OTTAWA, ON -The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS, Canada’s only charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and ocean) just-published a report ON THE PATH TO 2030: A Report Card on Progress to Protect Land and Ocean Across Canada to shed light on which provinces and territories are sitting at the head of the class, which need improvement, and who needs to sign up for summer school. “There’s never been a more important time for Governments, organizations and all Canadians to support conservation efforts across the country,” said Sandra Schwartz, National Executive Director of CPAWS. “With constant breaking news across North America, it’s easy for all stakeholders to get lost in the woods and drift from the important conservation work they have started. There’s nothing quite as fundamental to the Canadian identity as nature, and long-term funding is essential to make it happen.”
Two-thirds of Canadians agree the next federal government should prioritize action on climate change and protecting nature, a new poll has found. The national poll was carried out by Leger on commission from the B.C.-based environmental group David Suzuki Foundation. A similar share of respondents supported Ottawa investing in renewable energy over fossil fuels. …The poll questioned a panel of 1,548 Canadian adults in an online survey. In a letter sent Tuesday to the leaders of all major federal political parties, the David Suzuki Foundation joined 13 environmental groups calling on the next government to provide tariff relief measures that don’t lead to the over-harvesting of Canadian forests. The letter also lobbies the next federal government to craft tariff relief measures that prioritize funding Canadian workers — not foreign-owned forestry corporations. …“Unsustainable logging practices in Canada put this key export market at risk,” the letter notes. “Canada must acknowledge and reform current industrial logging practices that degrade forest ecosystems.”
The Chisholm Awards for Innovation in Forestry program is a national competition for young researchers who are passionate about a range of activities relevant to forest-based science, products using forest-based raw materials, process improvements, or other innovations throughout the forest sector value chain. The Chisholm Awards for Innovation in Forestry are not just about rewarding research and development – they are also about showcasing the work of students and young researchers who are passionate about climate positive forestry and forest products, clean manufacturing, and the forest bioeconomy. Winners will be celebrated to coincide with The Twentieth Session of the United Nations’ Forum on Forests on May 5-9, 2025. Winners will receive a cash prize of CAD$2,500.00 along with local, regional, national, and social media promotion. Eligible applicants must be students or researchers who are 30 years old or younger as of March 1, 2025. Deadline to apply is April 4 by 11:59pm EDT.
West Kelowna, B.C. – …Ntityix Resources LP (Ntityix), owned by Westbank First Nation (WFN) has undertaken extensive wildfire risk reduction work . They have achieved significant milestones in their ongoing efforts with support from the Ministry of Forests and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC). …“Our government has all hands on deck to protect people, communities and forests, but we cannot do it alone. That’s why the work done by organizations like Ntityix is critical, especially in the Thompson Okanagan region where the wildfire risk is high. I thank them for doing their part in the fight against climate change and wildfires,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. …Ntityix has been at the forefront of wildfire risk reduction initiatives in the Thompson Okanagan region, leveraging cultural practices and traditional knowledge to enhance fuel modification zones and significantly contribute to long-term wildfire mitigation strategies.
As forestry practices evolve, the intersection of conservation, Indigenous consultation, third-party certification, and workforce development is central to the future of the industry. The “Breaking New Ground” panel at the 2025 COFI Convention will explore how innovative partnerships and collaborative approaches can balance ecological stewardship with economic opportunity. Panelists will share insights on advancing reconciliation through meaningful consultation, supporting the next generation of forestry professionals, and ensuring sustainable practices through conservation financing and certification. Panelists: Lennard Joe, CEO, BC First Nations Forestry Council; Michael Reid, BC Program Director, Nature United; Kathy Abusow, President & CEO, Sustainable Forestry Initiative; and Aspen Dudzic, Director of Communications, Alberta Forest Products Association & “Forestry Together” Initiative. Moderator: Jason Fisher, Executive Director, Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC). Join us for a forward-looking discussion that brings together diverse perspectives on how BC’s working forests can thrive while meeting environmental and social responsibilities.
Gatineau, Quebec — Natural Resources Canada announced more than $16 million in funding for four tree-planting projects that will bring environmental, health and social benefits to both urban and rural communities across the province of Quebec. The City of Gatineau and the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu are receiving funding for urban tree-planting projects that will plant new trees on public lands, helping to capture carbon, increase biodiversity and cool areas vulnerable to extreme heat. …These projects are being supported in part by Canada’s 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program. This program is dedicated to working with governments and organizations across the country to support the expansion of Canada’s forests while creating sustainable jobs in communities. 
Simcoe County forests are growing — and not just up. Councillors got a brief update Tuesday on the county’s forest management activities last year, as well as finding out what the future holds as the county moves into its 103rd year operating the local forest system… The fact the county has been managing these forests for more than a century is “quite exceptional,” Graeme Davis, who works as a forester for the county, said during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting… Of particular note is that the county forests are very active and working forests, Davis added. While harvesting does play an important role, Davis said it’s also important to note that they are about much more than forest harvesting — they also provide “incredible” recreational uses.
…When the Terrace Bay pulp mill opened, an effluent canal was built to connect with Blackbird Creek — a convenient way to send its liquid waste into Lake Superior. It wasn’t until the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed in 1972 that researchers started to focus on the impact industry was having on the Great Lakes. Following that agreement, in 1987 Jackfish Bay and 42 other sites across the Great Lakes in Canada and the U.S. were officially listed as areas of concern. New guidelines were created for discharging effluent into the Great Lakes and their tributaries, and remedial action plans were proposed. But the use of Blackbird Creek as an effluent canal was grandfathered into the Terrace Bay mill’s operations. When it first opened, the mill owner was entitled to choose where to monitor the receiving environment for its effluent. They chose Moberly Bay, the smaller bay at the mouth of Blackbird Creek, on Jackfish Bay. 
President Donald Trump’s March 1 Executive Order calling for “
The US president recently suggested that domestic lumber production could be significantly increased by opening federal lands to logging. This move, he argued, would reduce US dependence on lumber imports from Canada and Europe. …At first glance, tapping into federal timber resources might seem like a logical solution. However, the reality is far more complicated. A combination of declining forestry expertise, legal challenges, labor shortages, infrastructure limitations, and lack of private investment incentives makes this an unrealistic path to reduce lumber imports to the US. …While the US president suggests that opening federal lands for logging could boost domestic lumber production, this is an unrealistic expectation. …Despite claims that the US no longer needs Canadian lumber, the reality is that imports from Canada and Europe will continue to play a crucial role in meeting US domestic wood demand in the future.
WASHINGTON STATE is one of the most productive parts of the country for growing timber. Most of the timber is west of the Cascades and its annual production in the United States is only second to Oregon. However, harvesting faces significant constraints according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR manages about two million acres of timberlands, but only half can be harvested due to challenging terrain or environmental protections, such as endangered species habitats. …Federal lands in Washington state currently produce minimal timber, and changing protected land status would require congressional action, not just presidential directives. Upthegrove, a Democrat, anticipates any attempts to increase federal timber harvesting would face lengthy legal challenges. In Washington state, over 70% of the timber harvested comes from privately owned forestland. …For these reasons, state officials believe Washington cannot realistically offset the costs associated with Canadian lumber tariffs.
What are Musk, Trump and the congressional right really after? Anyone who works in land management knows these agencies have long gone underfunded and unsupported by Republicans, rendering them less and less effective as the demands on them grow ever more pressing. Now this bloodletting is accelerating, and soon it will be time to go for the throat. As these agencies flounder, turning their lands over to private administration — to timber, mineral and oil extraction or to private ownership and development — will begin to seem logical and even appealing. While sustainable logging can be a valuable forest management tool, research shows that when lands are managed primarily for resource extraction, they become less resilient to wildfire. This is a shortsighted, profit-driven turn toward a land-use model that is ultimately unsustainable. What will the public be left with? Will we still have places to hike, fish, hunt, dirt-bike and ski? Or will a new landlord be setting new rates?
With $2.6 billion in hurricane-recovery money on its way to the national forests of North Carolina, Jenifer Bunty, a US Forest Service disaster-recovery specialist, spent much of the week of February 10th working on a plan to start spending the money. Four months after Hurricane Helene, this meant deciding which bridges urgently needed to be rebuilt, which road repairs prioritized. …“The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over,” Donald Trump declared in his speech to Congress last week. For the White House, the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers like Bunty is evidence of “promises made, promises kept.” But for the Forest Service the loss of at least two thousand workers will make it harder to fight ever-worsening wildfires and storms across the country. …After the Trump cuts, a spokesperson for the USDA said that they didn’t include “operational firefighters,” a term Bunty had never heard. 
It might be time to treat your trees to prevent pine beetle infestations in the Black Hills. That’s according to US Forest Service Entomologist Kurt Allen, and Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Forest Health Specialist John Ball. The pair have been hosting talks and information sessions on mountain pine beetle outbreaks since 1999. Last week, they stopped in Spearfish with a handful of clear messages. For one thing, the Black Hills is not necessarily on the verge of a mountain pine beetle epidemic — at least not on the scale last seen a decade ago… “Between the larvae feeding and a blue stain fungus they introduce, they kill trees very quickly,” Ball said.
Washington’s Department of Natural Resources says it’s coming up with backup plans to address the growing threat of serious wildfires in the state. The typically close working relationship with federal forest managers has frayed under the Trump Administration. It started in mid-February, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut thousands of probationary employees at the U.S. Forest Service. The USDA is in charge of stewarding places like the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. Altogether, about 2,000 employees across the country were fired. The USDA emphasized that no “operational firefighters” had been let go, and argued the critical work of responding to wildfires would not be interrupted. …Grassroots Wildland Firefighters estimated that three-quarters of the employees laid off had secondary wildland firefighting duties, meaning firefighting wasn’t their primary job, but they were pulled in to fight fires as needed.
The Alaska Forest Association and two of its members have taken legal action against the US Forest Service. The lawsuit … seeks to compel the federal agency to comply with the Tongass Timber Reform Act’s mandate for timber sales, a move that could help revive the struggling timber industry in southeast Alaska. “Federal law requires the Forest Service to sell enough timber every year to meet market demand,” said Frank Garrison, attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the plaintiffs that include Viking Lumber and Alcan Timber. “…the agency has violated federal law three times over.” The dispute stems from the US Forest Service’s 2016 Management Plan, which outlined a gradual transition from selling old-growth timber to younger trees over a ten-year period. … However, the plaintiffs argue that the agency abandoned the plan, ceasing old-growth timber sales immediately and failing to provide sufficient young-growth timber as promised.
It’s now clear that some moves President Trump has authorized his pal Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency to make will thwart at least a few of Trump’s own often-repeated priorities. …Then there are two moves that figure to make the next fire season, coming up in late spring or early summer, as bad as or worse than recent ones. Trump legitimately repeats the conviction that cleaning forest floors can reduce the intensity and frequency of wildfires. He consistently and falsely blames California’s government for not doing this. …With Musk’s aid, though, he fired 3,400 Forest Service workers in mid-February who were still on probation in their first year of employment, many of whom had been hired to do the job Trump calls critical to stopping fires. …If he knew these firings completely contradict priorities he has trumpeted, why would he have approved them?
Businesses, communities, and wildlife across a vast portion of western Washington, western Oregon, and northwestern California rely on healthy national forests. Since 1994, the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) has guided conservation, recreation, timber production, and other uses of these 19.2 million acres of species-rich and economically important lands and rivers, and now, as it does periodically, the U.S. Forest Service is updating the NWFP… The scientists and land managers who authored the original NWFP recognized the importance of drawing on the best available science. They also had the foresight to incorporate ways to monitor the forests and adjust management if their assumptions—for example, about the plan’s impact on nature and communities—proved wrong… The Forest Service is 
WASHINGTON — Three former Environmental Protection Agency leaders sounded an alarm Friday, saying 
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. — The 
In wild Tasmania there are trees whose direct ancestors lived with dinosaurs. Many of those alive today are thousands of years old, and some have been growing for ten millennia or more. They are mostly hard to reach, hidden in forest valleys or on remote mountains, survivors of human greed and fire.