Global trade in lumber increased marginally in 2019; while the value of Canadian lumber exports to the US declined significantly—according to Haken Ekstrom. In other Business news: Interfor seeks First Nations engagement on Canfor’s tenure; the BC Liberals want forest relief not partisan antics; the US Commerce Dep’t says low property taxes in New Brunswick are not a subsidy; and Nova Scotia’s Premier is hopeful about Northern Pulp’s fate.

In Forestry news: the Forest Practices Board says BC needs a new planning process; Alberta’s pine beetle mortality is as high as 98 percent; and the USDA says old-growth forests are more resistant to wildfire than young forests.

Finally, happy Independence Day to our US readers who are celebrating their separation from British rule in 1776.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor