volumes to the area are relatively small — but not insignificant,” Berg told a Timber Exchange webinar focused on the impact of the conflict on global sawmilling. 

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