Lumber futures hit 8-month high, amid rising costs for Canadian softwood and tighter supply. In related news: a Harvard study says housing affordability is dragging housing demand; and the US Conference Board’s economic index rose in May. In other Business news: Cascades invests to increase tissue production in Quebec; Nova Scotia considers alternatives for Northern Pulp’s old sludge; a decision on the future of France’s Fibre Excellence is postponed; and Forbes recognizes Boise Cascade and Georgia Pacific as Best Employers.
In other news: Louisiana governor signs wood pellet bill, a US House bill would give mass timber preference in building projects; Idaho’s Boise and Payette national forests received restoration funding; a new study links heat waves to area burned in the US west; and ENGOs criticize Indonesia-based APRIL for sustainability commitments. Meanwhile: WorkSafeBC’s June safety checklist; Woodlots BC on the role of snags as bee habitat; and the exhibit floor at Mass Timber+ 2026 is almost sold out.
Finally, a Safety Board report says glassy-water conditions contributed to a 2024 fatal seaplane crash.
Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor
A disturbing effect of the Trump era is how the most routine bureaucratic exercises become freighted with existential panic. …Despite having negotiated it himself, Donald Trump has attacked the CUSMA deal relentlessly. …The drumbeat of reporting over the coming sit-down with US officials might have you believing we are headed for gladiatorial combat, and not besuited teams working out the fine print of customs classifications and supply chain logistics. In this world, Pascal Chan, who helps lead the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, has emerged as a kind of trade whisperer. …Pascal Chan: There’s concern that if we don’t get to a renewal right now, everything falls apart. That’s not the case. We just go then into an annual review cycle every year. Sure, if we can hit a renewal now, that’s great. It extends the duration of the agreement. But the practical effect of a failed renewal is more uncertainty, not instant collapse. 
Lumber climbed past $630 per thousand board feet, the highest level since October, amid higher effective US import costs on Canadian softwood and tighter expected supply. Prices rose despite a small reduction in preliminary antidumping and countervailing duties, because the combined tariff burden remains high at about 35.9% including the existing Section 232 levy, set to take effect in August. The market is also being driven by uncertainty ahead of final duty decisions, prompting buyers to accelerate purchases and lift near-term demand. At the same time, US domestic production is still constrained, while housing-related consumption remains structurally large, with softwood lumber and engineered wood products heavily used in new construction. Each new home requires roughly 15,000 board feet of lumber plus extensive engineered wood products, keeping baseline consumption elevated even in a softer housing cycle. [END]
While supply concerns are still weighing on housing affordability, a combination of soaring prices and economic uncertainty is dragging on housing demand, according to the annual 
Mass Timber+
Humans have an innate desire to connect with nature, yet we spend nearly 90 percent of our lives indoors. In academic settings, where students learn, live and socialize, this disconnect can have real consequences for focus, mental health and well-being. Mass timber construction offers a powerful way to bring the warmth, texture and psychological benefits of nature indoors, while also advancing sustainability goals and, in many cases, matching or outperforming traditional steel construction on cost. A growing body of research shows that biophilic design, the integration of natural elements, particularly wood, into the built environment can improve cognitive performance, creativity and mood while reducing stress and fatigue. Spaces that incorporate visible wood elements are consistently perceived as warmer and more welcoming, fostering social interaction and a stronger sense of belonging. For higher education institutions focused on student wellness and community-building, these qualities are increasingly viewed as essential. 
A bipartisan bill in the US House is calling for additional incentives to use of mass timber building materials in federal contracting. Introduced by House Ag Committee Chair Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR), the 
Did you know that BC has nearly 600 native bee species? This is among the highest diversity in Canada. The Southern Interior alone has around 400 species. The forest provides both forage opportunities and nesting habitat for bees. Many bee species live in trees, specifically cracks, bark sloughs and small crevices. So snags! We knew they were good for something. Over the decomposition of a standing tree it provides different types of standing habitat. As the tree rots, the bark begins to slough. Sloughing Bark on a snag is an important old forest attribute. While we can’t maintain everything in a block, keeping snags provides habitat for a variety of bees and other insects.
Way back in 1995 Bob Brown, the Republican president of the Montana Senate, called me into his office. He had co-sponsored a bill with a pro-logging Missoula Democrat to establish a “sustained yield” level of logging on Montana’s state trust lands – and he was worried it wasn’t working out the way he hoped. Bob was right to be worried then and Montanans are right to be worried now because Trump’s Forest Service Chief and former timber industry lobbyist Tom Schultz, has just unleashed the “sustained yield” scam on Montana’s National Forests. …My advice to Bob was to let the bill die because he didn’t have the votes to remove the amendments the timber industry lobbyists stuck on the bill. But he didn’t take that advice. …Two years later, Tom Schultz went to work for Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, earning the sobriquet “Chainsaw Tom” for his pro-logging zeal.
RONALD, Wash. — The sound of wildfire prevention isn’t a fire engine siren. It’s chainsaws, wood chippers and heavy machinery chewing through brush. Across Kittitas County, crews are removing smaller trees, trimming limbs and clearing brush in an effort to reshape forests before the next wildfire season arrives. But the work underway here is also challenging one of the most deeply held ideas many people have about forests: That more trees always means a healthier forest. “Green is good,” said Katie Zander, the North Service Forestry coordinator for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Southeast Region. “But out here historically we did not have this dense of forest stands.” According to Zander, eastern Washington forests evolved with regular low-intensity fires that naturally cleared out brush and smaller trees. But decades of aggressive wildfire suppression changed that pattern.
As summer temperatures rise across British Columbia, WorkSafeBC is urging employers to take proactive steps to protect workers from heat stress. Simple measures such as providing shade, cool-down areas, drinking water, and adjusting work schedules can significantly reduce the risk of heat-related illness. WorkSafeBC has also updated its Preventing Heat Stress at Work guide and released a new incident investigation video examining an explosion caused by a key fob left in a service vehicle. WorkSafeBC is drawing attention to another serious hazard: contact with power lines. New data shows that 74% of power-line-related injuries involve non-electrical workers, particularly those in construction, painting, and heavy equipment operations. Additional updates include consultations on proposed safety rule changes for shotcrete work, upcoming 2027 assessment rate information sessions, and a free June 24 webinar on road safety for small businesses. New incident investigation report summaries are available to help employers and workers understand the factors that contribute to workplace incidents so similar incidents can be prevented from happening in the future. 
