Domtar announced it will indefinitely idle its Grenada, Mississippi paper mill. In related news: International Paper sells its specialty pulp business; Lowes acquires Foundation Building Materials; Steelworker’s Brian Butler takes issue with Dallas Smith on Vancouver Island strike; and odor mitigation is underway at Domtar’s Kingsport mill. Meanwhile: lumber prices are tumbling; the largest freestanding mass-timber structure in the world nears completion; and the Paper and Packaging industry is ending its marketing check-off program. 

In Wildfire news: Canada’s Fire Chiefs call for a national fire-coordinating entity; BC insurers say rising risk is driving up premiums; BC coastal fires enter new era due to drought; BC forestry workers bear fire’s health and economic burden; and the high cost of Quebec’s record breaking 2023 fire season. South of the 49th: US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz says US forests need less wildfire and more logging; Oregon ranchers are forced to delay wildfire projects; and internationally—Brazil suspends key rainforest protection measure. Meanwhile: the Canadian Wood Pellet Association highlight Asia’s energy transition; researchers probe black spruce growth; and the Canadian Institute of Forestry consolidates Free to Grow measures.

Finally, a new study shows how saving tigers also slashes carbon emissions.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor