TORONTO — Canada promotes the corporate forestry sector as a leader in sustainability. But a new four-part video series from Awi’nakola Foundation, the David Suzuki Foundation, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), the RAD Network, Tinakiwin, and Wahkohtowin, is challenging that claim by revealing the hidden costs of industrial logging for forests and communities in Canada. …The videos look beyond the number of trees that grow after logging to ask two more important questions: Are these forests still able to support the biodiversity and cultures that once thrived there? And do Indigenous Peoples have a meaningful say in decisions about the future of forests in their territories? …“While Canada touts its leadership in sustainable forestry, these Indigenous leaders are telling a different story. They’re exposing the damage done to their lands and communities that they live with every day,” said Rachel Plotkin of the David Suzuki Foundation.
Since its launch in 2018, the Associate Certificate in Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) has grown into a leading workforce development program in the forestry sector. Developed by the School of Construction and the Environment at BCIT in partnership with four leading North American lumber companies, the program was designed to meet a clear industry need: practical, flexible technical training that fits the realities of mill operations. Designed for employees working directly in wood products manufacturing, IWP focuses on the fundamentals that matter on the mill floor: helping new hires, experienced operators, and emerging supervisors build a strong understanding of how sawmills operate and how production decisions impact quality, efficiency, and safety. …The success of IWP led to the launch of a second credential in 2021: the 
BELLEVUE, Alberta — Approximately 75 people gathered in Bellevue on Nov. 4 to discuss planned logging around Allison Creek in Crowsnest Pass. …Colin Smith, founder of the Land Lovers Network said the organization is concerned about the effects of forestry activity on water, wildlife, recreation, wildfire resilience and the local economy. …West Fraser’s 2026 planning documents schedule the Allison Creek work for the 2026-27 operating season. The company’s map identifies planned cutblocks, retention areas, roads and a bridge crossing at Allison Creek. …West Fraser commissioned an independent hydrological review of the Allison Creek plan. The company said the review concluded the harvest could proceed while maintaining hydrological values. …Alberta Forestry and Parks previously said the Allison Creek harvest was approved under the current forest management plan. A second Crowsnest Pass meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Polish Hall in Coleman. 
CLINTON, BC — Highways, rail lines and homes around Clinton and the southern Cariboo face elevated risks of flooding and debris flows following the massive Pear Lake wildfire, according to a new provincial assessment. The preliminary Ministry of Forests report identifies several areas with high to very high risk ratings, including portions of Highway 97, Pavilion-Clinton Road, CN railway infrastructure and private properties in watersheds affected by the fire. A more detailed assessment identifying properties that may be at risk is expected in December. The Pear Lake wildfire, B.C.’s largest of 2026, burned nearly 166,000 hectares north of Cache Creek, triggering widespread evacuations across the southern Cariboo and causing extensive damage in the Clinton area. The preliminary Post-Wildfire Natural Hazard Risk Analysis found much of the fire area experienced moderate to high burn severity, increasing the potential for runoff, flooding and debris flows. The f
For more than six weeks now, an Alberta group has been protesting the planned harvesting by a forestry company in the Crowsnest Pass. Defenders of the Eastern Slopes members are against the accelerated harvesting by West Fraser of about 460 hectares of forest in the Allison Creek area, in southwest Alberta. While the group says Crowsnest Pass residents deserve meaningful protection from wildfire, members question whether the proposed harvest is the right treatment, in the right place and at the right scale. …West Fraser got a temporary injunction, and, with a police presence, moved the bridge, which the company is placing across Allison Creek to access a logging area. The court injunction allows West Fraser to do its work, and Smith says the group has no intention of impeding the company. …West Fraser said its planned harvesting follows the direction of the Alberta government’s Hazardous Fuels Reduction program.
Almost half of the Parks Canada employees trying to help Jasper, Alberta, recover from a devastating 2024 wildfire could be among about 500 full-time staff facing job cuts nationwide. This news comes after nearly 3,000 Parks Canada staff around the country were sent letters notifying them of the upcoming cuts, and giving them the chance to voluntarily retire ahead of job losses. Of the roughly 3,000 letters sent by Parks Canada, 208 went to members of the 422-person Jasper Field Unit. Nearly two years after wildfire tore through Jasper, forcing the evacuation of the town and nearby Jasper National Park, Parks Canada crews are still busy cleaning up according to the federal government’s recovery plan. …Deep cuts to Parks Canada staffing, says Chris Rider, national director of conservation with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, reflect the federal government’s treatment of nature as a whole.
It’s not clear whether or how much the Agriculture Department considered the impact of its sweeping reorganization plan before embarking on it, a government watchdog says. For months, USDA officials declined to share information with the Government Accountability Office. … In a 
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities’ September–October newsletter highlights $5.5 million in grants to five organizations working to expand markets for underutilized wood fibre, alongside a $5 million commitment to CRSilva Ventures, a new forest-sector venture capital fund. Additional announcements include $500,000 awarded to develop forest management technology tools and a funding opportunity supporting regional implementation of the Markets Matter Action Plan. The Endowment also launched a Markets Matter progress scorecard and announced the beta release of its Forestry Analytics for Carbon Tracking (FACT) data platform. Other highlights include new online resources connecting landowners with emerging forest markets, and an article by Endowment President Pete Madden advocating greater investment in wildfire prevention through forest management. The newsletter also features Wisconsin Forest Products Week and Beyond the Harvest, a film exploring forest management, wood innovation and opportunities for underutilized fibre.
Alaska Department of Natural Resources staff are gearing up to present the head of the department with a plan that would significantly alter how the Haines State Forest is managed. That’s after agency staff spent months reviewing and responding to public input on an earlier draft. But according to agency documents, the majority of the changes recommended by the public — including overwhelming opposition to opening the entire forest to timber harvest for the first time — went unaddressed in the final version. “They pretty much said no to everything we suggested,” said Mark Sogge, of the Upper Lynn Canal Fish and Game Advisory Committee. …“The process to revise the current plan started in 2023, when the Dunleavy administration directed DNR to allow for the development of carbon credit projects. …At least three public comments supported the changes in hopes that more logging would boost the local economy.
MISSISSIPPI — In a study spanning 192 sites and four continents, researchers have discovered that conifers planted in the Southern Hemisphere grow up to four times faster and are more drought-resistant than those growing in their native ranges. This rapid growth and resilience could make conifers a strong candidate for carbon storage, but there may also be drawbacks to planting trees outside their home turf. University of Mississippi ecologist Stephen Brewer was among more than two dozen researchers across multiple continents who studied the growth rate of pines, spruces, firs, cedars and other conifers in their native and nonnative habitats. The group 
Flathead National Forest announced the Big Mountain Fuels Reduction Project on Feb. 20. Two months later, machinery was rolling, and timber was being harvested from the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Now, the project is nearly wrapped up… A two-week public comment period was provided ahead of the 200-acre project, intended to protect the ski resort’s infrastructure from wildfire risk. Deemed by forest officials to not have significant environmental effects and seen as addressing a high-risk area, the project was categorically exempt and authorized as an emergency. It represents just one of many local timber projects that are moving forward more quickly and with a narrower opportunity for public scrutiny following policy changes at the federal level. Locally, foresters say the new rules are generally proving to be more efficient, while conservationists express concern over environmental effects and a rushed public participation process. 
The wildfire season in Washington state is officially over. In 2026, “more than 1,500 fires ignited and nearly 1 million acres burned across the state,” Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said Tuesday. Earlier this year, the Legislature fulfilled a 2021 commitment to put $60 million into wildfire prevention and forest health, using revenue from the Climate Commitment Act. Upthegrove is asking them to fund it again next year, amid a budget shortfall. “Public safety is a core basic function of government, even in tough fiscal times,” he said. “Without that funding, we are likely to see more fires … and more risks to life and property.” The department uses about half the funding to prepare for the season. That includes training personnel, buying equipment and supplies, Upthegrove said. About $15 million is used for forest health work such as thinning trees and prescribed fire. Another $15 million helps communities develop wildfire defense plans and carry out fuels reduction work, he added. 
A hearing on whether to grant a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction to stop logging in Giant Sequoia Groves in the Sequoia National Forest’s Giant Sequoia National Monument was scheduled to be held today. …A lawsuit was filed by the John Muir Society Earth Island Institute, the Tule River Conservancy and Sequoia Forestkeeper against the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife over the recovery from the 2020 Castle Fire and 2021 Windy Fire. The suit maintains the spotted owl, the Southern Sierra Nevada Fisher and the California Condor are able to survive in the burned areas left by the Castle and Windy wildfires contrary to the position of the management policies which has cleared the way for logging. …The lawsuit also seeks injunctive relief to prohibit further logging in the Giant Sequoia National Monument and that’s what Monday’s hearing was scheduled to be held for.
For decades, the Roadless Rule banned new roadbuilding and logging across millions of acres of national forest land. …Around half of the Tongass in Southeast Alaska has no active roads, an area spanning more than 9 million acres. …the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, said the forest supports Lingit traditions, including harvesting berries and hunting deer. U.S. Department of Agriculture has said rolling back the Roadless Rule would give firefighters access to fight wildfires and remove regulatory barriers. In this part of Alaska, where wildfires are rare, many think that’s an excuse to bolster the timber industry, which has declined significantly since the 1990s. But could the move stimulate a logging boom in the Tongass? “There certainly is a piece that would make some supply available,” said Tessa Axelson, executive director at the Alaska Forest Association, a timber advocacy group. “It is not significant volume that is going to fix the challenges the industry has.”
HELENA — Montana and federal land management officials are expanding their partnership to manage forests and public lands across the state. Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director Amanda Kaster at the Montana State Capitol on Monday to sign a new memorandum of understanding strengthening the state’s partnership with the BLM through the Good Neighbor Authority. The Good Neighbor Authority provides a framework that allows state and federal agencies to work together on forest and rangeland management projects. Under the new agreement, the state and BLM plan to increase collaborative work aimed at expanding timber production, restoring forests and watersheds, reducing hazardous fuels and improving wildlife habitat on public lands.
Proposition 137 has passed, allowing existing sales tax revenue collected from sporting goods purchases — an estimated $200 million annually — to fund conservation and wildfire rehabilitation and mitigation. The Associated Press called the race for Proposition 137 at with 51.6% of the votes counted in favour of the measure and 48.4% opposed. And it was a diverse collection of Coloradans voting in favor of the ballot measure. …The measure directs the legislature to distribute $83 million a year to Great Outdoors Colorado, nearly doubling the conservation group’s annual distribution from the Colorado Lottery. Another $83 million will be split between the Department of Natural Resources and the Colorado State Forest Service for wildfire risk reduction and rehabilitation of watersheds damaged by wildfire. The state currently spends about $16.4 million on wildfire risk reduction and another $5 million a year on restoring burned landscapes. 
A logger in Vermont recently summed up the industry’s mood to our organization in a single sentence: “I would not encourage my son to get into logging.” That sentiment is becoming increasingly common in the state as diesel costs soar, mills close and operating expenses continue to climb. In late September, diesel fuel surged past $6.50 a gallon nationally, with prices in the Northeast averaging higher in many areas. That increase represents roughly a $3-per-gallon hike compared with January. Multiply that $3 increase by the thousands of gallons of diesel used every month by most logging and forest trucking companies, and it becomes clear why rising diesel costs are unsustainable for an industry that … cannot pass those costs on to consumers. Wood prices are not set by loggers, but by those they work for or sell wood to. …Loggers need relief from high diesel prices soon, because too many in this vital but overlooked industry are running on fumes.
NEW HAMPSHIRE — On Thursday night, while crews from across the country battled a wildfire in the dense woods of the White Mountain National Forest, residents of nearby communities and officials with the U.S. Forest Service crowded into the Shelburne Town Hall. …The blaze, which according to officials grew to a peak of nearly 1,000 acres since it began on Sunday but was reduced to 856 acres as of Thursday night, is highly unusual for the region. …“We’re not used to fires of this size here in New England. This is, unofficially, the largest fire in the White Mountain National Forest’s history since its creation,” said Derek Ibarguen, forest supervisor. Drought conditions during the last two years have made the forest much more flammable than it would be under average conditions, said Ryan Hughes, incident commander with the Forest Service, during the meeting.
Representatives of the forestry industry have called for a return to conifer planting as part of the next national forestry programme. Forest Industries Ireland (FII) met with Minister of State for forestry Niall Collins to discuss the “urgent need to support Ireland’s forestry and timber sectors”. The group called on the minister to “redouble efforts” on afforestation. FII called for a renewed strategic focus on the commercial timber business, warning that current low levels of afforestation must “at least triple” to sustain the industry’s sawlog supply into the future. According to the industry body, the Irish forestry and timber sector “has become a major domestic business success story”. The sector is worth over €2 billion to the Irish economy, and accounts for over 10,000 jobs, FII said. Irish sawmills process over 1.4 million cubic metres of timber products annually, resulting in €200 million in sawn softwood exports and over €300 million in wood panel product exports.
The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will apply from 30 December 2026. To help companies get ready, Cepi has published an updated version of its guidance document for the pulp and paper industry. This new edition replaces the guide published in June 2025. It covers the main obligations companies must meet once the EUDR applies. It also reflects developments up to September 2026: the December 2025 amendment to the Regulation, the Commission’s May 2026 simplification package, the secondary legislation adopted in 2026, and the updated Commission Guidance and FAQs, in addition to other Commission publications. Cepi developed the document to set out the pulp and paper industry’s shared understanding of EUDR obligations, and to give practical guidance on applying the Regulation along the pulp and paper value chain. Cepi will present the document at a dedicated Cepinar in November. The document can be 
