In Canada, natural assets such as forests, wetlands, biodiversity and wildlife provide an array of ecosystem “services” that are far too often undervalued or go unnoticed in economic policy and regulations. …Properly valuing and managing natural assets is crucial to avoid potentially costly policy mistakes, especially given the complexity and adaptivity of economic, natural and other systems. Ill-suited approaches to achieve short-term goals can cause medium and long-term problems including building on floodplains or near fire zones with their future damage risks, housing relocation needs, increased insurance costs, etc. …Government development policy and regulation needs to integrate the valuation of natural assets into its planning and implementation. The use of tools like natural capital accounting and ecosystem services valuation helps assign a monetary value to these assets, providing a tangible figure to inform policy and improve decision-making.
The Natural Resources Defense Council released its fifth edition of the “The Issue with Tissue” report, and it airs the dirty truth about some of our most used personal cleaning products — specifically toilet paper. Since its initial report in 2019, a lot has changed with the paper product, but the NRDC points out that perhaps the biggest change is the disparity between the “leaders and laggards.” While many sustainable brands have emerged in response to the tissue issue, the three biggest producers in the United States are still dragging their feet. Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, and Georgia-Pacific, who are responsible for brands like Charmin, Cottonelle, and Quilted Northern, perpetuate the system that wreaks havoc on the boreal forest in Canada and its inhabitants, threatened species, and carbon stores.
Bachelorette alumni, Bachelor in Paradise star, and noted conservationist teamed up with the David Suzuki Foundation and the National Resources Defense Council to address concerns over the loss of vital caribou habitat in northwestern Ontario. The David Suzuki Foundation said the native Hamiltonian has a background in anti-poaching and animal conservation efforts. …”The Ontario government wants us to believe a logging site simply mimics the impacts of a wildfire, but fires don’t leave lasting impacts on animal movements in the form of industrial roads,” Moynes said in a statement. His partnership with these conservation and environmental groups resulted in a trip to visit volunteers from Friends of the Wabakimi, a night at Wabakimi Wilderness Lodge, and a float plane excursion over a stretch of boreal forest “getting a bird’s eye view of forest degradation.” His trip to the northwest is being highlight through a series of Instagram posts, the first coming out 
Washington state-owned forests are managed under the strictest environmental laws and regulations in the world. …Science-based management of these forests helps reduce the risk of severe wildfires while maximizing their ability to sequester and store more carbon to combat climate change. The benefits of these forests, known as state trust lands, are all worth celebrating. State trust lands are working forests because state and federal laws require that they are managed to support defined beneficiaries, including public schools and community-service providers like fire districts, hospitals and libraries. Last year, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Conservation Northwest v. Franz …that timber harvests are aligned with the fiduciary obligation to generate much-needed revenue for services that support our kids and keep our communities safe and healthy.
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CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Forest Service started a 1000-acre prescribed burn on Thursday north of Truckee as part of the Sagehen Underburn project. This is all managed out of the Sagehen Ranger Station with the goal of reducing fuels and promoting forest health. “The Sierra Nevada forest really evolved with fire and so what we’re trying to do is reintroduce low intensity small fires where we’ve already done restoration activities to really replicate those natural processes,” explained Truckee District Ranger Tahoe National Forest Jonathan Cook-Fisher. Over the next 10 days, the Forest Service plans to burn 100 acres a day. If weather conditions permit, the Forest Service’s goal is to burn 1000 acres. The team in charge consists of 40 personnel, including hot shots, engines, and prescribed burn specialists. They’re a highly experienced group who have battled wildfires in Canada and Australia as well as in the US.
