In the September newsletter, you’ll find these stories and more:
- Jaguar Land Rover first to launch tires with over 70% renewable and recyclable materials
- FSC Canada Welcomes New Team Members: Tina Langille-Hayward, Director of Policy & Standards AND Mylène Raimbault, Regional Manager, Eastern Canada
- The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Canada is pleased to announce the launch of a public consultation on draft Indicators related to Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) – August 1 – September 30, 2025
- FSC Forest Week runs September 20-26, Register Today!
- Webinar: Wellness and Beauty and FSC, September 18, 2025
- New Guidance Document for the Ecosystem Services Procedure
VANCOUVER — The B.C. Supreme Court is set to rule on an injunction to halt a blockade against old-growth logging in the Walbran Valley on Vancouver Island, but a lawyer for one of the blockaders says the law is evolving and in need of a “course correction.” The Pacheedaht First Nation has decried the blockade on its traditional territory near Port Renfrew, B.C., claiming it is undermining its authority and should disband. The First Nation said in a statement that forestry is a “cornerstone” of its economy, and is calling for the blockaders to “stand down and leave.” The statement came after Tsawak-qin Forestry Inc., a firm co-owned by the Huu-ay-aht First Nations and Western Forest Products Inc., filed a lawsuit last week in B.C. Supreme Court alleging that “a group of largely unknown individuals” began the blockade of a road on Aug. 25.
The existing Category 1 campfire prohibition for the Cariboo Fire Centre and Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title area will be extended. It will go in effect at noon tomorrow (September 11) and will remain in effect until September 30 or until the order is rescinded. A Category 1 campfire is defined as any fire smaller than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide. The Cariboo Fire Centre said this prohibition applies to all areas in the Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries. In addition, it also applies to these land types within municipal boundaries: Parks, conservancies and recreation areas; Recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas; Ecological reserves; and Wildlife management areas and private managed forest land.
…Paul George, co-founder of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee …hit on popularizing the fight to protect old growth with a poster depicting a young woman gazing up the towering trunk of a massive, moss-covered Sitka spruce tree [in the] Carmanah Valley. The poster’s tag line — “Big Trees Not Big Stumps” — was a model of economy. …like five wasp stings to the hide of MacMillan Bloedel, the company that wanted to cut that tree and every other one like it down. Today we’d say it went viral. But not in the sense of a social media post that explodes with millions of views today only to be forgotten tomorrow … it would prove to have the lasting power of long COVID. …The poster came to mind [when a] small group of protesters planted themselves on a logging road leading into… the upper Walbran Valley, which borders the Carmanah on Vancouver Island’s southwest coast.
Zoom Presentation, September 16th, 7:00 pm. The BC Forest History Association is honoured to host Larry Pedersen as the first speaker for the 2025 Speaker Series. Larry Pedersen was BC Provincial Chief Forester from 1994 to 2004. A graduate from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry in 1975, he became a registered Professional Forester in 1977. During his career, he advanced through a number of positions in the Forest Service and he also worked in the private sector. In his presentation titled Reflections from British Columbia’s 14th Chief Forester, Larry will discuss some important historical events that helped shape forestry in the province, explain how he ended up in the job, discuss some of the challenges that he faced, and will tell some stories about things that were said and done during his tenure. The presentation is intended to highlight just a few of the many important events that have shaped forestry in the province. To register for this Zoom presentation use this 
As severe drought conditions continue to affect river levels in the Thompson Okanagan region, fish-population protection orders will protect endangered chinook salmon in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek by temporarily restricting water use for forage crops and identified industrial purposes. The Salmon River and Bessette Creek have seen persistent low streamflows that are threatening the survival of spawning chinook populations. The fish-population protection orders will help restore water-flow levels and protect the salmon run. Effective Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, 490 surface-water and groundwater licences and transitioning groundwater users in the Salmon River and Bessette Creek watersheds within the assessed curtailment area are affected by the orders to stop using water for forage crops, which include grass for hay, alfalfa and forage corn. Irrigation of forage crops is one of the most water-intensive agricultural water uses. 
The tools of BC’s traditional industry will take centre stage in Ladysmith on Sunday, Sept. 14 for Ladysmith Loggers’ Sports. The event supports the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock, an annual bike tour across Vancouver Island that raises funds for childhood cancer research and support programs. The loggers’ sports exhibition event will take place at the Transfer Beach amphitheatre starting at 2 p.m. …Among the upgrades this year are three massive dummy logs donated by Western Forest Products. This year’s key supporters include Spuzzum Contracting, LCU Insurance Agencies, Mosaic Forest Management and the Town of Ladysmith.
A documentary addressing British Columbia’s escalating wildfire crisis and the urgent need for solutions is playing in Castlegar on Sept. 11. The film was produced by former Castlegar resident Murray Wilson. Wilson graduated from Selkirk College’s Forest Technology program in 1981 and then worked in Salmo and Nakusp before spending more than three decades in forestry across British Columbia. “My early forestry work in the Kootenays showed me the wildfire risks communities face and the solutions we need, which is at the heart of B.C. is Burning,” said Wilson.
Five years after the release of the Old-Growth Strategic Review report, the BC NDP’s momentum towards a “new, holistic approach” to the management of old-growth forests has slowed almost to the point of regression. “Rather than the ‘paradigm shift’ we were promised, we’ve seen Premier Eby’s government doubling down on its prioritization of timber and industry profits over all other values,” said Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight Conservation Specialist. After its public release on September 11, 2020, the BC NDP government promised to enact all 14 recommendations made in the landmark Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR). The goal: to shift its focus towards ecosystem health, rather than timber. Since then, temporary logging deferrals have been put in place in high-risk old-growth stands in some parts of the province, and a 2023 Draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework was released for public review. 
As Nova Scotia grapples with one of its most severe wildfire seasons, a controversial decision by the provincial government has flown under the radar: the approval of aerial glyphosate spraying on 3,577 acres of drought-stricken, fire-prone forest. This move not only risks human health and ecosystems but also exacerbates the very wildfires it claims to mitigate. …Glyphosate-based herbicides are used in forestry to kill deciduous plants and shrubs that compete with commercial softwood species. However, this practice replaces diverse, resilient forests with flammable monocultures. By inhibiting plant growth and causing vegetation to wilt and die, glyphosate leaves behind dry, combustible biomass — effectively turning forests into tinderboxes. In a province already parched by drought and under travel bans due to fire risks, adding fuel to the fire is nothing short of reckless.
Michelle Conroy says she appreciates all the work the province’s firefighters have put into protecting Miramichi, as wildfires raged out of control. But the Progressive Conservative MLA for Miramichi East also wonders if their employer, the Department of Natural Resources, might have unintentionally made conditions in the forests worse by encouraging herbicide spraying so that New Brunswick’s powerful timber industry could have softwood plantations. …The idea that the ecosystem could had been thrown “out of balance,” was addressed by Deputy Minister Cade Libby. “Your comment is one we’ve heard quite a few times,” Libby said. “Yes, herbicides target broad-leafed plants. …But a working forest is a great way to mitigate forest fire risk.” The deputy minister said timber cutters use forestry roads that act as fire breaks and that they work on forests of various types and age classes that have less fuel load than virgin, old-growth forests do.
Amid calls from some First Nations and municipalities in northeastern Ontario to stop glyphosate spraying on Crown land, environmental groups are raising concerns over the herbicide’s effect on biodiversity. …Wildland fire ecologist Bob Gray said leafy deciduous trees, like aspen, are more resilient to wildfires than softwood conifers like pine and spruce. “Softwoods are highly resinous,” he said. “The foliage and bark is highly flammable. When you’ve got large contiguous areas of conifer forest, you can have large continuous forest fires.” If a timber company’s goal is to promote the growth of softwoods for harvest, at the expense of hardwoods, it can make that area more prone to wildfires. …Jocelyne Laflamme is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia found that aspen becomes more flammable in the fall, when they lose their leaves. …In August, forest company Interfor cancelled plans to spray herbicides on trees along the north shore of Lake Huron.
NOVA SCOTIA — Mikmaq have begun blocking logging trucks from leaving Hunters Mountain. Madonna Bernard began the blockade on Monday afternoon when she stood in front of two logging trucks. She was then joined by other Mi’kmaq seeking to stop harvesting from the Cape Breton Highlands. …“This is not a protest, this is a protection. We’re willing to stay as long as it takes.” A large RCMP presence has gathered and more Mi’kmaq supporters are arriving. …Port Hawkesbury Paper mill manager Bevan Lock said that the supercalendered paper relies on wood coming from the highlands for a significant part of its woods fibre. He said some 70 people work for forestry and logging contractors operating in the area. “The province and RCMP have taken steps to remove the blockade and allow travel on a public road,” said Lock.
As wildfires tear through New Brunswick’s forests at record rates this year, researchers say the resulting damage is reshaping bird habitats — displacing some species while creating new opportunities for others. “With every disturbance in a forest, you have winners and losers,” says Joe Nocera, a forestry and environmental management professor at the University of New Brunswick. In this case, the winners will be woodpeckers. Wildfires, while destructive, are a natural part of forest ecosystems, said Amy-Lee Kouwenberg, an associate director at Birds Canada explained. They clear out underbrush and create habitats that support a wider range of species, boosting biodiversity in the long run. Woodpeckers thrive in burned areas, and the resulting tree cavities they leave behind are used as nesting sites that other birds rely on. …Species like the Canada warbler, wood thrush and Bicknell’s thrush — all of which depend on dense, mature or shrubby forests — are particularly vulnerable . 
After years of wildland firefighters developing cancer, lung disease and other health issues while not being allowed to wear masks as they work, the US Forest Service will now allow these crews to wear masks. The policy turnaround comes as the Forest Service posted new guidance on Monday “acknowledging for the first time that masks can protect firefighters against harmful particles in wildfire smoke,” per 
National forests and wildfire will return to the congressional agenda this week with a pair of House subcommittee hearings on Forest Service programs. The Trump administration’s challenges in managing the 193-million-acre forest system with a sharply reduced workforce — and a big agency reorganization still to come — are likely topics for both the Agriculture and Natural Resources subcommittees. In the Natural Resources hearing, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will take testimony on the state of national forests, picking up on a hearing that was initially scheduled for July 9. In the Agriculture hearing, the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture will focus on improved active forest management, such as increased thinning of national forests to reduce potential wildfire fuel. [to access the full story an E&ENews subscription is required]
The increase in wildfires over the past few decades is changing the Colorado landscape in more ways than one. Not only do fires temporarily decimate the impacted areas but according to research out of Colorado State University, they are actually changing how, and if, forests regenerate post fire. “There are definitely some places where they’re coming back really well; it just takes a long time for trees to grow back,” said Camille Stevens-Rumann, CSU associate professor of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship. “But there are definitely other places that are not recovering and are not turning back into the forests that we expect them to be. …Reseeding efforts in these locations have shown mixed results, forcing researchers and forestry officials to look at alternative species. …“I think we do have to adapt and think about the fact that those forests are going to look differently.”
The western United States is facing another destructive wildfire season. …As US forests burn, Congress and federal agencies are asking an important question: What role should federal land management play in reducing fire risk? …Several of the current federal proposals for managing fire risk focus on increasing timber harvesting on federal lands as a solution. They also propose speeding up approvals for those projects by limiting environmental reviews and public oversight. As experts in fire science and policy, we see some useful ideas in the proposed solutions, but also reasons for concern. While cutting trees can help reduce the severity of future fires, it has to include thinning in the right places to make a difference. Without oversight and public involvement, increasing logging could skip areas with low-value trees that need thinning and miss opportunities for more effective fire risk-reduction work. 
Today’s Lookout 
STEVENS POINT, Wisconsin — The Trump administration blitzkrieg on the environment is rumbling along, and 45 million acres of remote national forest lands are in their sights. These are areas protected by the Roadless Rule, adopted in 2001. …The administration is rushing the public comment period, with a deadline of Sept. 19. …There’s a good chance the administration has already made up its mind. But there’s something to say in this moment about being on the right side of history. …Why should Wisconsin care about the Roadless Rule, which is a huge deal in the West? Mike Dombeck, a Wisconsin native, was chief of the USDA Forest Service when the rule was adopted.” …It’s an important niche between wilderness and development. …It took a long time for us to recognize that suppressing fire actually contributes to uncontrollable wildfires. Fire has been a forest management tool for eons.
