Daily News for June 08, 2026

Today’s Takeaway

Canada’s forest sector’s future hinges on fibre supply, investment and reform

The Tree Frog Forestry News
June 8, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

Industry leaders say Canada’s forestry future depends on improving fibre access and restoring investor confidence. In other Business news: JD Irving plans sawmill expansion in Maine; a pallet fire destroys an east Michigan business; US pulp market sentiment remains divided; the US labour market improves; and US and Canadian interest rates are likely to stay put.

In Wildfire news: Canada’s wildfire-fighting plan is called a start; why Canada’s wildland firefighters aren’t firefighters (officially); Nova Scotia’s Firesmart practices may reduce insurance premiums, California fast-tracks wildfire prevention projects; Northern Arizona fire officials are on high alert; and new research on wildfires and permafrost critical zones. In Forestry news: SFI’s Project Learning Tree secures funding for youth jobs; the US is said to be pillaging its national forests; Washington’s owl-kill program is underway; and ENGOs sue to stop logging near Port Angeles, Washington

Finally, the BC Ministry of Forests and the BC Community Forest Association awarded the 2026 Robin Hood Memorial Award for Excellence to Nakusp and Area Community Forest.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

B.C.’s task force co-chair cites urgent action to ensure bright forestry future

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
June 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ken Kalesnikoff

At the same time Ottawa commissioned a task force to delve into a transformational plan for Canada’s forest industry, BC’s exports continued to plummet. The task force co-chair, Ken Kalesnikoff, believes the sector has a bright future, but trade figures emphasize the urgency the industry requires — starting with easing access to logs. …”People aren’t going to invest in an industry that doesn’t have a secure, cost-competitive fibre supply.” Pushing provinces to reform regulations and transition to land-area based licensing were among the top recommendations. …Kalesnikoff gave Parmar’s ministry credit for moving in the right direction, “But it’s not easy and inside government you have different opinions on what we should be doing and not doing,” he added. …New Brunswick, Kalesnikoff said, stood out as a shining example of how to address the need for conservation and forest biodiversity while using intensive management to produce more timber per hectare.

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Robin Hood Award recognizes Nakusp and Area Community Forest’s commitment to sustainable forestry

By Ministry of Forests
Government of British Columbia
June 7, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) is being recognized with the 2026 Robin Hood Memorial Award for Excellence in Community Forestry. “When you look at what community forestry means in practice, from wildfire resilience, to local jobs and real partnerships, NACFOR stands out,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. …NACFOR is a community-owned corporation that manages nearly 12,600 hectares of forest on behalf of the Village of Nakusp and surrounding Arrow Lakes communities. With a focus on reinvesting revenues locally, NACFOR has built a model that prioritizes long-term economic resilience and responsible forest stewardship. …Mike Crone, general manager, Nakusp and Area Community Forest said “We recognize the over 20 years of dedication and effort from our community, board members, management teams, contractors, volunteers and partners that have gone into making community forestry a success in the Arrow Lakes region.”

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Governments here, not Trump, to blame for most forest sector woes

By Vaughn Palmer
The Vancouver Sun
June 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

Ravi Parmar

VICTORIA — B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar couldn’t wait to change the subject this week when confronted with a federal government report that said the troubles of the whole country’s forest industry are mostly homegrown. …Parmar pivoted to the NDP government’s preferred blame line for the ruinous state of the once-dominant industry. “I would also argue that duties and tariffs compound that and make it very challenging. Yes, Trump and tariffs. And when that fails, blame wildfires and the pine beetle infestation. Anything but admit the provincial government’s regulatory regime in driving up production costs and restricting access to marketable fibre. But there was no downplaying the final report of Canadian forest sector transformation task force. …“Over the past two decades, Canada has experienced declining production, capital flight, prolonged mill closures, and weakened investor and workforce confidence,” said the executive summary of the report.

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27 fire departments work for 10 hours to battle blaze at Michigan pallet business

By Roberto Acosta
Michigan Live
June 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

GOODLAND TOWNSHIP, Michigan – Firefighters were on scene for roughly 10 hours working to put out a large blaze at a Lapeer County business. The incident began shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, June 4. …Goodland Township and Imlay City fire departments were dispatched for the structure fire. Everyone was able to vacate the premises. The chief arrived with one minute of the call and noticed one of the several buildings on the 4-acre property was fully involved. A request was then made for assistance. …A total of 27 fire departments responded. …“With the tremendous fuel load (wood), initial firefighting tactics were a challenge due to extreme heat,” the chief’s statement reads. “The entire site was fully engulfed in fire within 15 minutes of the initial call.” …The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Irving Forest Products’ Ashland sawmill expansion will double space and production

By Paula Brewer
The Bangor Daily News
June 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East

MAINE — Irving Forest Products’ Ashland sawmill will soon double its space with help from the Finance Authority of Maine. FAME has approved approximately $42 million in tax credit financing for the project, an agency spokesperson said Thursday. The funding will allow Irving to modernize the mill in Nashville Plantation, which borders Ashland, at a time of growth for Maine wood products. The expansion will double the mill’s production and bring about 80 new jobs to the rural community, according to the company. “The expansion will add a second sawline and 68,000 square feet to the mill,” Anne McInerney, J.D. Irving VP of communications, said Friday. “The new sawline is designed to process larger and longer logs.” Irving Forest Products opened the 68,500-square-foot mill in 2014. The facility employs 140 full-time staff, which will rise to about 220 once the addition is online, McInerney said. Tax credit financing offers tax incentives to investors for backing a project. 

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Finance & Economics

US NBSK prices decline amid oversupply; European downtime and rising inventories shape pulp market

By Bryan Smith
RISI Fastmarkets
June 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International

North American pulp market sentiment remains divided as the months-long pricing rally in bleached hardwood kraft (BHK) clashed with a weak bleached softwood kraft (BSK) sector, where downtime or closures could emerge as the only catalyst to save off price erosion, industry contacts told Fastmarkets. Key takeaways include:

  • US NBSK May prices fell $20 per tonne to $1,570 due to oversupply, while BHK prices rose by $50 per tonne.
  • Global pulp producer inventories increased to 42 days of supply in April, with a 158,000-tonne rise in stock.
  • In response to weak prices, producers in Europe have started to rationalize capacity and take downtime, including mill closures.
  • Fluff pulp prices surged, with US and European prices up $90 per tonne and further June price hikes announced.

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U.S. Labor Market Remains Resilient in May

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
June 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Despite rising inflation and ongoing economic uncertainty, the U.S. labor market remained resilient in May. Nonfarm payrolls increased for the third consecutive month, and the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%. Job gains were concentrated in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care, while financial activities experienced a decline in payroll employment. Wage growth moderated in May, with average hourly earnings rising 3.4% year-over-year. This pace is 0.5 percentage points lower than a year ago. Importantly, wage growth has been outpacing inflation for nearly two years, which typically occurs as productivity increases. …Job growth in early 2026 has improved notably compared with 2025 but has yet to fully match the pace observed in 2024. Through May, monthly payroll gains have averaged 114,000, compared with 10,000 per month in 2025 and 122,000 per month in 2024.

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Mass timber being considered for Red Bridge replacement, but likelihood appears low

By Michael Potestio
Castanet
June 8, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

B.C.’s Ministry of Transportation has been considering rebuilding the Red Bridge out of wood again, but it doesn’t appear to be the frontrunner choice — if the province rebuilds the structure at all. The Red Bridge was destroyed by fire in 2024, severing a key connection between Kamloops and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. …At last week’s open house, showcasing options for replacing the Red Bridge, transportation ministry executive director Steve Sirett said the province has had some conversations about using mass timber for the project. At this point, he said the “focus is very much” on a concrete and steel replacement and makes the most sense for the ministry. …Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson, is holding out hope the province will still opt for mass timber. The mayor supports mass timber, saying he believes it could get the bridge rebuilt cheaper and faster than a steel and concrete option while still being fire-resistant.

Government of BC Information: Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc (TteS) – City of Kamloops Transportation Network Improvements Project

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Why your next home insurance premium could depend on laser scans, not past fires

CBC News
June 8, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

NOVA SCOTIA — When Tricia Murray rebuilt her home after the devastating 2023 wildfires, she expected her insurance premiums to soar. …Instead, her premium dropped by 12%… because her new home uses modern, fire-resistant materials and incorporates a buffer zone. Murray’s experience highlights a shift in how insurance companies calculate risk. For decades, insurers relied purely on history, it was classified as low risk. ….Instead of grading entire neighbourhoods under one risk level, insurers are using advanced tools like satellite imagery and laser scanning to assess individual properties. This new approach looks at specific, real-time details: The proximity of trees and brush to a structure. The type of roofing and building materials used. Property maintenance, such as clearing dry leaves from decks and removing wood chips near walls. Amanda Dean, at the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said those tools give homeowners the power to lower their own risks by following FireSmart Canada guidelines.

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Forestry

Project Learning Tree Canada announces renewed green jobs funding to support youth

Project Learning Tree Canada
June 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) announced renewed funding for its Green Jobs program, providing support to employers hiring youth aged 15-30 in Canada’s forest and conservation sector.  Through continued support from the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and key partners, PLT Canada will deliver both short-term job placements and long-term internships, helping young people gain hands-on experience while building pathways into meaningful green careers. Short-Term Green Jobs, supported with funding from Parks Canada, are positions within the forest, parks, and conservation sector and can run for 4-16 weeks. Long-Term Internships, delivered with funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Science and Technology Internship Program, are positions in the natural resource sector and STEM fields and can run 16-48 weeks. This renewed funding is thanks to the Government of Canada’s recent announcement.

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Canada’s aerial wildfire-fighting plan is a start — but it is not yet a strategy

By John Gradek, faculty lecturer at McGill University
The Conversation Canada
June 2, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

The Canadian government recently announced that it will lease a fleet of 10 firefighting aircraft and other support assets to be deployed for the 2026 wildfire season. The plan will see these 10 leased aircraft being managed by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre deployed strategically across the country and made available to provinces as they face intense wildfires. …This announcement follows the government’s fall 2025 budget announcement of a $316.7-million investment in Canada’s aerial wildfire-fighting capacity — an announcement that acknowledged a growing national challenge. …Canada’s wildfire aviation system remains fundamentally decentralized. What Canada lacks is a clearly defined national aerial response framework. That framework should establish how federally-funded aircraft are deployed, how they are prioritized when multiple provinces face simultaneous fires, and how they integrate with the emerging detection technologies — including satellite monitoring and long-endurance drones — that can identify fires earlier than ever before.

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Why Canada’s wildland firefighters aren’t officially considered firefighters

By Jess Winter
The Globe and Mail
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

For two decades, Harold Larson helped battle wildfires across BC, Alberta, the US, often working shoulder-to-shoulder with structural firefighters. But at every one of those fires where he and his crew risked their safety alongside their municipal colleagues, there was one perplexing difference: According to the federal government, Mr. Larson was not classified as a firefighter at all. …It’s a holdover from wildland firefighting’s early decades, when the job wasn’t to protect homes, towns and lives – it was to protect timber values as part of the country’s forestry industry. …Canada’s wildland firefighters are seeking to join their municipal counterparts, a cause most recently championed by Vancouver Island MP Gord Johns. …As fire seasons continue to worsen, Mr. Larson said this only underscores the need for Ottawa to recognize that both structural and wildland firefighters are equally important when it comes to keeping people and communities safe. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required]

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Not the Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest: The Story Behind Community Forestry’s Highest Honour

Tree Frog Forestry News
June 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

When BC’s community forestry leaders gather each year, one of the sector’s highest honours is the Robin Hood Memorial Award for Excellence in Community Forestry. Established in 2016, the award recognizes the community forest that best exemplifies the values of British Columbia’s community forestry program—leadership, innovation, local economic opportunity, stewardship, and a passion for community forestry. The award is presented jointly by the BC Community Forest Association and the Ministry of Forests. Recipients receive provincial recognition and a $10,000 grant in support of their work.

The award is named after Robin Hood—not the legendary outlaw of Sherwood Forest, but a respected British Columbia forester, woodlot operator, and early champion of the community forestry movement. Hood was deeply involved in both the woodlot and community forest sectors and was widely admired for his belief in local stewardship, long-term thinking, and the connection between healthy forests and healthy communities. Colleagues remember him as a principled advocate, known for his integrity, humility, technical expertise, and quiet leadership.

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The BC Community Forest Association Wraps Up its Sold-Out Conference in Vernon

The BC Community Forest Association
June 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Vernon, B.C. – The BC Community Forest Association (BCCFA) hosted its Conference and Annual General Meeting in Vernon last week with a completely sold-out event. The three-day gathering brought together community forest leaders, First Nations partners, industry representatives, and supporters from across the province to connect and explore the challenges and opportunities of community forestry in the years ahead. …During the event, the Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR) was recognized for outstanding leadership in community forestry, receiving the 2026 Robin Hood Memorial Award for Excellence in Community Forestry. Additionally, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC presented its inaugural Community Forest Project of the Year Award to the Kaslo & District Community Forest Society for its Jimi Crack Corn wildfire risk reduction project. …This annual gathering also provided valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among community forests, government representatives, forestry professionals, researchers, and partner organizations.

Additional daily coverage is available on the BC Community Forest Assn Facebook page.

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Rain lowers wildfire risk in B.C. and brings ‘reprieve from the dryness’

By Jan Schuermann
City News Everywhere
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

The rain this weekend … has certainly reduced the fire danger rating in B.C. The precipitation, even though it varied in different regions, was widespread throughout the province. According to Taylor Colman, fire information officer at the BC Wildfire Service, the rain lowered the fire rating from high and extreme to moderate in Chilcotin, the Peace Region, the South Thompson, and the Fraser Canyon. “The rain rehydrated those lighter forest fuels such as grasses, needles, brush, anything on the surface layer of the forest floor and then the duration and the amount was enough to penetrate into the deeper layers of the forest floor as well,” Colman explained. “… so that reduced the fire danger rating in those areas of concern.” …There are currently 16 active wildfires in B.C.

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Forestry practices must be changed

Letter by Bruce Coates, president, Nature Cowichan
Cowichan Valley Citizen
June 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Honourable Ravi Parmar: Nature Cowichan is focused on education and conservation. We are one of about 70 naturalist groups in the province under the umbrella of BC Nature. …Our membership is a sample of the concerned citizens — concerned about the state of our forest industry. Last month, our local newspaper ran an open letter to you suggesting that you and your staff read Suzanne Simard’s latest book: When the Forest Breathes. Also last month, Creatively United ran an excellent webinar “Balancing Nature Needs with Fire Protection at Home and in Our Forests”. …I hope you are aware of THE NEW FORESTRY ACT PROJECT, and I hope you will take note that we want to see a change to what the word FORESTRY means. …On May 15, we read that $12.4 million dollars is coming to B.C. from the federal government… This is the opportunity to incorporate some ecology-based innovations into the forestry industry.

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Forests Canada and Algonquin College students lead regreening effort in provincial park

By Bill Steer
Elliotlake Today
June 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East

Funding for replanting harvested Crown forests in Ontario depends heavily on how much wood is cut, foresters say, creating challenges for renewal efforts during market downturns and reduced harvest levels. Back Roads Bill explores regreening efforts and issues surrounding it. …The forest sector has been a lifeline for communities across the country and an important pillar of Canada’s economy. In the face of unjust U.S. trade measures and climate goals, Canada’s forest industry is pivoting from traditional lumber toward a bioeconomy. It was on February 26 of this year that the federal government took decisive action with a massive $500-million transformation fund. This will support the forest sector, protect workers and their jobs, and give companies the stability they need to weather short-term shocks and retool for a stronger, more diversified future. …A couple of other things though. Our forests are well managed. And we need trees and therefore tree planting.

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The US government is pillaging our national forests from within

By Greg Frazier, ex-Agriculture Dept’s chief of staff
The Hill
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins claims “moving the Forest Service closer to the forests we manage is an essential action that will improve our core mission of managing our forests.” That is sophistry — a failed attempt to justify an ill-advised, destructive reorganization plan to remove Forest Service headquarters from Washington and radically cut its research infrastructure. Her fallacy implies that adjacent communities have a superior claim on national forests. …Government nihilists and dismantlers have for years peddled the “proximity begets policy expertise” canard, without evidence. …Meanwhile, Tom Schultz, the chief of the Forest Service, made clear his lingering allegiance to his former employer’s interests. Last month, he laid them out to House appropriators: “timber sales, critical minerals permitting, grazing allotment management.” That timber, he said, is “vital to the nation’s well-being.” In reality, only 6 percent of the total timber supply in the country comes from national forests.

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Governor Newsom fast-tracks 400 wildfire prevention projects, expands prescribed fire, and unveils draft five-year action plan

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
June 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

SACRAMENTO – Governor Newsom announced today unprecedented results in preventing catastrophic wildfires and protecting communities. Following his March 2025 emergency proclamation to mitigate catastrophic wildfire risks, state agencies fast-tracked more than 400 projects across nearly 100,000 acres. At the same time, the state has advanced prescribed and cultural burning through coordinated action, streamlined processes, and expanded partnerships. And the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force today released a draft five-year action plan to guide California’s next phase of work protecting communities and restoring landscapes. Following Governor Newsom’s emergency proclamation on wildfire-prone forests and subsequent actions to accelerate wildfire resilience work, California fast-tracked more than 400 priority wildfire prevention projects, including over 220,000 activity acres of treatments across nearly 100,000 footprint acres. …Today, the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force released its draft Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Action Plan (2026-2031), a plan to accelerate action to confront California’s wildfire challenges.

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Controversial plan to kill owls is underway in WA. Here’s who’s leading the way

By Gavin Feek
The News Tribune
June 8, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Barred owls …are now officially under attack themselves. Theoretically, they’ve been in danger since the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife released its barred owl management plan in 2024, announcing its intention to kill tens of thousands of barred owls per year for up to 30 years to protect the northern spotted owl and California spotted owl populations. The federal government and some environmentalist groups agree that protecting the endangered owl is necessary, but others argue it is inhumane and exists only to aid the timber industry. It’s been two years since the plan’s announcement, but only since November has a group in Washington officially begun killing barred owls… The Yakama Nation Tribe in South Central Washington has initiated barred owl management on reservation lands and is actively killing the once-protected species. They are the first and currently the only group in Washington to do so.

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Fire Officials are on High Alert, Residents Encouraged to Be Prepared

Flagstaff Business News
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Wildfire season is upon us in Northern Arizona. Although our fire-adapted ponderosa pine forest could experience a wildfire at any time, May and June are typically the driest and most fire-prone months for large, destructive wildfires, following spring’s gusting winds that strip moisture from grasses and downed logs.  National Weather Service (NWS) officials say this year, especially, we need to be particularly vigilant as winter’s snowpack was far below normal. Although last fall’s warm storms bumped up precipitation for the year with 0.93 inches above-normal rainfall, winter snowfall fell short. Just 26.9 inches of snow landed in Flagstaff for the 2025-’26 winter season, far below the 90-inch annual average. Thus, Flagstaff is entering summer with a snowpack deficit that ranked this winter season as the fourth-lowest snowfall in Flagstaff’s recorded weather history, dating to 1899.

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Environmental groups sue to stop 400 acres of logging in Washington’s Elwha Watershed

By Aspen Ford
The Washington State Standard
June 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West

Three environmental groups are suing to block the logging of nearly 400 acres of state forestland in Washington’s Elwha Watershed. Filed Monday, the lawsuit against the state’s Department of Natural Resources argues the agency failed to adequately assess the environmental harm of two timber sales, known as “Parched” and “Tree Well.” Logging would pose a “direct threat” to Port Angeles’ drinking water, which is sourced solely from the Elwha River, the lawsuit contends. “There’s only about 800 acres of structurally complex forests left in the watershed. And nearly half of those are these two timber sales that we appealed,” said Elizabeth Dunne, an attorney with Earth Law Center… Under the Department of Natural Resources’ standards, only trees that predate 1850 are considered old growth and set aside for conservation. The oldest stands proposed for harvest in the Parched sale are around 140 years old, dating back only to the 1880s. 

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Washington state schools chief should leave forestry to the experts

By the Editorial Board
The Seattle Times
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US West

Chris Reykdal

In his role on the state’s Natural Resources Board, the state’s schools chief Chris Reykdal has in recent years voted against some timber harvests with older trees. …Each month, they generally approve of the agency’s choices for logging, which follow board policy. Reykdal, though, has been protesting stands where trees near 100 years old are on the chopping block. The state’s elected superintendent of public instruction is neither a trained forester, ecologist, nor any kind of timber management expert. …Upward of 20 DNR staff are involved before the Board of Natural Resources sees the results of that work. …For that reason, Dan Brown, a fellow board member and dean of the University of Washington’s College of the Environment, called out Reykdal’s sale-by-sale approach as “reckless” at a January public meeting. …Leave science to the scientists, Commissioner Reykdal. [to access the full story a Seattle Times subscription is required]

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Ireland on fire

By Pádraic Fogarty
The Journal Ireland
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

THE HOT DRY spell at the end of May was welcome sunshine after a particularly wet and miserable winter. However, the flip side of the nice weather is the near inevitability with which it is accompanied by large fires on the hills. A blaze engulfed the south Dublin Mountains as well as areas of Wicklow. National Parks and Wildlife Service described as “lit intentionally, destroying hundreds of hectares of habitat and all associated animals, insects and plants within it”. …Shocking and disruptive as these fires are, they are nothing new. According to the European Forest Fires Information System, 4,355 hectares of land in Ireland were burned in 31 fires in 2025. …In the last decade, some things have changed. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine now issues alerts in the run-up to dry spells with appeals for ‘vigilance’. …Climate change is a significant factor in this issue; 2025 was the second-warmest year on record in Ireland

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Istanbul bans forest access, open fires to curb wildfire risk

The Daily Sabah
June 7, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

TURKEY — The Istanbul Governor’s Office announced that access to forested areas across the city, as well as lighting fires for barbecues, gas stoves, hookahs and similar purposes, will be prohibited between June 8 and Oct. 15. In a statement the governor’s office said the increase in human and vehicle activity in forest areas during the summer months raises the risk of wildfires. To prevent risks that may arise intentionally or through negligence, authorities decided to implement a series of measures. The restrictions also prohibit the burning of stubble, trees, branches and all types of vegetation for purposes such as cleaning vineyards, gardens, olive groves and agricultural fields in villages and neighborhoods, including those located within, adjacent to or otherwise connected to forest areas. There are no restrictions on picnics, sports, walking or similar activities in designated picnic and recreation areas, groves, parks, nature parks and ecotourism sites within Istanbul.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Wildfires destabilize permafrost critical zones in northern high latitudes

By Xiaoying Li, Huijun Jin, Sizhong Yang, et al
Nature – climate and atmospheric science
June 6, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Wildfires in permafrost regions, intensified by climate change and shifting fire regimes, are increasingly disrupting permafrost systems. At the same time, the presence of permafrost amplifies the extent and complexity of wildfire impacts across the Permafrost Critical Zone (PCZ). In boreal forests and landscapes with sporadic or isolated permafrost patches, wildfires rapidly increase ground temperatures and accelerate permafrost thaw, primarily due to vegetation loss and the combustion of insulating organic layers. These fire-induced changes can initiate irreversible processes. …Understanding the complex interactions and cascading effects between wildfires and permafrost thaw remains a major challenge. Unlike wildfires in non-permafrost regions, which are mainly driven by fuel loads and organic soil depth, fire behavior in the PCZ is additionally shaped by active layer thickness, near-surface permafrost conditions, and snow cover. These elements interact with cold-adapted vegetation and organic soils, influencing fire ignition, intensity, spread, and post-fire recovery.

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