Category Archives: Forestry

Forestry

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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Public Consultation Notice: Intact Forest Landscapes in Canada

Forest Stewardship Council Canada
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

The Forest Stewardship Council Canada announces the launch of a public consultation on draft indicators related to Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs). These indicators form part of our ongoing work to strengthen forest stewardship and protect ecologically and culturally significant forest areas across Canada. IFLs are large, unfragmented areas of natural forest that are free from significant human activity and are critical for biodiversity, carbon storage, and Indigenous cultural values. FSC Canada is committed to ensuring that management activities in IFLs are carefully assessed and responsibly planned. These indicators will guide how FSC-certified forest operations manage intact forest areas… Indigenous Cultural Landscapes (ICLs) are areas that hold significant cultural, ecological, and spiritual value to Indigenous Peoples, reflecting their deep relationships with the land. Due to the need for more in-depth consultation with Indigenous Peoples on the Draft Indicators and Guidance for ICLs, an additional consultation period will be launched shortly. 

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Federal forest report obscures logging’s impact on wildlife and climate, conservation groups say

By Ivan Semeniuk
The Globe and Mail
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Canada has trees… But …Ottawa is at odds with a slew of environmental groups over what that means. [They] issued a critique on July 30 of how the federal government portrays the makeup of Canadian forests, calling for something far more transparent and comprehensive. The criticism comes at a moment when Ottawa is seeking to boost productivity in the country’s resource sector to counter a trade war and other economic pressure – all of which has raised concerns over the potential cost to the environment. …the focus of disagreement is Natural Resources Canada’s State of Canada’s Forests. …The latest version of that report, released earlier this month, touts Canada’s forests as a vast natural asset that covers nearly one third of the country… But those numbers are misleading, said Rachel Plotkin, with the David Suzuki Foundation and one of the authors of the critique. The problem, she said, is what the federal report leaves out. [A Globe and Mail subscription is required to access the full story]

Related coverage from David Suzuki Foundation: New report: What the government isn’t saying about forests in Canada 

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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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Higher fuel, food, fire retardant costs mean more Yukon wildfire spending

By Dana Hatherly
Yukon News
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Above average spending on Yukon wildfires is in the forecast due to rising costs of fuel, aircraft, vehicles, food and fire retardant, Yukon wildfire officials told reporters during a July 30 briefing. Officials indicated more spending doesn’t necessarily mean more fires; it relates to higher costs in general. “The cost of fuel is going up. The cost of aircrafts are going up. The cost of vehicles is going up. Fire retardant, which we used over a million litres of, has almost doubled in price in the past several years. Food for catering, for feeding all these crews. Obviously, the cost of food has gone up,” director of Yukon Wildland Fire Management Devin Bailey said at the mid-season briefing. “As everything gets more expensive, we’re going to see more expensive responses during fire season.”

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Gibsons pushes for watershed oversight as logging proposed

By Jordan Copp
The Coast Reporter
August 4, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Gibsons council is renewing its push for stronger watershed protections and clearer oversight of forestry operations, following a staff report on BC Timber Sales’ (BCTS) 2025–2029 Sunshine Coast Operating Plan. At its July 22 regular meeting, council endorsed a recommendation to re-share findings from a 2024 review of BCTS’s watershed assessment with the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry of Water, Lands, and Resource Stewardship. The review, conducted by independent hydrology experts, raised concerns about the potential impact of proposed logging — particularly cut block TA0159 — on Aquifer 560 recharge. “This is just one of those things that comes and goes,” said Coun. David Croal. “One minute they’re talking about logging, and the next minute the auction is next week. I really appreciate the conscientious effort our staff is putting in to stay on top of this.”

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Community Forests: Rooted in Community, Growing for Generations

By Jennifer Gunter, Executive Director
The BC Community Forest Association
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

…The pressure to balance local benefits and profitability is something community forests must continuously navigate. A recent news article raised valid questions about the future of small, value-added mills in B.C. and their relationship with community forests. The BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) welcomes this attention and agrees that where logs go — and who benefits — matters deeply. But we also believe it’s important to reflect the full picture. …In a news story about logs leaving Valemount — and other similar concerns across the province — the issue should not be framed as a ‘failure’ of the community forest model. Rather, these scenarios reflect the pressure these communities are under and emphasize the need for stronger collaboration between mill operators, tenure holders, and government partners. [We] take a multifaceted approach to stewardship, managing forests for the benefit of people, place, and long-term resilience.

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‘Namgis First Nation and Western Forest Products reach significant milestone in forest landscape plan pilot project

By Babita Khunkhun, Senior Director, Communications
Western Forest Products
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

‘Namgis First Nation and Western Forest Products Inc. are excited to announce the submission of the draft Forest Landscape Plan (FLP) together with accompanying draft Forest Operations Plan (FOP) to British Columbia’s Chief Forester under a pilot project initiated in fall 2021. The submitted plans are available for public viewing on Western’s website here. The draft plans cover approximately 142,000 hectares of the ‘Namgis territory, which represents approximately 89 per cent of the area of Tree Farm Licence 37, an area-based tenure on Northern Vancouver Island held by Western. The draft plans were prepared under the Government of British Columbia’s Forest Landscape Planning Pilot program to support long-term forest health, climate adaptation, and a sustainable and secure forestry sector in the province. The draft plans were developed concurrently with the Gwa’ni Project, a government-to-government process between ‘Namgis and the Province to update land use planning in the Nimpkish Valley. 

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What Do You Think About Woodlots?

By Gord Chipman, Woodlots BC’s Executive Director
Woodlots BC
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

I want to stir up some creative thoughts about BC’s woodlot licence program — we want to hear from you! We have the opportunity to reduce bureaucracy, and I know that the Resource Districts are very interested in that outcome. However, before we make changes we need to be sure about the direction we want to go. We need to set our compass. We need to be strategic on the direction and business plan that we want to pursue. The issues of the day that formed the recommendations from the Sloan or the Pearce Royal commissions 75 and 50 years ago do not necessarily apply today. Many woodlots have changed hands over the past 20 years, 5 were bought out by the government last year and 5 more could be bought out this year. Much has changed in the past 10 years. 

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A cascading concatenation of consequences creating a congeries of collapsed trees capable of continuing conflagrations

By John Betts, Executive Director
The Western Forestry Contractors’ Association
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Years of drought combined with persistent wildfire, some of it burning underground over winter, are causing forests in B.C.’s north east to fall down. Having had the roots and organic soils that had held them up burned away these often green trees now form a dense ground fuel load for future fires. The fallen trees also form a jack-straw of branches and boles that will act as an abatis in the face of fire crews. This has fire specialists and ecologists in the Fort Nelson Fire Zone worried. “With this fuel type, another concern is the multi-year impacts of having this much fuel on the ground,” says Eric Kopetski BCWS Fire Behaviour Analyst. The Fort Nelson Fire Zone has been dealing with drought and fire for years with the Fort Nelson Complex now covering 4 million hectares including 25 fires and 350,000 hectares burned this year. Distance, terrain and fire tenacity already pose challenges to fire crews. 

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Canoe Forest Products shares plans for local salvage harvest with Salmon Arm council

By Lachlan Labere
Salmon Arm Observer
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

A salvage harvesting operation for beetle-impacted trees around Salmon Arm is proposed to begin this winter. Canoe Forest Products will be conducting the operation, with four cutblock openings totalling 107.8 hectares in the East Canoe watershed. Approximately 3.5 kilometres of new road will be required for the operation, which has a tentative start date of Nov. 1, 2025, and is expected to continue into the spring of 2026. The winter harvesting is intentional, in part to have the least impact on recreational activities in the South Canoe trail system. Council received this information at its July 28 meeting, during a presentation by Canoe Forest Products planning forester Ray Mills. Mills began by explaining how this was his third time before council to talk about planned harvest operations, including one that occurred in 2020. He explained how the Douglas fir beetle infestation continues to spread across the slopes of Larch Hills and into the East Canoe Creek watershed.

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Lil’wat Forestry plants 132,000 seedlings in Mount Meager slide restoration project

By Luke Faulks
Pique News Magazine
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Fifteen years ago, the Q̓welq̓welústen/Mount Meager landslide unleashed 50 million cubic metres of debris into the Lillooet River Valley—disrupting fish habitat and increasing flood risk down to Pemberton. This April, as part of a years-long restoration effort, Lil’wat Forestry Ventures (LFV) oversaw the planting of more than 132,000 native trees in an effort to stabilize the debris-laden landscape and speed ecological recovery. Restoration efforts began in 2019 when the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation provided seed funding to Lil’wat Nation. In 2022, LFV received funding from the Ministry of Forests’ Forest Investment Program to launch trial replanting efforts, which would in turn be used to inform a long-term restoration plan. The work kicked off in 2023, with 33,000 trees and shrubs planted on a 13-hectare site.

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Factors that influence fire behaviour

BC Wildfire Service
July 28, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Wildfire behaviour is shaped by the landscape it burns through. In this video, BC Wildfire Service Fire Behaviour Specialists explore how fires spread differently through complex forest stands influenced by harvesting, silviculture treatments, and the legacy of past wildfires. Join us as we head into the field to see how these factors influence fire movement, intensity, and the challenges they present to wildfire operations.

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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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MPP Vic Fedeli’s office announces big money to aid forestry sector

The North Bay Nugget
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada East

Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, announced the Ontario government is investing $2,874,898 through the Skills Development Fund Training Stream to The Canadian Institute of Forestry to support 75 workers across Northern Ontario get the skills they need to land good-paying, in-demand jobs in forestry, logging, and agriculture-related services. …“As we navigate a shifting economic landscape, disrupted by U.S. tariffs, we remain laser-focused on protecting Ontario workers and job seekers,” said MPP Fedeli. “That’s why we’re investing over $2.8 million to support a project by the Canadian Institute of Forestry, in partnership with College Boréal, to train workers for in-demand roles in the forestry and resource sector, helping grow Northern Ontario’s economy.” …”These programs are equipping the next generation of forest professionals and ensuring the continued vitality of our forestry communities,” said Ken Farr, Interim Executive Director, Canadian Institute of Forestry.

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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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USDA invests $106M to keep working forests working

US Department of Agriculture
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the US Forest Service is investing $106 million to support state and landowner efforts to conserve private working forestlands across the country. Funded through the Forest Legacy Program, these projects will protect forests vital to the economic and social fabric of local communities – ensuring they remain productive, working forests for Americans and tourists to use and enjoy. …In total, the Forest Service will fund 10 projects across 177,000 acres of state- and privately owned forestlands in Arkansas, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, Oregon and South Carolina. The investments advance President Trump’s Executive Order on Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production by safeguarding forests that supply critical wood products and outdoor recreation opportunities—both of which fuel rural prosperity by creating jobs and supporting rural economies. …To view the full list of 2025 projects, visit the Forest Legacy Program webpage.

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Oregonians could soon have less input on more than half the land in the state

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Trump administration has proposed drastically limiting the public’s say in how federal lands are used at a time when the president is pushing to fast-track logging, mining and oil extraction. That’s raising concerns amongst conservationists and environmental advocates, who worry that the changes could have a profound impact on Oregonians’ relationship with the lands around them. More than half the land in Oregon is federally owned, as is about 29% of land in Washington. …Under President Donald Trump, 16 federal agencies are now considering rule changes that could curtail or drastically limit this public input, which is required under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA. Those proposed changes were announced in early July. The public has until Monday to provide input on the changes for the U.S Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. …Data shows that public comments can make a difference.

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Conservation groups sue to stop logging project near Whitefish

By Darrell Ehrlick
The Daily Montanan
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

@US Forest Service

Four conservation groups — Native Ecosystems Council, Council on Wildlife and Fish, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, and the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection — have filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing the United States Forest Service and Flathead National Forest of ignoring its own scientists to push ahead on a logging project that would likely imperil grizzly bears, and cut old-growth forests. The lawsuit also claims federal forest officials have intentionally created two adjacent logging projects that would have likely violated federal laws if combined, and instead split them up into two smaller projects to avoid scrutiny. The Forest Service said it does not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit claims that the Cyclone Bill Logging Project, 13 miles west of Whitefish, will cut and burn on more than 12,000 acres, which includes Canada lynx and grizzly bear habitat, both protected by the Endangered Species Act.

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Cool Off in Oregon’s Most Magical Indoor Forest at This “Treerific” Portland Museum

By Jennifer Brooks
Only in Your State
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Forests are full of stories waiting to be heard and uncovered, and there’s no better place to start listening than at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. Tucked into the lush greenery of Washington Park, this incredible hands-on museum invites visitors of all ages to climb aboard a historic logging railcar, explore a rainforest canopy, and travel the globe to see how different cultures both live with and learn from their forests, all without ever leaving the Pacific Northwest. …The nonprofit World Forestry Center is dedicated to encouraging sustainable forestry by showcasing the science, culture, and industry of forests, with a particular emphasis on the PNW. …Inside, the two-story, 20,000-square-foot Discovery Museum serves as the heart of the World Forestry Center, with a gorgeous main atrium that brings the great outdoors in. …Outside, the museum grounds are just as gorgeous as the inside. A 1909 Shay locomotive is a climbable kid favorite.

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You should be concerned by Washington Forest Practices Board proposal

Letter by Dick Hopkins, Hopkins Forestry
The Chronicle
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Washington Forest Practices Board is proposing new legislation pushed by the Washington Department of Ecology that will affect all of us financially. The Washington Forest Practices Board (FPB) is supposedly an “independent” state agency responsible for establishing rules that govern forest practices in Washington state. It’s chaired by the Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove. …The FPB is proposing streams that are perennial with no fish should have the existing no-harvest buffers changed from 50 feet each side of the stream to 75 feet (or more). The proposal affects not only the stream buffer width, but the length of stream buffer and volume of restricted trees. Why does it affect you? All timber harvests are taxed by the state of Washington — 4% of the net log value goes back to the county the trees were harvested in. …You are affected by this proposed change in law that does nothing for fish.

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Losses mount for timber companies in Alaska amid China’s import ban

By Avery Ellfeldt
Alaska Public Media
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

The Trump administration’s tumultuous relationship with China is proving to be a major issue for some companies in Alaska’s forest products industry. That includes in Haines, where a timber sale that was supposed to kick off this spring has stalled amid China’s ban on US log imports. China announced the ban in March, citing concerns over pests like bark and longhorn beetles in US shipments. The move came the same day that China imposed retaliatory tariffs on certain US agricultural products amid President Donald Trump’s global trade war. The decision has had sweeping effects on companies that harvest logs in Alaska and ship them overseas. …The trade disputes have also hit Canadian lumber company Transpac Group. The company in March largely shut down its site on Afognak Island, just north of Kodiak, citing the ban and failed efforts to divert its product to other markets.

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Land owners of the Blue Mountain area coming together to restore the forest to be more fire-resistant

By Zach Volheim
8KPAX Missoula & Western Montana
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

MISSOULA — in the Blue Mountain area in Missoula, trees with a blue ring painted around them are slated for removal as part of a larger plan to restore the forest to its pre-colonial state — a state that was more fire-resistant. The plan involves several agencies collaborating to achieve this goal. …The Blue Mountain Area consists of land owned by the U.S. Forest Service, Missoula County, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and private land owners. They will implement forest treatments to change the forest, as the current state of it is extremely fire-prone. …The ultimate goal of all the agencies is to create open areas with ponderosa pine scattered about. To achieve this, agencies are looking at a combination of mechanized and non-mechanized vegetation management; clearing the forest floor, often through prescribed burning, and removing species like Douglas fir.

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In wildfire-prone Washington state, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests

By Moe Clark
High Country News
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Throughout her two decades working on forestry issues, Jasmine Minbashian has often found herself at odds with the US Forest Service and the timber industry. Her environmental activism started during the second wave of Pacific Northwest “Timber Wars”. …She joined the North Central Washington Forest Health Collaborative in 2019. …The group is one of 19 forest collaboratives focused on public lands in Washington and Oregon that emerged in the wake of the “Timber Wars” in an attempt to find agreement around contentious forestry issues. …These forest collaboratives, touted as a model of consensus-driven conservation, have quietly become influential engines for federal forest management decisions across the West. But critics worry the groups are too aligned with timber interests that prioritize commercial logging, and that they helped pave the way for the Trump administration’s latest effort to expand logging on public lands throughout the country by skirting environmental protection laws.

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Logging Saves Species and Increases Our Water Supply

By Edward Ring, California Policy Center
California Globe
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

There are obvious benefits to logging, grazing, prescribed burns, and mechanical thinning of California’s forests. When you suppress wildfires for what is now over a century, then overregulate and suppress any other means to thin the forest, you get overcrowded and unhealthy forests. California’s trees now have 5 to 10 times more than a historically normal density. They’re competing for an insufficient share of light, water and nutrients, leading to disease, infestations, dehydration and death. Up through the 1980s, California harvested 6 billion board feet per year of timber; the annual harvest is now 25% of that. We have turned our forests into tinderboxes. …For the sake of California’s water supply, its energy security, the safety of people living in the forests, and the health of our trees and wildlife, Californian needs to revive its logging industry. …It will also enable something counterintuitive: precious and endangered wildlife can thrive in a responsibly managed forest.

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Oregon’s wildfire bill cut landowner costs, but didn’t raise funds for fighting large fires

By April Ehrlich
Oregon Public Broadcasting
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Wildfires are getting more catastrophic and expensive. For the last decade, Oregon policymakers haven’t been able to agree on how to pay for them. And while lawmakers emerged from this year’s legislative session with a plan to fund wildfire prevention, there’s still no dedicated funding to fight large fires like the Cram Fire, which has burned nearly 100,000 acres in Central Oregon. The total wildfire budget for the next two years is less than the state spent last year alone. And in some cases, costs that used to be borne by insurance plans and private landowners are now the responsibility of all Oregonians. A similar phrase cropped up during multiple interviews with policymakers: The consensus lawmakers reached this year is a good “first step.” What’s less clear is if it’s enough. ….“Oregonians writ large, are going to be the ones to pay for it,” said Casey Kulla, with Oregon Wild.

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NorCal faced 18,000 lightning strikes in July. How often does it cause fires?

By Paris Barraza
The Redding Record Searchlight
July 29, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Thousands of lightning strikes have been recorded in California recently as portions of the state gear up for more storms, bringing with them potential wildfires. The state’s northern half saw 1,681 lightning strikes between Sunday, July 27, and Monday, July 28, Cal Fire reported, sparking 23 wildfires. Cal Fire units Lassen-Modoc, Shasta-Trinity, and Siskiyou responded to 14 new fires, none of which grew significantly, Cal Fire said as of July 28. Yet, this month, more lightning strikes in short periods have occurred in the state. The U.S. Forest Service Shasta-Trinity National Forest reported on July 26 that Northern California experienced 18,863 lightning strikes due to storms in the area the evening before. …The National Interagency Fire Center has tracked the number of fires in Northern California and Southern California caused by lightning in recent years, showing that thousands of fires in the state and nationwide are caused by nature.

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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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‘Man’s hand in nature’: Forest Service passes controversial logging in Green Mountain National Forest

By Camryn Woods
VTDigger
July 30, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

©US Forest Service

A new logging plan for the Green Mountain National Forest could harvest almost 5 million cubic feet of timber, or enough trees to fill 5,000 school buses. The Telephone Gap Integrated Resource project was approved on June 13 after seven years of assessment. It will manage 72,000 acres of federal, state and private land primarily in the towns of Brandon, Chittenden, Goshen, Killington, Mendon, Pittsfield and Pittsford, according to the U.S. Forest Service’s Final Decision Notice, a document outlining the new plan. The Forest Service said in its final plan that the Telephone Gap project would improve wildlife habitat, restore soils and wetlands, allow for prescribed burns and trail building and increase logging. But the project has received both praise and pushback from environmental organizations in Vermont over the last few years of its development.

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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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5 Graphics Explain the Climate-Fire Feedback Loop

By Kaitlyn Thayer and James MacCarthy
World Resources Institute
August 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Forest fires have become a harsh new reality for millions globally, with their impacts felt near and far. Over the last few years, fires have destroyed billions of dollars in property, displaced thousands of people and coated cities in choking smoke, causing deadly air quality. It’s no coincidence that fires are becoming more intense as the planet warms. Fires need hot, dry conditions to ignite and spread. While fire is a natural part of some forest ecosystems, climate change is making forest fires worse, and vice-versa — creating a vicious “climate-fire feedback loop.” It works like this: Rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions lead to hotter, drier conditions. This makes it easier for fires to spark and grow. Worsening fires release larger amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere as trees and plants burn — further accelerating climate change and perpetuating the cycle.

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World Wildlife Foundation sustainable timber scheme criticised

Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

In its report “Pandering to the loggers”, published 25 July 2011, Global Witness claims that the WWF scheme is fundamentally flawed; allowing organisations to benefit from being associated with the charity while still clearing protected forests and trading in illegally-sourced timber. Global Forest and Trade Network scheme, which forestry companies, manufacturers and retailers pay to join, requires forestry firms to commit to achieving a “credible” voluntary forestry certification and for trade partners to cease sourcing illegally-harvested wood within five years in a bid to encourage more sustainable practices across the market. However, Global Witness argues that a lack of minimum standards for participating companies combined with very little publically available information on the scheme’s participants bring into doubt the validity of the scheme… The group calls for a comprehensive independent audit of the scheme, how it is managed and what it has achieved in terms of real-world benefit for forests.

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Call for more community ownership of Scotland’s woodlands to combat influence of forestry giants

Scottish Legal News
August 5, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

New research highlights concern from across Scotland about the role of industrial forestry corporations and asset management organisations who increasingly dominate the ownership and management of Scotland’s forests. The research concludes that more community ownership and management of woodlands, and more diverse ownership of forests across Scotland would increase community wealth and lead to greater environmental benefits, as well as producing more actively managed forests in Scotland. Three new discussion papers … analyse the effectiveness and impact of industrial forestry on local areas as well as for meeting national carbon and timber targets. Industrial forestry refers to predominantly single species, mostly unmanaged, Sitka Spruce forest, contrasting with more climatically resilient, sustainable, mixed species forestry. The papers recognise that, while mixed productive forestry has an important part to play in reaching Net Zero and delivering economic and social opportunities, basic assumptions about the benefits of industrial forestry can be questionable.

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Making the most of Europe’s forests

By Paul McMahon
IPE Real Assets
July 31, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The forest products industry is an important part of the European economy and a crucial pillar for the transition to a low-carbon economy in the future. At the same time, this sector is not immune to trade uncertainty and geopolitical risks. As Europe looks to rely more on its own resources, there is an opportunity to better utilise the continent’s forests through investment and active management. …Although the EU has just 5% of the world’s forests, it produces approximately 20% of the world’s roundwood each year. Over the past decade, the EU has gone from being a net importer of roundwood and fuelwood to a net exporter – with the EU’s net trade surplus reaching 15.4m sqm in 2023. …Despite unpredictable trade flows… Research indicates that total demand for wood fibre in the EU will grow by 25% between now and 2050. 

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