Despite the fiery rhetoric, the softwood trade dispute is “much ado about nothing“, according to David Milstead (Globe and Mail), due to the exceptionally strong US housing market where Canadian producers can recoup the tariff from their customers and US builders can pass the cost on to the home buyer. In related news, Bruce Yandle (Washington Examiner), says it’s obvious that Trump’s trade policy is “stiff-arming consumers” as well as benefiting Canadian producers with US operations.

Other headlines include: covering-up the caribou loss in Canada; putting out practice-fires in Oregon; making CLT fireproof in California; and growing black walnut trees as cash-crops in PEI. 

Finally, an expose on Hong Kong’s timber-trafficking problem, including the species involved, the routes used and the enforcement challenge.

–Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor