Toilet paper and biomass pellets are emblematic of the fight to save northern forests – and prevent some the planet’s more important biodiversity from going down the toilet (or up in smoke). While much of the focus on deforestation is on the world’s tropical forests, the degradation of boreal and temperate forests continues apace, threatening their ability to store carbon and destroying ecosystems.
For several years, McMillan LLP has been a go-to law firm for the Paper Excellence corporation. This large Canadian forestry company has been represented by McMillan on transactions worth over $6 billion. The ethical problem arose when McMillan took on a new retainer, for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). That client’s main work is administering the “FSC” certification, which you may have seen stamped on some wood products… One of FSC’s rules is that, in order to remain certified, a company must not only avoid destructive forest practices, but must also not be “indirectly involved” with companies that do so… In November 2023, Greenpeace alleged that Paper Excellence was effectively a corporate sibling of Asia Pulp & Paper, insofar as both were controlled by Indonesian forestry company Sinar Mas. That allegation was contested by Paper Excellence, and so the FSC sought corporate law expertise to conduct a review. The firm that FSC hired was none other than McMillan LLP.
BOSTON — Procter & Gamble has agreed to provide additional information regarding its practices related to sourcing wood pulp from the boreal forests of Canada. The updates will reiterate the company’s aim to eliminate sourcing from intact forest landscapes and to protect primary forests. …The agreement came after discussions earlier this year with investment firms Green Century Capital Management, AXA Investment Managers, BNP Paribas Asset Management, and Robeco. In exchange, these investors agreed to withdraw a shareholder proposal asking the company to enhance its disclosures in relation to its existing efforts to mitigate risks to biodiversity and forest resilience. “These disclosures will help investors better understand how P&G is managing the risks associated with sourcing from such an ecologically important area,” said Leslie Samuelrich, President of Green Century Funds. …In addition, P&G will renew its investment in the development of alternative fibers.
A call for international alignment on nature protection Canada and other wealthy countries for “double standards” in managing their forests, just as a new poll reveals most Canadians support stronger safeguards for nature at home. But that support may not be enough to sway their voting decisions… New polling data suggests most Canadians agree that stronger safeguards are needed at home—but opinions diverge when it comes to how platform and policy influence voting choices… 84% of respondents across the political spectrum agreed the government should take stronger action to protect forests and wildlife. About two-thirds, or 68%, said they would be reluctant to vote for a party that made no commitments to safeguard nature.
British Columbia’s government expects to plant nearly 60 million fewer trees next year — a 23 per cent drop from this year’s planting season at a time the province has seen a major spike in wildfire activity. The projections come from presentation slides obtained by Glacier Media and shown to industry in September, less than 10 days before the B.C.’s provincial election campaign kicked off. During the campaign, the BC NDP promised to plant 300 million trees annually across the province to “help increase forest resilience.” That promise came off the back of two of the most destructive wildfire seasons in B.C.’s history. In 2023 alone, more than 6,000 fires torched 15 million hectares of land, an area larger than England, according to Natural Resources Canada. But according to the province’s own projections, the government expects the number of trees planted to sink to 233 million in 2025, down from 291 million in 2024 and far short of its election promise.
For decades, forestry companies in B.C. have used chemical herbicides like glyphosate to kill off plants that might compete with trees destined for timber. Trembling aspen, named for its almost heart-shaped leaves that seem to quiver in the wind, is often on the hit list. But after years of destructive wildfires that have wiped out whole neighbourhoods and sometimes whole towns, more and more people are questioning the wisdom of killing off this tree. Because when wildfires sweep across the landscape, aspen can help calm the flames… “Anytime we apply herbicides, we are changing potential fire behaviour,” wildland fire ecologist Robert Gray explains… in areas where aspen and other deciduous trees are killed, a natural fire break is lost too.
People around the world are adorning homes and businesses with festive holiday decor, which typically means an abundance of Christmas trees are on display. In the U.S., they pop up everywhere from the average living room to the Rockefeller Center plaza in Manhattan and the White House in Washington, D.C. But climate change threatens to complicate the tradition. Christmas trees, like any other crop, are affected by the general rise in temperature associated with global warming and the extreme weather events that result from it… 
