Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

Forests Canada Releases Post-Wildfire Forest Recovery Report

By Forests Canada
PR Newswire
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

TORONTO – Since 2023, communities across Canada and around the world have been experiencing record-breaking wildfires and working to help restore forested landscapes in their aftermath – but the best practices behind forest recovery in the wake of extreme wildfires are evolving.  To better understand the decisions and approaches for post-wildfire forest restoration in Canada, Forests Canada surveyed and interviewed forest managers and tree planting practitioners and is presenting the findings in a report titled Forest Restoration After Wildfire: Knowledge Gaps and Future Needs Analysis. “The aim of the report is to identify how decision-making processes for post-fire recovery are changing in the wake of the increasing intensity and severity of wildfires,” Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Canada, says. “How are practices changing to maximize the successful establishment of forests…? We know the vast majority of Canadians believe that forests are a vital part of our national identity, so these questions are very important.”

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Sustainable Forestry Initiative positioned to meet global deforestation and degradation policies

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

WASHINGTON, D.C. and OTTAWA, ON — The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), along with others worldwide, shares the commitment to ensuring the health and resilience of forests. The European Union has identified the United States and Canada as low-risk countries for deforestation, and SFI has taken further action to reduce risk through the SFI Standards. With the European Commission’s recent release of its EUDR simplification review, we have yet to see a reduced burden for certified products from low-risk countries. We believe that SFI certification is well positioned to meet global deforestation and degradation policies, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). We have also introduced new tools specifically to demonstrate compliance with EUDR. We encourage competent authorities to recognize forest certification like SFI and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) to help provide assurances of no deforestation and forest degradation in low-risk countries.

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The last stand

By Erin Anderssen
The Globe and Mail
May 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

…Trees are remarkably resilient when left to their innate wisdom. Canada’s boreal forest, a sweep of green from coast to coast, evolved to flourish through adversity. To withstand winter and wind, defy infestations and emerge stronger from fires. Between 70 and 85 per cent of the most charred, broken land will regenerate, with time and patience. … But today, Canada is losing trees far faster than nature can grow them or humans can plant them. We chop them down to make way for parking lots, bulldoze for development, clear-cut for timber and paper. …Canada lost 7.35 billion trees that will never grow back, according to a recent analysis by the Canadian Tree Nursery Association. …We’re not planting enough seedlings to make the slightest dent in our tree deficit. …In its March nature announcement, the federal government repeated a finding from a 2011 study that estimated that the boreal forest contributes $703-billion per year in ecosystem services, the positive benefits that stem from its existence. [We respect the copyrights of the source publication – full access to this story may require a subscription]

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U.S. Forest Service still prepared to support Canada with wildfire assistance, officials say

By Jacqueline Gelineau
CBC News
May 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Despite budget cuts and extensive restructuring, the US Forest Service says it is ready to support Canada with any requests for wildfire assistance. The British Columbia Wildfire Service is also prepared to do the same, irrespective of strained trade relations, said BC Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar, who is responsible for the province’s wildfire service. …”Let me be very clear when it comes to fighting fires, we will always be there to support Americans in their time of need.” Parmar said that despite strained trade relations, he expects Americans will respond if called upon for support. …The US and Canada have a long history of supporting one another during difficult fire seasons, but this year the US Forest Service is facing budget cuts and restructuring. …”Any budget changes do not affect our firefighting capacity or limit our ability to provide support under our long-standing agreements,” the US Forest Service said.

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New Forest Landscape Plan to reshape timber and ecosystem management in North Okanagan

By Bowen Assman
Castanet
May 24, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Local residents are being invited to help shape the next decade of local forestry management at an upcoming public open house in Coldstream. The provincial government, in partnership with local First Nations groups, are hosting a joint engagement session on Monday, June 8, to gather community feedback on the development of the tmíxʷ naqscn Forest Landscape Plan (FLP). …The new FLP framework is a legal mechanism designed to replace older Forest Stewardship Plans. Once established by the chief forester, the 10-year plan will govern all timber harvesting, road layout and silviculture activities for BC Timber Sales and local forest licensees across the region’s watersheds. …The finalized FLP will shift the focus toward long-term ecosystem health, addressing critical modern challenges such as wildfire risk reduction, climate change adaptation, old-growth protection, and biodiversity, while maintaining a predictable and sustainable timber supply

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Valhalla Wilderness Society makes case for three new parks in one of the ‘rarest ecosystems in the world’

By Timothy Schafer
Castanet
May 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A West Kootenay-based environmental group is stepping up to call attention to that fact and to lobby for the creation of three new parks in one of the rarest ecosystems in the world. Valhalla Wilderness Society (VWS) has spent the last 50 years protecting important wilderness across the province but the focus has shifted in the last two decades to the inland temperate rainforest. The area receives less than half the protection of BC’s coastal temperate rainforest, said VWS wildlife biologist Amber Peters, despite its globally rare status. “Three park proposals of the inland temperate rainforest have been mapped to include the most biodiverse areas, considered ‘true rainforest,’ from the Quesnel Lake area to the south end of BC’s interior wetbelt.” The three proposed parks are the Selkirk Mountains ancient forest, Quesnel Lake wilderness and Rainbow-Jordan wilderness, representing ecosystems of globally significant biodiversity.

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Northwest Territories releases new guidelines for managing wildfire response

CBC News
May 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

@NWT Fire

The N.W.T. government has developed new guidelines for managing wildfires in the territory, as it tries to reckon with the worsening impacts of climate change. The guidelines say they are the fruit of a “common mission”: improving “fire services and response … to protect the people we serve, the places they live, the critical infrastructure they rely on, and their social, cultural, and economic well-being.” They focus on wildland urban interfaces… In 2023, nearly two-thirds of the territory’s residents were forced to evacuate due to encroaching wildfires, including near Yellowknife. The evacuation forced a reckoning with emergency preparedness across the territory, as climate change makes forest fire seasons worse and harder to predict. The guidelines say the intended goal is to standardize training for local wildland firefighters, and establish standards around payment for services, deployment and management of resources, and techniques for use in the field.

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Webinar: Science-based Solutions for ‘Barriers’ to Salmon Recovery

By Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship
The University of British Columbia
May 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Join the Pacific Salmon Foundation for a timely and thought-provoking online seminar exploring the future of Pacific salmon recovery in British Columbia. Despite record-high salmon abundances in parts of the Pacific Ocean, many salmon stocks — particularly in the southern regions of BC — continue to decline, threatening biodiversity, fisheries, and food security. This engaging presentation will examine how physical and management barriers are impacting salmon recovery, and highlight innovative, science-based solutions now being developed through collaborative research. Topics include “fish-friendlier” fisheries practices and improved passage infrastructure designed to help restore struggling salmon populations. The seminar features presenter Dr. Scott Hinch, Professor and Associate Dean of Students in the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, with moderation by Jason Hwang, Chief Program Officer & Vice President of the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
When: June 11, 2026 | 12 pm | Where: Online via Zoom | Cost: Free and open to everyone

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Province-wide tour to present new vision for B.C. forests and rural economies

By Robin Grant
The Campbell River Mirror
May 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

A province-wide public tour this June will bring a citizen-led proposal for forest management reform to communities across BC, with stops in Campbell River on June 11, Quadra Island on June 13 and Courtenay on June 15. Jennifer Houghton, campaign director of the New Forest Act Proposal, will lead a series of public presentations called the 2026 New Forest Act Roadshow on the future of B.C.’s forests, watersheds and forest-dependent communities. …“Right now, B.C.’s forest laws are built around maximizing timber extraction,” Houghton said. “The New Forest Act is a proposal to shift forestry toward ecological limits, stable communities, and long-term ecological function instead of short-term liquidation. …Spearheaded by the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewardship Society, the proposal has been developed with contributions from forest ecologists, including forester Herb Hammond. …More information the full tour details are here.

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Watching for wildfires: The lonely job of B.C.’s last fire lookouts

CBC Docs
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

“Lookouts are pretty simple,” says B.C. fire-watcher Bart Vanderlinde. “You have a guy looking for a forest fire 12 hours a day.” High atop Sinkut Mountain in northern B.C., Vanderlinde begins each summer day the same way — scanning the forest for smoke. “You get up, get out of bed … grab the binoculars and scan around,” he says. Vanderlinde is among the last fire-watchers in the province. Where more than 300 lookouts once formed an interconnected network, he now often finds himself keeping guard alone. The Last of the Lookouts is a portrait of a profession that will soon be obsolete. It follows Vanderlinde during what may be his last summer on the job. As of 2025, most of B.C.’s watchtowers had been decommissioned, replaced by new technology — including aerial detection — and improved public reporting. 

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Award-winning documentary B.C. Is Burning now free on YouTube

By Rob Gibson
Castanet Kelowna
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

An award-winning documentary about B.C.’s wildfire crisis is now available for anyone to watch free on YouTube. B.C. Is Burning went public May 20, released online after more than a year of community screenings across the province. The film, produced and directed by retired forester and filmmaker Murray Wilson, and Kelowna entrepreneur Rick Maddison, examines how forest conditions, climate, fuel accumulation and land management practices are driving wildfire risk in British Columbia. “This film started as an attempt to better understand why wildfire seasons are becoming more destructive and what practical steps may help reduce future risk,” said Wilson. The documentary features foresters, wildfire researchers, emergency management professionals and Indigenous voices, and looks at the growing toll fire and smoke are taking on communities across western Canada. …“The response from communities across B.C. showed there is a real appetite for thoughtful, respectful discussion around forests, wildfire, and community safety,” Wilson said.

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Fairy Creek anti-logging protesters win appeal in bid for class-action certification

The Canadian Press in the Coast Reporter
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VANCOUVER — Fairy Creek anti-logging protesters have won an appeal against a court ruling that denied the certification of their proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal and provincial governments. The class-action application now goes back to the BC Supreme Court for a new decision, after the BC Court of Appeal found the judge who rejected the claim erred on several points. The applicants, protesters Arvin Singh Dang and Kristy Morgan, say the RCMP wrongfully barred them and others from the Vancouver Island protest site, where Teal Cedar Products had secured an injunction against the protests targeting old-growth logging. …The unanimous ruling by the appeal judges says the original judge erred by refusing to admit affidavits that had been sworn for another application, and also by concluding that the class was overbroad. …The decision whether Dang and Morgan are appropriate representatives in the class action was also sent back to the lower court.

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West Fraser defends Tecumseh harvest plan

By Nicholas Allen
Crowsnest Pass Herald
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

ALBERTA — West Fraser says its proposed Mount Tecumseh Harvest Plan would cover 474 hectares and is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the company stating the work is part of a broader approach to sustainable forest management and wildfire risk reduction near communities. In an emailed response to the Crowsnest Pass Herald, Joyce Wagenaar, director of communications for West Fraser, said harvest planning is a key part of the company’s work and allows it to source timber for renewable wood products used in home construction and other purposes. “Harvesting plans are a key component of our work at West Fraser enabling us to responsibly source timber to produce renewable wood products to support home construction and other uses,” Wagenaar said. She said West Fraser views sustainable forest management as an approach that balances environmental, social and economic values over multiple generations. …Wagenaar said questions specifically about the provincial program would be best answered by the Government of Alberta.

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Looking beyond the trees

By Ian Biana
Resource Works
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Robert Michell

Robert Michell is thinking in decades, not quarters. As elected Chief of the Stellat’en First Nation, he brings a rare mix of legal training and deep forestry experience to the role. The community sits between Vanderhoof and Burns Lake, near the geographic centre of British Columbia, in a region shaped by timber and now by transition. Michell is not new to the sector. After graduating from law school, he chose the North over Vancouver. “I’m a northern boy and I like the north,” he says. That decision led him into decades of work in the forest industry. It also shaped how he now approaches economic development for his community. The closures of major forestry operations have not hit Stellat’en as hard as some nearby towns. That is by design. The Nation has already begun to diversify, moving into areas like energy development.

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When Indigenous Peoples Steward the Land, Nature Wins

By Michelle Gamage
The Tyee
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The biggest comprehensive literature review to date has confirmed that Indigenous stewardship bolsters conservation goals. The literature review was published recently in People and Nature and found “a clear, positive relationship” between conservation and Indigenous stewardship, said lead author William Nikolakis, associate professor at the University of British Columbia faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship. “The evidence is clear that Indigenous Peoples’ lands do deliver conservation outcomes that are superior to, or at least equal to, state-run protected areas,” he told The Tyee. This is despite Indigenous lands largely not being protected by or formally recognized by their country, and Indigenous Peoples around the world largely not being paid for their stewardship by the state, Nikolakis said. In Canada, the federal government helps fund Indigenous Guardians who steward their traditional lands. Indigenous stewardship has a “value to humankind globally,” he said, and there’s an opportunity to boost it even further.

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Experts warn B.C.’s forest carbon market hitting a ‘dead end’

By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

…forests absorb roughly 7.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide every year—double what they emit. That number hides some worrying trends. In Canada, logging and wildfires flipped Canadian forests from a net carbon reservoir to a net source about 25 years ago, according to the federal government. British Columbia responded by launching one of the world’s first large-scale projects designed to generate revenue for local communities by not logging old-growth forests. The model, which began in the Great Bear Rainforest in 2009 … created market value by putting a price on carbon locked in and absorbed by trees. …Cheakamus Community Forest forest raised $600,000 in forest carbon offsets in a single sale to a mining company… But while Cheakamus celebrates rising demand and higher prices, Gary Bull, a professor emeritus of forestry at the University of British Columbia, said B.C.’s decision to regulate the carbon market has made it nearly impossible for others to take part.

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B.C. allowed logging in caribou habitat despite its own ministry’s recommendation

By Wolfgang Depner
Canadian Press in Kelowna Daily Courier
May 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

…The habitat range of the caribou lies mainly in eastern B.C. stretching from the north-central regions of the province southwards, with some pockets in western B.C. and along the U.S. border. But decades of logging have destroyed their habitat, reducing their overall numbers to fewer than 1,400 spread across 18 herds, according to government figures from 2023. There are said to be just under 200 in the area near James’ family cabin, but he said he fears for their future after the Ministry of Forests allowed West Fraser Timber to log in the area — even after the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship recommended against it. …The Ministry of Forests said in a statement that it considers many factors, when it comes to issuing a cutting or road permit. …The Ministry of Forests said in a statement that it considers many factors, when it comes to issuing a cutting or road permit.

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Dry weather rekindles wildfire concerns for Sooke

Sooke Mirror News
May 16, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Sooke residents are being urged to prepare for an elevated wildfire season as dry conditions, low snowpack and an early campfire ban raise concerns across Vancouver Island. A campfire ban was implemented May 7 across the Coastal Fire Centre region, prohibiting all open burning and campfires until Oct. 31 or conditions improve. Officials say human-caused fires remain the leading cause of wildfires in British Columbia. At the same time, forestry company Mosaic Forest Management says it is expanding wildfire detection and mitigation efforts across its Vancouver Island land base, including areas around Sooke. According to the company, Vancouver Island entered the 2026 wildfire season under “precarious conditions,” with snowpack levels at 44 per cent of normal and forecasts calling for warmer and drier weather through June. Mosaic also noted that there is a 62 per cent chance of a strong El Niño developing later this summer, increasing the likelihood of prolonged heat and drought.

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‘Everybody remembers where they were on that tragic day’: Lac du Bonnet marks 1 year since wildfire

By Santiago Arias Orozco
CBC News
May 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Manitoba — Spring brings a sombre and painful reminder for Lac du Bonnet resident Riva Karklin. “Remember when it was a normal spring? When we were getting our seedlings and our tomato plants planted and taking them over to the neighbours’ house ?” she said. “This is what we were doing last year when it all happened.” …Firefighters were called to put out flames burning through the grass only kilometres east of her house at around 9:30 a.m. Crews arrived, and the blaze had already engulfed dozens of pine trees in dry ground. Winds were gusting to 70 km/h, fanning what became a raging wildfire that burned through at least 40 square kilometres and forced around 1,100 residents out of their homes, the municipality said. …Fire Chief Earl Simmons said the majority of the fire spread that first day. Crews spent a week keeping the flames from spreading and putting out hot spots. 

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How can lightning strike, but a wildfire doesn’t appear until days or even weeks later?

BC Wildfire Service
May 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Think about a small chip in your car’s windshield. At first, it might seem minor and barely noticeable. But later conditions change, the temperature drops and you hit a bump in the road and that tiny chip suddenly spreads into a large crack. Lightning can work in a similar way. A strike may leave behind heat deep in tree roots, stumps or underground organic material without immediately creating visible flames or smoke, especially if the storm also brought rain. Then, days or weeks later, as conditions become hotter, drier and windier, that hidden heat can begin to spread and ignite nearby fuels, eventually becoming a visible wildfire. Areas with a higher Duff Moisture Code are more likely to sustain these holdover fires. So, how do we know where to watch? We use Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Lightning Detection Network (CLDN), for an instantaneous and constant feed of lightning data…

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Wildsight Revelstoke querying industry on proposed Mount MacPherson logging

By Evert Lindquist
Revelstoke Review
May 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Two cutblocks proposed for Revelstoke’s Mount MacPherson are prompting Wildsight Revelstoke to engage B.C.’s lumber licensee about minimizing logging in that forest. Following a commenting period last year, BC Timber Sales (BCTS) is putting the two cutblocks, No. 52065 and No. 52066, up for sale… Combined, they cover 19.4 hectares of old- and second-growth forest. BCTS is currently welcoming applications for timber sales licences to harvest forest in these lots, as well as applications for road permits… Wildsight Revelstoke will meet a local BCTS representative this month to discuss the two proposed cutblocks, part of a larger conversation about several logging operations pitched by industry for north of town. …Ahead of its meeting with BCTS, Wildsight has been visiting Cutblocks 52065 and 52066 to appraise the towering cedar-hemlock trees and moisture-rich riparian habitats there. Black Press Media visited one of them with Wildsight Revelstoke board members Arnoul Mateo and Fabien Stocco.

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Province adds 4 new planes to boost wildfire-fighting efforts in New Brunswick

By Jordan Gill
CBC News
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The New Brunswick government has bought four new amphibious aircraft to better fight wildfires. The Air Tractor AT-802 Fire Boss aircraft were unveiled at an event on Tuesday. John Herron, the natural resources minister, said the new planes are necessary to protect New Brunswick homes and businesses. “Eighty-six per cent of the province is forested,” Herron said. …The new aircraft are a part of New Brunswick’s partnership with Forest Protection Ltd., which is owned partly by the government and partly by “forest industry partners,” including J.D. Irving, Twin Rivers Paper Company and AV Nackawic. …With the addition of the four Fire Bosses, which can drop water and foam, the province’s fleet of wildfire fighting aircraft is up to 12. …Fire Bosses skim the surface of a lake or river, instead of landing on the water body, which makes the process of refilling the water tanks quicker.

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Fredericton firefighters get lesson in defending homes from wildfires

By Aldan Cox
CBC News
May 17, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

NEW BRUNSWICK — The Fredericton Fire Department is gearing up for what could be a busy wildfire season, training its firefighters in how best to respond when burning trees begin to threaten homes. Firefighters participated last week in a national training program aimed at offering crews techniques for defending homes against wildfires. These fires are an increasing threat to the city, both from climate change and from the growth of neighbourhoods beyond the city and suburbs. …”Working in the wildland interface, we’ve got to triage properties,” Sullivan said. “Oftentimes there’s not water sources nearby.” The training program is provided by the International Association of Firefighters, with 350 Canadian firefighters receiving it in 2023 and 2024. The training was funded by the federal government, which provided more funding in 2024 to train additional firefighters. …”As the line separating urban, suburban, and rural communities has blurred, wildfires are a threat spanning coast to coast.”

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Ontario clamps down on conservation authorities as consolidation planning continues

By Fatima Syed
The Narwhal
May 13, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

The amalgamation of Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities into nine regional bodies is expected to take effect in early 2027. A new directive from Environment Minister Todd McCarthy orders conservation authorities to halt any major decision-making processes, such as changing staffing structures or purchasing property, in the meantime. After a meeting between Environment Ministry officials and conservation authority staff on May 6, 2026, one public servant told The Narwhal, “The province has essentially handcuffed conservation authorities.” …A leaked document and a recording of an internal conversation between Ministry of Environment officials and conservation authority officials for this story. …In the recording, ministry officials are heard assuring attendees that they were happy to keep working with conservation authority staff, and that the government remains committed to preserving drinking water protections. But the officials repeatedly said things are still being figured out. They acknowledged the lack of answers was “not terribly reassuring” and “anxiety producing, probably” for conservation authorities.  

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Ontario forest fire officials warn of quickly-changing conditions ahead of long weekend

By Sarah Law
CBC News
May 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

While Ontario has seen a much slower start to the wildfire season compared to last year, officials are warning people heading into the May long weekend that conditions can quickly change. There have been 22 wildfires confirmed in the province since the season began April 1, compared to 68 fires this time last year, said Alison Bezubiak, a fire information officer with Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services in the northwest region. “The 10-year average for this date is 56, so we are below last year and the 10-year average in terms of total number of fires confirmed,” she told CBC News Thursday morning. One small fire, measuring 0.1 hectares, is being held in the Kenora district near Grassy Narrows First Nation as of Thursday. However, forest fire danger ratings range throughout the region, with the Fort Frances area seeing extreme hazard levels, according to the province’s interactive forest fire map.

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Trump directives stymie wildfire funding for Western forests ahead of difficult season

By Marc Heller
E&E News by Politico
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The Forest Service is withholding tens of millions of dollars in wildfire and forestry assistance from states that haven’t signed onto Trump administration directives prohibiting diversity initiatives and climate change programs. As weather forecasters predict an especially severe wildfire season, the Forest Service is in talks with Western states about the holdup on the wildfire mitigation grants and cooperative agreements on forest management, according to state and federal officials. …The new requirements are a particular problem with Democratic-led states, which won’t sign onto the new requirements, in some cases because state laws conflict with the restrictions like the ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. But forestry leaders in Idaho have also raised concerns, saying requirements to make sure subcontractors are also following the Trump directives put an undue burden on states. [to access the full story an E&E News subscription is required]

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Forest Service invests $80M in Forest Legacy conservation

By the Forest Service
The US Department of Agriculture
May 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Forest Service is investing more than $80 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to support 15 congressionally approved Forest Legacy projects in 2026. These projects will permanently conserve over 34,000 acres of privately owned working forests across the country. “The Forest Legacy program makes critical investments in working forests with state partnerships to provide timber supplies and other wood products, provide public access for recreation, secure drinking water, and maintain wildlife habitat in some of the most important forests across the nation,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. Privately owned forests make up the majority of all forestlands in the United States and play an essential role in the economic and cultural life of rural communities. Forest Legacy projects help landowners keep these forests working – supporting timber production, outdoor recreation, and long-term stewardship. Approximately 90% of Forest Legacy sites provide full or partial public access for outdoor recreation.

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Changes could be coming to Alaska’s Tongass forest. Some are putting the forest service on blast

By Julien Greene
CBC News
May 24, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Tlingit and Haida recently harvested totem trees in the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska whose rings suggest they are 500 years old. Members of those nations don’t often take saws to those giants — if they do, it’s done with the utmost care and gratitude. …The president of the Craig Tribal Association, which represents Tlingit and Haida, is unequivocal. “We are the people of the Tongass,” he said. …It’s been a decade since the federal government last updated the management plan for the region, which covers roughly 80 per cent of the Alaska panhandle. …The Forest Service states that with younger trees approaching harvestable age, it proposes increasing the sale of timber to 72 million board feet every year during the next decade. That’s an increase of roughly 56 per cent. …While the tribes are concerned about the impact of logging on their lands and practices, some conservation and fisheries advocates say they’re concerned about its impact on fish and their habitats.

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Bark beetle outbreaks expand during another warm, dry year

Colorado State University
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Colorado’s top forest health concern is a mountain pine beetle outbreak on the Front Range that has expanded by nearly 150% from 2024 to 2025, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report. The report shows the continued spread of mountain pine beetles and other forest insects during the second consecutive year of above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation. Trees in forests across Colorado are stressed following a record warm winter and low snowpack, and infestations of bark beetles and western spruce budworm are expected to intensify and expand. “Heat and drought are stressing our forests, turning many areas into tinderboxes and making it harder for trees to fight off bark beetles and other insects,” said Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the CSFS. …Trees killed by drought, insects or disease can potentially alter wildfire behavior should there be ignition from lightning or other sources. 

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Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $9.3 Million to Support Working Forestlands in Oregon

Ron Wyden Senator for Oregon
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is awarding $3.75 million to Lostine Forest in Wallowa County and $5.56 million to Madrone Ridge Forest in Jackson County. The Senators secured this federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations Act through the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Forest Legacy Program. These Oregon projects will help conserve nearly 12,000 acres of working forestland, improve wildfire resilience, protect fish and wildlife habitat, and expand public recreation opportunities. …Through its Forest Legacy Program, the USFS partners with states, Tribes, and local organizations to conserve privately owned working forestlands through conservation easements and land acquisitions. These two awards in Oregon are part of a larger $80 million investment provided by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations Act to support 15 projects conserving more than 34,000 acres of working forests in 11 states.

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Ruling halts logging project in Southern Oregon

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
May 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Environmental groups have successfully stopped a series of logging projects in coastal Southern Oregon after scoring a win in federal court. On Thursday, a U.S. District Court judge ruled the U.S. Bureau of Land Management broke environmental laws when it approved a plan to log about 2,400 acres of forests near Yoncalla in Douglas County. …The court ordered BLM to throw out the entirety of the logging plan it called the Blue and Gold project. If the bureau wants to log this area in the future, it will need to come up with a new plan — and it will have to study these forests more closely to assure the public that it won’t kill large, ancient trees. …Timber industry representatives and local county politicians have long argued that federal law requires extensive logging in this region — namely in forests once owned by the Oregon and California Railroad company.

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Conservationists claim old-growth Oregon forest was logged

By Alan Torres
The Register-Guard
May 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A group of Oregon conservation organizations allege old-growth trees are illegally being logged near Yoncalla in Douglas County, about 50 miles south of Eugene. …The organizations previously sued to try to block the sale, alleging it violated federal environmental laws. That lawsuit is in process and the sale has gone forward for now, but the conservationists now believe they’ve found evidence the sale included federally protected trees. According to the plaintiffs, volunteers documented trees over 40 inches in diameter and older than 170 years being logged in the area. …The BLM’s analysis concluded the oldest trees were only 140 years old, but conservationists say that analysis is wrong. The plan calls for logging 2,400 acres over eight years, with sales beginning in 2024. …Cascadia Wildlands claims some of the trees set for logging are 600 years old, according to reporting by Oregon Public Broadcasting.

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Hundreds of Northwest communities at higher wildfire risk than previously thought, research finds

By Shaanth Nanguneri
Jefferson Public Radio
May 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

More than 400 mostly small communities throughout the Northwest, including Cave Junction, Glendale and La Pine in southern and central Oregon, are at greater risk of suffering from wildfires and their impacts than previously thought when socioeconomic conditions are factored into risk assessments, new research finds. Researchers from Oregon State University and The Nature Conservancy, with funding from the U.S. Forest Service, conducted a review of wildfire risks in more than 1,000 communities in the region, and applied a social vulnerability index to also account for factors such as household demographics, neighborhood structural density, housing types and local transportation. Nearly half the communities, 459, were shown to be at greater wildfire risk than previously thought. For 541 communities, risk levels declined when socioeconomic factors were considered, indicating public dollars might be better served assisting low-income communities with wildfire prevention than more affluent ones, the researchers suggested.

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Oregon’s warm winter, spring have invasive tree-killing bugs hatching early, state says

By Mary Mooney
The Oregonian
May 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

…The mild temperatures through the winter and now into spring have resulted in the invasive emerald ash borer maturing faster and emerging weeks earlier than usual, the Oregon Department of Forestry says. Wyatt Williams, an invasive species specialist with the department, confirmed he found one in early May in King City in southeast Washington County, a news release states. …So far there’s no cure for a tree infested with the bugs – they’re a death sentence, the Extension Service says. It can take up to six years for an infested tree to die. …Ash borers normally start emerging from inside tree trunks in early June and into July, Oregon forestry officials say. But that’s changing along with the climate. This past winter was tied with 1934 as the warmest on record in western Oregon, followed by record-breaking or near record-breaking high temperatures this spring, the state said in a statement.

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Logging industry faces challenges following Searsmont fire

By Drew Peters
News Center Maine
May 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Brian Bell

SEARSMONT, Maine — Support is growing across Maine for the Robbins family and workers injured in the May 16 fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill, as investigators continue working to determine what caused the incident. The fire forced the family-owned mill in Searsmont to temporarily close, leaving logging contractors, carpenters, and other businesses that depend on Robbins Lumber facing difficult questions about what comes next. …Brian Bell, owner of Balance Forestry in Montville has supplied white pine logs to Robbins Lumber for more than a decade, said his relationship with the family has been strong since it began. Now, Bell said contractors who normally send wood to Robbins may have to look towards other mills. That comes with added trucking costs at a time when diesel prices and other expenses are already putting pressure on Maine’s logging industry. For Bell and many in the industry though, the emotional impact is even heavier than the financial uncertainty.

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Trump to eliminate US Forest Service research, and close four facilities in Pennsylvania

By Julie Grant
The Allegheny Front
May 19, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

The Trump administration is drastically cutting the budget, and reorganizing the U.S. Forest Service, moving its headquarters and research facilities to western states. In Pennsylvania, four research sites are on the chopping block. As forest ecologist Richard Bowden walks through an old growth section of the Allegheny National Forest, he points toward the ground. It’s barren of young trees. “There’s nothing,” said Bowden, a professor of environmental science and sustainability at nearby Allegheny College. “And that’s because of deer.” Deer overpopulated this area, called Heart’s Content, and much of the Allegheny Plateau, for decades; they eat whatever vegetation they can reach. …While the ideas behind this deer management demonstration might seem simple, it’s taken decades of research to understand the problem, and do the work to actually keep the deer population in balance with the forest. 

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What the Forest Service Reorganization Means for Missoula

By Erin Clark and Zachary Bashoor
The Missoula Current
May 18, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Last September, the City of Missoula passed a resolution about the pending US Forest Service reorganization. The resolution emphasized the important role federal employees play in our community. In 2024 there were 1,500 federal employees employed in Missoula County. …Last month the wait over Forest Service reorganization details ended when official guidance was released. Knowing that there would be many questions, a public website was launched. This page and the resources linked to it are helpful, but they don’t answer many questions and explain what it all means for our Missoula forests and community members. …The amount of change impacting our public lands management right now is enormous, with implications for Forest Service employees, agency partners, and communities enmeshed with Forest Service lands and offices. There are hidden costs and consequences to reorganizations of this scale and so far it’s hard to know the full scope of what they will be for the Forest Service.

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International Day for Biological Diversity

By Environment and Climate Change Canada
PR Newswire
May 22, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

GATINEAU, QC – The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, issued the following statement today: The world celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity. This year’s theme is Acting Locally for Global Impact. In Canada this begins with recognizing that biological diversity is not only part of our identity, but also one of our greatest responsibilities. From forests and fresh water to coastlines and tundra, Canada holds a significant share of the planet’s remaining intact ecosystems. With 20% of the world’s fresh water, nearly a quarter of the boreal forest, and the longest coastline on Earth, what Canada does at home matters far beyond our borders. Protecting nature locally is not just an environmental choice; it is a global contribution. That is why on March 31, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature with an investment of $3.8 billion. 

United Nations: International Day for Biological Diversity

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Spain to launch biggest forest fire campaign after record losses last year, Sánchez says

By Lucia Blasco & Gavin Blackburn
Euronews
May 21, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Spain is one of the southern European countries on the front line of climate change as higher average temperatures stoke heatwaves, droughts and forest fires. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented what he called Spain’s biggest-ever campaign against forest fires on Thursday after deadly blazes devoured a record amount of land last year. Spain is one of the southern European countries on the front line of climate change as higher average temperatures stoke heatwaves, droughts and forest fires. The country sweltered through its hottest summer on record in 2025, when almost 4,000 square kilometres of land went up in smoke, the highest figure registered by the European Forest Fire Information System. “We will put in place all the resources” available to the government “to mitigate this emergency situation as much as possible and to prevent it happening again on this scale,” Sánchez said at the Torrejón airbase outside Madrid.

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Inside Portugal’s huge operation to beat wildfires with Black Hawks, bulldozers and firefighters

By João Azevedo & Ruth Wright
The Associated Free Press in Euronews
May 20, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

PORTUGAL — Devastating wildfires gripped Portugal in 2025, when more than a quarter of a million hectares of land burned. With fears that this year could be even worse, Portugal has mounted an intensive nationwide operation to clear fallen trees and dry leaves – the tinder that wildfires thrive on. Citizens are being asked to clear the land around their homes – known to be one of the most effective ways of saving lives – as well as flagging up blocked roads to authorities as these could prevent emergency services from getting to them. …As part of this anticipatory approach, specialist reconnaissance teams will be deployed in each of the country’s sub-regions, tasked with providing the operations commander with essential information on the risk and type of fire. …999 fires were recorded on Portuguese soil in 2025, burning 284,012 hectares. The burned area was twice that of 2024, making 2025 the second-worst year of the last decade.

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