Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

Putting Climate Smart Forestry into Practice at Domtar

By Lauren Hultz
Domtar Corporation
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada is home to dozens of Domtar operations, including Crown lands Domtar is licensed to manage for fiber sourcing and for which Domtar holds SFI forest management certificates. Domtar also privately owns and manages 3,860,190 hectares of forestland surrounding our Windsor Mill, a fully integrated paper and pulp mill in Quebec. Samuel Bourque is Domtar’s forestry certification manager and represents the company on the Canadian SFI Climate Smart Forestry Initiative Advisory Committee. In 2022, his team completed a climate risk assessment as an initial step toward identifying ways to improve the climate-friendliness of Domtar’s responsible forest management practices. SFI’s 2022 Forest Management Standard includes objectives for Climate Smart Forestry and Fire Resilience. “We wanted to accelerate our progress from taking action on the ground to managing our forests for the future,” Samuel says. “SFI’s Climate Smart Forestry objectives gave us the foundation to accomplish this.” 

Read More

As wildfires rage, Canadian researchers study the life that comes after

By Anna Dulisse
Mongabay
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Four of the five worst years recorded for global forest fires occurred since 2021. And 2026 is no exception… Now, as the Northern Hemisphere’s wildfire season subsides and forest recovery begins, tropical countries including Indonesia, Brazil and Tanzania are grappling with widespread fires. Wildfires — now intensified by climate change — can be devastating, life-altering, even deadly. But for many ecosystems and organisms, fire is an essential primeval force of nature that supports ecosystem health and biodiversity. “All terrestrial animals evolved in landscapes that had fire,” Canadian conservation biologist Karen Hodges said. “It goes all the way back to the beginning.” But we still have much to learn about post-fire recovery: Canadian researchers are studying charcoal-munching fungi, heat-sensing beetles, birds and at-risk carnivores in British Columbia’s fire-affected Interior to find out who thrives after the flames die, and why those responses matter for biodiversity and for us.

Read More

B.C. wildland firefighters return to Parliament Hill to demand recognition as firefighters

BC General Employees’ Union
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Ottawa – B.C. wildland firefighters work long hours in dangerous conditions… Yet the federal government’s occupational classification system still places them under silviculture and forestry workers. This week, wildland firefighters represented by the B.C. General Employees’ Union (BCGEU) are bringing their experiences to Parliament Hill… The BCGEU is fighting for this classification change because wildland firefighters deserve recognition that reflects their responsibilities and the risks they face. …Proper recognition is an important foundation for advancing the protections, supports and retirement provisions that reflect the demands of their work. …Frontline wildland firefighters are currently classified under NOC 84111, Silviculture and forestry workers. The BCGEU is calling for them to be included in NOC 42101, Firefighters, and for appropriate senior wildland fire officers to be included in NOC 40041, Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers. The union is also asking that wildland firefighting roles be removed from forestry and silviculture classifications. 

Read More

Minister Hodgson Meets with Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, İbrahim Yumaklı

By Natural Resources Canada
Government of Canada
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, International

Tim Hodgson

On October 21, 2026, Canada’s Minister for Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, met with İbrahim Yumaklı, Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, to discuss cooperation on wildfire management, forest-related climate action and other shared opportunities to strengthen collaboration in the forest and natural resources sectors. Minister Hodgson highlighted Canada’s expertise in wildfire prevention, response and recovery, and encouraged continued dialogue to identify mutually beneficial solutions that could support Türkiye’s wildfire response capacity. The Ministers also exchanged views on forests and climate change, and discussed global efforts to halt and reverse forest loss, promote sustainable forest management and strengthen resilience to climate change and wildfires. They also explored opportunities for collaboration through multilateral initiatives such as the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership and the Global Fire Management Hub. Canada welcomed Türkiye’s leadership as the host of COP31, to be held in Antalya in November 2026.

Read More

Endangered species in Canada face extensive delays receiving protection

By Peter Thompson, Mary Ann Perron, Sara Cannon and William Bugg
Phys.Org
October 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

For more than 20 years, Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) has protected wildlife that are at risk of being lost. …Nevertheless, these protections are routinely delayed for years. Our recently published research has found that since 2017, species that need SARA protections have waited nearly two and a half years on average to formally receive legal protections, well beyond the timelines the federal government set for itself. And that only includes species the government has decided to protect. …In 2017, the federal government introduced a nonbinding policy recommending that consultations take no more than 12 months, or 24 months for species requiring extended consultation. But that hasn’t reduced delays. For the species forwarded to the Cabinet since 2017, this middle stage ran an average of 477 days (about 16 months) past the recommended timeline. Before the policy, the average was 484 days. …Some species have been stuck in limbo for more than 20 years.

Read More

What the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Leadership in Conservation Award Recognizes

By Dan Foster
Domtar Corporation
October 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

In May 2026, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) honored Domtar with its 2026 SFI Leadership in Conservation Award, presented at the SFI Annual Conference in Montréal. SFI recognized Domtar for its deep and sustained engagement with SFI’s Climate Smart Forestry Initiative, its contributions to field-level forest research and its conservation work on habitat and biodiversity alongside other certified organizations. SFI recognizes an SFI-certified organization, a team of partners or an individual for outstanding conservation achievements and innovation. …Announcing the award, SFI’s chief conservation officer, Lauren T. Cooper, said Domtar shows “the type of leadership that is helping shape the future of conservation” in North American forests. …Domtar and SFI have partnered since 2004 across forestry operations, certification, sustainability and innovation. Today, 100% of Domtar’s forest operations and most manufacturing facilities are certified to SFI standards.  

Read More

BC Community Forest Association shares funding opportunities, wildfire resources and 2026 indicators report

The BC Community Forest Association
October 30, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC Community Forest Association’s October newsletter highlights the release of its 2026 Community Forest Indicators Report, featuring results from 37 community forests reporting on 18 indicators of economic activity, community investment, wildfire resilience and forest stewardship. The BCCFA also looks ahead to working with BC’s incoming government to strengthen community forestry and rural economies. Other updates include November funding deadlines for wildfire risk reduction, forest restoration and silviculture innovation projects; new wildfire safety resources; and an article by DR Systems’ Jaya Freeman on preserving forestry records and institutional knowledge through changing personnel and systems. The newsletter also highlights a new national Wildfire Resilience Knowledge Exchange Platform, an upcoming forestry webinar series, and the 2027 BCCFA Conference and AGM, June 2–4 in Williams Lake.

Read More

Surfers raise alarm about proposed log-boom breakwater at Jordan River

By Darron Kloster and Scott Van Haren
The Times Colonist
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Surfers are worried about an… application by the Pacheedaht Anderson Timber Holdings partnership for a Crown lease to build a breakwater and log-dumping area in a bay just east of the Jordan River campground. …The primary worry for surfers is how the breakwater could change the patterns of sedimentation that shape all of the surfable waves in the area. …Angus Hope, for Pacheedaht Andersen Holdings, said the proposal is in its very early stages. Any construction, pending approvals, could be “three to five years” away, he said in an interview. While the coastline near Jordan River is now dotted with oceanside cottages and provincial parks, it was once the heart of a booming logging industry that employed thousands. …Pacheedaht Andersen Timber Holdings — a 50-50 partnership between Pacheedaht First Nation and Andersen Timber — formed in 2010 when it purchased the Jordan River Timber Tree Farm Licence (TFL61) from Western Forest Products.

Read More

Wilderness International Canada protects 1,250 acres of rainforest on Read Island

Comox Valley Record
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Wilderness International Canada (WIC) has purchased 1,250 acres of forest and wetlands on Read Island, protecting a significant area of coastal rainforest in B.C.’s Discovery Islands. The milestone was achieved through two rounds of acquisitions between May and August of 2026, bringing together 11 properties conservation area. The protected landscape encompassess mature second-growth forest, remnant old-growth trees, rare woodland ecosystems, and extensive wetlands, including a peat bog complex. “This is an important achievement for Read Island and a significant step forward for wilderness conservation in British Columbia,” said Dominique Hrytsay, Executive Director of Wilderness International Canada.

Read More

Proposed logging on Mt. Rose Swanson in Spallumcheen

Letter by Nick Gunner, Director, Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society
The Morning Star
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

If logging is a sustainable industry as we always hear from proponents, why is BCTS logging old growth and in this case creating clearcuts on a small mountain surrounded almost entirely by the Township of Spallumcheen? Logging a previously untouched area is not sustainability in action. The proposed clearcuts are in the same area as the popular hiking trails used by thousands of people per year and will obliterate much of the trail system on the north slope…. This trail system is located on the only publicly accessible crown land in the Township and attracts many out of town visitors… It is a notable tourist attraction! The value of this land is in the timed release of snowfall, wildlife habitat and a beautiful recreation area that will be damaged for hundreds of years in exchange for a few shifts of work and a few bucks for Tolko.

Related coverage in The Castanet by Darren Handschuh: Outdoor Recreation Council of BC gives kudos to Armstrong Spallumcheen Trails Society

Read More

Unifor B.C. Regional Council mobilizes to protect Canadian jobs

Unifor BC Regional Council
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

The 2026 Unifor B.C. Regional Council (BCRC) met in Victoria from Oct. 23 to 25 with the fight to protect Canadian jobs from the U.S. trade war at the centre of the debates, reports and actions. …Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle started the meeting off with his report. He emphasized the forestry crisis and singled out Canfor for closing its Northwood facility in Prince George, while holding almost double the production capacity in the U.S. and Europe that it has in Canada. …McGarrigle also marked the deal to reopen Domtar’s Howe Sound mill. …Researcher Marc Hollin reviewed the unfair U.S. tariffs regime and how $3.8 billion in B.C. exports are impacted, from machinery and electronics to wood pulp and paper. …Delegates were also given a preview of the new B.C. forestry video, followed by the adoption of Recommendation #4 calling for escalating the forestry campaign.

 

Read More

Learning about local forest stewardship in the Okanagan

BC Forest Practices Board
October 30, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Board members and sta! visited the Okanagan from October 20 to 22 to learn about local approaches to forest stewardship, wildfire risk reduction and watershed protection. Our visit began with Ntityix Resources LP, where we learned about the Seven Generations Plan and stewardship principles guiding management of the Westbank First Nation Community Forest. We then headed into the forest to see the active on-the-land wildfire risk reduction treatments by Ntityix Resources LP intended to reduce wildfire risk where forests and communities meet. Near Summerland, Don Whyte hosted us at Woodlot 1618 to see the e!ects of this summer’s Bald Range catastrophic wildfire. Don shared how earlier wildfire risk reduction work helped lessen the fire’s impacts on the woodlot. …These visits help the Board understand local stewardship approaches and the experiences of people managing and caring for BC’s forests.

Read More

Invest in the future of British Columbia’s forests—and the people who will shape them

BC Next Generation Forestry Conference
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC Next Generation Forestry Conference is looking for potential funders to fund their province-wide conference for students and young professionals working with forests! This conference is an essential part of equipping students and early-career professionals to navigate the changing realities of the world beyond academia. It aims to inspire the next generation of foresters and land stewards and will be important for them in building the relationships that last for the rest of their careers. They are looking for sponsorship and donations to make the conference accessible to everyone. Any amount is appreciated and other forms of support are welcome (eg. connections, supplies). Reach out to us at bcnextgenfc@gmail.com to start a conversation! Click here to view/download our sponsorship overview.

Read More

Logging putting Alberta’s southern mountain caribou at risk of extinction

By Rachel Plotkin, David Suzuki Foundation
The Edmonton Journal
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Rachel Plotkin

…Whether it’s whales, caribou, or butterflies, migration is an amazing feat of nature: that species are able to retain the knowledge of how and when to move to fulfill their variant life processes. The increasingly sophisticated technology of radio telemetry has enabled scientists to learn more about the migration of southern mountain caribou populations in Alberta, which migrate from mountains to forested valleys and back, up to twice each year. Or at least they used to, until Alberta approved logging in so much of the forested valleys that their migration has been significantly altered, or ceased altogether. …What happens when caribou are forced to cease their migration patterns and remain on the mountains? Not surprisingly, their populations decline. …Alberta’s decisions, made for short-term gains, erase a natural phenomenon that has existed for thousands of years. …The province needs to hear from the public that prosperity includes natural abundance alongside corporate profits.

Read More

A woodlot is so much more than “bushland”

By Bob Austman, Past President, Woodlot Association of Manitoba
Canadian Forest Owners
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

In 1986, I had an opportunity to acquire 160 acres of wooded farm property: 40 acres of open farmland and 120 acres of mostly hardwood, a mix of birch, ash, and trembling aspen. …At the time I bought my first woodlot, I recall co-workers asking me why I bought ‘bushland’ instead of putting the money in the bank. At the time ‘bushland’ was synonymous to ‘wasteland’, something meant to be bulldozed, burned, and turned into farmland. I told my co-workers that I would rather have “money in the bark, rather than money in the bank”. Today, in 2026, after 40 years of ownership, land prices have surged tenfold. …I was 32 years old when I bought my first woodlot, and 42 when I bought my second. Now at age 72, I feel blessed that I can still cut firewood with my trusty chainsaw, hunt white-tailed deer in cold weather, and hike the trails that took decades to create. 

Read More

What Will Happen to BC’s Old Growth Under the Conservatives?

By Sarah Cox
The Tyee
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

On Sept. 21, the day before David Eby called a snap election, his government quietly extended logging deferrals in the old-growth Fairy Creek watershed on southwest Vancouver Island. The government granted the deferrals five years ago, at the request of Pacheedaht First Nation, after more than 1,000 people were arrested during logging blockades at Fairy Creek that lasted for more than a year. But following the election of the Conservative Party of BC, the future of Fairy Creek … is up in the air, prompting scientists and conservation advocates to caution that B.C.’s “war in the woods” could reignite. On Saturday, during a rousing acceptance speech, premier-designate Lorne Doerkson promised “more fibre on trucks” as part of his party’s plan to supercharge B.C.’s economy. …Forester Garry Merkel, a member of the old-growth strategic review panel said he was encouraged to see the Conservatives promise to protect old growth and rare and endangered ecosystems.

Read More

Report identifies elevated slide risk in areas west of Summerland after wildfire

By Casey Richardson
Castanet Kelowna
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Landslide activity could become more common in areas west of Summerland due to the damage from the summer’s Bald Range Wildfire. On Wednesday, residents reported a small debris flow in the Garnett and Meadow valleys amid heavy rainfall. The areas where the slides are occurring are in the burn zone of August’s Bald Range wildfire, which scorched more than 25,000 hectares of forest. Eleven watersheds were affected, which saw burn impacts to the catchment areas ranging from nine to 70 per cent, according to a preliminary post-fire hazard assessment completed for the Ministry of Forests. …The report noted that in its assessments, the events are not certain to happen, but adverse weather such as heavy rain, rapid snowmelt, or rain-on-snow could trigger them, and detailed site-specific assessments are still required.

Read More

What the new B.C. Conservative government has promised the Southern Interior

By Kathy Michaels
Castanet
October 27, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The newly elected B.C. Conservative government may have to dig deep to fund promises made throughout the Southern Interior while on the campaign trail. …The Conservatives have pledged/Promised to:

  • secure funding to upgrade the 201 Forest Service Road, linking Penticton and Highway 33 east of Joe Rich. …
  • implement a wildfire action plan aimed at reducing risk before fires start and improving the response when they do. …the plan includes purchasing firefighting aircraft; clearing dangerous forest fuels around communities; making prescribed burns easier to undertake; and allowing qualified firefighting resources to work together more quickly during emergencies. 
  • a series of changes aimed at reviving BC’s forestry sector, including a harvest floor of 45 million cubic metres, faster permitting and reduced costs for mills. The plan also calls for changes to old-growth deferrals, expanded support for value-added wood manufacturers, and a biomass and bioenergy strategy that would begin with Clean Fuels Hubs in Prince George and Kamloops.

Read More

Logging of forest with big trees near Castlegar draws protests

By Greg Nesteroff
My Kootenay Now
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Roadbuilding has begun to allow logging of a forest near Castlegar that’s home to BC’s tallest documented ponderosa pine. The 59-meter tall tree, which has been dubbed Lieutenant Dan and is estimated at 600 years old, is not in danger of being cut down. But a local resident who has led a campaign to protect the area, says it isn’t the only old tree in the Cai Creek watershed. “Lieutenant Dan is safe, but there are hundreds of other fir, cedar, and almost-as-big pine in the forest,” said Matt Casselman. According to UBC’s Big Tree Registry, Cai Creek is also home to BC’s ninth and tenth-tallest western white pines, measuring about 42 and 32 meters high, respectively. …Casselman said he met with BC Timber Sales in 2023 to discuss plans for the area, but no changes were made as a result. …Last Thursday, a handful of protesters with Last Stand West Kootenay set up on the Cai Creek Forest Service Road.

Read More

Canada’s iconic water bomber is having a moment. But is it the answer to the wildfire crisis?

By Francesca Fionda
The Narwhal
October 27, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

This legendary aircraft, which was invented in Canada and transformed the way wildfires are attacked around the world, has been used since the 1960s. But while wildfires have increased in intensity and frequency, the country hasn’t added any new water bombers in over a decade. For months, Calgary-based aerospace company De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited has been pushing for a national fleet of 50 new planes, lobbying the federal government and urging Canadians to write to their members of Parliament. …“Forest fires won’t wait,” reads a full-page newspaper ad bordered with flames. “It’s time for a national water bomber fleet.” …Many experts we spoke with hedged the idea with concerns or questions about how many planes Canada really needs, their effectiveness, wait times and costs. Some said dollars should be better spent on a variety of aircraft or, better yet, wildfire prevention.

Read More

Why do we still clearcut forests? Why do we spray glyphosate?

By Rob Froese, Professor and Endowed Chair in Forest Growth & Yield
The University of Alberta
October 27, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

These are questions that forestry professionals encounter regularly. We have scientific and technical explanations for our practices, but how effectively do we communicate them? And how well do we understand the concerns of people outside our profession? Murray Wilson has spent considerable time exploring that divide. A University of Alberta forestry alumnus, industry leader and documentary filmmaker, Murray has engaged with more than 4,000 audience members about forestry and what shapes public perceptions of forest management. I’m pleased to welcome Murray back to the University of Alberta for our 96th Forest Industry Lecture, where he’ll share what he’s learned about the trust gap in forestry. Everyone is welcome, including forestry professionals, students, researchers, environmental organizations and anyone interested in how forests are managed.

Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 4:00–5:30 p.m. Mountain Time
University of Alberta, Edmonton
Attend in person or online via Zoom

Read More

Canadian Filmmaker Explores Finnish Forest Management to Prevent Wildfires

Business Joensuu
October 24, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West, International

Canadian documentary filmmaker Murray Wilson travelled to Joensuu to film his new documentary, Smoke Season, and interview Finnish forestry experts. The Forest Joensuu network helped organise his visit. …Wildfires are a growing problem in British Columbia. Since 2017, fires have destroyed an average of more than 900,000 hectares of forest annually. In Finland, meanwhile, less than 500 hectares of forest are affected by wildfires each year. Wilson wanted to find out how Finnish forests are managed and what Canada could learn from Finnish practices. …[Wilson believes] that wildfire management should focus more on prevention rather than simply responding to fires once they break out. His first documentary, BC is Burning, aimed to spark discussion about forest management and wildfire prevention in British Columbia. Wilson is continuing this work with his new documentary, Smoke Season. The film examines wildfires, their impacts and the potential to prevent them through different forest management practices.

Read More

Port Moody ready for wildfire, but risks are growing, says fire chief

By Mario Bartel
Freshet News
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©City of Burnaby

Port Moody is well-prepared for a wild fire, says the city’s fire chief, D’Arcy O’Riordan. …O’Riordan told a recent council meeting Port Moody Fire Rescue has been bolstering its wildfire preparedness since 2007 and those efforts accelerated based on a 2019 update to its community wildfire protection plan that was first completed in 2013. …“Wildfire risk in increasing,” O’Riordan said. “Preparedness is a shared responsibility.” That includes homeowners ensuring their own properties are fire smart by clearing flammable materials like shrubs and bushes away from structures. O’Riordan, said his department has contacted 3,400 homeowners and conducted more than 800 property inspections over the past few years to help implement fire smart strategies. …He is also looking into installing a network of cameras to provide early detection of wildfires in remote areas. 

Read More

Kalesnikoff opens new office building in Castlegar

By Betsy Kline
Nelson Star
October 24, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Kalesnikoff officially opened its new office building in Castlegar with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 21. Situated next to the company’s mass timber facility near the West Kootenay Regional Airport, the new two-storey building brings together a number of Kalesnikoff’s support teams into one facility. The building was built by Kalesnikoff with its own products and local lumber. …A bright red 1947 International KB-7 sits in a prominent position. It was the first truck the company bought new to haul logs, hay and lumber from the original mill at Champion Creek. …It was brought home, restored, and today it has a place at the new head office as a reminder of where Kalesnikoff began.

Read More

Kaslo’s Andrea Hand continues to break barriers for women in logger sports

By Emma Bolzner
The Kimberley Bulletin
October 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Andrea Hand (©Facebook)

Kaslo’s Andrea Hand continues to make history representing women in logger sports. After winning gold in Budapest, Hungary for the women’s world championship contest in June, Hand competed in London, Ont., for the 2026 Canadian Women’s Pro Championship in September. There, she won first and secured another national title. “I managed to win again for the third consecutive time and no other woman in Canada has done that. This also earns me a spot to go back to the world championships and represent Canada next year,” Hand said. Kaslo’s Andrea Hand continues to make history representing women in logger sports. After winning gold in Budapest, Hungary for the women’s world championship contest in June, Hand competed in London, Ont., for the 2026 Canadian Women’s Pro Championship in September. There, she won first and secured another national title. …Hand plans on representing Canada on the world stage again next year for the women’s world championship in June.

Read More

Prince George wildfire preparedness faces uncertain funding future

By Cheryl Jahn
CKPG Today
October 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Nearly a decade after the devastating 2017 wildfire season transformed Prince George into a major evacuation centre, the city is continuing to build its wildfire resilience, but officials warn the grant funding supporting much of that work is becoming less certain. The fires of 2017 were a wake-up call for communities throughout the Interior. …Today, wildfire preparedness is a significant part of the city’s resiliency efforts, ranging from forest fuel treatments to FireSmart programs intended to help residents protect their own homes. …But the city’s ability to conduct fuel treatments has limits. The city can carry out those projects only on land it owns. Crown land fall under the Ministry of Forests, while work on private property is the landowner’s responsibility. That makes education and FireSmart initiatives an important part of the city’s strategy. …the next challenge may be ensuring there is stable funding to keep that prevention work going.

Read More

Armstrong Spallumcheen Trail Society gets expert opinions on proposed logging

By Darren Handschuh
Castanet
October 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Armstrong Spallumcheen Trail Society (ASTS) is continuing their push to stop a proposed logging operation in the Mount Rose Swanson area. And they have enlisted a group of experts to weigh in on the issue. The plan to log near Spallumcheen hiking area has drawn opposition on many fronts. BC Timber Sales has extended the public input process until Oct. 15 for a proposed logging operation in Spallumcheen. … One of the most vocal opponents is the trail society. “The society  has [sent] comments and concerns to BCTS regarding their logging plans for Mt. Rose Swanson… Our comments and those of the experts we retained…,” said their Facebook post. Experts were: Natural Resource Regulation: Carla R. Conklin LL.B.; Hydrological Risk: Dr Younes Alila, UBC Faculty of Forestry, Vancouver; and Environmental Assessment: Michele Hill, Hill Environmental, Armstrong. Almost 2,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the proposed logging to be scrapped.

Read More

Grand Forks couple loses appeal in proposed class action over 2018 flooding

By Casey Richardson
Castanet
October 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A Grand Forks couple’s attempt to get a class action lawsuit against six forestry companies and the Province of British Columbia back in front of the courts has failed. According to a published Court of Appeal decision, Gregory and Deborah Flynn’s appeal was denied, with the justice deciding that the court’s previous ruling that the legal deadline had expired was correct. The Flynns claimed in a July 2020 lawsuit that the province, Interfor Corporation Ltd., Weyerhaeuser Company Ltd., Tolko Industries Ltd., Nk’mip Forestry Corporation Ltd., Nk’mip Forestry LLP, and Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation Ltd. were in part to blame for flooding in the Kettle River basin area. The filing was dismissed in April 2023… They filed “substantially the same claim” in April 2024… In September 2025, the defendants filed and delivered their applications to strike the Flynns’ claim, arguing time had run out. The chambers judge agreed with the defendants… The Flynns appealed… the appeal was dismissed.

Read More

New program to grow the Yukon’s forestry and bioenergy sector

By Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
PR Newswire
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Rebecca Chartrand

WHITEHORSE, YT — The Yukon’s forestry sector supports local jobs and supplies timber, biomass and other wood products. New territory-wide support is helping cultivate the sector by building capacity and opening new opportunities for Yukon products. Today, on the first day of the 2026 Yukon Forestry & Bioenergy Conference – Rooted In Yukon. Building Our Future, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for CanNor, announced a contribution of up to $546,945 to the Yukon Wood Products Association. This funding, delivered through CanNor, is for a three-year project to support Yukon forestry businesses and First Nations by improving access to timber, advancing regulatory readiness, modernizing operations, and improving local biomass opportunities. This includes industry-wide learning activities, such as conferences and the new Leadership, Education and Advancement in Forestry (LEAF) program. The LEAF program will provide training and other support services for key technical and regulatory activities such as developing timber harvesting plans.

Read More

August After Dark podcast chats with BC is Burning creator about wildfires

By August After Dark
Castanet
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A Kelowna podcast is taking a closer look at B.C.’s devastating wildfire seasons and what can be done to reduce the risk of future disasters. The latest episode of August After Dark, hosted by August Luxury Motorcars CEO Matt August, features a conversation with retired forester Murray Wilson about the state of B.C.’s forests, the growing cost of wildfires and the need for a different approach to forest management. The episode, titled The Brutal Truth About Why Canada’s Forests Keep Burning, was released Oct. 1 and explores some of the issues raised in Wilson’s documentary, BC Is Burning. …Throughout the nearly hour-long conversation, Wilson argues that while weather and other conditions contribute to wildfire behaviour, the amount of fuel available to burn is something people can actively manage. He points to reduced timber harvesting, insect-damaged forests and a decline in prescribed burning as factors he believes have contributed to increasingly destructive wildfire seasons.

Read More

Mount Jack wildfire highlights what is at stake for Greater Victoria’s drinking water

By Megan Yamoah
CTV News
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A wildfire in the wrong part of the forest could have serious consequences for Greater Victoria’s drinking water, and the Mount Jack blaze near Sooke offers a reminder of what is at stake. The fire burned within the Capital Regional District’s protected water supply lands in September, becoming the largest wildfire recorded in the area in more than three decades. CRD watershed firefighters joined BC Wildfire Service crews in efforts to bring the blaze under control, working on the ground and in aircrafts to help contain the flames. But where the fire burned was significant. The Mount Jack wildfire was located in the Leech watershed, which the CRD plans to use as a drinking water source in the future. It does not currently supply drinking water to Greater Victoria, and preliminary assessments point to a low risk to water quality.

Read More

Sunshine Coast Community Forest seeking tenure change, local partnerships

By Connie Jordison
Coast Reporter
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

With additional forest tenure purchased, Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) is advocating to have that harvesting allocation incorporated into its community forest agreement. If the province agrees, SCCF proposes to partner with other lower Sunshine Coast local governments, with the goal of having cutblocks that residents want to see benefit from their ecosystem-based forest management approach taken under SCCF’s wing. That pitch, delivered by an SCCF delegation at the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s Oct. 8 board meeting, received an amenable reception. During the presentation, SCCF’s forester Warren Hansen said the organization had bought a 12,000 cubic metre forest licence from private forestry giant Interfor (licence A86929), with the intention of converting it to a Community Forest Agreement. …Area A director Leonard Lee, stating his appreciation of the level of documentation provided, noted BCTS “doesn’t have the latitude to log with minimal disruption” but that community forests can, as they are community-owned corporations that don’t have to maximize profits.

Read More

The Root of It: News and research from UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship

By the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship
University of British Columbia
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Living with wildfire and protecting salmon habitat headline the latest The Root of It newsletter from UBC’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. Wildfire researcher Dr. Kira Hoffman joins Dean Rob Kozak to explore Indigenous-led fire stewardship and lessons from B.C.’s recent wildfire seasons. New research suggests protecting 70–80% of the watersheds salmon depend on is closer to what’s needed to sustain populations than the global 30×30 conservation target. Also featured are a strengthened fisheries research partnership with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, Rob Kozak’s appointment to a second five-year term as dean, and Society of American Foresters accreditation for three undergraduate programs. Education opportunities include a November 19 online information session on mass timber micro-certificates and a dual master’s program in green business with the University of Helsinki.

Read More

Former South Cariboo forestry workers learn new career skills thanks to Thompson Rivers University

By Patrick Davies
The Summerland Review
October 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

For the first time in months, the future is exciting for several former forestry workers from the South Cariboo. Over the past two and a half months, they have been enrolled in Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Heavy Equipment Operator program, free of charge. …Kyla Miller, TRU’s 100 Mile community coordinator, said this program was funded by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to help community members impacted by forestry sector layoffs, specifically the closure of West Fraser 100 Mile Lumber. …Miller said a program like this is expensive to run, with students paying up to $40,000 each. Thanks to the government funding and community donations, TRU was able to offer it at no cost to qualified workers. To qualify, students had to be either formerly employed by West Fraser, precariously employed in the forestry sector or laid off due to the impacts of U.S. lumber tariffs. 

Read More

Woodlots BC highlights election priorities, forest stewardship and funding opportunities

Woodlots BC
October 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

In the latest edition of Woodlots Weekly, Woodlots BC outlines three priorities ahead of the October 24 provincial election: strengthening wildfire protection through locally managed forests, maintaining woodlot tenures to support rural jobs, and recognizing the benefits of community-based forest stewardship. The organization also announces its membership in Canadian Forest Owners, providing a stronger voice for B.C. woodlot licensees in national forest policy discussions. Other highlights include the availability of presentations from the recent Woodlots BC conference, new Innovation in Action grants of $25,000 to $50,000 for innovative silviculture projects, and funding opportunities through the Forest Enhancement Society of BC for wildfire risk reduction and ecosystem rehabilitation.

Read More

Canadian Wildfire AI Slashes Hazard Mapping Time From Months to Hours: Open-Source Tool

By Shannon Harwood
Techtimes
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

As Canada’s 2026 wildfire season closed having scorched roughly 4.5 million hectares and forced 33,750 people from their homes — making it the country’s fourth-worst fire season on record — researchers in Montréal and Ottawa announced an AI tool that compresses months of hazard computation into hours. On October 23, Mila — the Québec Artificial Intelligence Institute — and the forestry division of Natural Resources Canada jointly announced an AI emulator designed to slot into Canada’s existing wildfire hazard workflow as a radically faster alternative to BurnP3+, the country’s established physics-based simulator. Depending on the hardware it runs on, the model operates between 800 and 3,400 times faster than BurnP3+, according to Mila’s announcement via BetaKit. …Once publicly released, the tool will be accessible to provincial agencies, Indigenous-led fire programs, insurance actuaries, and academic researchers. …The speed advantage — 800–3,400× depending on hardware — has the most immediate practical consequence for planning cadence. 

Read More

Bayer Shares Rise After Win in First Roundup Trial Since Supreme Court Ruling

By Adrià Calatayud
The WSJ in Yahoo!Finance
October 30, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Bayer shares rose after the company received a favorable ruling in the first U.S. trial over its Roundup weedkiller since it won a U.S. Supreme Court challenge in June. …A Missouri Circuit Court sided with Bayer’s Monsanto business in a Roundup case, handing the company a win in the first trial since the Supreme Court ruling. In June, a majority of Supreme Court justices sided with the company, saying it can’t be held liable for failing to warn consumers that Roundup causes cancer when a federal regulator didn’t require the product to carry a warning label. That decision eliminated a key argument for plaintiffs about the alleged failure to warn. Bayer said the court jury ruled for Monsanto on the design defect, fraud and negligence claims. The ruling suggests it will be difficult for future plaintiffs and marks another step in Bayer’s strategy to contain litigation risk.

Read More

Wildland fire services should fight wildfire with data

By Kim Zagaris, retired California state fire and rescue chief
The Center Square
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Kim Zagaris

Having worked in fire safety and emergency response for almost 50 years, I have seen people fight increasingly extreme wildfires with inadequate tools for communication and coordination. The establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service gives us a chance to change that. The proposed consolidation of federal wildland fire management under the Department of the Interior, initially involving five entities joining forces as one united front under the Dept of Interior for managing wildfire response at the federal level, is a sound move for all stakeholders. As the new agency examines practices across the whole spectrum … one of the most important aspects of wildfire response that merits modernizing is data and communication. …The emergence of the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) was the country’s first modern replacement for data architecture that had been in place for decades. NERIS was designed on the principle that firefighters cannot make good decisions without timely and accurate data. 

Read More

Nearly 10 Million Acres Of U.S. Forest Lost In 30 Years, Study Finds

By Jamie Hailstone
Forbes Magazine
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

A new analysis reveals that nearly ten million acres of U.S. forest were permanently lost between 1990 and 2017. Scientists from Clark University found that Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee experienced the most significant losses. The primary drivers identified were development and cropland expansion. The report also introduces the U.S. Forest Monitor, a digital platform designed to track permanent forest conversion. Arbor Day Foundation CEO Dan Lambe stated that the research highlights the urgency of restoring lost forests and addressing pressures like land conversion. Additionally, Forest Stewardship Council U.S. President Sarah Billig noted that small landowners face difficult decisions due to a downturn in the paper industry and increased urban development pressure.

Read More

Celebrating 2025, 2026 Smokey Bear Award winners

By The Forest Service
US Department of Agriculture
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

For the past 82 years, Smokey Bear has been the image and the voice of wildfire prevention. And for 82 years, the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Campaign has brought together the Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council around Smokey’s simple message, “Only you can prevent wildfires.” But Smokey’s message alone doesn’t prevent wildfires, people do. …During the September National Association of State Foresters annual meeting, participants celebrated the 2025 and 2026 Smokey Bear award winners. Recipients were recognized for their exemplary efforts to reduce the threat of unwanted human-caused wildfires. Since 1957, this prestigious award program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters, and Ad Council, has recognized organizations and individuals for outstanding service in wildfire prevention at the national level (gold), multi-state level (silver), statewide level (bronze), and local level (certificate).

Read More

Key energy lobbyists call for swift enactment of bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act

By Kim Riley
Daily Energy Insider
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The Edison Electric Institute, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and the American Public Power Association are calling on congressional leaders to pass the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act and get it enacted by the president before the 119th Congress concludes on Jan. 3, 2027. The measure, S. 1462 / H.R. 471, would establish requirements for managing forests on federal lands, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities. “Electric utilities across America are investing billions of dollars in wildfire mitigation programs, grid hardening, vegetation management, and advanced monitoring technologies to better protect the communities they serve,” the organizations wrote in an Oct. 13 letter sent to U.S. House and Senate leaders.

Read More

These beetles can sense wildfires and race toward the flames while ticks face a different fate

By Robert Pic
Fox Weather
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

When wildfires tore through north Spokane, Washington, early this year, thousands of black fire beetles were drawn to the heat. Part of the genus Melanophila, they detect infrared radiation from forest fires and are attracted to freshly burned wood, according to the U.S. Forest Service. They use recently scorched trees to lay their eggs. …Entomologists said they can arrive while crews are still working on the fire or in the days just after, sometimes by the thousands. Beetles may crawl onto gear and skin and can bite people, mistaking warm bodies for charred wood. Their mandibles are built to chew into trees, so the nip can sting. …But fire can also wipe insects out, including the pest Americans hate most: ticks. The catch is the fire that works against ticks isn’t a wildfire; it’s one set on purpose. …Prescribed fires can strip away the shaded and damp cover ticks needed to survive.

Read More

Celebrating National Forest Products Week successes

By Tom Schultz, Forest Service Chief
USDA US Forest Service
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Tom Schultz

National Forest Products Week, celebrated the third week of October, was established by Congress in 1960 to acknowledge the value and importance of forest products and their sustainable uses. As we celebrate, I want to share my deepest appreciation for your dedication to managing our forests and supporting the sustainable forest products industry. The forest products economy is strong, generating approximately $288 billion in annual economic output. Forest products make up roughly 4-5% of the total U.S. manufacturing Gross Domestic Product. The sector directly employs approximately 950,000 people. In fact, the forest products industry is also among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 45 states. You all delivered a successful forest management program in fiscal year 2026, selling 3.3 billion board feet, the highest volume sold from federal lands since 1997, and 103 million board feet above the annual target. These efforts will help move us toward implementing our forest plans to achieve forest health, fire mitigation and other land management objectives. 

Read More

National Storytelling Initiative to Highlight Wood Innovation Investments

The Society of American Foresters
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The Society of American Foresters (SAF), in partnership with the World Forestry Center (WFC), is launching a new national storytelling initiative that will showcase how Wood Innovations Grant (WIG) projects are strengthening communities, supporting active forest management, and creating new opportunities for forest products across the United States. Supported through the U.S. Forest Service Wood Innovations Program, the initiative will work directly with Wood Innovations Grant recipients to capture and share stories demonstrating the real-world impact of these investments. Through videos, digital campaigns, photography, and museum exhibits, the project will connect the public, policymakers, investors, and industry leaders with examples of how innovation in the forest sector supports healthier forests, stronger rural economies, and sustainable markets. …As part of the initiative, SAF and WFC will collaborate with Forest Service leadership and grant recipients to develop multimedia content that illustrates the connection between healthy forests, forest management, wood products, and economic opportunities. 

Read More

Presidential Message on National Forest Products Week

The White House
October 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

…During National Forest Products Week, we renew our commitment to conserving these incredible landscapes and responsibly harnessing their abundance to sustain households, strengthen American jobs and industry, and secure lasting prosperity for generations to come. …As President, I am committed to supporting these vital industries and continuing to drive economic growth.  Last year, I was proud to sign two Executive Orders to increase domestic timber supply and reduce reliance on imports from foreign markets. As a result, over half a billion dollars in new domestic industry investments were announced, annual industry earnings have increased by over $5,600, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has sold over three billion board feet of American timber this year, the highest volume sold in almost three decades. Under my leadership, the USDA Forest Service has also championed sustainable forests, achieving 116 percent of our annual reforestation goal, the highest level in twenty-six years.

Read More

Loggers pass on timber sales as demand drops

By Scott Dance
New York Times in Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
October 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

WASHINGTON — When the U.S. Forest Service opened 947 acres in a remote section of western Colorado to commercial logging in July, officials expected at least a few companies to jump at the opportunity. Not one did. That isn’t just a problem for the loggers. Timber sales are an important tool for preventing catastrophic wildfires. …President Donald Trump has taken steps to promote the U.S. timber industry, increasing access for logging companies to federal lands …Yet loggers are passing up on timber sales across federal lands because of an accelerating downturn in the industry. …Logging has been declining for decades in the US, but the slide has accelerated as costs for fuel and equipment rose and the prices for many types of forest products dropped, said Scott Dane, executive director of the American Loggers Council. Forest Service officials said it is not unusual to get zero bids for a timber sale; about 15% of sales do not attract bidders. 

Read More

Weyerhaeuser agrees to sell 81,000 acres of Arkansas timberland

The Magnolia Reporter
October 29, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Weyerhaeuser reported third quarter net earnings of $61 million on net sales of $1.9 billion. …In October, Weyerhaeuser entered into an agreement to divest approximately 81,000 acres of non-core timberlands in Arkansas for $146 million. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions. The company owns about 1.2 million acres in the state. It operates a plywood mill in Emerson and a pine tree nursery in the Calhoun community. …Devin W. Stockfish, CEO said, “In addition, we continued to enhance the value of our timberlands portfolio. Looking ahead, we remain confident in the longer-term demand fundamentals.” …In the West, fee harvest volumes and forestry and road costs were comparable to the second quarter. …In the South, fee harvest volumes were significantly higher than the second quarter due to more favorable weather conditions.

Read More

Forest Service uncertainty raises concerns for Arizona timber industry

By Peter Aleshire
The Payson Roundup
October 27, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

The U.S. Forest Service faces continued uncertainty over its staffing, leadership and funding, raising concerns among Northern Arizona loggers, environmentalists and local officials working to restore overgrown forests and sustain the timber industry. “We’re in a moment of uncertainty,” said Scot Rogers, program manager for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative, known as 4FRI. Rogers spoke at a recent meeting in Show Low of the Natural Resources Working Group of the Eastern Arizona Counties Organization. …A federal judge has temporarily blocked a plan to move the Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City and reorganize its regional offices. A lawsuit filed by federal employee groups also challenges layoffs affecting thousands of Forest Service workers. …Restoring Northern Arizona’s forests was already a difficult task before the latest changes. Ponderosa pine forests that historically averaged about 50 trees per acre now can contain closer to 1,000 trees per acre, according to figures presented at the meeting.

Read More

Fewer fires, record damage: Oregon’s 2026 wildfire season by the numbers

By Casey Frizzell
Oregon Public Broadcasting
October 24, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Oregon’s 2026 wildfire season burned a record amount of land and cost more to fight than any season before it, even as the state saw fewer fires than usual. More than 2.1 million acres burned across the state this year, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, surpassing the previous record set in 2024. …For the 2026 wildfire season, the number of wildfires across Oregon was lower than what’s been reported over the past four seasons. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, since 2022, the average number of reported wildfires between May and October was around 2,100. In 2026, 1,813 fires were reported. …During the 2026 season, large wildfires destroyed 56 homes across the state, according to data from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. …The Oregon Department of Forestry reported that firefighting costs passed $235 million by mid-August, exceeding the final net costs of the record-setting 2024 fire season by roughly $35 million.

Read More

Loggers say Roadless Rule repeal won’t solve their biggest challenges

By Kirk Siegler
National Public Radio
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

EUGENE, Oregon – President Trump is widely expected to soon open up some 44 million acres of the country’s last pristine national forests. …With the formal repeal of the Roadless Rule rule expected early next year, the picture on the ground in timber country looks messier. Those who make a living in the forests say the problems are much bigger than access to more trees. …Sean Smith, CEO of the family owned Starfire Lumber in Cottage Grove, Oregon says the industry has more pressing challenges now, starting with the record high price of diesel fuel. Economists largely blame that on Trump’s war with Iran. And then there’s inflation, which is driving up the costs of just about everything. …So repealing the Roadless Rule – which has largely banned new road building and logging projects on some 44 million acres of pristine national forests since 2001 – is lower on the priority list.

Read More

‘It’s only a matter of time’: A beetle that decimates ash trees has arrived in southeast Washington

By Erick Bengel
Oregon Public Broadcasting
October 25, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

©USDA

Last month, arborist Isaac Long drove to a residence in Walla Walla County to save a residential green ash tree. …Long inspected the canopy, and found what became the first documented emerald ash borer infestation in Washington state. Adult emerald ash borers measure about half an inch long and sport a shiny green exoskeleton. Originally from Asia and first identified in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002, the invasive pest has decimated ash trees in North America, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. …Washington State Department of Agriculture staff visited the site, found the pale larvae in multiple trees and sent specimens to the USDA, which confirmed the insect species, according to a release. …“Once emerald ash borer has been detected, it’s only a matter of time before you see large-scale mortality of ash on the landscape,” said Zeima Kassahun, with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

Read More

We need to learn to live with fire. Passing the Fix Our Forests Act is a start

By Rich Elliott, past deputy chief of operations, Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue
The Spokesman Review
October 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Rich Elliott

…For nearly 40 years, I’ve served as a firefighter, including as deputy chief of Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, often battling wildfires. To preserve the landscape we love, we need to change our relationship to fire. Virtually every Western ecosystem evolved with fires as an integral part of wildland ecology. …However, more than a century of total suppression policy interrupted that cycle, and fuel has been accumulating on the landscape. …If we don’t reconsider our federal wildfire policy, resources will be stretched even further and wildfire season will only worsen. The Fix Our Forests Act … aims to tackle wildfire response holistically. FOFA is a science-based solution, built on the recommendations from experts in conservation, land management and firefighting. It … authorizes more projects to prevent and mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfire – prescribed burning, grazing, selective thinning. The bill also addresses coordination issues in our federal wildfire response. 

Read More

Montana, Idaho groups sue USFS over Great Burn wilderness

By Laura Lundquist
The Missoula Current
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Three conservation groups are suing the U.S. Forest Service for reducing the size and wildlife protections in the Idaho portion of the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness. On Tuesday, the Great Burn Conservation Alliance, Montana Wildlife Federation and Idaho Conservation League sued the U.S. Forest Service in Central Idaho federal court over the changes that the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest made to the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness in its 2025 Forest Plan. The new Forest Plan shrank the Great Burn Recommended Wilderness that had existed for 40 years by removing approximately 3,700 acres in two large areas to the north and south that are critical to wildlife, particularly mountain goats and wolverine. As compensation, the plan added new acreage on the west side of the area, but the groups say it’s marginal wildlife habitat.

Read More

Forest Service moves forward with old-growth logging project on Prince of Wales Island

By Sydney Dauphinais
KRBD.org
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The U.S. Forest Service is once again moving forward with a large old-growth logging project on Prince of Wales Island. The agency released its draft decision and final environmental impact statement for the Twin Mountain II timber sale last week, kicking off a 45-day objection filing period. …Lawsuits stalled the project shortly after it was introduced, but it was revived under the Trump administration in 2020. The draft environmental impact statement for the Twin Mountain II project found that the project is likely to severely impact subsistence use of deer in the area. …The Forest Service estimates it will provide over 100 jobs and generate up to $6.54 million in income for the timber industry. Prince of Wales is home to one of the last remaining mid-sized sawmills in the state, and it’s one of the biggest employers on the island.

Read More

Salvaging burned timber is a race against the clock

By Bill Bartlett
Nugget News
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

After a wildfire, a landowner looking at scorched trees often feels pressure to act. Dead timber can still hold value, but that value can fade as the wood dries, cracks, and becomes vulnerable to insects and decay. The good news is that Oregon does not require a special state “salvage logging” permit for private landowners to harvest fire-damaged timber just because it burned. There are about 700 such properties, divided almost equally between Deschutes and Jefferson counties covering around 150,000 acres. …No exact figures have been assessed as to timber loss following the Akawa Butte wildfire, which burned approximately 27,491 acres near Sisters, but it is widely believed to be heavy with much of the loss on private lands. …They are wading through the myriad rules and regulations to make sure that they don’t make a bad situation worse.

Read More

Judge halts US Forest Service plan that would move Oregon HQ to Salem

By Zach Urness
Statesman Journal
October 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A federal judge temporarily blocked a sweeping plan to reorganize the U.S. Forest Service by moving its headquarters to Salt Lake City and closing nine regional offices — including one in Portland. U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria ruled Oct. 13 that the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service, cannot proceed with planned office closures or force employees to relocate while a lawsuit challenging its reorganization continues. …The Forest Service did not immediately address how the ruling would impact its plans. “The Department is reviewing the Judge’s decision and will file its response with the Court,” the federal agency said in a statement. …A coalition of unions, nonprofits, conservation groups and cities challenged the plans, arguing that the USDA was violating congressional rules on how federal funds can be spent. …The injunction is unlikely to completely derail the reorganization.

Read More

Maine prison logging instructors win award

By Julia Deal
News Center Maine
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

HERMON, Maine — Two correctional facility employees are being recognized for helping incarcerated residents learn the ropes of Maine’s logging industry. Vocational program specialist Scott DeMoranville and correctional trade instructor Alvin Wasson, both of Mountain View Correctional Facility in Charleston, received the 2026 Certified Logging Professional Logger of the Year award in the supervisor/contractor category. The pair was honored Thursday, Oct. 22, during the fourth annual Forest Awards Night in Hermon. The award recognizes logging professionals for their commitment to workplace safety, professionalism, and sustainable forest management. DeMoranville and Wasson were also recognized for helping incarcerated residents build job skills and gain hands-on experience through the facility’s professional logging program. The program teaches residents conventional logging techniques while providing timber harvesting services to landowners across Maine.
 

Read More

U.S. Department of Commerce Intends to Invest $7.4 Million in Disaster Supplemental Funding to Support the Timber Manufacturing Industry in Georgia

US Economic Development Administration
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce announced that the Economic Development Administration (EDA) intends to award $7.4 million in Disaster Supplemental funding to the Resilient Growth Through Enabling Next Generation Agriculture coalition in Georgia. This award will support advancements in the local timber manufacturing industry, by building resilient supply chains in the regional agricultural sector and creating new revenue by turning timber waste into critical materials used for livestock feed and other purposes. It is in response to Hurricane Helene, which impacted the region in 2024. “Hurricane Helene left Georgia growers with damaged timber and exposed weaknesses in their supply chains. With this over $7 million in federal funding, backed by $24 million in private investment, Georgia Tech is exploring how to turn that timber into valuable ag-nutrients and testing ways to keep supply chains moving even when storms hit,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Read More

Nearly $20M awarded to rural Texas fire departments to prepare for wildfire

By Hunter Bassler
Wildfire Today
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

©Texas A&M Facebook

When a wildfire ignites in Texas, the first people on the scene are most likely from one of the state’s hundreds of volunteer fire departments, most of which have less than adequate resources to contain the flames. Officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service say they are aware of this disparity and are attempting to address it with new funding through its Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program, specifically for firefighting equipment, training and other emergency needs. The program’s most recent $20 million award is its first round of funding for the 2027 fiscal year. “Demand for assistance through the program routinely exceeds available funding as volunteer fire departments work to maintain and replace vehicles, protective gear and other essential resources,” the Service said in a press release on Friday. “To address longstanding funding needs, the 89th Texas Legislature appropriated $192 million in one-time additional funding to support outstanding requests.”

Read More

Governor Healey Activates National Guard to Combat Wildfires in Western Massachusetts

By Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
Government of Massachusetts
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

Maura Healey

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey today activated the Massachusetts National Guard to assist state and local firefighters responding to a wildfire that began in New York and has now crossed the border into Williamstown. The National Guard will use aircraft to drop water on fires in remote, rocky areas that are hard for firefighters to reach. In addition to the National Guard, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, Department of Fire Services and Department of Conservation and Recreation have been monitoring the spread of the fire and offering assistance. The blaze is currently covering 157 acres. “Our top priority is keeping people safe and giving our firefighters every resource possible to contain this wildfire,” said Governor Healey. “…I’m grateful to the firefighters, first responders and National Guard members who are working around the clock to protect our communities. We will continue to do everything we can to keep residents safe.”

Read More

Despite optimism, Bartlett Experimental Forest still faces uncertainty

By Emilia Wisniewski
The Concord Monitor
October 23, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

©UNH

Concord, New Hampshire — Many forest researchers and advocates hail Bartlett Experimental Forest as an invaluable resource for long-term research that informs forest maintenance. That includes Anton Bekkerman, associate dean of research and director of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire. When he heard the announcement in late March about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service reorganization — putting over 50 research facilities, including Bartlett, under review for closure — he said it was “worrying.” He supports many people within UNH who use Bartlett for their research. …While there is still no definite decision on the fate of Bartlett, recent conversations, court actions and funding have given hope to stakeholders that the experimental forest may be kept off the chopping block.

Read More

Wyoming State Forestry Division awards $3.5 million for forest health projects

The Sundance Times
October 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

The Wyoming State Forestry Division has awarded $3.5 million in support of 22 projects as part of the 2026 Forest Health Grant Program. In Crook County, the NE Wyoming Forest Health & Wildfire Reduction Initiative, Crook County Natural Resource District, was awarded $300,000. The program was introduced with the passage of House Bill 78 during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2026 budget session. WSFD quickly mobilized to create and advertise the program, form an interagency project review committee and notify applicants of their funding status by mid-June to ensure that projects that will benefit Wyoming’s forests are on the ground as soon as possible.  Qualifying projects are those that improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, improve water quality and yield and enhance wildlife and livestock habitat. The committee reviewed 31 applications for more than $12.26 million.

Read More

Hurricane Isaias caused $33.5 million in timber damage to Alabama

By William Thornton
Advance Local Media
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

The Alabama Forestry Commission says Hurricane Isaias damaged more than 2.5 million tons of timber valued at $33.5 million. That’s after preliminary aerial surveys of damage last week, focusing on the hardest-hit areas, which included Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. A more extensive survey will eventually be carried out. Isaias made landfall near Destin, Fla. on Oct. 9, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. By 1 a.m. the next morning, the center of the storm was about 55 miles south-southwest of Montgomery, and winds had decreased to 65 miles per hour. According to the survey, Isaias cut a swath of damage about 36 miles long and up to seven miles wide. In all, the impacted area included 154,783 acres, including 64,795 acres of forestland and about 40,805 acres classified as woody wetlands. Alabama State Forester Rick Oates said the damage “was not as extensive as it could have been.” However, the results were still devastating.

Read More

Forest products industry contributes heavily to Mississippi, U.S. economy

By Ellery Jones, Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association
Magnolia Tribune
October 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

Ellery Jones

This week, October 18-24, is National Forest Products Week. It is a nationally designated week to recognize the forest products industry and its contributions to our nation and great state. As an industry, we provide valuable jobs in rural communities, boost local economies and provide sustainable products that build our homes and communities. Forest products are renewable, sustainable and vital to the strength of our rural economies, supporting jobs in manufacturing, forestry and logging. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and the Mississippi Forestry Association, more than 84,000 jobs are supported by forestry and forest-related industries, employing 5.18 percent of our state’s workforce. Each year, our industry generates $4.42 billion in income for Mississippi families. As an organization made up of these dedicated individuals, we are proud to support and advocate for the forest products industry. 

Read More

Wildfire experts urge proactive forest management as fire risks grow

By Joshe Hinke
WTIP North Shore Community Radio
October 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

In the wake of July’s lightning-caused wildfires, advocates for fire safety are working with officials on a solution that might seem unexpected: more fire. Fire is a natural part of the boreal forest ecosystem, playing an essential role in its health and regeneration. These forests are adapted to fire, and some species depend on it to regenerate. “Fire has been very diverse on this landscape and has been present through a combination of lightning strikes and also intentional ignitions by indigenous people who have lived here for hundreds and thousands of years,” Abby Andrus of Dovetail Partners told WTIP. Dovetail Partners is a nonprofit organization that provides information on the environmental impacts and trade-offs of land management decisions. Part of its work in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region focuses on wildfire resilience and fire ecology. WTIP spoke with representatives of Dovetail Partners about how communities and individuals can better prepare for wildfire season. 

Read More

Alabama Woods to Goods Week recognizes forest industry’s workers and economic impact

By Sherri Blevins
Yellow Hammer News
October 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

Alabama’s forests help support livelihoods for loggers, truck drivers, mill workers and landowners across the state. Alabama Woods to Goods Week, set for Oct. 18–24, will recognize those workers and the industry’s role in the communities they call home. Gov. Kay Ivey has proclaimed the observance for the sixth year, coinciding with National Forest Products Week. According to the Alabama Forestry Association, forestry and forest products generate approximately $37.5 billion in total economic output for Alabama and support 123,692 jobs through the economic activity they create. The association describes forest products as the state’s second-largest manufacturing industry. With forests covering more than two-thirds of Alabama, the industry’s reach begins with the land itself. It continues through logging operations, trucks carrying timber and mills turning that timber into products. Woods to Goods Week gives students, public officials and other participants opportunities to learn more about that work. 

Read More

Argentina sees EU soymeal opportunity as deforestation rules threaten Brazil trade

By Maximilian Heath and Oliver Griffin
Reuters
October 28, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BUENOS AIRES — Brazil’s soybean industry ​fears the European Union’s new anti-deforestation regulations (EUDR) could curb soymeal exports to the bloc, creating an opening for rival supplier Argentina, which says it is better ‌placed to comply with the incoming rules. Brazil is the EU’s largest supplier of soybean meal for animal feed, accounting for about half of the bloc’s imports last year, according to data from the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC). …Starting December 30, the EUDR will require importers to prove their products are not linked to deforested land, with significant penalties for non-compliance. …According to FEFAC’s latest report on how anti-deforestation rules may impact supply ​chains, Brazil was assigned a “medium” risk rating, with the west-central state of Mato Grosso and others facing “structural and logistical hurdles”. …In its latest risk assessment, FEFAC assigned Argentina a “low” risk rating for EUDR-related supply disruptions.

Read More

Could pine resin help protect the Algarve’s forests from wildfires?

Portugal.fr
October 27, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Across the Algarve, stone pines (Pinus pinea) are a familiar feature of the landscape. Their … pine nuts have traditionally provided a valuable source of income. But in the more than 42,000 hectares of stone pine many trees produce few pine cones, leaving landowners with limited financial returns. Forestry organisations are now examining another possibility: collecting the resin produced naturally by the trees. …The connection between resin and wildfire prevention is indirect – but potentially significant. Forests that generate income give landowners a stronger financial incentive to manage them. Resin collection requires regular access to the trees, ongoing maintenance in woodland areas. …That matters in a region where rural fires can spread rapidly through poorly maintained vegetation. The proposed benefit comes from better land management… The opportunity is promising, but the economics are not yet established. …If resin harvesting proves commercially viable, it could offer landowners another reason to maintain their pine forests. 

Read More

Mexico says it dismantled 123 illegal sawmills in two years

Lesprom Network
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Mexico’s armed forces have dismantled more than 123 clandestine sawmills and detained 116 suspected illegal loggers over the government’s first two years, Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo said on Tuesday, Mexican newspaper La Razón reported. …About 70% of wood nationwide is estimated to be of illegal origin, according to the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), cited in a January report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. In Chihuahua, the country’s largest timber-producing state, illegal timber is now worth about as much as the legal market, around $172 million a year, the report said. Much of the wood is turned into pallets for exports to the U.S., it found. The environmental protection agency Profepa has also stepped up raids this year. In a nationwide operation in late June it closed 28 sites and seized more than 4,268 cubic meters of timber.

Read More

Indigenous leaders recognised as inaugural Ambassadors for Primary Forests at CBD COP17

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
October 26, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Yerevan, Armenia – Six Indigenous leaders from Africa, Asia and Latin America were recognised today as the inaugural Indigenous Peoples Ambassadors for Primary Forests, celebrating their leadership, knowledge and contributions to conserving some of the world’s most important forest landscapes. The recognition took place at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) at the event “Indigenous Peoples Ambassadors for Primary Forests: Celebrating Indigenous Leadership in Forest Conservation and Stewardship.” The event was organised by IUCN, the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat and the Global Environment Facility. The inaugural Ambassadors, Maimuna Jawara, Puyr dos Santos Tembé, Pirawan Wongnithisathaporn, Joseph Itongwa Miukumo, Julio Cusurichi Palacios and Herkulanus Sutomo Manna bring experiences from diverse Indigenous Peoples, territories and forest landscapes. Their work demonstrates how Indigenous governance, knowledge systems, community leadership and cultural continuity contribute to conserving primary forests and biodiversity. 

Read More

Ikea accused of harmful wood sourcing in Europe’s forests

By Kelly Stroh
Supply Chain Dive
October 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Environmental organization Greenpeace International has accused Ikea Group of wood sourcing practices that are destroying forests in Europe despite the furniture retailer’s reported commitment to sustainable wood sourcing standards, according to an Oct. 13 press release. Greenpeace published a report alleging that there is a gap between the retailer’s sourcing practices and its promises to use its industry influence to promote sustainable forestry. The organization also alleges Ikea has failed to measure the “true environmental footprint of its supply chain,” per the release. Greenpeace is urging Ikea to take actions to protect Europe’s forests, including halting sourcing from forest areas with high biodiversity and setting corporate biodiversity targets with measurable 2030 targets. The organization is also pushing the furniture retailer to embed ecosystem integrity as a core governance principle and align its political influence with its biodiversity commitments.

Read More

How Europe’s emptying countryside is fuelling a new wildfire crisis

By Kate Abnett, Pietro Lombardi and Mariano Zafra
Reuters
October 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Europe is emerging from one of its worst wildfire seasons on record. Deadly blazes this year ripped through countries including Spain, France and Greece, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate and burning 699,000 hectares – four times the size of London. The disasters highlighted how climate change is fuelling hot and dry conditions that amplify wildfires. But another, often-overlooked factor played a pivotal role in some instances: How governments and private landowners are managing Europe’s emptying countryside. In the 195s, the countryside west of Madrid, Spain’s capital, was a mosaic of crop fields and pastures. If a fire ignited, the fragmented landscape would limit its spread. By 1975, the first signs of decline rural activity were visible in aerial photographs. …In the decades that followed, young forests took root. The woodland spread grew denser, joining together to form more continuous forest. Now, if a fire starts, the continuous vegetation provides fuel for the flames to spread.

Read More

UK ‘needs fire-fighting planes amid rising wildfire risk’

Forestry Journal UK
October 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

NEW fire-fighting planes, bans on disposable barbecues and Australian-style public awareness campaigns are needed to tackle the growing threat of wildfires, MPs have urged. After one of the most severe summers on record for fires across the UK, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee warned “wildfire is part of our new reality”. Fires could no longer be regarded as rare or exceptional events as climate change increases their frequency and severity, the committee said, as it called for a national strategy to tackle the threat. …Meanwhile fire and rescue services need investment in specialist equipment, with new planes a “minimum requirement”, he said. …The MPs also want implementation plans for new aerial firefighting capability by January 2027, as the UK has no dedicated firefighting aircraft and its limited number of water-bombing military planes are permanently based in Cyprus.

Read More

From Forest Certification to Global Biodiversity Goals: A Conversation with Chief Scientist Dr. Healy Hamilton Ahead of CBD COP17

By Lizzie Mafrici and Dr. Healy Hamilton
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
October 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

As businesses face growing pressure to measure and disclose their impacts on nature, forest certification offers a strong foundation, says Sustainable Forestry Initiative Chief Scientist Dr. Healy Hamilton. In an interview ahead of the UN biodiversity conference, CBD COP17, Hamilton explains how investor concerns are driving demand for information on species extinction risk and ecosystem condition—and why gathering and interpreting that data remains challenging. SFI is helping certified organizations navigate these expectations through a new Sustainability Framework Crosswalk Tool and a forthcoming Conservation Values Viewer developed with NatureServe. Hamilton highlights how certification supports biodiversity conservation, water protection and landscape connectivity in working forests. At COP17, SFI will join PEFC, FSC and the International Sustainable Forestry Coalition to demonstrate certification’s role in nature-related reporting and progress toward global biodiversity goals.

Read More

Stora Enso Now Admits Taking Wood From Google’s Disputed Felling

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
October 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Stora Enso has reversed its earlier denial and confirmed it took wood felled for Google’s planned data centres at Muhos and Kajaani, making it the last of Finland’s three largest forest companies to do so. The company said that about 5,000 cubic metres of pulpwood and sawlogs reached its Oulu operations through a supplier whose contract ended in May. “The amount is equivalent to five per cent of the daily wood use at UPM’s pulp mills in Finland,” Janne Kiiliäinen, at UPM Forest, said on Friday. Kiiliäinen. …Metsä Group took about 5,000 cubic metres from Google’s Otanmäki site at Kajaani and about 50 from Muhos, the company confirmed on Friday. …Finland’s Licensing and Supervisory Authority has given Tuike Finland, Google’s project company, until this Friday to stop felling. …Google said it acted in good faith, and the halt will stay in place until environmental impact assessments for both projects are complete.

Read More