Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

It’s time to fight fire with fire in Canada

By the Editorial Board
The Globe and Mail
July 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada’s premiers met June to talk infrastructure but were distracted by the small matter of the forest fires raging across the West at the time. …Six weeks later, the country is well into one of its worst wildfire seasons ever. …“Suppression alone is no longer adequate to address the growing challenges from wildland fire,“ the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers said in a report last year. ”Wildland fire management in Canada needs to be transformed.” That means creating a national regime of prescribed burns – the deliberate setting of fires under controlled circumstances to reduce the number and intensity of forest fires, and to limit damage to property. It’s a practice that Indigenous peoples in Canada and elsewhere used for millennia to manage their lands. But its use is sharply limited in Canada, mostly because politicians are scared to the point of paralysis by the off-chance that a government-sanctioned burn could get out of control.

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Bringing the forest back: Tłı̨chǫ Tree Planting initiative begins

By Lisa Iesse
My True North Now
July 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

It is estimated that 130 million trees in the Tłı̨chǫ region alone were burned in the devastating 2023 fires. An ambitions new reforestation project is taking on a unprecedented initiative to plant over 1 million trees as part of a six-year plan to plant 13 million trees to bring back the forest. The Tłı̨chǫ Government is holding a special opening ceremony tomorrow at the Behchokǫ̀ Culture Centre at 10:00 a.m. in celebration of the launch of their major reforestation project. “This will mark the beginning of the largest reforestation effort ever undertaken in the Northwest Territories,” said Paul Cressman, who is working with the Tłı̨chǫ government on the new reforestation project. Over the summer, 1.4 million trees will be planted around Behchokǫ̀, Russell Lake, and James Lake. Using locally harvested seeds, the tree planting is “the first step” in a six-year plan to plant 13 million trees across Tłı̨chǫ lands.

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What to know about the fires dotting the western U.S. and Canada

By Ian Livingston
The Washington Post
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, United States

Hundreds of wildfires are burning across the Western states, Alaska and Canada as fire season perks up amid a sprawling heat wave and widespread dry conditions. …Fires are being fueled by widespread high temperatures and dry conditions. …The preparedness level is at 4 out of 5 for the U.S., and 5 out of 5 in Canada. Intense fire behavior was reported in 10 western US states over recent days in regions afflicted by heat and drought. …Alaska has seen major wildfire activity over the past week, with more than 300,000 of the 750,000 acres burned this year going up in flames, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection. …After a bit of a lull in firestorms in late June to early July, Canadian wildfires returned in a big way. More than 350 fires are burning out of control across the western two-thirds of the nation. Among the most concerning fires flaring, many are in Manitoba. [A Washington Post subscription is required for full access to this story]

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Australia NSW Forestry Corporation firefighters join international Canada deployment

By Forestry Corporation of New South Wales
Australian Rural & Regional News
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, International

Forestry Corporation firefighters from Tumut and Deniliquin will deploy to Canada this week to reinforce local and international crews battling ongoing wildfires, where close to five million hectares have been burnt, approximately 150 wildfires remain active, and multiple communities have been evacuated. Forestry Corporation’s Linda Cotterill of Tumut will deploy to the position of Divisional Supervisor in Alberta and Peter O’Toole of Deniliquin will deploy as an Incident Management Team Safety Officer in Manitoba. The firefighters will be based in Canada for four weeks, working in challenging conditions. …The deployment follows a formal request for assistance through international firefighting agreements and highlights the strong collaboration between Australia and Canada in emergency response. It is the third Forestry Corporation deployment to Canada this winter, with eight Forestry Corporation staff deployed in June and currently completing month-long deployments.

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Woodlots BC is seeking board members

Woodlots BC
July 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Woodlots BC is looking for people who are passionate about the woodlot program in BC, and have a keen interest in guiding it into the future as a Woodlots BC Board Director. The Board consists of: Seven voting Directors who are all woodlot licence holders and one government appointed non-voting representative (from BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food). Who qualifies: Any woodlot licensee in BC, or in the case of a woodlot licence that is held by a corporation or group (ie: First Nation Bands, communities, school district, non-profit society), a single person approved/appointed by the group representing that woodlot. This person can only represent one woodlot at a time. The WPDC Board aims to: advocate for and ensure the woodlots of BC have a voice and are able to promote themselves … and, guide and govern the WPDC operations team to work for the needs of woodlots in BC.

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Vancouver Island groups call for forestry reform on private land

By Claire Palmer
CBC News
July 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Dave Weaver

VIDEO STORY: Wilderness advocates on Vancouver Island are calling on the province to reform forest practices on private land. They say conservation is taking a back seat to industrial uses in these areas. As Claire Palmer reports, some say it poses risks to nearby communities.

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Clear-cutting linked to 18-fold rise in extreme floods, UBC study finds

EurekAlert!
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Clear-cutting can make catastrophic floods 18 times more frequent with effects lasting more than 40 years, according to a new UBC study. In one watershed, these extreme floods also became more than twice as large, turning a once-in-70-years event into something that now happens every nine. “This research challenges conventional thinking about forest management’s impact on flooding,” said senior author Dr. Younes Alila, a hydrologist in the UBC faculty of forestry. “We hope the industry and policymakers will take note of the findings, which show that it matters not only how much forest you remove but also where, how and under what conditions.” The UBC-led study draws on one of the world’s longest-running forest experiments at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in North Carolina and is published in the Journal of Hydrology. The research team analyzed two adjacent watersheds, one north-facing, the other south-facing, that were both clear-cut in the late 1950s.

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University of Saskatchewan researcher studies impact of wildfire smoke on songbirds

CBC News
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Catherine Ivy is an assistant professor of biology at University of Saskatchewan. Her new research project is examining the impact of wildfire smoke on the songbird population.

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Ryan Tidman Named Audain Wildlife Conservation Fellow to Protect British Columbia’s Sea Wolves

By Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Cision Newswire
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Ryan Tidman

OTTAWA, ON -The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) is proud to announce that wildlife photographer and researcher Ryan Tidman has been named the inaugural Audain Wildlife Conservation Fellow, a prestigious two-year appointment that will support Tidman’s research, storytelling, and educational outreach focused on the elusive sea wolves of British Columbia. The Fellowship, made possible through the generous support of the Audain Foundation, represents the largest single grant in RCGS history dedicated to B.C. wildlife conservation. … “We congratulate Ryan on receiving this extraordinary opportunity to move the dialogue forward on species at risk in British Columbia. His Fellowship represents the kind of transformative project we believe can shift minds—and ultimately, policy—toward stronger protections for Canada’s most vulnerable ecosystems,” said John Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

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Campfire ban goes into effect this week throughout B.C. coastal region

Nanaimo News Bulletin
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The Coastal Fire Centre will put a campfire ban into effect this week.  The ban will be in place starting at noon on Thursday, July 17, noted a Coastal Fire Centre information bulletin issued Tuesday, July 15. Campfires will be prohibited on Vancouver Island and throughout the Coastal Fire Centre region with the exception of Haida Gwaii and the portion of the Central Coast Regional District within the North Island Central Forest District. Existing open fire prohibitions in the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction enacted May 30 will remain in place, and fireworks and burn barrels are restricted in most areas. “Open fire is the largest cause of human-caused fires provincially,” noted the information bulletin. “Human-caused wildfires are entirely preventable and may divert crucial resources from naturally occurring and/or existing wildfires.” The campfire ban and previous burning bans will be in place until Oct. 31 or until the orders are rescinded.

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Fears of a massive fish die-off in Cowichan River if conditions don’t improve

By Michael John Lo
The Peak
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Warm temperatures, low river flows and declining water quality are sparking fears of another mass fish die-off in the Cowichan River this summer. The Cowichan Watershed Board said river conditions this summer “mirror” those of 2023, when an estimated 84,000 to 100,000-plus fish died after prolonged drought and heat. Samples recently collected from six points along the Cowichan River show the water is seeing significant daily fluctuations in pH and dissolved oxygen levels similar to those of 2023. …Weir flows were reduced this spring so more water could be maintained in the summer. Researchers are also looking to identify, protect and improve cold-water refuge areas along the river that could provide fish a respite from the heat when waters warm. …Built in the 1950s to provide water for the pulp mill at Crofton, the Cowichan weir is owned and operated by Domtar.

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The Digital Forester – Domenico Iannidinardo & Aaron Fujikawa, SNRgroup

By Kevin Lim, CEO, Remsoft
The Digital Forester
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Domenico Iannidinardo, CEO, and Aaron Fujikawa, Director of Remote Sensing & Geomatics at Strategic Natural Resource Group, join us on The Digital Forester podcast. Domenico and Aaron share how their very different paths — one rooted in traditional forestry, the other in GIS and tech — led them to Strategic Natural Resource Group, a company at the intersection of boots-on-the-ground operations and cutting-edge digital forestry. From firefighting to LiDAR, and field data collection to building digital twins, this episode highlights how Strategic is helping clients navigate uncertainty with speed, precision, and deep local knowledge. Come have a listen to how a field-first culture, Indigenous ownership, and relentless curiosity are shaping the future of resource management in British Columbia and beyond.

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Vancouver tech firm aims to help forests bounce back stronger after wildfires

By Daisy Xiong
Business in Vancouver
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

With the wildfire season intensifying in recent years, post-wildfire restoration has become increasingly critical. A Vancouver tech company drawing investor attention says it has an answer for not only replanting trees, but helping to rebuild forests that are more resilient to future fires. Veritree Technology Inc. is a platform that uses ecological data and monitoring tools to support tree planting, tracking and reporting. “Today, areas that historically wouldn’t have burned from wildfires are actually burning much hotter. At times, that burns the seed stock that would otherwise naturally regenerate after a wildfire,” said Derrick Emsley, CEO and co-founder of Veritree. He said that without intervention, deciduous species could grow back fast, crowding out the chance for a mature, healthy natural forest to regenerate, which leaves the area more vulnerable to wildfires in the future.

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North Cowichan mayor meets with counterparts to promote BC lumber

By Justin Baumgardner
My Cowichan Valley Now
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Even as the curtailment at the Chemainus Sawmill continues, North Cowichan’s mayor says the municipality is looking to strengthen the local economy by supporting good jobs. According to Rob Douglas, a meeting between MP Jeff Kibble and senior members of Western Forest Products was conducted to determine the best avenue to strengthen the local industry and protect good, local, family-supporting jobs in the region. Douglas says the industry is not in the municipality’s jurisdiction, but all levels of government have an important role to play in establishing a new agreement to grow the economy. “While forestry policy largely falls under provincial jurisdiction, the federal government has a critical role to play, whether through negotiating a renewed softwood lumber agreement with the United States, or by ensuring that lumber produced in BC is prioritized in Canada,” he says.

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BC Forest Practices Board to audit forestry operations near Merritt

BC Forest Practices Board
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

VICTORIA – The Forest Practices Board will conduct a full-scope compliance audit of B.C. Timber Sales and Timber Sale Licence holders in the Cascades Natural Resource District, starting Monday, July 21, 2025. The audit will examine harvesting, roads, silviculture and associated planning under the Forest and Range Practices Act and the Wildfire Act. B.C. Timber Sales and licensees operate throughout the district, from the American border south of Princeton to the Chilcotin ranges north of Lillooet. Once the audit is complete, a report will be prepared. Any party that may be adversely affected by the audit findings will have a chance to respond. The board’s final report and recommendations will be released to the public and provincial government. The Cascades Natural Resource District includes the Cascade mountains and the Thompson Plateau. This district transitions from coastal to continental climates. 

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Canada Partners With Trees For Life to Grow Southern Ontario’s Urban and Suburban Canopy

Natural Resources Canada
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

WHITBY, Ontario — Ryan Turnbull, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance… highlighted a $4-million federal investment for tree-planting projects in urban and suburban areas in southern Ontario. Trees For Life will collaborate with planting partners to plant an average of 24,000 trees annually over five years, for a total of 120,000 trees in communities across southern Ontario. The collaboration with Trees For Life is already ahead of target, supporting the planting of 83,000 trees in southern Ontario with 35,000 trees planted in 2024 and 48,000 trees planted across 40 projects in 2025 to date. This project builds on a successful regional model piloted in the Durham Region. 

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What Nova Scotians are on the hook for as Northern Pulp winds down

By Aaron Beswick
The Chronicle Herald
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

With the announcement that there won’t be a new kraft pulp mill being built in Liverpool, the long and expensive Northern Pulp saga begins winding down. Here’s the little we know about what Northern Pulp and its associated companies are worth, who’s likely to get paid and what the taxpayer might be on the hook for. When it filed for creditor protection in 2020, Northern Pulp estimated it had $254 million in assets and $311,019,464 in liabilities. But half of those assets – what it estimated as $130 million worth of equipment and land associated with a cold-idled pulp mill at Abercrombie Point – comes with a large and undetermined liability for whoever gets stuck with the cleanup costs. How much the taxpayer ends up on the hook both for unpaid loans to Northern Pulp and cleanup of the mill site will rely on how much gets paid for the companies’ assets.

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Logging in Ontario’s boreal forest is ‘far in excess of what’s sustainable,’ study finds

By Fatima Syed
The Narwhal
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

A new peer-reviewed scientific study [Emulation or Degradation? Evaluating Forest Management Outcomes in Boreal Northeastern Ontario, by Jay Malcolm (University of Toronto), Julee Boan (Natural Resources Defense Council) & Justina Ray (Wildlife Conservation Society Canada)] suggests logging practices in Ontario are unsustainable and out of line with the province’s own strategy for sustainably managing forests. David Flood, a registered professional forester, has long thought Ontario was permitting too many trees to be cut down. Flood is from Matachewan First Nation in northeastern Ontario, home to much of the province’s boreal forest. Flood’s community has watched as forests became smaller and more sparse over time, threatening the natural habitat for caribou and martens. Flood is the general manager for Wahkohtowin Development, a decade-old social enterprise held by three First Nations — Chapleau Cree, Missanabie Cree and Brunswick House — to strengthen Indigenous participation in forest and land management across their territories. 

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The Longleaf Alliance seeks areas to harvest pine cone crops

By Jennifer Allen
Coastal Review – North Carolina Coastal Federation
July 18, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

©NC Forest Service

The U.S. Forest Service estimates that the cone crop for longleaf pines in the Southeast will be “poor for 2025,” according to the “Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2025”. Because of the anticipated seed shortage … the Longleaf Alliance is scouting for locations to harvest in the fall. Based on observations collected earlier this year … researchers estimate the average for seed-producing cones is 12.4 per tree this fall. The study …defines a good crop as 50 to 99 green cones per tree, a fair crop as 25 to 49, poor as 10 to 24, and a failed crop as less than 10 seed-bearing cones per tree. Once plentiful, the longleaf pine could be found on an estimated 90 million acres in the coastal plains between southeast Virginia to eastern Texas. … [but] demand grew exponentially when the turpentine industry took off, nearly stripping the ecosystem of the native pine. Today, its estimated that there’s around 5 million acres remaining. 

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Man’s best friend could be the spotted lanternfly’s worst enemy

By Virginia Tech
EurekAlert!
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

©Clark DeHart for Virginia Tech

Imagine if your dog’s favorite game — sniffing out treats or toys — could help protect America’s vineyards, orchards, and forests from a devastating invader.  It turns out, it just might. A new study led by Virginia Tech found that volunteer dog-handler teams — made up of everyday people and their pets — can effectively detect the elusive egg masses of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that’s damaging farms and forests across the eastern and central United States. It’s the first study to show that citizen dog-handler teams can achieve detection success rates comparable to professional conservation detection dogs. “These teams demonstrated that citizen scientists and their dogs can play a meaningful role in protecting agriculture and the environment from invasive species,” said Sally Dickinson, the study’s lead author. “With proper training, dog owners can turn their pets into powerful partners for conservation.” 

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Big Billionaire Bill Will Lead to Bigger Fire Risks

By Matt Sedler
Center for Economic and Policy Research
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

You could be forgiven for not reading the entirety of the GOP’s massive One Big Bill for Billionaires that Trump just signed into law. Yet right at the beginning of the table of contents is “Subtitle B — Forestry,” which might give the impression that the GOP is serious about investing in wildfire prevention and forest restoration. Instead, the new law strips critical funding that had been appropriated to the National Forest System under the Inflation Reduction Act. Contrary to Trump’s stated goal of preventing wildfires, two sections within the Big Billionaire Bill will, in fact, exacerbate the risk of fires across the US. …Trump’s plan is simple, but the pieces of the puzzle are spread across different bills, laws, agency processes, and executive orders to obfuscate the overall intent: Cut the funding to protect the forests, open the areas for development, and then eliminate the environmental reviews. 

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Wildfire that consumed North Rim ignites tragic debate

By Peterr Aleshire
Payson Roundup
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

©NationalParkService

ARIZONA — The dawning debate about the wildfire that jumped containment lines and destroyed the iconic, Grand Canyon Lodge underscores the trap that has frozen forest management efforts for half a century. The slow-moving Dragon Bravo fire sudden flared into a monster illustrates the extreme difficulty of restoring forest health after a century of clear cutting. …The National Park Service initially released reassuring bulletins suggesting fire crews would develop fire lines to contain the fire. …Then everything changed, as winds gusting to 40 miles an hour ushered in stormfronts. By July 12, the Dragon Fire had jumped containment lines. …The pattern Is all too familiar to fire ecology experts like ASU professor Stephen Pyne. He argues that… all-out fire suppression had increased tree densities across millions of acres of Northern Arizona from about 50 per acre to more like 1,000 per acre. …Moreover, construction of homes and towns in the most fire-prone landscapes has exploded.

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New tool sheds light on California wildfires

By Roseann Cattani
The Record Searchlight
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A new tool sheds light on the impact of wildfires across California. The California Vegetation Burn Severity Online Viewer, launched by CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP), is an interactive public mapping tool that people can use to see where wildfires have impacted vegetation. The online tool displays burn severity data for all wildfires over 1,000 acres in California from 2015 to 2023. CAL Fire says the tool enables post-recovery planning and makes the information easily accessible to landowners, planners, scientists, and the general public. “This tool helps Californians see and understand how fire affects our landscapes,” said Chris Keithley, Assistant Deputy Director for FRAP. “It gives communities data to support efforts to plan prescribed burns, guide restoration work, and reduce future wildfire risk.”

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Kotek declares state of emergency in Oregon due to imminent threat of wildfire

By Zack Urness
The Statesman Journal
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

@USDA

Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency in Oregon on July 16 that will last through the end of the year due to the imminent threat of wildfire. Multiple large wildfires have already exploded this year, largely east of the Cascade Range, including the growing Cram Fire, which roared to more than 60,000 acres by July 16 and is spreading smoke across central Oregon. The Rowena Fire burned 63 homes in The Dalles in June. “Oregon is already experiencing a devastating wildfire season that will have lasting consequences. The summer is only getting hotter, drier, and more dangerous – we have to be prepared for worsening conditions,” Kotek said in a news release. Oregon’s wildfire danger is forecast to remain above normal through summer — remaining high in every part of the state in July, August and September — the first time in recent history that’s happened.

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Trump’s big bill calls for much more logging

By Jamie Hale
The Chronicle
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

New federal laws could “lock up” timber land for decades at a time, raising concerns big companies could elbow out smaller competitors and that timber revenue for counties could be delayed for years. President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and spending bill, which he signed into law earlier this month, increases the length of federal logging contracts to a minimum of 20 years. The contracts, which determine how long a logging company has to harvest on the land under contract, have typically averaged three to four years, and the longest contracts extended up to 10 years. The concern raised by a coalition of timber companies and local governments is that companies could sign long-term contracts, then wait years to harvest trees. “If the timber volume is tied up in these 20 year contracts,” Doug Robertson, executive director of the Association of O&C counties, said, “that volume then is no longer available to generate revenue for the counties and the state.”

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Oregon forestry board drills Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff on choosing next state forester

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Oregon’s forestry board has long had the power to hire and fire the state forester, who oversees logging and environmental protections on state lands, as well as firefighting across millions of acres of public and private land. But the board lost that hiring-and-firing power this session with Senate Bill 1051, which handed it over to the governor. This bill has left many forestry board members wondering how much authority they still have. “Right now, after the passage of this senate bill, I have very little reason to trust your office,” vice chair Brenda McComb told members of Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff at the board’s Wednesday meeting. There’s a lot riding on forest management in Oregon. Revenues raised from logging trees on state lands help fund rural schools and some county budgets. Timber sales are also a key revenue source for the Oregon Department of Forestry, which fights fires on about 12 million acres of private land.

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Research shows aspen forests slow wildfire spread

Colorado State University
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

©Jonathan Coop

A new study from Colorado State University, Western Colorado University and the U.S. Forest Service found evidence that stands of aspen trees could resist wildfires by slowing a fire’s advance or changing its course. The researchers found that even modest increases in aspen cover dramatically reduced the rate at which fires spread. Their findings suggest that aspen forests can act as natural firebreaks, which is valuable information for land managers and agencies. “Where managers can encourage aspen over conifers, they may represent a more desirable fuel treatment in some forest types than traditional thinning or shaded firebreaks because of the aesthetic value and wildlife habitat aspen provide,” said Camille Stevens-Rumann, study principal investigator and interim director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at CSU. Fires in areas with vegetation composed of at least 25% aspen spread at about a third the rate of fires in forests with less than 10% aspen trees.

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Experimental forest in Idaho can’t maintain all its science during Trump freeze

By Michael Wright
Idaho Statesman
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Each day, as afternoon turns into evening, the U.S. Forest Service research staffer based at the experimental forest there walks over to the weather station next to the office and looks at two thermometers — one showing the day’s maximum temperature, the other showing the minimum. They record the readings and add them to the station’s long-term dataset, which stretches back to 1913. …And the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the site, can’t fill the role permanently because of the federal government’s continued hiring freeze, which has been extended to October. …But there will be no full-time research staff there, forcing the discontinuation of a handful of long-term data collection efforts — such as the daily weather readings, regular streamflow monitoring and a weekly acid rain sample that’s part of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program.

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Oregon Department of State Lands gets new leader in scientist and lawyer Kaitlin Lovell

Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Kaitlin Lovell

A lawyer, scientist and former manager at the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services will become the new director of the Department of State Lands. Kaitlin Lovell of Colton, Oregon, begins her four-year term as the agency’s leader in early August. She’ll be in charge of managing more than 130 staff in Bend and Salem, a budget of more than $116 million, and roughly 680,000 acres of state-owned land. …The agency is in charge of managing the state’s agricultural, industrial and residential lands for conservation, development and revenue generation for the benefit of Oregon’s public schools. The agency also administers mineral and energy rights on more than 768,500 acres statewide. …Lovell spent most of the last 18 years working for Portland’s environmental services and regulatory agency, and was most recently its Regulatory Strategy Manager, in charge of financial planning for its wastewater and stormwater management services.

See Government Press Release

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Colorado politicians introduce legislation to support forest and grassland restoration

By Abby Smith
KRDO News
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Colorado Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Joe Neguse, along with other politicians, introduced the Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act. This legislation would reauthorize the program to better support forest and grassland restoration projects on both public and private lands. “Our Western forests, grasslands, and watersheds are as important to our economy as the Lincoln Tunnel is to New York, but they are under threat from a changing climate and consistent federal underinvestment,” said Bennet. …Bennet mentioned that strengthening the program will ensure that restoring landscapes, protecting water supplies, and reducing wildfire risks can continue for future generations. “Western and Northern Colorado are all too familiar with the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires,” said Neguse.

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Could Trump’s tariffs bring back the Pacific Northwest lumberjack?

By Joshua McNichols
KUOW News and Information
July 16, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Could President Donald Trump’s strategies help revive Washington’s diminished timber industry? For nearly a century, Washington’s timber industry produced everything from paper and two-by-fours to the massive wood beams that hold up the Tacoma Dome. Lumber mills were the backbone of logging towns throughout the Northwest. But the industry has been on a long decline since the 1990s. Now, Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase US logging to bring back those jobs. To find out whether it could work, KUOW visited a sawmill in Morton, a small town in the foothills of Mount Rainier. …Today, the state has about 100,000 timber-related jobs, including mills. That means Washington has lost about a quarter of its timber jobs in the last thirty years. The loss has been devastating to rural communities built around those sawmills, like Morton, Washington. …The Hampton Mill is still the economic heart of the community today. It’s survived the waves of closures over the years.

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Eastern Oregon’s ancient trees face alarming decline, study finds

By Bobby Corser
KATU News
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

A new analysis reveals that many of Eastern Oregon’s ancient trees are dying at an alarming rate. The study, conducted by a team led by James Johnston, an assistant research professor at the University of Oregon, found that between 2012 and 2023, a quarter of trees over 300 years old in roadless areas of the Malheur National Forest had died. Johnston attributed the decline to a combination of drought, insect infestations, and competition with younger trees. “It’s sad to see so many old trees dying,” Johnston said. He emphasized the need for active management to protect these ancient trees, particularly in the dry forests of Eastern and Southern Oregon. The study, published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, highlights the importance of old-growth trees, which store carbon, provide critical habitat, and help maintain water quality. Johnston’s research, which began a decade ago, involved taking core samples from old-growth trees in unlogged sections of the forest.

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Oregon’s Forestry and Logging Industry: From Planting to Harvest

By Brian Rooney
The Newport News Times
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Forests cover more than 30 million of Oregon’s 62 million acres – almost half of the state’s landmass. According to the Oregon Employment Department’s covered employment statistics, forestry and logging’s 681 establishments employed 8,787 workers statewide and added $717 million in payroll to Oregon’s economy in 2024. The Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) estimates logging harvests totaled 3.6 billion board feet in 2022. While much of this timber feeds Oregon’s wood products industry, creating jobs and income, many jobs are also created planting, growing, and harvesting this resource. …The high level of forestry activity in Oregon also creates demand for a support activities industry. …Employment Department projections show that the logging industry in Oregon is expected to lose about 200 jobs, or 5% between 2023 and 2033 partly due to continued mechanization. Other industries within timber production, such as timber tract operations and support activities for forestry do not have published Oregon Employment Department forecasts.

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Forest management is key to supporting the struggling Black Hills timber industry

By Ariana Schumacher
Doransfarmers.com
July 14, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

SPEARFISH, South Dakota — The Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming are not only a beautiful tourist destination but also a major part of the agricultural industry. Many are working to maintain the important role of forest management as a way of supporting agriculture, economies and public health. Jeremy Dedic, forest partnership coordinator for Wyoming State Forestry said, “It’s not like we’re growing corn, but it’s growing plants, and we can manage that and get our results,” Dedic said. …“Most recently, we’ve had some of our larger operators having to scale back their operations,” said Marcus Warnke, state forester for South Dakota. …“Thinning our forest, giving our trees space so that they have enough water, sunlight and nutrients to be healthy and resilient to fire and bugs,” Pierson said. “Those activities produce logs that we bring to our sawmills and make boards out of for public sale.”

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This Golden Fungus Is Spreading Wildly in North America’s Forests

By Jacey Fortin
The New York Times
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

For a few years, foragers and fungi enthusiasts around the Midwest have been seeing something yellow. The butter-colored flushes of the golden oyster mushroom are difficult to miss. They bloom on dead or decaying trees, and they have become profuse in states around the Great Lakes. The fungi, which are native to Asia, are good to eat and easy to grow. But a new study shows that they may also be sapping the resources of native mushrooms. And their footprint is spreading fast. “I don’t think anyone would hesitate to call it invasive,” said Aishwarya Veerabahu, a mycologist and doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an author of the study, published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology. She and her colleagues call the golden oyster “a literal and figurative bright yellow warning” in the study, adding that “as of now, there are no management strategies available to control its spread.” [a paid subscription is required to read the full article]

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‘We knew it was coming’: Oklahoma deploys tiny wasps to control invasive forest pest

By Chloe Bennet-Steele
KGOU
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

On a day in early June, state forester Will Phifer carried a pill bottle-orange canister into a southeastern Oklahoma forest, tied it to a shaded tree trunk and left. The area was a confirmed spot for a growing population of tree-killing beetles called emerald ash borers, which likely seeped into the state from the east. The container held what scientists hope is a solution to controlling the harmful pest: more than 100 minuscule parasitoid wasp eggs. “These emerald ash borer eggs are laid on the outer bark of the tree,” Dieter Rudolph, forest health specialist for Oklahoma Forestry Services, said. “So, this wasp will go find them and basically inject an egg into the emerald ash borer egg.” Instead of producing an emerald ash borer larva, the host egg will hatch a new wasp.

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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Addresses Challenges in Northern Forest Region

By SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Newswise
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Three research projects led by scientists at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) have received funding as part of a $2.2 million investment from the Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC), supporting studies that address key challenges in the Northern Forest region, including forest health, community resilience, and public engagement. Research goals for the program include sponsoring research to sustain the health of northern forest ecosystems and communities, developing new forest products, and improving forest biodiversity management. …“These research projects reflect ESF’s commitment to advancing forest health, sustainability, and community resilience in the Northern Forest region,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “This funding from NSRC is a vital investment in science that benefits both ecosystems and the people who depend on them.”

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Qarlbo Biodiversity and Woodland Biofuels Sign Agreement to Advance Sustainable Forestry

By Qarlbo Biodiversity
Cision Newswire
July 17, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

STOCKHOLM — Qarlbo Biodiversity has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Woodland Biofuels to supply up to 500,000 tons of sustainably harvested pine forest thinnings from properties it manages using its Nature+ Forest Management Strategy. This agreement marks a significant milestone in implementing the Nature+ Strategy, an innovative approach to ecological stewardship that goes beyond traditional forestry methods. Designed for biomass-intensive industries, the strategy ensures a sustainable supply of biomass by combining biodiversity conservation, native species restoration, and responsible forestry production. This integrated approach helps sequester carbon, generate biodiversity credits, and promote resilient, high-performing forest ecosystems. …The pine forest thinnings supplied under this MOU will come from Qarlbo Biodiversity’s expanded properties in the U.S. 

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Russia’s Timber Industry Faces Shutdowns Amid Sanctions, Strong Ruble and Slumping Demand

The Moscow Times
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Russia’s timber industry is warning of widespread production shutdowns as the sector reels from Western sanctions, declining demand and a surging ruble that has battered the country’s export competitiveness. …The Russian Association of Organizations and Enterprises of the Pulp and Paper Industry described the current moment as one of the industry’s most difficult periods in modern history. Industry data show that timber harvesting fell 13% in 2024 compared with pre-war levels in 2021, lumber production dropped 11% and plywood output declined 23%. Even pulp production, one of the sector’s more stable outputs, decreased by 3%. Major industry players including Segezha Group and ULK Group have been restructuring loans over the past two years in response to falling output, sliding prices and soaring costs. But the situation has continued to deteriorate, especially within the export-heavy pulp and paper sector. Compounding the problem is the Central Bank’s steep 20% key interest rate along with a hike in the profit tax rate from 20% to 25%.

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How climate change fuels wildfires in Europe

By Kate Abnett
Reuters
July 15, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

BRUSSELS – Wildfires have scorched hotspots in several Mediterranean countries this month, with blazes forcing thousands of people into lockdown in Catalonia in Spain, and encroaching on France’s second-biggest city of Marseille. …European wildfires have burnt 227,000 hectares of land since the beginning of the year – more than double the average for this time of year over the past two decades, according to the EU’s European Forest Fire Information System. …It’s not yet clear if 2025 will be a record year, as that will depend on how the fire season evolves in the coming months. The number of fires in Europe has also surged this year so far, with 1,118 blazes detected as of July 8, versus 716 in the same period last year, EFFIS said. …Scientists say the Mediterranean region’s hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. …Climate change exacerbates this risk , by creating hotter and drier background conditions.

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