Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

Canada vows more wildfire action as smoke sparks U.S. complaints

By Sean Boynton
Global News
August 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada is committed to doing more to prevent and control devastating wildfires, federal officials said Tuesday as the resulting smoke sparks formal complaints and calls for action from U.S. lawmakers. But Corey Hogan, parliamentary secretary to the federal energy and natural resources minister, added the growing spread of blazes and smoke beyond Canada’s borders underscores the need for an international fight against climate change that scientists say is fueling more destructive wildfire seasons. …A group of Republican state lawmakers from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota last week filed a formal complaint against Canada to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and the International Joint Commission, a binational organization that resolves disputes on shared water and air quality. …The research funding announced Tuesday will go toward 20 research projects aimed at strengthening wildfire risk assessments and improving mitigation and prevention measures, the government said.

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Time to move forward on national agency to fight forest fires, chiefs say

By Émilie Bergeron
The Canadian Press in the Prince George Citizen
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says it’s time for Ottawa to stop studying the idea of a national forest fire co-ordination agency and take action. The organization’s president wants the federal government to take inspiration from the U.S. Fire Administration to establish a similar office in Canada. The U.S. office is part of Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, but Ken McMullen says a Canadian version could be simpler and less costly. He said the proposed fire administration office, which could be staffed by one or two people, would ensure that personnel and equipment are appropriately dispersed across the country in the event of wildfires. It would also allow security and fire services to have a seat at the table when relevant policies are being discussed. …”We just have to get moving and make decisions,” said McMullen, who is also fire chief in Red Deer, Alta.

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Over 6.8B seedlings needed to restore just 15% of forests destroyed in 2025, 2024 & 2023 wildfires

Canadian Tree Nursery Association
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

New data revealing the escalating scale of Canada’s forest restoration challenge following three consecutive record-breaking wildfire seasons was unveiled at the Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) second Annual General Meeting. “The scale of destruction in 2023, 2024, and now 2025, is taking a tragic toll on Canadian communities and our forests” stated Rob Keen, Executive Director of the CTNA-ACPF. “We now require over 6.8 billion seedlings to restore just 15% of the forests lost to these catastrophic wildfires. This is not just an environmental crisis, the economic and social costs require immediate action from our Prime Minister, Premiers, and Forest Ministers.”

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Canada’s 2025 wildfire season now second-worst on record, fuelled by Prairies blazes

By Jordan Omstead
Canadian Press in CityNews Everywhere
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

TORONTO — Canada’s 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record. The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has made Canada’s fire season longer and more intense, scientists say. The last three fire seasons are all in the 10 worst on record. “We really need to do a lot more to manage our forest, to reduce the impact of climate change and better prepare the communities that are at risk,” said Anabela Bonada, managing director of climate science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo.

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As Miles of Forests Burn and Wildfires Spread, Canada Brings In the Military

By Ian Austen and Amy Graff
The New York Times
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

With wildfires forcing evacuations from Vancouver Island on the Pacific Coast to Newfoundland in the North Atlantic, Canadian officials were mustering additional resources on Thursday to help provinces cope with the blazes and the disruption. Eleanor Olszewski, Canada’s emergency management minister, announced on social media Thursday morning that the armed forces and the Coast Guard would assist the island province of Newfoundland in fighting blazes. Three out-of-control fires forced the evacuation of 900 people in the province on Thursday. Some provinces have moved this week to limit activities like hiking that could spark additional blazes, with forecasts indicating it is unlikely that sufficient rain would fall in regions plagued by out-of-control fires. Canada’s national fire threat level has been at 5, the highest danger rating, since late May. About 7.1 million hectares, or 27,000 square miles, of forest have burned so far this season in the country. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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It’s time for the feds to intervene on wildfire fighting efforts

By Allison Smith
Toronto Today
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Growing up in the Greater Toronto Area, smog days were par for the course. …We’ve traded our smog days for smoke days. …Improving wildfire response should be an imperative of Prime Minister Mark Carney and his newly formed government. …Wildfires will burn no matter how many waterbombers Canada has, but there is no question there would be fewer homes destroyed, less First Nations forced to evacuate and fewer air quality alerts issued if Saskatchewan had 600 aircraft in action right now, rather than six. …Let’s turn this whole country into a waterbomber assembly line. The demand isn’t going anywhere — domestically or internationally. …In the meantime, the federal government needs to ramp up funding transfers to the provinces for wildfire fighter and pilot training programs and equipment purchases. …Getting forest fires under control is also an act of sovereignty. 

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Logging probe shows compliance, shortfalls

Forest Practices Board
August 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

SMITHERS – The Forest Practices Board has released the results of its investigation into a complaint about logging in the Lemieux and Gardner Creek watersheds, 30 kilometres southeast of Smithers. A resident alleged that over-harvesting had dried up creeks and wells, and that logging proceeded without proper public consultation. Board investigators examined recent harvesting, road construction and maintenance by three licence holders: BC Timber Sales (BCTS), Kyah Development Corporation (KDC) and the holder of woodlot licence W0104. Investigators assessed whether licensees met legal requirements for water management and public review. All three licensees complied with requirements for public review. BCTS and KDC exceeded requirements by voluntarily sharing operational-planning information with stakeholders. BCTS and KDC also met all water- management requirements.

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Tsi Del Del Enterprises Ltd. features in TV series

By Monica Lamb-Yorski
The Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal
August 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Tsi Del Del Enterprises Ltd. is being featured in a TV documentary series about the forestry industry. The Tsilhqot’in company will join returning companies Peters Contract Logging, Freya Logging and Integrated Operations Group to be featured in Season 2 of Timber Titans. Launching August 12, 2025, the new season showcases the hard work, innovation, and resilience of four forestry operations across B.C., including Tsi Del Del Enterprises Ltd. and their role in rehabilitating fire-impacted forests in the Cariboo Chilcotin region. Timber Titans is produced by Vancouver-based Great Pacific Media.

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Kalesnikoff Mass Timber receives shout-out from Prime Minister

By Betsy Kline
The Boundary Creek Times
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Castlegar sawmill and mass timber producer Kalesnikoff Lumber received a mention from Prime Minister Mark Carney on Aug. 5 during a visit to Kelowna. Carney was talking about his government’s Build Canada Homes initiative when he brought up Kalesnikoff’s innovations. The Build Canada Homes program prioritizes domestic materials in construction and requires companies contracting with the federal government to source Canadian lumber. It also calls for the use of Canadian technologies and resources in off-site construction of prefabricated and modular homes. “One example of the possibilities, just a few hours drive from here in Castlegar, Kalesnikoff Mass Timber recently opened its 100,000-square-foot mass timber prefabrication and modular facility – the first of its kind in North America,” said Carney. “They’re adding new products and services, including prefabricated wall panels, mass timber modules, and trusses designed and manufactured for construction efficiency.”

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BC Timber Sales scales back logging planned for Revelstoke mountain

By Evert Lindquist
Nelson Star
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

One of Revelstoke’s most popular mountains for Nordic skiing and cycling has reappeared on the map for B.C.’s lumber licensee, raising questions of how recreationists’ favourite routes could be impacted. Within the last year, BC Timber Sales (BCTS) issued a Forestry Operations Map outlining plans for Mount MacPherson, home to the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club (RNSC) and various Revelstoke Cycling Association trails. Currently, several dozen hectares in the Wetask-Mt. MacPherson area are licensed for cut blocks, while several hectares more are mapped for retention areas and roads. …Operations are indicated to run until 2027, and all six cut block licenses have a planned development date of last Jan. 15. In a statement the Ministry of Forests said one of its recent licences was auctioned last spring and will be harvested this fall or winter. Another licence currently sits in the development stage, slated for auction next summer.

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MLA’s Corner: Forestry concerns persist province-wide

By Lorne Doerkson, B.C. Conservative MLA for the Cariboo-Chilcotin
Williams Lake Tribune
August 10, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Lorne Doerkson

I have deep and serious concerns regarding the state of the forest industry in British Columbia… Recently, the mayor of Campbell River wrote an open letter to Premier David Eby regarding the distressing decline of the coastal forestry sector. …But it’s not only coastal forestry – it’s the whole sector. …The forest industry doesn’t just create direct employment – it supports a wide range of spin-off jobs and provides critical economic benefits. …But in the past three years, we have seen the lowest sector revenue since the 2008-2010 Depression. It was only back in 2020 that our forestry revenue was $1.2 billion, but the 2025-26 budget projects $639 million. Harvest approvals that once took six months now take two years or more. …At a time when the cost of delivering healthcare, education, and public safety continues to rise, this shortfall places an unsustainable burden on British Columbians.

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Canoe Forest Products planning salvage harvest of Douglas fir killed by beetles

By Luc Rempel
Castanet
August 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Canoe Forest Products in Salmon Arm wants to salvage beetle-kill Douglas fir from the East Canoe Creek Community Watershed. “Those red crowns are dead Douglas fir trees, the result of Douglas fir beetle infestations,” Canoe’s Ray Mills said. …He told council Canoe previously undertook a similar salvage operation to harvest beetle-killed Douglas fir in 2020. …Mills said the harvested trees would provide a local economic boost as well as since Canoe Forest Products would mostly use the Douglas fir harvested. “So some cedar will go to Downey in Revelstoke,” he said. “Solid components that we don’t utilize could go to Adams Lake, could go to Tolko in Armstrong, some will go down to Gorman brothers, which is our parent company in West Bank.” …“I really appreciate the approach that Canoe is taking on this,” said Coun. Sylvia Lindgren.

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Alberta Forest Products Association Community Newsletter

Alberta Forest Products Association
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Summer 2025 is as busy as ever! Many of our members are completing their tree planting season, community engagement has been in full swing, and the Alberta Forest Products Association is gearing up for our next annual general meeting. 

  • Wildfire Resources including Wildfire! From the Ground Up, a multi-part documentary series.
  • Trade Barriers: Call to Action: 6 opportunities for the Government of Alberta to support our sector
  • Love Alberta Forests
  • Wildfire Educational Series: a video series focused on sustainable forest management in wildfire mitigation
  • Work Wild
  • Caribou Research Renewal
  • Water Management
  • Forestry Talks Podcast
  • Annual General Meeting: 83rd AGM, Jasper Park Lodge, September 24-26th!

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BC Wildfire Service warns of sharing AI-generated images of fires

By Amy Judd
Global News
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The BC Wildfire Service is warning people about sharing unverified images online of what are AI-generated images of wildfires. In a post on Facebook, the service said that while social media can be a great resource for information and updates, wildfire seasons can also be a “time of fear and anxiety and during times of concern misinformation can spread quickly and add to the uncertainty.” The post included two images, which the BC Wildfire Service said have been circulating on social media over the past few weeks. “In the photos… you can see images generated with artificial intelligence that were shared by other accounts and seemingly show recent wildfires,” the organization said. “However, they do not accurately represent the terrain, fire size or fire behaviour in the area. Someone scrolling past could believe this image is real or accurate when it is not.”

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Dry conditions taking a toll across New Brunswick, sparking new forestry restrictions

By Sam Farley
CBC News
August 9, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Worsening dry conditions across New Brunswick — which sparked a provincewide burn ban and led this week to an uncontrolled wildfire near Miramichi — have prompted the provincial government to impose restrictions on some industrial activities in forested areas. The Department of Natural Resources said in a news release Friday that some forestry operations would be banned for the next several days given the high risk of another wildfire. …From midnight on Aug. 8 to midnight on Aug. 12, harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and all pre-commercial thinning and cleaning are all banned. That restriction applies to all forestry on both Crown and private lands. Trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting are allowed to continue. …Except for the possibility of a shower Saturday afternoon in northern New Brunswick, the province could see at least six more days of dry, hot weather, according to Environment Canada forecasts.

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Provincial forest bans miss the point

By the Editorial Board
The Globe and Mail
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Last week, the province of Nova Scotia, facing an extreme risk of wildfire caused by hot, dry weather, banned people from entering forests and national parks as a precautionary measure. …New Brunswick followed suit on Saturday with an open-ended ban on commercial and recreational activity on Crown land. Private landowners were asked to follow suit. …But we note that, as of Sunday, Newfoundland – where fires have forced … government to declared a state of emergency in one part of the province – had not gone to the extreme of banning responsible citizens from the woods. We respectfully suggest that Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s decision to cancel summer in early August is draconian, and that their over-abundance of caution may speak to the fact that, like the rest of Canada, they do too little to prevent forest fires in the first place, creating a higher risk of intense and dangerous events. …Canada needs to develop a national regime of prescribed burns… [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to read the whole story]

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How industrial forestry and climate change created the Nova Scotia wildfire problem

By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson and Joan Baxter
National Observer
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Nina Newington was at her Save Our Old Forests logging protest camp in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County when the woods were being closed. She would need to [leave] or risk a $25,000 fine. Nova Scotia premier Tim Huston, had banned anyone from entering the province’s woodlands until Oct. 15 or until substantial rain reduces wildfire risk. …The ban cut Newington’s efforts short, leaving her stranded at home, wondering if all their work to protect the forests was about to be undone. The same is not true for forestry operators, who have been granted special exemptions from the wildfire restrictions. …Todd Burgess, executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, said his group is “very supportive” of the ban, because the risk is so high. …But some… say industrial forestry — and the landscape changes that go along with it — are a big part of what got Nova Scotia into this situation… [A National Post subscription may be required for full access to this story]

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Restrictions placed on forestry operations in New Brunswick as Miramichi wildfire grows

By Sawyer Bogdan
Global News
August 8, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

MIRAMICHI, New Brunswick — In response to the increased wildfire risk, some forestry operations in New Brunswick will be restricted over the next couple of days. A release from the province’s Department of Natural Resources says the move is to protect both the forests and people living in the province. On Friday, the natural resources minister said in the release the restrictions will be on both Crown and private lands. “These measures will help protect our forests, animals, natural habitats and our communities, as well as our wildland fire crews,” John Herron said. As of midnight Friday, harvesting, forwarding, skidding, scarification, chipping and all pre-commercial thinning and cleaning are restricted until Tuesday. However, trucking, road construction and maintenance, vegetation management and tree planting are still getting the green light. These restrictions apply to all forested lands in the province, both private and Crown.

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Mining, Forestry, Reconciliation: Parliamentary Secretary Guay Brings the Conversation to Northern Quebec

Natural Resources Canada
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Fostering inclusive economic development and ensuring that local communities, including Indigenous partners, benefit from these opportunities are key priorities for the Government of Canada. Today, Claude Guay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, concluded a two-day tour of Northern Quebec, where he highlighted the importance of Quebec’s mining and forest sectors in building Canada’s supply chains and export opportunities, creating good jobs, and strengthening reconciliation… Parliamentary Secretary Guay concluded the trip with a visit to Les Chantiers Chibougamau’s Kraft Pulp Mill in Lebel-sur-Quevillon and their head manufacturing plant in Chibougamau. These sites are key examples of Quebec’s forest sector excellence and innovation in modernizing the industry, accelerating affordable housing and promoting green construction using value-added Canadian wood-based products.

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Forest Service Faces Identity Crisis in USDA Overhaul Plan. Again.

By Robert Chaney
The Mountain Journal
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The US Forest Service has been searching for an identity almost since the federal government began managing trees in the 19th century. It started in 1876 inventorying public lands to prevent over-logging. Then it became the lumber provider to the nation. Now, just shy of its 150th birthday, the Forest Service faces another fundamental reorganization announced by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins last week. Or not. A week after Rollins’ announcement, the Senate Agriculture Committee ordered a “Review of the USDA Reorganization Proposal.” Many public lands watchdogs hoped the hearing would clarify where the idea came from and how the Forest Service’s tree focus fit in the farm-and-ranch world of the Department of Agriculture. …The National Association of Forest Service Retirees was aghast.“We do not see anything in the proposal that would improve services or efficiency,” they wrote. …While logging occurs far from the average American’s attention, forest fires are literally front-page news.

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Novel Research Reveals Thriving Microbial Life in Trees

Yale School of the Environment
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

There’s a thriving community of diverse microbes living in tree wood, a new study led by a Yale School of the Environment team of scientists has found. A single tree hosts about one trillion bacteria in its woody tissue. Trees are Earth’s largest biomass reservoir and store more than 300 gigatons of carbon. However, what is living in their wood has largely been unexplored. The study, published in Nature and led by YSE doctoral candidate Jonathan Gewirtzman and Wyatt Arnold ’24, establishes a new frontier for understanding tree physiology and forest ecology that can assist in forecasting forest response to future change and help trees adapt to climate change. “Understanding these internal ecosystems gives us insights into trees’ broader biogeochemical functions and how they might contribute to forest carbon cycling and nutrient exchange processes in ways we hadn’t fully considered before,” Gewirtzman said.

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Sustainable Forestry Initiative supports 9th American Forest Congress Resolutions

Sustainable Forestry Initiative
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Washington, D.C.—The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is proud to support the outcomes of the 9th American Forest Congress (AFC), including resolutions to help forests thrive in a changing climate, support expanded markets for forest products, advance forest research, and invest in workforce development. “Responsibly managed forests play a critical role in advancing our nation’s economy, environment, and social fabric. SFI proudly supports the 9th American Forest Congress resolutions and the spirit of collaboration to move these actions forward. SFI and our network are taking a leadership role in developing data-driven practices to improve current and future forest health and productivity, while training forest managers to use these practices and related strategies to empower decisions on the ground,” said Nadine Block, Senior VP of Network Initiatives at SFI.

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Forest Congress Resolutions Recognize Role of Public Lands, Environmental Protections

Center for Biological Diversity
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

The 9th American Forest Congress has released a slate of principles and resolutions that recognizes the essential role of public lands and conservation in safeguarding the health of the nation’s forests. The Forest Congress — urged by the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups — adopted measures on critical environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity, ecological integrity, beneficial fire, and old-growth forest protections. Several resolutions also stressed the importance of federal public forests conservation, transparency and public engagement in management decision making, and keeping these lands in public ownership with an adequate workforce and programmatic investments. “The American Forest Congress is acknowledging the importance of conserving our national forests at a time when Trump and some politicians want to sell off our public lands,” said Ashley C. Nunes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

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New Trees Take Root in Lahaina, Hawaii, Two Years After Devastating Wildfires

Business Wire
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

On the two-year anniversary of the deadly wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, the Arbor Day Foundation launched its effort to help replant lost tree canopy. The Foundation distributed more than 580 trees alongside its local planting partner The Outdoor Circle, in collaboration with Treecovery Hawaii and The Royal Lahaina Resort & Bungalows.“Recovery from a wildfire of this scale can take years, but the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to being here for the long haul. We’re proud to work alongside the passionate advocates at The Outdoor Circle to help regrow a flourishing community canopy,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We know trees won’t replace all of what’s been lost in Lahaina, but they can help grow new roots of resilience and nurture hope for the future.”

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The closure of Chillicothe’s paper mill puts Ohio’s logging industry in danger

By Kendall Crawford
The Ohio Newsroom
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Despite attempts to save it, the longstanding Pixelle Specialty Solutions in Chillicothe closed its doors permanently on Sunday. The southern Ohio paper mill announced its planned closure in April after nearly 200 years of operating in Ross County. Local leaders and state representatives alike pushed to delay its shuttering, but ultimately the company ceased production this weekend. Not only did the paper mill employ more than 800 people, it fed a larger industry in the state. Executive director of the Ohio Forestry Association Jenna Reese said the mill’s closure will hurt Ohio loggers. “This is gonna have ripple effects throughout the state,” she said. “We’re unfortunately anticipating attrition.” With nearly 8 million acres of forest in Ohio, logging is a major industry. It contributes $1.1 billion to the state economy annually, according to Reese. Forest products, more broadly, make up more than a quarter of Ohio’s agricultural industry, which tops the state.

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The government is literally telling firefighters “help is not on the way”

By Kylie Mohr
Vox
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Every spring, Forest Service fire leaders meet to plan for the upcoming fire season. This year, some employees were shocked by the blunt remarks made during a meeting with forest supervisors and fire staff officers from across the Intermountain West. “We were told, ‘Help is not on the way,’” said one employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing their job. “I’ve never been told that before.” Agency leaders already knew it might be a bad wildfire season, made worse by having fewer hands available to help out. According to the employee High Country News spoke to, the Forest Service lost at least 1,800 fire-qualified, or “red-carded,” employees through layoffs, deferred resignation, and retirement offers. In total, 4,800 people left the agency. “We were told: Don’t commit to an attack thinking the cavalry is going to come,” the employee said. As fire activity continues to pick up across much of the West, that warning rings true. [a free subscription is required to read the original article, here, published in High Country News]

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Tree rings reveal how Western Apache controlled Arizona’s wildfires for centuries

The Parker Pioneer
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Western Apache fire management once reshaped Arizona’s forests — and tree rings prove it. A new study combining tree-ring evidence and historical data shows that for centuries, Western Apache communities systematically controlled fire activity across their homeland, reducing the role of climate in driving wildfires. Led by Southern Methodist University fire scientist Christopher Roos, the research analyzed 649 fire-scarred trees from 34 sites in central and eastern Arizona and compared them to several thousand samples from the broader Southwest. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that Apache burns were more frequent, smaller, and timed differently than fires elsewhere in the region. Scientists found that in Apache territory, fires often occurred in late April and May — months when community members were engaged in subsistence activities in pine forests.

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How the Oregon Department of Forestry is using drones to battle wildfires

By Mariah Johnston
The Statesman Journal
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Cole Lindsay, the Oregon Department of Forestry aviation coordinator, said firefighters would typically have to hike into the dark canyon to check for new fires — a time-consuming and potentially dangerous task on a wildfire that had already roared to 23,890 acres in Wheeler County. But technology has advanced. Instead of sending people, Lindsay sent a drone equipped with an infrared camera to sweep across the canyon. “The cameras and sensors are so good that it would have seen something way before the human eye,” Lindsay said. …The Oregon Department of Forestry has 29 pilots. In 2024, ODF and its contractors flew 482 drone missions, 364 of which were for fire purposes. Out of 136 hours of flight time, 98.5 hours were on fire missions. So far in 2025, ODF, excluding its contractors, have flown 41 missions totaling 14 hours. Out of those 14 hours, 7.9 hours were for fire purposes. 

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Lost federal logging revenue, stalled program leaves rural communities in financial pinch

By Emily Fitzgerald
The Spokesman-Review
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON STATE — Washington’s rural counties and school districts are preparing to start the school year without millions of dollars from a program meant to offset reduced revenue from logging on federal lands. The Secure Rural Schools program expired at the end of 2023 after Congress failed to renew it. Democratic and Republican lawmakers, along with local officials, are pushing US House leadership to bring a bill renewing the program to the floor. The lapsed program helps pay for roads and schools, providing $7 billion in payments to more than 700 counties and 4,400 school districts across 40 states since it was enacted in 2000. …Counties and schools have received logging revenue from the federal government for roads and schools since 1906. Federal law currently mandates that all counties annually receive 25% of the seven-year average of revenue generated by that county’s forests. 

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Divide and conquer: Trump’s plan to stop loggers and environmentalists from talking

By Nathan Gilles
Columbia Insight
August 7, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

In May, the White House Office of Budget and Management sent Congress President Trump’s proposed budget for discretionary spending for upcoming fiscal year 2026. Among the budget’s many cuts is a proposal to eliminate all funding for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, designed to make timber projects run more smoothly. The Collaborative is a decades-long experiment to get conservationists, the timber industry and U.S. Forest Service back to the proverbial table after the timber wars of years past. Collaboratives have been widely credited with incorporating conservationist’s environmental concerns in the design of timber harvests and, consequently, reducing environmental litigation known to slow down harvests. The CFLRP has been lauded by some for helping implement forest thinning and restoration projects meant to both reduce wildfire risk and increase timber production and jobs in rural communities.

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Southeast timber operators say they are at risk for lack of logging sales

By Jasz Garrett
Wrangell Sentinel
August 6, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Trump administration has announced plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Rule, changing the political and timber industry landscape in the Tongass National Forest for the third time in five years. The Roadless Rule prevents logging, road building and mining on national forest lands. It was last repealed in 2020 and restored in 2023, and has been subject to decades of debate. Timber operators say the rescission could help a dying industry – if it passes through Congress. The U.S. Forest Service owns approximately 78% of the land in Southeast Alaska, meaning timber operators are dependent on the federal agency for a majority of their supply. Kirk Dahlstrom, co-owner of Viking Lumber Co. in Klawock, said the agency is nine years behind on offering timber supply for the Southeast industry. He said his business will not survive if land management remains under Forest Service control. “We got starved to almost nothing.”

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Tracking a new forest pathogen killing beech trees

By Kristen Munson
Phys.Org
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Near the bottom of a shady hillside in Jericho, a lone beech tree stretches high into the canopy, a relic of a bygone forest. Through luck or (hopefully) genetics, this mighty tree has avoided contracting beech bark disease—a fatal fungal pathogen that has proven deadly to mature beech trees. And it stands just outside a hotspot where a new pathogen called beech leaf disease (BLD) is spreading across Vermont forests. “Beech is here a lot as a sapling … but if you look out into the forest it’s not really common in the overstory,” said Jess Wikle Ph.D. ’24, lecturer in forestry and manager of the University of Vermont’s Research Forests. The beech trees that do succumb often send out a series of root sprouts before they die, turning a forest of big trees into a thicket of saplings. Beech leaf disease is different. It seems to be spreading faster and young beech trees tend to die first.

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State foresters record first tree deaths in Maine from beech leaf disease

By Patty Wight
Maine Public
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

State foresters Tuesday recorded the first deaths of beech trees from a disease that just arrived in the state four years ago and is now present in all 16 counties. Scientists say beech leaf disease could decimate a species that’s common in Maine woods and an important food source for wildlife. An invasive microscopic roundworm called a nematode causes the disease, which was first detected in Ohio in 2012 and has since rapidly spread north and east. Aaron Bergdahl, a forest pathologist with the Maine Forest Service, said while checking a monitoring plot in the MidCoast Tuesday morning, scientists made an unfortunate discovery: the first tree deaths from the disease. …Bergdahl said there are currently no practical forest-level treatments for beech leaf disease, but there are for homeowners.

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New educational course encourages forest literacy for students in US and Canada

Texas A&M Forest Service – Texas A&M University
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

Texas A&M Forest Service and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative launched an online forestry education course—Forest Literacy: Understanding the Values of Trees, Forests and Sustainability. The online course is designed to provide access to forest and natural resource concepts to all formal and informal educators, academic administrators, natural resource personnel and others who engage in public outreach about forests across the United States and Canada. The purpose of the course is to empower educators, parents and community members to deepen their understanding of forests and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. …Topics covered in the course include the ecological and societal roles of forests; forest ecosystem functions and indicators of forest health; forests’ roles in human well-being, biodiversity and climate resilience; deforestation, urbanization, pollution and environmental impacts on forest ecosystems; forest health management; and personal forest stewardship encouragement.

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Can Michigan’s forests survive climate change? One researcher is finding out

By Emilio Perez
Michigan State University
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

LANSING – As Michigan’s climate warms, tree species like red pine and eastern white pine may no longer thrive here. Their native regions are moving north faster than forests can keep up with. That could have devastating consequences for the state’s $26.5 billion timber industry and rob the state of the ecological services the forest provides… To help forests stand a chance, Michigan State University forest genetics assistant professor Jeremy Johnson is experimenting with “assisted tree migration.” The idea: Plant trees in warmer regions now and identify the ones with traits that can handle the future climate. “We can improve the genetic gain in those trees and start an orchard where we have seed that is adapted to the future climates,” Johnson said. “And that’ll allow the species to persist in the future projected climates.” Johnson is backed by a $500,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources

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Federal audit clears Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, but calls concerns over logging in wildlife areas ‘valid’

By Jimmy Lovrien
Duluth News Tribune
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US East

©DNR

DULUTH — A federal audit found the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources used grant and license revenue appropriately, but it also said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had “valid concerns” that the state agency has competing priorities when it comes to logging in wildlife management areas. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General report, issued July 30, reviewed the DNR’s expenditures and the license revenue generated by grants the FWS awarded under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. The audit said the DNR “ensured that grant funds and license revenue were used for allowable activities and complied with applicable laws and regulations, FWS guidelines, and grant agreements.” It did not identify any reportable conditions for the DNR to address.

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The Nature Conservancy Plants 2.5 Million Trees in Minnesota in 2025

The Nature Conservancy Press Room – USA
August 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

The Nature Conservancy announced it planted 2.5 million trees in northern Minnesota this year in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and three county land departments. This is a record number for the organization, and the second consecutive year the program has planted more than 2 million tree seedlings The tree seedlings were planted on public lands—across 5,810 acres of national forest, state forest, state park and county-managed forest lands—and covered six counties, including Cook, Lake, Saint Louis, Itasca, Cass and Carlton County. The planting areas included 1.8 miles along scenic Highway 61 and 41 miles of stream, river and lakeshore that connect to Lake Superior. It also included 1,740 acres of moose habitat enhancement, completed in partnership with the Ruffed Grouse Society and Minnesota Moose Habitat Collaborative—whose tribal representation is critical in maintaining habitat for this species of cultural importance to Indigenous communities.

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Ministry, private sector interpret differently European Court of Justice ruling on bird nesting sites

By Maril Kangur
ERR News Estonia
August 12, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued a ruling on suspending logging to protect bird nesting sites in Estonia. However, the Ministry of Climate and forestry industry representatives interpret the ruling in opposing ways, each claiming their stance is the right one. The final decision on the matter is set to be made in the autumn by the Estonian Supreme Court, which should clarify whether current practices will be changed or not. Head of the Ministry of Climate’s Biodiversity Protection Department, Timo Kark, said overall the ECJ considered the suspension of logging to be justified. “In the opinion of the European Court, the birds directive must be interpreted such that its provisions apply to all bird species, including those that are not protected. So any activity that may result in birds being killed, such as logging during the spring-summer nesting period, can be suspended,” Kark said.

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Increasing Scotlands tree production to help tackle climate change.

Government of Scotland
August 11, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The First Minister has today opened a new £26 million facility to help grow more trees for Scotland’s forests and woodlands. Newton Tree Nursery, near Elgin, will support Forestry and Land Scotland to almost treble their tree production – from seven million to nearly 20 million trees per year by 2029. It will help support the sustainable management of Scotland’s national forests and land and help tackle the climate emergency, while also supporting the rural economy. Seedling operations at the redeveloped tree nursery began in March 2025 and 12 million trees have already been established within the glasshouse. The new nursery is the UK’s largest and most advanced tree-growing glasshouse and sets a new standard for bio secure, sustainable, and high-volume forest nursery production.  The facility ensures that an adequate supply of high-quality trees is available to supply the publicly managed forests of Scotland with those forests supporting rural economies, providing flood mitigation, improving biodiversity and sequestering carbon.

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Extreme wildfires are here to stay – fighting them requires a fundamental and structural shift

By Eric Holst
The World Economic Forum
August 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Recent research in the natural sciences journal Nature Communications confirmed an already well-held belief, that “human-caused climate change is raising the odds of extreme climate-driven fire years across forested regions of the globe.” Fire has long played a natural role in shaping the world’s landscapes. In certain regions, fires are necessary and beneficial but not all fires are created equal. As highlighted in a recent collection published on the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform, rising temperatures, lower humidity and prolonged drought have transformed fire into a destructive force. These supercharged wildfires now rank among the greatest threats to forests worldwide. They threaten the stability of ecosystems and communities and increase net carbon emissions from forests and other ecosystems, long considered stable carbon vaults. Instead of isolated local emergencies, we need to treat wildfires as a global, structural threat. This requires a fundamentally new, multi-national and tightly-coordinated effort, resting on five key pillars.

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