RIO DE JANEIRO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden in Brazil at the G20 summit, as Ottawa seeks its place amid a growing rift between Washington and booming economies in the developing world. The Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum with leaders ranging from long-standing allies such as French President Emmanuel Macron to populist firebrands like Argentine President Javier Milei. They’re meeting in Rio de Janeiro to try to find common ground on issues ranging from solving global hunger to setting rules around digital currencies. …Trudeau will likely meet with the summit host, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly called Lula.
VERNON, BC — Tolko Industries continues to dispute a $75,000 fine after a logging road it built is claimed to have caused a landslide. In question is a logging road constructed by Tolko Industries in 2011. It’s alleged the road ultimately led to a landslide in May 2017 resulting in the administrative fine. Following the issuance of the fine in 2022, Tolko launched an appeal. Most recently, legal wrangling between Tolko and the province is centring around a variety of documents, including slide inspections. The 
The Truck Loggers Association of BC celebrates 80 years in January at their annual convention. Early bird pricing ends tomorrow! This year’s event offers TLA members and non-members an all-inclusive registration pass, granting access to all sessions and events throughout the convention. Tickets to Suppliers Night and Lunch on the Trade Show Floor can be purchased on an individual basis.
Across the far reaches of northwestern Ontario and over the provincial border into southeastern Manitoba lies the enormous swath of forested, lake-speckled land that is Treaty 3 territory. At more than 142,000 square kilometres, it is larger than the entire country of Greece and home to 28 First Nations communities with a total population of about 25,000 – an indication of just how rich in natural resources this area is. These natural resources have long been a source of contention between the settlers looking to profit from them and the Indigenous Peoples caring for and protecting the land, but much has changed in the last 15 years. …Across Canada, the forestry industry is working to build more meaningful, equitable partnerships with Indigenous Peoples. Miitigoog Limited Partnership (LP), a joint venture between Weyerhaeuser, eight Treaty 3 First Nations and other industry stakeholders, offers a compelling blueprint.
The Government of Canada announced an additional $2.4 million in funding to the Bruce Trail Conservancy through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund. This is part of the Government of Canada’s largest conservation campaign in the country to meet its emissions reduction targets and protect 30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030. This funding is in addition to a $5 million investment through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, awarded to the Bruce Trail Conservancy in 2022. The funding will be used to help advance conservation goals with urgent Niagara Escarpment land securement. This additional funding advances conservation of over 300 hectares of important habitat and contributes to capturing and storing greenhouse gas emissions by securing carbon-rich forest, wetland, and grassland ecosystems within the Niagara Escarpment. …It will also improve the connectivity of the iconic Bruce Trail and expand recreational opportunities across all seasons for activities such as nature appreciation, hiking, birdwatching, snowshoeing, and more.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service has committed over $265 million to conserve nearly 335,000 acres of important forestlands across 17 states. This investment, supported by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, is part of the Forest Legacy Program and aims to protect working forests that contribute to rural economies. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack emphasized that these forests provide clean water, habitats, recreation, and jobs, but face threats from development. “This investment is key to keeping the economic, social, and ecological benefits these forests provide,” Vilsack said. Since 2021, the USDA has invested $758 million in conserving more than 500,000 acres. Major projects include the Pee Dee Basin Initiative in South Carolina, the largest land conservation project in state history, and Washington’s Stimson Timberland Legacy Project, which conserves nearly 88,000 acres.
IDAHO — Deep in Idaho’s Clearwater Mountains, along the beautiful Lochsa River, is a stand of ancient cedar trees. These trees stand hundreds of feet tall and are hundreds of years old. They were standing long before Europeans arrived in these mountains. …It’s no accident that these old cedar trees are still standing. They remain standing because they are on public lands. Public lands, in which every American has a stake. Surrounding forests, not on public lands, tell a far different story. …Idaho sold off about one third of the land it received from the federal government upon statehood. …We in the West know what state or private ownership means for forests. Stumps, and lots of them. Both entities manage forests to maximize dollars generated. In contrast, public lands mean trees hundreds of years old, superb wildlife habitat, clear, clean water, and unmatched recreation opportunities. And our heritage. 
IDAHO, USA — Placerville is nestled behind Bogus Basin, in the Boise National Forest. The town of 53 is known for its forest solitude – but that isn’t what home insurance companies are looking for. Resident Steve Koppes was dropped from his home insurance company a year and half ago, because his home was in a wildfire-prone area. “I didn’t get notification, I didn’t get reasons. I was just dropped,” Koppes said. Koppes had had the same insurance for years, and never had a claim of any kind. …Each city is ranked on a scale by the Idaho Insurance Ratings Bureau, and Placerville has sat at a level eight since 2010. “The higher the number, the worse off you are,” Placerville Fire Chief Andrew Bourett said. He has done everything he could to make that rating lower – to make getting home insurance easier – but it’s a challenge because of Placerville’s remote location.
The U.S. Forest Service has released its long-awaited proposal to update the landmark Northwest Forest Plan, but many groups said they were unsure of its future with a new administration coming to power in 2025. The document, years in the making, lays out four alternatives for future management of national forests in Washington, Oregon and California by updating a 1994 law crafted by the Clinton administration. The 630,000-acre Siuslaw National Forest along the central Oregon coast would be heavily affected by any decisions laid out in a final plan. A 120-day public comment period begins now, which the agency says will help shape a final plan. “Much has changed in society and science since the Northwest Forest Plan was created nearly 30 years ago,” said Jacque Buchanan, regional forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region. “We’re amending the plan to address today’s challenges [honoring the] original goals, while enhancing wildfire resilience.”
PORT ANGELES — Tree advocates have been partially successful in postponing the logging of forests owned by the state Department of Natural Resources and located within the Elwha watershed region, and they plan to continue their efforts until they achieve full success. At the November Board of Natural Resources (BNR) meeting, Hilary Franz, state commissioner of public lands and chair of the board, placed a pause on the Elwha Watershed “Alley Cat” timber sale. Franz said she pulled the sale from the agenda due to a conversation she had with Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe chairwoman Frances Charles and the desire to have “government-to-government consideration.” Despite advocacy efforts that included a petition with more than 300 signatures and a letter-writing campaign that generated more than 6,165 letters, the six-person BNR approved two other Elwha watershed sales, “Tree Well” and “Parched.” Individuals against those sales said that the “legacy forests” were the “old growth forests of tomorrow.”
The last decade’s economic, social, and environmental changes have affected the production, consumption, prices, and trade of forest products. 
Member states close the door to further tweaks to the new deforestation rules pushed by unusual right-wing majority in the European Parliament. EU diplomats have rejected European Parliament amendments to the Commission’s proposal to push back the entry into force of the bloc’s new deforestation rules by one year. Instead, member states insist on adhering to the original text. …Among the amendments, MEPs sought to introduce a new classification for countries posing “no risk” of deforestation, alongside the existing categories of low, standard, and high risk. However, in a meeting of EU ambassadors, member states reaffirmed they want to stick to the original proposal. “Opening the text would only generate legal uncertainty and huge time constraints,” the source continued. An interinstitutional meeting between MEPs and EU countries to hash out the divergences might take place as soon as tomorrow.
Forests are being cut and degraded at an alarming rate, especially in the tropics, with the expansion of agricultural land causing almost 90% of forest reduction, according to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. A first-of-its-kind law called the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), was designed to take steps to counter this. …The legislation was heralded by proponents as a breakthrough in the global battle against forest loss, it came into force in June 2023 and was due to be implemented at the end of this year. But since it was passed, several agriculture ministries — including those of Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden — have called for implementation to be postponed. …in 2023, the world lost some 37,000 square kilometers of tropical forest… A 12-month delay would mean additional global forest loss of about 2,300 square kilometers, according to EU studies.