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The Tree Frog Forestry News
October 16, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway
Hello early bird! We just want you to know that the news team is busy adding stories to this page. Be sure to check back at 9:00 am (PST) for the full line up of articles.
View From the Stump gives BC NDP a D on its 2024 forestry promises
By David Elstone, Managing Director
The Spar Tree Group
October 15, 2026
Category: Opinion / EdiTOADial
Region: Canada, Canada West
David Elstone
A provincial election has been called two years ahead of schedule and just a few days after the Premier met with forest industry groups that were asking for a public Forest Sector Crisis Action Plan to ward off a collapse of the sector. …The following is a report card on the BC NDP’s progress on its 2024 election commitments. At the TLA’s Convention in January 2026, the Minister of Forests was asked to provide a self-assessment of his government’s performance one year into its current mandate. In a moment of candour, the minister offered a grade of “incomplete,” noting that there was more to come. Coincidentally, nine months later, the View From The Stump’s own assessment arrived at the similar grade. …A special mention is warranted. While the Premier and his NDP caucus were largely unsuccessful in delivering on their forest-sector promises, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar deserves recognition for setting the bar high in using social media to promote and defend the sector.
It is one thing to assign fair, albeit subjective, letter grades. It is another to measure the impact of government decisions through a quantitative lens. …A clinical assessment would conclude that the NDP’s approach to forest policy and industry transformation failed over the last decade because it placed government at the centre of the transformation process. In doing so, it cast industry as an adversary rather than a partner, undermining the very investment and innovation needed to achieve its objectives. External factors, such as markets, can be challenging, but businesses are capable of navigating them. What is more difficult is making investment decisions when there is uncertainty about the long-term reliability of fibre supply. …Rather than viewing industry as a problem to be managed, it should be used as a tool to achieve government’s objectives. When policy changes are necessary, they should be designed to build confidence and enhance certainty.
NDP’s Eby says proposed Indigenous land transfer legislation is about saving money
By Wolfgang Depner
The Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
Kim Haakstad, president of the Council of Forest Industries, would like to cut down a plan by the previous government to limit the compensation of forest companies when land is transferred to First Nations, but British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby has defended the proposal. Haakstad said it was unfair for government to ask businesses to absorb the costs. … The New Democrat platform doesn’t mention the plans, while forest companies had to sign non-disclosure agreements if they wanted to see them. Eby said such agreements are standard, and he rejected suggestions of secrecy. … But if government commits to costs, it needs to pay for those costs, Haakstad said. “Asking forest companies to absorb that is generally unfair.” …Haakstad said she was not convinced that non-disclosure agreements were needed in the situation, but her organization nonetheless signed one. She could not say how many other industry groups or companies did the same.
Secret documents reveal BC NDP government ‘Land Returns’ plan for First Nations
By Rob Shaw
The Northern Beat
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
The B.C. NDP government has committed to hand over approximately 400 parcels of public Crown land to First Nations, while promising just days before the snap election that it would change the law to limit compensation to forest companies affected by the losses. The revelation is contained inside briefing documents labelled “confidential” but obtained by Northern Beat. The briefing is dated Sept. 10… Anyone who wanted to see the material was forced by government to sign a non-disclosure agreement to remain quiet during the election period. “One mechanism used to advance reconciliation is through the return of Crown lands to First Nations under treaties and other negotiated agreements,” reads the document, titled “Forest Compensation Framework.” …The proposed solution is to change the compensation rules to make it cheaper for government to remove the logging rights from forest companies on land earmarked for First Nations by, in some cases, not compensating the companies at all.
Alberta Forest Products Association Announces Leadership Transition
By Aspen Dudzic, Vice President, Public Affairs
Alberta Forest Products Association
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
EDMONTON, AB — After nearly seven years at the helm of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA), President and CEO Jason Krips will step down from his role at the end of the calendar year to join the executive team at the University of Alberta.mKrips will remain with AFPA through the end of 2026 and support the organization as the Board Executive undertakes the recruitment process for AFPA’s next President and CEO. During his tenure, Krips led the association through a period of significant change for both AFPA and Alberta’s forest sector — from the COVID-19 pandemic and organizational restructuring to a record-breaking wildfire season and, most recently, significant trade challenges with the United States. Throughout it all, Krips has been a steadfast champion for Alberta’s forest sector and the communities that depend on it.
Toxic exposures leave B.C. mill workers fighting for benefits
By Stefan Labbé
Business in Vancouver
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Canada’s largest forestry company announced in late August it would indefinitely idle its Howe Sound Pulp & Paper Mill in Port Mellon, B.C. The decision threw the livelihoods of hundreds of workers into limbo before the company walked back its plans weeks later. …With help from the provincial government. As workers at the Sunshine Coast operation prepare for what comes next, dozens more say they have been left with life-altering injuries and a compensation system that forces them to fend for themselves. In Part 1 of a two-part investigation, BIV examined records showing that, despite warnings, insufficient safety infrastructure contributed to years of toxic gas exposures involving scores of workers. Dozens of workers say they continue to suffer …Yet despite medical diagnoses, and documented safety violations, WorkSafeBC and the independent Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal overwhelmingly rejected their long-term disability claims. According to experts and official records, workers faced a system stacked against them. …In Part 1, Domtar disputed claims that safety has slipped at the mill.
Canada supports Hitachi Energy’s new transformer insulation factory, Canada’s first pressboard manufacturing facility
By Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
PR Newswire
October 16, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East
LONDON, Ontario — The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry… announced a total federal investment of $30 million in Hitachi Energy Canada… supporting a $478.8 million dollar project to establish Canada’s first electrical-grade pressboard manufacturing facility in London, Ontario. …The federal investment includes $20 million through the Strategic Response Fund and $10 million through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program. This investment will help Hitachi Energy… enhance production efficiency and turn wood fibre into up to 20,000 tonnes annually of electrical-grade pressboard and laminated insulation materials for high-voltage transformers. The investment will not only strengthen domestic supply chain capabilities but also support the growth and competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector by creating new markets for Canadian forest products. …The facility will be the first of its kind in Canada and will supply Hitachi Energy’s transformer manufacturing operations in Varennes, Quebec, and other transformer and insulation manufacturers in North American and global markets.
US Releases Final Antidumping Duty Determinations in Seventh Review of Canadian Softwood Lumber
FEA – Forest Economic Advisors
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
On Thursday, the US Department of Commerce released its final antidumping duty determinations for the seventh administrative review (AR7) of certain softwood lumber products from Canada. The period of review covers January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. The final rates—shown alongside the counterdumping rates released on Wednesday—are summarized in the table below:
These rates will take effect upon publication in the Federal Register, expected within approximately one week. FEA will publish the final notices when they become available. The unpublished antidumping notice is available here.
Maine water utility sues Huhtamaki, Sappi for alleged chemical contamination
By Katie Pyzyk
Packaging Dive
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
WATERVILLE, Maine — The Greater Augusta Utility District, a regional public water utility in Maine, filed a lawsuit last week against five paper and packaging companies for allegedly contaminating local waterways with PFAS, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.” Huhtamaki and Sappi North America are named as defendants for their paper and packaging operations, alongside tissue producers Kimberly-Clark, American Tissue Corp. and American Tissue Mills of Maine. The utility requests a jury trial. It wants the defendants to pay past and future costs incurred to remediate PFAS from the water supply and its sources, along with other compensatory costs related to negligence and “continuing public nuisance.” …This lawsuit adds to the growing number of cases targeting corporations for their alleged roles in releasing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances into the environment or drinking water and putting citizens’ health at risk.
International Paper in talks with bidders for Europe, Middle East and Africa packaging business
By International Paper
PR Newswire
October 15, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — International Paper said on Thursday it was in talks with potential bidders for its Europe, Middle East and Africa packaging business after unsolicited approaches, opening up an alternative to its planned spinoff of the unit. The paper and packaging producer said the sale process was at an early stage and that there was no certainty a deal would be agreed. It is continuing to pursue the spinoff while evaluating the potential sale. The statement came after the Financial Times reported that private equity firms Lone Star and Atlas Holdings were exploring separate bids for the business, potentially valuing it at less than $6 billion. …International Paper, which accounts for roughly one-third of the North American corrugated packaging market, has been battling soft demand due to weaknesses in consumer spending and the housing market.
US Building Material Price Inflation Nears Four Year High
By Jesse Wade
NAHB Eye on Housing
October 15, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States
The Producer Price Index for final demand was up 1.3% in September, after rising 0.5% in August. Compared to a year ago, final demand prices were up 6.3%. The price of goods used in new residential construction (including energy) was up 1.8% over the month and up 9.7% from last year, while the price of services was up 2.2% over the month and up 11.3% from last year. …The goods component represents ~60% of the total. …Energy input prices rose 13.0% in September and were 64.1% higher than a year ago. Building material prices were up 0.4% in September and up 5.5% compared to one year ago, the highest level since 8.0% in December 2022. Outside of energy products, particleboard and fiberboard prices rose 3.5% over the month and were up 7.8%. Softwood veneer and plywood prices were up 2.7% over the month and 15.9% higher than a year ago.
10 years of deconstruction: How Portland turned old buildings into a source of new materials
Government of Portland, Oregon
October 15, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West
PORTLAND, Oregon — Ten years ago, Portland tried something new. Instead of tearing down older homes and sending their materials to the waste stream, the City began requiring some buildings to be carefully taken apart so materials could be reused. The successes of this program have inspired a nationwide movement towards saving building materials for reuse. In 2016, Portland became the first city in the nation to adopt a residential deconstruction ordinance. …The City’s Deconstruction Program oversees the requirements and provides resources for deconstruction such as maintaining a list of certified deconstruction contractors. …More than 760 buildings have been deconstructed through the residential deconstruction requirements, recovering millions of pounds of lumber and other building materials for reuse. …Through a new commercial deconstruction pilot, Portland is testing how larger buildings can be carefully dismantled and how materials can be returned to use in new construction and community projects.
Government of Canada provides an update the 2026 wildfire season
By Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada
PR Newswire
October 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada
OTTAWA, ON — Wildfire seasons are now longer, more complex and more challenging than in the past, and 2026 was no exception. After a slower than average start to the season, wildfire activity, driven by periods of prolonged heat, drought and low humidity, became significant in several regions across the country. Northwestern Ontario and Southern British Columbia were particularly affected, experiencing sustained wildfire activity that threatened communities and critical infrastructure. Wildfire activity was also extremely intense in the Northwest Territories, which accounted for over one third of the total area burned in Canada in 2026. …Responding to wildfires is a collective effort. No one government, community or organization can do it alone. …As Canada continues to face longer and more complex wildfire seasons, the government will also continue strengthening Canada’s emergency management system, increasing our response capacity, and working with partners to make sure we continue to be better prepared in the years ahead.
Tolko transfers timber rights to Westbank First Nation firm under 15-year supply deal
By Colin Dacre
Castanet
October 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
Tolko Industries has signed a new partnership with the Westbank First Nation’s forestry company, Ntityix Resources, to manage forestry tenure in the Okanagan. The agreement sees Tolko transfer Forest Licence A98912, with an annual allowable cut of 52,100 cubic metres, to Ntityix Resources. The WFN company will then provide timber to Tolko’s mills under an automatically renewable 15-year deal. “This agreement reflects a shared commitment to reconciliation, economic development, and responsible forest stewardship,” said Mic Werstuik, CEO of Ntityix Development Corporation. “The transfer of this tenure expands Westbank First Nation’s participation in the forest economy and creates a platform for long-term Indigenous leadership in sustainable forestry management while supporting employment, capacity development, and stewardship within our traditional territory.” The deal means Ntityix will take over much of the work that goes into timber development prior to logs being sent to a mill.
Alberta provincial government pressured to fund northern fireguard upkeep
By Armaan Khanna
The Lakeside Leader
October 14, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 is pushing the provincial government to establish a reliable funding stream for the ongoing maintenance of local fireguards, warning that rapidly overgrown vegetation is creating severe new wildfire risks for northern communities. During a regular council meeting on Sept. 28 in Red Earth Creek, Reeve Marshall D. Auger shared a detailed update on the municipality’s recent advocacy efforts. He told the council that he and Deputy Reeve Brendan Powell recently met with Alberta’s Forestry and Parks Minister, Todd Loewen, to press him directly on the issue. The impromptu meeting took place during the Alberta Forest Products Association annual general meeting and conference. The gathering gave the local leaders a brief window to speak face-to-face with the provincial minister about their escalating safety concerns.
How can autonomous trucks be integrated in forest operations? That’s one of the questions that FPInnovations’ autonomous transportation team aimed to get clarity on during this year’s autonomous transportation pilot project. FPInnovations has facilitated collaboration between West Fraser and Kodiak AI, a leading provider of Physical AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, and had the opportunity to oversee a pilot which took place this summer in Hinton Alberta. The FPI-Kodiak team completed two test weeks which included crew training, validating safety procedures, collecting baseline data, and mapping key road segments to pinpoint operational constraints. With both manual and autonomous runs completed — combined with insights from logging truck drivers and site personnel — the team gained a sharper view of real‑world variables such as dust, grades, surface conditions, and mixed traffic. West Fraser, Kodiak and FPInnovations are now working together on defining the next steps from this initial validation, engaging with stakeholders and Alberta Regulators.
Minnesota DNR celebrating National Forest Products Week
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
October 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is joining partners across the country in recognizing National Forest Products Week (Oct. 18-24), highlighting how healthy, well-managed forests provide renewable wood products and support local economies. Minnesota’s 60 state forests are sustainably managed to balance ecological, economic and social benefits. For more than 20 years, the DNR’s state forest management practices have been certified under both the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) standards, reflecting a commitment to responsible forest management. As forests grow, they filter air and water, absorb and store carbon dioxide, and provide large areas of habitat for wildlife and places for humans to recreate. Forests also provide renewable forest products, contributing more than $25 billion in economic output and supporting more than 72,000 jobs across Minnesota communities. …The DNR encourages Minnesotans to choose products from sustainably managed forests. More information can be found here.
Productive conifer expansion vital to Scotland’s timber future
UK Forestry Journal
October 15, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International
SCOTLAND must expand productive conifer planting if it is to avoid a future fall in timber supplies, protect jobs and reduce reliance on imports, according to a new national strategy for the forest and wood-processing sector. Published by the Scottish Forest and Wood-based Industries Industry Leadership Group (ILG), the document sets out a vision for the sector to 2035 and places productive forestry at the centre of its growth ambitions. The strategy argues that Scotland has a major opportunity to increase the economic contribution of forestry and wood processing over the next 15 years as timber availability rises, but warns that the gains could be short-lived unless action is taken now. Guy Watt, chair of the Industry Leadership Group said: “The strategy covers all Scotland’s sources of wood fibre from Scotland’s forests, from imported wood fibre and from reusing and recycling wood fibre.”
Loss of control during departure leads to fatal floatplane accident in Strachan Bay, British Columbia
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
October 15, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada West
Richmond, BC — A Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigation (A22P0115) into a fatal 2022 floatplane accident in Strachan Bay, British Columbia (BC), highlights the risks associated with adverse wind conditions, unsafe operational practices, and insufficient safety oversight. On November 23, 2022, an Air Cab Cessna A185E seaplane departed a logging camp at Strachan Bay for Port Hardy Water Aerodrome, BC, with one pilot and two passengers on board. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft climbed to approximately 100 feet above sea level before pitching nose down and colliding with the water. All three occupants were fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. The investigation found that low-level wind shear and mechanical turbulence were present due to a strong regional pressure gradient. During departure, the pilot lost control of the aircraft at low altitude for reasons that could not be determined. Limited knowledge of – and familiarity with – local wind conditions likely contributed to an incomplete pre-flight risk assessment.
Health clinic gathers data for Weyerhaeuser mill toxic fume claims
By Maya Ekman
Northern Ontario Business
October 23, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: Canada, Canada East
THUNDER BAY, Ontaro — Former workers of Dryden’s Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill who were exposed to toxic fumes in the early 2000s gathered Thursday to provide updates on the lifelong impacts it has had on their health. The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) invited the former employees to the Thunder Bay OPSEU offices to conduct updated interviews on their health and employment history, to be used in WSIB claims. In total, about 400 workers were exposed to fumes between 2002 and 2004, during the construction of the mill’s recovery boiler #4, said OHCOW’s executive director for projects, Andrew Zarnke. By midday Thursday, 35 of those workers had come to be interviewed. …Many records, according to OHCOW, state that there were no controls, forced ventilation, extraction or plume-control systems. Further records state that emissions were blown into the construction site that was covered with unsealed tarp and siding.
Hello early bird! We just want you to know that the news team is busy adding stories to this page. Be sure to check back at 9:00 am (PST) for the full line up of articles.
THUNDER BAY, Ontaro — Former workers of Dryden’s Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill who were exposed to toxic fumes in the early 2000s gathered Thursday to provide updates on the lifelong impacts it has had on their health. The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) invited the former employees to the Thunder Bay OPSEU offices to conduct updated interviews on their health and employment history, to be used in WSIB claims. In total, about 400 workers were exposed to fumes between 2002 and 2004, during the construction of the mill’s recovery boiler #4, said OHCOW’s executive director for projects, Andrew Zarnke. By midday Thursday, 35 of those workers had come to be interviewed. …Many records, according to OHCOW, state that there were no controls, forced ventilation, extraction or plume-control systems. Further records state that emissions were blown into the construction site that was covered with unsealed tarp and siding.