Canada and the US reached a last-minute deal to salvage NAFTA, as concessions were made on both sides. Notably, Canada retained its cultural exemptions and Chapter 19—a red line rooted in past lumber disputes—gave on dairy and agreed to modest tweaks on autos and the sunset clause. Campbell Clark [in the Globe and Mail] says it’s “a mediocre deal that avoids damage to the economy”.

In other news: Pinnacle Renewable Energy finds opportunity in Alberta; Freeman Lumber faces silt challenges in Nova Scotia; Sterling Lumber will manufacture CLT mats in Texas; a timber investment company is lauded in Oregon; wildfires create repetitional damage for BC tourism; and mid-rise builders are fuelling prefab wall construction in BC.

Finally, you can win free beer for a year by finding by a hidden medallion in one of six US National Forests; and New Zealand plans to meet its GHG target by planting a lot of trees. 

–Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog Editor