Forest Safety Week—delivered in partnership with the BC Forest Safety Council—kicks off today with four stories. They include manufacturing hazard identification and risk assessment; combustible dust cleanup; preventing congestion in forest operations; and prioritizing mental health.

In Forestry news: Nova Scotia moves against the spruce budworm; Alaska faces renewed logging debate; researchers say woodchips may reduce ticks; and the EU delays chemical restrictions for forestry. Meanwhile, an ENGO questions Mosaic’s role in Mount Underwood fire; Lake Tahoe breaks ground on fire and forestry training complex; and new wildfire risk warnings for BC and Oregon.

In Business news: Prime Minister Carney walks a tightrope, as US Trade Rep. Greer says re-shoring manufacturing is key; the American Wood Council and AF&PA support EPA’s new formaldehyde risk assessment; Nova Scotia buildings plan to switch to wood heat; US consumer sentiment hits record low; and what the lumber & gold futures say about the US economy.

Finally, Don Pigott’s latest forestry memoir turns a 1984 cone-collecting expedition in northeast BC into a story of camps, ghost towns, squirrels and colourful characters.

 Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor