Sarah Plowman with a look at the support the federal budget is offering the forests sector after being hit hard by US tariffs. Includes an interview with Derek Nighbor, President and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada.
Standing Committee on Natural Resources: Forest Owners Demand Full Recognition
By Sandra Bishop
Canadian Forest Owners
November 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada
OTTAWA, ON – Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources today as part of its study on the forest industry, which is being severely affected by the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of CFO, and Vincent Miville, Vice-Chair of CFO and Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Forest Producers, presented recommendations aimed at better recognizing the strategic role of forest owners and the importance of private forests in Canada. CFO represents 480,000 forest owners who collectively own about 10% of Canada’s forested land, but account for 20% of the country’s timber production. These owners supply wood to the forest industry, contribute to regional economies, and provide essential environmental services to rural communities. “The lack of understanding of private forests is a blind spot in Canada’s forest and trade policy, and as a result, support programs for the sector often overlook their essential contribution,” said de Vries.
The axe falls on 100 Mile House mill: West Fraser to shutter facilities on both sides of the border
By J.J. Adams
Vancouver Sun
November 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
The softwood timber tariffs levied by the U.S. have begun to hit the lumber industry hard. Citing a drooping softwood lumber demand, compounded by higher duties and additional tariffs that have reached 45 per cent for U.S. markets, West Fraser Timber announced Thursday its plans to permanently shutter both its Augusta, Ga., and 100 Mile House lumber mills by the end of 2025. Approximately 165 employees at the 100 Mile House mill will be laid off, as the company says it can’t secure an adequate volume of economically viable timber. The closing of the mill drops West Fraser’s capacity by 160 million board feet. …The closure of the Augusta lumber mill is a result of challenging lumber demand, and the loss of economically viable residual outlets, which combined has compromised the mill’s long-term viability. Around 130 employees will be laid off there, and further reduce West Fraser’s capacity by 140 million board feet.
US housing demand and production constraints ensure a strong import role for lumber
By Glen O’Kelly and Håkan Ekström
The American Journal of Transportation
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
Håkan Ekström
Glen O’Kelly
The US has never produced enough softwood lumber to satisfy its own demand. …The US represents roughly 27% of global softwood lumber demand, but only 20% of global supply — a structural gap that requires large-scale imports. Canada remains the dominant source, supplying about 80% of US imports over the last decade and projected to supply more than 22% in 2025, according to a new report. Despite recurring political claims that the US can become self-sufficient in lumber production, the report concludes that the scale of change required makes that unrealistic. To replace the ~25 million m. of imports currently entering the market each year, the country would need to build around 75 new, modern sawmills. That would require capital investment exceeding 12x the total US sawmill investment over the past fifteen years — and would take more than a decade under ideal conditions. …Proposals to increase logging on federal lands are also unlikely to meaningfully reduce import dependence.
Budget 2025 makes progress – but workers need stronger action
United Steelworkers
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada
TORONTO – United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement on the federal Budget 2025: This budget recognizes something workers have been saying for years. Canada needs to build more at home and expand its industrial capacity. The commitments on Buy-Canadian procurement, industrial strategy and trade enforcement are important steps forward and reflect priorities Steelworkers have been advocating for across the country. There are meaningful investments in steel, forestry, critical minerals and manufacturing – sectors that support thousands of good union jobs and anchor regional economies and communities. We welcome tools that can help stabilize supply chains and strengthen domestic production. …Buy-Canadian rules must be enforced, industrial dollars must translate into real jobs and production on the ground, and forestry and industrial communities need long-term certainty, not temporary relief. We see steps in the right direction. Now it’s about follow-through.
Budget 2025: Measures to transform Canada’s softwood lumber industry
Natural Resources Canada
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada
On August 5, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $1.25 billion aid package to support the softwood lumber sector as it faces increasingly challenging operational constraints. This package is also intended to retool and pivot to new markets. It includes:
$700 million in loan guarantees to help companies confront immediate pressures facing the softwood lumber sector, which will give the sector needed liquidity to maintain and restructure, if necessary, their operations. This will be delivered through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).
$500 million to supercharge product and market diversification and make the industry more competitive globally, delivered through Natural Resources Canada’s suite of forest industry transformation programs starting in the 2026–2027 fiscal year. These programs include the Forest Innovation Program, Investments in Forest Industry Transformation, Green Construction Through Wood, the Indigenous Forestry Initiative, the Global Forest Leadership Program and its precursor Expanding Market Opportunities program, and the Forest Systems Information and Technology Enhancement program.
$50 million over three years, led by Employment and Social Development Canada, to help reskill and support more than 6,000 affected forest workers through Labour Market Development Agreements.
Forest Products Association of Canada put forward 19 practical recommendations for Budget 2025 focusing on three areas where immediate federal action can make a tangible difference: Smarter regulation to improve competitiveness; Clear signals to improve investment confidence; and Stronger trade and market access measures to protect Canadian jobs. …Hundreds of rural and northern communities depend on a strong forest sector. The Government of Canada’s $1.25 billion softwood package is welcome support for the immediate term, but finding a path to a more certain trading arrangement with the United States remains the Canadian forest sector’s top priority. …The inclusion of Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for biomass projects in Budget 2025 is a welcome, long-overdue step for Canada’s forest sector. …With the right tax measures in place, these projects can modernize mill operations, sustain and grow jobs in rural and northern communities, and strengthen Canada’s position as a secure producer of renewable energy.
B.C. cancels lumber tariff ads to little effect as another mill closes
By Vaughn Palmer
The Vancouver Sun
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Vaughn Palmer
VICTORIA — Premier David Eby started the week by abandoning his threat to target Americans with a direct advertising campaign against the US’s hefty tariffs on softwood lumber from BC. …No sign of backing off last week. But there he was Monday doing just that at the wrap up of the summit with the federal ministers. …As to what the premier got for this show of humility, it was mostly a working group. …The same day, the leading industry group, COFI, reminded Eby of his promise to increase the annual allowable cut from the current 30 million cubic metres to 45. …Eby agreed the province has work to do but cautioned that even where the annual cut has been allocated, it may not be economic to harvest because of the looming threat of tariffs. …Both concerns were underscored by the end-of-the-week news of the permanent closure of West Fraser’s mill in 100 Mile House.
Maureen Pinkney, mayor of 100 Mile House, says U.S. tariffs on the softwood lumber industry “are the icing on the cake” for an industry in need of fundamental reforms as it prepares for the closure of a local lumber mill. Pinkney says she won’t necessarily “point fingers… but what’s been happening in the last 20 years has not worked,” adding issues like the handling of forestry licenses and the annual allowable cut need to be redone. …Pinkney’s comments come after West Fraser Timber announced that it will permanently close its lumber mill in 100 Mile House by the end of 2025, because of a lack of “adequate volume of economically viable timber.” …MLA Ward Stamer, the forest critic, said that the closure is “devastating” and “yet another sign” of what he called the “NDP’s gross neglect” in managing the industry. …100 Mile House MLA Lorne Doerkson agreed, saying government has ignored every warning sign from the industry.
Alberta Forestry Heads to Asia Amid Soaring U.S. Tariffs
By Aspen Dudzic
Alberta Forest Products Association
November 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
Canada’s forest industry has been bruised by U.S. trade barriers this year. The combination of softwood lumber duties and section 232 tariffs result in a staggering 45 per cent tax on Canadian lumber coming into the U.S., artificially pricing us out of a market that takes almost 50% of what is produced in Alberta. Market diversification isn’t just smart business anymore—it’s an economic imperative. This Friday, Alberta’s Minister of Forestry & Parks, Todd Loewen, and a delegation from Canada Wood and both the Alberta and B.C. forest industries are wheels up on a critical trade mission to Japan and South Korea to strengthen relationships and grow market demand for our sustainable wood products. Few markets hold higher standards for quality product than Japan and South Korea—and Alberta can deliver. Our cold climate and short growing season give our trees long fibres and tight growth rings, resulting in wood that is exceptionally strong, stable, and lightweight.
La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership continues to seek negotiations to end months-long strike by the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937
La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Campbell River, BC — La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership (LKSM) is ready to sit down at the bargaining table with the USW at any time, and has been ready throughout this strike, which it has made clear many times to the USW. However the USW has repeatedly refused to do so, as recently as October 24. Despite repeated invitations from LKSM, the USW has also declined both meaningful negotiations and mediation to assist the bargaining process, unnecessarily prolonging this months-long strike. “LKSM’s First Nations shareholders are dismayed and extremely frustrated by the provincial government’s failure to help both parties to make progress through the appointment of a mediator, especially given the hardships the forestry industry is facing right now,” says Nanwakolas Council President Dallas Smith. “Mediation is an opportunity to bring the parties together …and yet BC still has failed to appoint a mediator after all this time.”
A former pulp mill in Saskatchewan, shuttered for nearly 20 years, could be turning the page with a comeback story under new management. The BMI Group, a developer based in Tillsonburg, Ont., acquired the sprawling industrial complex northeast of Saskatoon with a vision for regional renewal. The company is looking for ways to repurpose the Prince Albert pulp mill’s infrastructure for “next-generation opportunities.” “We’ve done this in a number of municipalities across the country,” Chris Rickett, who oversees community and government relations at the company, said in an interview. …The company outlines a process whereby it buys large-scale industrial properties based on their potential to be transformed from dormant infrastructure into new uses that are profitable. …The former Prince Albert pulp mill, which closed in 2006, may also one day attract a diverse range of tenants. …“We’re really excited about this new partnership with the BMI Group,” Mayor Powalinsky said.
Bailey says Ottawa must support B.C. forestry as it supports Ontario’s car industry
By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Brenda Bailey
British Columbia’s finance minister said she thinks the newly announced federal budget aligns with provincial priorities, but is calling on Ottawa to follow through on supporting forestry and the North Coast Transmission Line. Brenda Bailey said B.C. expects the federal government to support workers in the softwood lumber industry, which is now facing what she calls “extraordinary” duties and tariffs of up to more than 45%. …Bailey’s comments come after an emergency meeting on softwood lumber earlier this week between Premier David Eby and Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister responsible for Canada-US trade, among others. Both Victoria and Ottawa have subsequently agreed to creating a working group to support the industry. …The Forest Products Association of Canada said the federal government must find more certain trading arrangements with the US. President Derek Nighbor said that “lumber must remain a priority at the negotiating table.”
What do 45% tariffs mean for B.C.’s forestry sector?
By Dan Burritt
CBC News
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
The U.S. slapped a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber on top of a 35 per cent tariff that was already in place. As a result, B.C.’s forestry industry, which employs tens of thousands of workers, is facing dire conditions, with ongoing cuts and closures at mills and forestry companies around the province. Harry Nelson, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s forestry faculty speaks to CBC’s Dan Burritt, explaining what these tariffs mean for B.C.’s forestry sector.
Feds form working group with B.C. to support forestry sector
The Canadian Press
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Politicians from BC and Ottawa met in Vancouver Monday for a forestry summit, where they agreed to create a working group on supporting the industry in the face of ever-increasing U.S. fees and tariffs. …Speaking after the forestry summit on Monday, he said the federal government’s commitment to a working group with the province felt “very heartening.” Kim Haakstad, the president of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, said in a statement that the group is pleased the governments are working together to keep people working — even when markets are challenging. Haakstad said the working group should also include the industry to help focus on keeping mills open, which means prioritizing a new softwood lumber deal and accelerating the rollout of the $1.2 billion from federal government.
Additional Coverage:
United Steelworkers: Forestry workers need action now — “The USW is encouraged by the shared understanding that the situation is urgent, that forestry jobs are worth fighting for and that the time for action is now.”
CPAC: Politicians speak with reporters in Vancouver after meeting for a forestry summit. VIDEO LINK
Forcorp joins Barr Geospatial Solutions to expand forestry analytics capabilities
Forsite Consultants Ltd.
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
Barr Geospatial Solutions (“BGS”) is excited to announce the acquisition of Forcorp, a respected Canadian forestry analytics company based out of Edmonton, Alberta. This marks a significant step in our expansion in the Canadian forestry analytics market and reinforces our commitment to delivering cutting-edge forest management and environmental solutions. With over three decades of proven expertise in natural resource management, Forcorp has been delivering practical, result-driven solutions through a blend of innovation, engagement, and experience. Specializing in natural resource management, land use administration, data management, and software development, their multidisciplinary team spans forestry, biology, environmental science, and computer science. Forcorp will become part of BGS owned Forsite strengthening its analytics capacity across Canada. Forsite is a recognized leader in forestry solutions, including forest land management, digital tree inventories, fire modeling and forestry services.
Council of Forest Industries Statement on the BC Forestry Summit
The BC Council of Forest Industries
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Vancouver, BC – Kim Haakstad, President & CEO of the BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) issued this statement in response to today’s Forestry Summit convened by the federal and provincial governments: …We are pleased to see the federal and provincial governments working together with urgency to ensure predictable access to logs, streamline regulations, and create conditions for companies to invest, innovate, and keep people working… British Columbia is the highest-cost forestry jurisdiction in North America. Combined with uncertain wood supply and prolonged trade disputes, many forest products companies are now on the brink of closure. …we need a coordinated federal–provincial work plan that strengthens competitiveness and sustains jobs in forest-dependent communities. COFI is urging that the new working group includes industry to focus on the priorities that keep mills open and people working… The path forward requires regulatory efficiency, more collaboration, and faster action from all levels of government.
BC Truck Loggers Association’s Statement from BC Forestry Summit
BC Truck Loggers Association
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Following today’s BC Forestry Summit, the TLA was pleased to hear the encouraging remarks from Premier Eby and the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. Their commitment to … addressing softwood lumber tariffs is an important step toward ensuring the long-term stability and competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector. As the backbone of most BC communities, the TLA appreciates today’s much needed recognition that forestry remains critical to both BC and Canada’s economies. The TLA emphasizes the importance of ensuring that a portion of the federal government’s $700 million in funding directly supports forestry’s timber harvesting contractors. …this support can strengthen a sustainable and more certain forest industry. BC was once the lowest cost lumber producer in North America and is now amongst the highest… There is an urgent need to improve certainty by diversifying markets, enhancing access to fibre, and reducing costs to ensure the industry’s long-term viability and global competitiveness.
Eby says B.C. won’t run anti-tariff ads alone as it had planned
By Darryl Greer
Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province is walking back plans to run anti-tariff advertisements in the United States after a meeting with federal officials about the province’s beleaguered forestry sector. Eby said Monday that B.C. won’t be running the ads “by ourselves,” in favour of aligning with the federal government in its dealings with the U.S. government under President Donald Trump. “The unfair and unjustified tariffs imposed by the White House on this sector directly threatens thousands of jobs right across the country,” Eby said at a news conference after a forestry summit meeting with federal officials and others. …”Minister LeBlanc didn’t have to ask,” Eby answered Monday when a reporter asked LeBlanc if he requested that the B.C. government hold off on its anti-tariff advertising campaign. “I knew that it was a source of anxiety for many people, including potentially the federal government.”
The more lifelines governments throw to the sinking forest industry, the more tangled it gets in the quicksand of US trade policy. …Responding to a powerful lobby group, the US wants to suffocate the Canadian forest industry and choke off all lumber imports, to the benefit of US timber firms. They are unlikely to be able to fully meet demand, but they’ll make a fortune trying, because shortages cause price hikes. The US Lumber Coalition has been successful convincing politicians that Canadian lumber is a threat to the American way of life. It orchestrated billions of dollars worth of penalties stretching back decades. It is now engaged in the endgame — eliminating the imports completely. …Monday’s softwood summit is an example of how vicious the circular argument gets. …It was telling that the Council of Forest Industries concentrated on a number of provincial policy changes that are needed, not just emergency federal help.
Future of forestry still unclear despite promises of help from Ottawa and the Premier
By Geoff Russ
Resource Works
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
Campbell River Mayor Kermit Dahl led with skepticism in an interview with Resource Works on November 3, after Ottawa and British Columbia announced a joint working group for the province’s embattled forest sector. “I think it’s pretty standard,” said Dahl, a driving force behind the founding of the Alliance of Resource Communities, representing rural BC communities who rely on the resource sector. “It’s very similar to the press releases we’ve heard for years.” The remarks followed a Vancouver summit where [politicians] outlined a coordinated response to U.S. softwood duties and tariffs and announced a federal–provincial working group. Dahl added that officials were “trying to tippy-toe around the issues and and stay friendly,” but that “there’s no teeth at the end,” before asking, “What happens when nothing has changed in a month or three months? We’ve heard these things over and over again. It’s just another committee.”
B.C. told softwood lumber is ‘top priority’ for Ottawa: minister
CBC News in YouTube
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
B.C. and federal politicians met in Vancouver on Monday to discuss further supports for the softwood lumber sector as the industry continues to be hit by U.S. tariffs. B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar spoke to Power & Politics about the meetings and B.C.’s decision not to run its planned anti-tariff ads.
Was Premier David Eby ever really serious about running anti-American softwood lumber ads? Maybe, briefly, back when nobody cared about $100,000 worth of sponsored content promoting B.C. wood products. But after Ontario’s ads blew up Canada-U.S. trade talks, Eby seemed to realize the true value of his campaign — namely, in not running it at all. On Monday, Eby all but admitted his tough talk over the past 10 days about the urgent need to educate Americans on B.C.’s softwood sector was just leverage to score a meeting with federal cabinet ministers. …The premier had spent several weeks loudly proclaiming that these softwood ads were essential, and that they would go forward regardless of what the federal government thought. …In exchange for backing off his threat, Eby hyped up a “softwood summit” on Monday his government called the “turning point in our fight for forestry workers.”
Mining industry digs in against proposed B.C. heritage act changes
By Marisca Bakker
Alberni Valley News
October 31, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) is raising concerns about B.C.’s Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project. The purpose of the project is to update the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) to ensure it is consistent with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and improve how the HCA is implemented in a way that benefits all people in B.C. …“It also impacts forestry. It impacts oil and gas. It kind of impacts everyone, and the changes that government has put forward are quite problematic,” said Jack Middleton, AME vice president of policy and advocacy. …“It’s looking to seek consent from First Nations to get an archeology permit, which they’re framing as speeding up the process, but we feel will ultimately slow the process down without a serious explanation of how it will speed things up,” Middleton said.
Federal budget export help welcomed by wood manufacturing cluster CEO
By Scott Dunn
Owen Sound Sun Times
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Tucked in the federal budget’s help for the lumber industry is a pot of money that gives upholstered wood furniture, cabinet and other wood product manufacturers some hope. But one local wood product manufacturer said he doesn’t see immediate relief for small operations in the sector, which has been hit with up to 25 per cent U.S. tariffs, are due to rise up to 50 per cent in January. The federal budget says … “large increases in U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade uncertainty are weakening Canada’s economy.” “More directly, tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, autos, copper, softwood lumber, and wood products are putting Canadian jobs and businesses at risk,” the budget says. Mike Baker, the chief executive officer of the Hanover, Ont.-based Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario, said his group welcomes the federal budget’s export assistance, first announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney Aug. 5, to help expand markets beyond the U.S.
New Brunswick premier eyes federal budget for more softwood lumber supports, strategies
By Laura Brown
CTV News
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Susan Holt
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says a working group between BC and Ottawa sparked to support the forest industry was an initiative by BC, and that NB has its own strategy. The working group was announced in Vancouver, a promise by Ottawa to find ways to help an industry that’s been heavily impacted by tariffs. “Obviously, softwood lumber continues to be something that we have been raising with the Americans,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-US trade. …Holt told reporters Tuesday she’s expecting to hear about further support for the industry in the coming weeks, that will include N.B. “New Brunswick has been advocating for support on softwood lumber and engaging with our industry to talk about what they need specifically and pushing the federal government to provide solutions and meet our needs here, in New Brunswick,” she said. The industry employs over 24,000 people in the province.
Mining, forestry industries in N.B. could benefit from federal budget
By Sam Farley
CBC News
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Derek Nighbor
New Brunswick industry is likely to get a boost from the federal budget… New Brunswick’s forestry sector … stands to benefit from the federal budget, said Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada. While the main priority is a trade deal with the United States, Nighbor said a second priority “is ensuring that in the interim, our …businesses are protected through backstop funding programs.” …Nighbor said New Brunswick forestry hasn’t seen the layoffs that the industry has in British Columbia and Quebec. “That said, at a 45 per cent duty tariff combination, if this continues to drag, we will see impacts in New Brunswick.” Recently, New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister John Herron said he would support a cap on softwood to secure a tariff deal with the US… When asked about this, Nighbor said “we need creative ideas at the fingertips of negotiators to try to get us to the right place.”
LeBlanc opens door to increased help for softwood lumber sector
By Adam Huras
The Telegraph-Journal
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
Dominic LeBlanc
Dominic LeBlanc is opening the door to increased supports for the country’s softwood lumber sector. The New Brunswick MP and federal minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade made the comments while in British Columbia on Monday at a forestry summit amid climbing U.S. tariffs for the industry. Standing together in Vancouver, LeBlanc and B.C. Premier David Eby announced the creation of the Transformation Task Force to identify further help beyond existing programs, with a deadline of just weeks. It’s a task force that is specific to B.C. and won’t include New Brunswick. But an official in LeBlanc’s office told Brunswick News there’s a commitment to work with every jurisdiction, including New Brunswick, to quickly ensure the right supports are in place. But Premier Susan Holt has said that doesn’t go far enough, hoping for direct subsidies for the industry.
Related in CBC News: New Brunswick minister backs cap on softwood to secure tariff deal — Minister John Herron says the province’s historic exemption from US lumber duties may be gone forever, and it’s time for a single, unified national lobbying focus to secure a new deal with the US.
China restores soybean licenses for U.S. firms, ends log ban
By Ella Cao, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo
Reuters in Yahoo! Finance
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International
BEIJING — China will restore soybean import licences for three US firms and lift its suspension on US log imports starting November 10, its customs authority said on Friday in another sign of easing trade tensions between the two nations. …The halt on US log imports was a retaliatory measure after US President Trump’s March 1 order to investigate lumber imports. Investor sentiment improved after Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, reducing fears that the world’s two largest economies might abandon efforts to resolve their trade disputes. Following the meeting, Beijing lifted tariffs on some US farm goods. …However, traders remain cautious, as a 10% tariff on all US imports remains in effect, limiting expectations for a broader recovery in trade flows.
CPKC reaches tentative collective agreements in United States
By Canadian Pacific Kansas City
Cision Newswire
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said it has reached 13 new tentative collective agreements with unions in the United States representing carmen, hostlers, laborers, clerks, maintenance workers, as well as mechanical and engineering supervisor employees. Six tentative five-year collective agreements have been reached with the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen. ….Five agreements have been reached with the Transportation Communications Union and American Railway and Airway Supervisors Association. …Two other agreements have been reached with National Conference of Firemen and Oilers employees on the Soo Line and Kansas City Southern properties. …The tentative agreements are pending ratification by the union’s membership.
Supreme Court enters the lion’s den on Trump tariffs
By Nina Totenberg
National Public Radio
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a consequential case with potentially profound economic consequences for the country and the presidency: The issue is tariffs. Oral arguments in the case are set for 10 a.m. ET. …The up and down, fluctuating tariffs around the world spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs. In some two dozen previous cases, the Supreme Court has been largely receptive to Trump’s claims of presidential authority, but those victories came on the Supreme Court’s emergency docket, allowing Trump policies to take effect on a temporary basis while the litigation played out in the lower courts. In contrast, the tariff cases are the real deal, with the court having ordered full briefing and expedited arguments in the case, and offering the justices the first real opportunity to say “no” to the president.
Supreme Court prepares to weigh tariffs fight in test of Trump’s power
By Melissa Quinn
CBC NewsB
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
WASHINGTON — Lindsay Hagerman and small business owners across the US could see some stability in the coming weeks, with the Supreme Court set to consider Wednesday whether Mr. Trump has the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on nearly every country under a federal emergency powers law. Lower courts have ruled his most sweeping duties are illegal, and a decision from the Supreme Court upholding those decisions could deal a blow to the president’s efforts to use tariffs as leverage in negotiations with foreign countries and to pressure US companies to invest in domestic manufacturing. But a ruling from the high court against Mr. Trump, who appointed three of the justices, could also have significant implications for presidential power. …The Trump administration is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the levies, arguing that Congress has long given the president broad authority to impose tariffs to address emergencies.
US Lumber Coalition says USMCA extension should be conditioned on elimination of Binational Panel Review Process
The US Lumber Coalition
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
The US Lumber Coalition in its comments to the United States Trade Representative has requested that any extension of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) should be conditioned on the elimination of the Chapter 10 binational panel review process. The Chapter 10 process strips US courts of jurisdiction to review determinations of the US Department of Commerce and the US International Trade Commission. In this alternative process, review of US agency determinations and issues of US law are decided by panels that include non-citizens outside of constitutional oversight or democratic accountability. …“USMCA Chapter 10 is unconstitutional, plain and simple. …“The US Lumber industry has had no choice but to invoke the US trade remedy laws against softwood lumber imports from Canada. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these laws has been undermined as they apply to Canada through Chapter 10 of the USMCA,” stated Andrew Miller, Chair.
Chinook Forest Partners to Acquire South Coast Lumber Company
South Coast Lumber Co.
November 5, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West
GRANTS PASS and BROOKINGS, Oregon — Chinook Forest Partners, a forestland investment manager located in Southwest Oregon, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire South Coast Lumber Co. and affiliates. This acquisition encompasses 104,000 acres of premium coastal forest with modern manufacturing facilities. …Mike Beckley, CEO and President of South Coast said, “We are confident they will honor the legacy the Fallert family has built over four generations, while helping South Coast reach new levels of growth and opportunity.” …The transaction is expected to finalize before year-end 2025, pending customary closing conditions.
DIXFIELD, Maine — A fire at the Irving Forest Products sawmill in Dixfield caused heavy damage to part of a building Saturday, according to the Dixfield Fire Company. No one was hurt. “The damage is extensive but contained to the northwest side of the sawmill building,” the fire company said in a statement. “Mill personnel are assessing damage and already planning repairs.” Firefighters from several towns — including Rumford, Peru, Mexico, East Dixfield, Jay, Wilton, Canton, Roxbury and Carthage — helped battle the blaze, according to the department. Irving Forest Products bought the Dixfield sawmill in 1998 and has invested more than $40 million into the mill. The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. [END]
Maine Department of Labor Providing Support to Woodland Pulp Employees
By Maine Department of Labor
Government of Maine
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East
BAILEYVILLE – The Maine Department of Labor (MDOL) announced today that it will provide direct unemployment insurance support to employees affected by a temporary layoff at Woodland Pulp. The temporary layoff announced earlier this week due to market conditions is expected to impact about two-thirds of Woodland Pulp’s Maine workforce. The temporary layoff is expected to begin on November 22 and last until December 16, 2025. “Woodland Pulp is a critical employer that provides hundreds of good-paying jobs in Washington County. My Administration will do everything we can to support the mill and its workers through this period of economic uncertainty,” said Governor Janet Mills. “The Department has been in contact with both company management and union representatives to determine the best way to assist during this difficult time and have decided that in-person unemployment insurance support would be most helpful,” said Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman.
Woodland Pulp pausing mill operations until end of December
By Emmett Gartner
The Maine Monitor
November 7, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
BAILEYVILLE, Maine — Woodland Pulp announced to its employees on Tuesday that the company will pause manufacturing at its Baileyville pulp mill and wood chip plant from late November to mid-December. During that month-long hiatus, the company will temporarily lay off 144 employees at both facilities, said Scott Beal. Woodland Pulp is Washington County’s largest employer, and the layoffs will apply to about one third of the mill workforce. Beal attributed the “extended downtime” to declining prices in the global pulp market. …Poised on the banks of the St. Croix River across from Canada, Woodland Pulp is one of Maine’s last major mills. …Daigneault said that broader tariffs on Canadian and European manufacturing equipment may add to the financial difficulties Maine mills are already experiencing. …Woodland Pulp is one of six mills in the northeast US and Quebec that have recently paused or decreased wood deliveries.
Multiple departments respond to fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets in Kingwood (West Virginia)
The Preston County News & Journal
November 6, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Multiple volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services responded Wednesday night to a fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets that affected multiple buildings. Officials reported the blaze has been contained, and no injuries were reported. Preston County Office of Emergency Management Director Justin Wolfe said initial reports of the blaze at 383 Mill Road were received at 11:33 p.m. Wednesday. …Initial reports noted that crews mounted an attack against the blaze, with additional fire departments being requested for assistance. Based on reports, the fire affected structures outside the main plant, including an open trailer with material, an open roofed storage structure and a belt-to-silo apparatus, and encroached on a maintenance building.
Weyerhaeuser to Use $102 Million From Municipal Bond Sale for Arkansas Project
By Patrick Sheridan
Morningstar
November 4, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East
Weyerhaeuser will use $102 million of proceeds from a municipal bond sale to help finance the construction of solid waste disposal facilities at its engineered wood plant in Arkansas. The Resource Recovery Revenue Bonds Series 2025 will be sold by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, which will then lend the money to the timber and forest products company. …The bonds are special and limited revenue obligations of the issuer. Weyerhaeuser will use the money to help finance a portion of the costs of the acquisition, construction, equipping and installation of solid waste disposal facilities at its TimberStrand plant under construction near the city of Monticello in Drew County. Proceeds will also be used to pay the costs of bond issuance. TimberStrand is a brand name for a type of engineered wood product called laminated strand lumber and is manufactured by Weyerhaeuser.
LP Building Solutions Announces CEO Transition Plan
By Louisiana Pacific Corporation
Businesswire
November 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
Brad Southern
Jason Ringblom
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — LP Building Solutions announced that Chief Executive Officer Brad Southern will retire effective February 19, 2026, after leading the company since 2017. The Board of Directors has appointed LP President Jason Ringblom to succeed Southern. “I want to thank Brad for his visionary leadership and lasting impact on LP,” said LP Director Dustan McCoy. …A 21-year LP veteran, including eight years on the Executive Team, Ringblom has extensive expertise in sales, marketing, and operations. Before becoming President, he served as Executive VP and General Manager of LP’s OSB and Siding businesses prior to their integration. He now oversees all global manufacturing and commercial operations, driving alignment and performance across the organization. Ringblom joined LP in 2004 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Forest Products Marketing and Business Management from the University of Minnesota.
OTTAWA, ON – Canadian Forest Owners (CFO) appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources today as part of its study on the forest industry, which is being severely affected by the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Andrew de Vries, Chief Executive Officer of CFO, and Vincent Miville, Vice-Chair of CFO and Executive Director of the Quebec Federation of Forest Producers, presented recommendations aimed at better recognizing the strategic role of forest owners and the importance of private forests in Canada. CFO represents 480,000 forest owners who collectively own about 10% of Canada’s forested land, but account for 20% of the country’s timber production. These owners supply wood to the forest industry, contribute to regional economies, and provide essential environmental services to rural communities. “The lack of understanding of private forests is a blind spot in Canada’s forest and trade policy, and as a result, support programs for the sector often overlook their essential contribution,” said de Vries.
The softwood timber tariffs levied by the U.S. have begun to hit the lumber industry hard. Citing a drooping softwood lumber demand, compounded by higher duties and additional tariffs that have reached 45 per cent for U.S. markets, West Fraser Timber announced Thursday its plans to permanently shutter both its Augusta, Ga., and 100 Mile House lumber mills by the end of 2025. Approximately 165 employees at the 100 Mile House mill will be laid off, as the company says it can’t secure an adequate volume of economically viable timber. The closing of the mill drops West Fraser’s capacity by 160 million board feet. …The closure of the Augusta lumber mill is a result of challenging lumber demand, and the loss of economically viable residual outlets, which combined has compromised the mill’s long-term viability. Around 130 employees will be laid off there, and further reduce West Fraser’s capacity by 140 million board feet.
TORONTO – United Steelworkers union (USW) National Director Marty Warren issued the following statement on the federal Budget 2025: This budget recognizes something workers have been saying for years. Canada needs to build more at home and expand its industrial capacity. The commitments on Buy-Canadian procurement, industrial strategy and trade enforcement are important steps forward and reflect priorities Steelworkers have been advocating for across the country. There are meaningful investments in steel, forestry, critical minerals and manufacturing – sectors that support thousands of good union jobs and anchor regional economies and communities. We welcome tools that can help stabilize supply chains and strengthen domestic production. …Buy-Canadian rules must be enforced, industrial dollars must translate into real jobs and production on the ground, and forestry and industrial communities need long-term certainty, not temporary relief. We see steps in the right direction. Now it’s about follow-through.
On August 5, 2025, 
Forest Products Association of Canada put forward 19 practical recommendations for Budget 2025 focusing on three areas where immediate federal action can make a tangible difference: Smarter regulation to improve competitiveness; Clear signals to improve investment confidence; and Stronger trade and market access measures to protect Canadian jobs. …Hundreds of rural and northern communities depend on a strong forest sector. The Government of Canada’s $1.25 billion softwood package is welcome support for the immediate term, but finding a path to a more certain trading arrangement with the United States remains the Canadian forest sector’s top priority. …The inclusion of Investment Tax Credits (ITCs) for biomass projects in Budget 2025 is a welcome, long-overdue step for Canada’s forest sector. …With the right tax measures in place, these projects can modernize mill operations, sustain and grow jobs in rural and northern communities, and strengthen Canada’s position as a secure producer of renewable energy.
Campbell River, BC — La-kwa sa muqw Forestry Limited Partnership (LKSM) is ready to sit down at the bargaining table with the USW at any time, and has been ready throughout this strike, which it has made clear many times to the USW. However the USW has repeatedly refused to do so, as recently as October 24. Despite repeated invitations from LKSM, the USW has also declined both meaningful negotiations and mediation to assist the bargaining process, unnecessarily prolonging this months-long strike. “LKSM’s First Nations shareholders are dismayed and extremely frustrated by the provincial government’s failure to help both parties to make progress through the appointment of a mediator, especially given the hardships the forestry industry is facing right now,” says Nanwakolas Council President Dallas Smith. “Mediation is an opportunity to bring the parties together …and yet BC still has failed to appoint a mediator after all this time.”
Politicians from BC and Ottawa met in Vancouver Monday for a forestry summit, where they agreed to create a working group on supporting the industry in the face of ever-increasing U.S. fees and tariffs. …Speaking after the forestry summit on Monday, he said the federal government’s commitment to a working group with the province felt “very heartening.” Kim Haakstad, the president of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries, said in a statement that the group is pleased the governments are working together to keep people working — even when markets are challenging. Haakstad said the working group should also include the industry to help focus on keeping mills open, which means prioritizing a new softwood lumber deal and accelerating the rollout of the $1.2 billion from federal government.
Following today’s BC Forestry Summit, the TLA was pleased to hear the encouraging remarks from Premier Eby and the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities. Their commitment to … addressing softwood lumber tariffs is an important step toward ensuring the long-term stability and competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector. As the backbone of most BC communities, the TLA appreciates today’s much needed recognition that forestry remains critical to both BC and Canada’s economies. The TLA emphasizes the importance of ensuring that a portion of the federal government’s $700 million in funding directly supports forestry’s timber harvesting contractors. …this support can strengthen a sustainable and more certain forest industry. BC was once the lowest cost lumber producer in North America and is now amongst the highest… There is an urgent need to improve certainty by diversifying markets, enhancing access to fibre, and reducing costs to ensure the industry’s long-term viability and global competitiveness.
VANCOUVER — British Columbia Premier David Eby says the province is walking back plans to run anti-tariff advertisements in the United States after a meeting with federal officials about the province’s beleaguered forestry sector. Eby said Monday that B.C. won’t be running the ads “by ourselves,” in favour of aligning with the federal government in its dealings with the U.S. government under President Donald Trump. “The unfair and unjustified tariffs imposed by the White House on this sector directly threatens thousands of jobs right across the country,” Eby said at a news conference after a forestry summit meeting with federal officials and others. …”Minister LeBlanc didn’t have to ask,” Eby answered Monday when a reporter asked LeBlanc if he requested that the B.C. government hold off on its anti-tariff advertising campaign. “I knew that it was a source of anxiety for many people, including potentially the federal government.”
Was Premier David Eby ever really serious about running anti-American softwood lumber ads? Maybe, briefly, back when nobody cared about $100,000 worth of sponsored content promoting B.C. wood products. But after Ontario’s ads blew up Canada-U.S. trade talks, Eby seemed to realize the true value of his campaign — namely, in not running it at all. On Monday, Eby all but admitted his tough talk over the past 10 days about the urgent need to educate Americans on B.C.’s softwood sector was just leverage to score a meeting with federal cabinet ministers. …The premier had spent several weeks loudly proclaiming that these softwood ads were essential, and that they would go forward regardless of what the federal government thought. …In exchange for backing off his threat, Eby hyped up a “softwood summit” on Monday his government called the “turning point in our fight for forestry workers.”
BEIJING — China will restore soybean import licences for three US firms and lift its suspension on US log imports starting November 10, its customs authority said on Friday in another sign of easing trade tensions between the two nations. …The halt on US log imports was a retaliatory measure after US President Trump’s March 1 order to investigate lumber imports. Investor sentiment improved after Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, reducing fears that the world’s two largest economies might abandon efforts to resolve their trade disputes. Following the meeting, Beijing lifted tariffs on some US farm goods. …However, traders remain cautious, as a 10% tariff on all US imports remains in effect, limiting expectations for a broader recovery in trade flows.
KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Multiple volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services responded Wednesday night to a fire at Appalachian Wood Pellets that affected multiple buildings. Officials reported the blaze has been contained, and no injuries were reported. Preston County Office of Emergency Management Director Justin Wolfe said initial reports of the blaze at 383 Mill Road were received at 11:33 p.m. Wednesday. …Initial reports noted that crews mounted an attack against the blaze, with additional fire departments being requested for assistance. Based on reports, the fire affected structures outside the main plant, including an open trailer with material, an open roofed storage structure and a belt-to-silo apparatus, and encroached on a maintenance building.
Weyerhaeuser will use $102 million of proceeds from a municipal bond sale to help finance the construction of solid waste disposal facilities at its engineered wood plant in Arkansas. The Resource Recovery Revenue Bonds Series 2025 will be sold by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, which will then lend the money to the timber and forest products company. …The bonds are special and limited revenue obligations of the issuer. Weyerhaeuser will use the money to help finance a portion of the costs of the acquisition, construction, equipping and installation of solid waste disposal facilities at its TimberStrand plant under construction near the city of Monticello in Drew County. Proceeds will also be used to pay the costs of bond issuance. TimberStrand is a brand name for a type of engineered wood product called laminated strand lumber and is manufactured by Weyerhaeuser. 
