Daily News for August 06, 2026

Today’s Takeaway

Climate change is making Canada’s forests more prone to wildfire

August 6, 2026
Category: Today's Takeaway

Climate change is making Canada’s forests far more prone to extreme wildfire, according to new research, as experts ask if we’re we’re doing enough, and warn of smoky summers. In related news: climate experts push back on Trump’s criticism of Canada’s response; Chief Terry Teegee makes the case for active forest management; and wildfire updates from Vancouver, Vernon, Boston Bar; and Spokane. Meanwhile: Australia’s Rob de Fégely says ending native forest harvesting is madness. 

In Business news: Canada’s surtax on wood imports is called a good first step; Carney says Canada will maintain its constructive approach to US trade talks; and columnist Robert Ordway says the rise in US lumber prices in the absence of a housing recovery, should put the softwood dispute front and centre. Meanwhile: Mercer Peace River announced a fall maintenance shutdown; Valemount’s sawmill only has weeks of log supply left; Stella-Jones, Acadian Timber; Cascades and Rayonier report Q2 results; Hampton Lumber names Chris Walton as CEO; and the US Forest Service invests US$105M in wood innovation.

Finally, BC wildfire officials introduce the “treepedo“—dead trees that rocket down steep slopes. 

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

Federal surtax on cheap wood imports good first step, but more needed, industry says

By Catherine Lévesque and Jordan Gowling
National Post
August 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada

OTTAWA — For the past six months, Luke Elias, the president at Muskoka Cabinet Company Inc., says his workers have been working only two or three days a week. The Eastern Ontario company, which has been making custom wood cabinetry for nearly four decades, is one of the thousands of companies in the kitchen cabinet industry that have been crippled by cheap imports coming from primarily southeast Asian countries. Elias said his company, like many others, has been working at less than half of its capacity, and he has had to lay off 30 out of 70 workers. …On Friday, Minister of Finance François-Philippe Champagne announced a 25 per cent surtax on imports of certain wood cabinets and vanities, effective immediately, to remain in place for a maximum of 200 days. …Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the surtax is a very important first step in helping address dumping.

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PM Carney says tone with U.S. already ‘quite firm’ as trade talks continue

By Émilie Bergeron
The Canadian Press in CTV News
August 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Carney said Canada’s tone toward the US is already “quite firm” and insisted trade negotiations with Washington remain “constructive” as an Aug. 19 deadline for new U.S. tariffs draws near. US President Trump has threatened to impose new 50% tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports beginning Aug. 19. “We have time. We have real negotiations, constructive negotiations on several issues,” Carney said. The prime minister was asked whether Canada should change its strategy or adopt a tougher stance toward the Trump administration.Carney suggested now is not the time to shift course. He noted that Canada’s minister responsible for Canada-US trade, Dominic LeBlanc, is in Washington alongside Canada’s chief trade negotiator Janice Charette for a series of meetings aimed at advancing the talks. …Asked Wednesday about the possibility of export quotas, Carney declined to comment.

Related coverage by:

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Valemount sawmill facing challenges

By Kevin Gibson
The Rocky Mountain Goat
August 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West

VALEMOUNT, BC — The Valemount Industrial Park sawmill may be only weeks away from exhausting its remaining log supply, raising the prospect of another curtailment and further layoffs unless additional fibre can be secured. The issue at hand is that there are no new logging contracts for the mill. During a lengthy and at times tense board discussion on July 29th, members were told the mill had approximately 15 to 20 operating days of logs left. …The looming end of the log supply means the board may soon face a decision larger than how to measure the mill’s performance. Without a new source of fibre, the board will have to determine whether to curtail operations, reduce costs and wait for market conditions to change, or continue trying to keep the mill operating with help from Industrial Park lease revenue.

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A 40-year trade fight is the easiest deal Trump could make this year

By Robert Ordway
The Washington Examiner
August 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States

President Trump has made housing affordability a defining commitment of his second term by moving aggressively to build more housing. …If these efforts succeed, America could see its fastest expansion in homebuilding in decades. But a significant blind spot remains. For decades, the US has imposed import tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, constraining supply, and raising prices. …The solution is not complicated, and it is already within reach: Use the bilateral trade talks that the USMCA review has set in motion to finally resolve the US-Canada softwood lumber dispute. ..For Trump, resolving this dispute is a two-for-one win. It would secure concessions that Canada was unwilling to give during his first term, and helps the White House reduce the cost to build a home. …As conservatives, it is imperative that we demonstrate that our policy agendas materially benefit American workers. The USMCA talks remain the fastest path to making it happen.

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Chris Walton Named Chief Executive Officer of Hampton Lumber

Hampton Lumber
August 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West

Chris Walton

PORTLAND, Oregon — Hampton Lumber announced the appointment of Chris Walton as Chief Executive Officer. Walton succeeds Steve Zika, who has served as Interim CEO since December 2025. Over the past thirty years, Walton has held leadership positions at the company across multiple departments, including manufacturing, finance, information technology, and business development. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Walton served as Hampton’s Chief Financial Officer, helping to guide the company’s growth, strategic investments, and long-term business planning. “Chris has played an instrumental role in Hampton’s success and has earned the trust and respect of our employees, business partners, and the Hampton family,” said Zika. “He brings a deep understanding of our business and company culture and offers a clear vision for Hampton’s future.”

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Mercer Peace River Announces Scheduled Fall Maintenance Shutdown

Mercer International Inc.
August 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics

PEACE RIVER, Alberta —  Mercer International Inc. announced that its Peace River pulp mill will undertake a planned 10-day maintenance shutdown from September 7 to 17, 2026, a standard practice across the pulp industry that allows maintenance and operations teams to complete critical inspections, upgrades and equipment servicing that cannot be performed while the mill is running. The shutdown is expected to reduce production by approximately 15,000 air-dried metric tonnes (ADMTs), a planned and anticipated impact that has been factored into the mill’s annual production outlook. “Planned maintenance shutdowns are one of the most important things we do all year,” said Cal Dakin, Managing Director of Mercer Peace River. “Taking the mill down on our schedule, rather than reacting to an unplanned failure, lets our teams get into the equipment, inspect it inside and out, and make the upgrades that keep Peace River running safely and reliably for our employees, our customers and this community for years to come.”

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US Forest Service Invests $105.5 Million in Grants to Support Wood Industry, Rural Economies, Jobs

By the Forest Service
US Department of Agriculture
August 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Forest Service today announced $105.5 million in wood innovation grants for 177 projects across the nation that support active management of national forests and grasslands, promote wood and energy  infrastructure by  increasing manufacturing capacity and operational efficiencies and support rural economic prosperity and jobs. The grants include $31 million for 113 wood innovation projects, $17 million for 23 community wood projects, and $57 million for 41 wood products infrastructure assistance projects. The selected projects across 44 states and the District of Columbia will create and retain jobs, reduce wildfire risks for communities adjacent to federal or tribal lands, improve forest health and expand economic opportunities for forest products businesses. The wood innovations investments support President Trump’s Executive Order on Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins’ direction to have the Forest Service to ramp up active forest management to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and support rural prosperity. 

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Finance & Economics

Home-Building Is Sputtering, but Lumber Prices Haven’t Been So High in Years

By Ryan Dezember
The Wall Street Journal
August 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States

Home sales are slumping, renovation spending is losing steam and yet lumber prices have risen this summer to their highest level in four years. Back in 2022, the price of two-by-fours was falling back to earth after a record-setting spike during Covid. …This time around, reduced supply rather than unyielding demand has driven lumber prices higher. Imports are down due to steep duties on Canadian boards and President Trump’s 10% softwood lumber tariff. Meanwhile, low prices last year prompted sawmill curtailments and closures from BC to northern Florida. …Home builders… say the run-up in prices has become a headwind and will filter through to the cost of houses. Yet lumber futures, which are down about 12% from their high in late July, suggest that wood prices may have peaked for this year. …“I don’t anticipate that those mills that have been shut down are going to come back,” said Weyerhaeuser CEO Devin Stockfish. [to access the full story a WSJ subscription is required]

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Acadian Timber reports Q2 2026 net income of $1.3M

Acadian Timber Corp.
August 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada East

Edmundston, NEW BRUNSWICK – Acadian Timber Corp. reported financial and operating results for the three months ended June 27, 2026 (Q2 2026). “Our results reflect two trends: ongoing progress towards sustained profitability in Maine due to changes that were made during the quarter, and reduced sales volumes in New Brunswick due to elevated customer roundwood inventories,” said Malcolm Cockwell, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. “We expect that Maine will continue delivering stronger results in 2026 compared to last year, and that New Brunswick will return to normal harvesting levels over the rest of the year.” During the second quarter, Acadian generated sales of $14.6 million compared to $17.1 million in the second quarter of 2025. Acadian generated $1.3 million of net income, $1.3 million of Adjusted EBITDA and $0.2 million of Free Cash Flow during the second quarter. The Board of Directors declared dividends of $5.4 million, or $0.29 per share, to our shareholders.

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Cascades reports Q2, 2026 net earnings of $21M

By Cascades Inc.
PR Newswire
August 6, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KINGSEY FALLS, Quebec — Cascades reported its unaudited financial results for the three-month period ended June 30, 2026. The Corporation’s second quarter sales of $1,219 million increased by $32 million compared with the same period last year. This increase reflects consolidated net benefits of $13 million from higher average selling prices and a favourable sales mix of $21 million. …For the three-month period ended June 30, 2026, the Corporation posted net earnings of $21 million compared to a net loss of $(3) million, in the same period of 2025. On an adjusted basis, the Corporation posted net earnings of $24 million in the second quarter of 2026 compared to net earnings of $19 million in the same period of 2025. …Hugues Simon, President and CEO, commented: “Our second quarter results exceeded expectations, driven by a stronger performance in Packaging.”

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Stella-Jones reports Q2, 2026 net income of $61M

Stella-Jones Inc.
August 6, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada East

MONTREAL, Quebec – Stella-Jones announced financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2026. …Sales for the second quarter of 2026 were $1,042 million, up eight million dollars, versus sales of $1,034 million for the second quarter of last year. Excluding the $29 million contribution from the acquisition of Brooks Manufacturing, pressure-treated wood sales decreased by $13 million, or 1%. …Adjusted EBITDA of $167 million, or 16.0% margin compared to $189 million, or 18.3% margin in Q2, 2025. Net income was $61 million compared to $106 million in Q2. …This performance reflected higher wood utility poles sales, largely offset by the lower market price of lumber for residential lumber and lower volumes in railway ties. Logs and lumber sales declined by eight million dollars, or 31%, primarily due to a reduction in logs trading activity. …Eric Vachon, President and CEO of Stella-Jones said “We expect margin performance to improve in the second half of the year.”

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US Mortgage Rates Climb Again as Iran Conflict Re-escalates

By Catherine Koh
NAHB Eye on Housing
August 6, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Re-escalation of the conflict in Iran pushed mortgage rates higher in July. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.54% in July, up 5 basis points (bps) over June. Since the conflict in the Middle East began, the 30-year mortgage rate has climbed by almost 50 bps. The average 15-year rate averaged 5.91% in July, up 9 bps from June, and up 48 basis points since the end of February. Compared to a year ago, the 30-year rate remains lower by 18 bps, however, the 15-year rate is now higher by 5 bps. The 10-year Treasury yield, a key benchmark for long-term borrowing, rose 10 bps to an average of 4.58% in July as renewed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz heightened concerns about energy supplies and inflation. The yield rose sharply, ending July at 4.67%, 23 bps above its June closing level.

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Rayonier reports Q2, 2026 net income of $19M

Rayonier Inc.
August 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East

WILDLIGHT, Florida — Rayonier reported second quarter net income attributable to Rayonier of $19.1 million on revenues of $396.5 million. This compares to net income attributable to Rayonier of $408.7 million on revenues of $106.5 million in the prior year quarter. The second quarter results included $10.2 million of costs related to the merger with PotlatchDeltic and timber write-offs resulting from a casualty event of $2.3 million. Excluding these items… second quarter net income was $31.5 million. This compares to net income of $9.6 million in the prior year period. …Mark McHugh, President and CEO said, “We maintained a strong focus on operational execution during the quarter, while continuing to make significant progress on our integration priorities and positioning the combined company to realize the strategic and financial benefits of the merger.”

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Forestry

As Forests Burn Again, BC Is Changing Tactics ‘On the Fly’

By Tyler Olsen
The Tyee
August 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Prolonged drought conditions are forcing British Columbia’s fire tacticians to rethink how they battle blazes in the province’s dry and hot Interior.  As huge, destructive blazes spread across the southern Interior, many are burning across land that has already experienced fire over the last decade. In years past, the BC Wildfire Service would expect previous burn scars to slow, or even stop, the progress of a new fire. But this fire season, a prolonged drought has upended that assumption. Firefighters’ experiences could have implications for what British Columbians can expect from fire seasons for years to come. …A burn scar “used to be something we could use as a control line,” Chapman said. Current conditions, though, make those scars untrustworthy. “The fire behaviour can be almost as extreme in some of those old burns, depending on their age and how severe the burn was.”

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2 sentenced for blocking logging in Vancouver Island’s Walbran Valley

By Isabella Calissi
CBC News
August 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Two protesters from the Walbran Valley blockade were sentenced Tuesday, after pleading guilty to breaching an injunction order in November 2025. The order barred protesters from blocking access to the Tsawak-qin Forestry logging site. Twelve protesters were arrested in total. Kenni Apt was sentenced to 12 months’ probation, with 75 hours of community service or a fine of $2,250. They were arrested after attaching themselves to a large wooden cougar statue within the injunction area, intending to block logging activity. Apt says they feel good about their sentence, but they’re sad that they won’t be able to visit the valley any time soon. …Zoey Barak was sentenced to seven days’ jail time. She was arrested after being found in an elevated sling between two trees within the injunction area. The blockade in Walbran Valley was linked to the same organizers behind the Fairy Creek anti-logging blockade on southwest Vancouver Island, which saw thousands arrested in 2021. 

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Smoke and Devastation

By Dan Albas
MP Okanagan Lake West – South Kelowna
August 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

In the Okanagan, we have sadly become all too familiar with the smoke and devastation caused by wildfires. Most recently, several wildfires have impacted our region, most notably the Bradley Creek fire, which has threatened parts of the Okanagan Indian Band lands and resulted in the loss of more than 200 homes. It should also be noted that some residents reportedly evacuated before an official evacuation order was in effect, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change when wind and weather shift unexpectedly. …Earlier this year, I discussed many of these issues with retired forester Murray Wilson on my Finding Solutions podcast. Drawing on decades of experience, Mr. Wilson shared his perspective on forest management and how we can better understand and mitigate wildfire risk. …Forest management is undoubtedly important. However, it is also reasonable to expect that more progress can be made in reducing the number of human-caused fires.

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Are we doing enough to manage BC’s forests before the next wildfire?

By Jim Csek
Vernon Now
August 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

As wildfires burn across Canada and smoke again reaches communities far from the fire line, a harder question is emerging behind the daily evacuation updates and air quality warnings: Is British Columbia doing enough to manage its forests before the next crisis? The question has taken on added political weight as criticism of Canadian wildfire smoke has surfaced south of the border and as politicians debate whether severe fire seasons are primarily a climate problem, a forest management problem or both. Murray Wilson says that framing misses the point if it becomes an excuse for inaction. Wilson, a former forester, discussed wildfire risk, smoke, forest management and the shrinking capacity of the forest sector in an interview with The Really Big Show. He said communities need to prepare for a future in which large fires and severe smoke events are no longer treated as rare exceptions.

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Beavers are the answer to community wildfire danger, not more logging

Letter by Catherine Slater
North Island Gazette
August 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

I saw “BC Is Burning” produced by the Truck Loggers Association last March in Campbell River. This documentary states that Climate Change is a rising threat to rural communities. There are dramatic scenes of forests and homes burning. The film’s solution is more “Active Forest Management.” It promotes extensive tree and woody debris thinning (even in protected areas such as OGMAs) to reduce wildfire “fuel load,” processing these harvests into new carbon-sequestering or carbon-replacing products, regenerating the forest with seedlings in these “fire-smarted” areas. Community wildfire safety and jobs are addressed by this proposed solution, a win-win situation. But, where is the health of a natural forest ecosystem? …How can we maintain intact forests AND keep rural communities safer from wildfire? Beavers! Beaver ponds reduce community wildfire danger as humidifiers and wetland firebreaks. …The BC Wildlife Federation promotes widespread beaver reintroduction…

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The Indigenous Case for Active Forest Management

ForestNet Media
You Tube
August 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

He still calls himself “a recovering forester.” BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee, a former RPF turned political heavyweight spent 30 years in the bush before becoming one of the most powerful Indigenous voices in Canadian forestry. Terry Teegee explains why BC keeps paying billions for wildfires it could have prevented, and who he thinks is really slowing down reconciliation.

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‘Nothing that Canada can do’: Experts push back on Trump’s criticism of Canada’s wildfire response

By Tammy Ibrahimpoor
CTV News
August 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada East, United States

U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Canada is failing to properly manage its forests, and that the cost of wildfire smoke drifting south should be added to tariffs on Canadian goods, has prompted renewed questions about whether more could be done to prevent the massive blazes that have blanketed parts of North America with smoke. But wildfire experts say the answer is far more complicated. “The short answer is there’s nothing that Canada can do about these major wildfires that are causing wildfire smoke to travel thousands of kilometres,” said Anabela Bonada, managing director of climate science at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo. …“The No. 1 thing is all of us reducing our emissions, and that goes for the U.S. as well,” Bonada said. “But we are looking at smoky summers ahead, so we need to do everything possible to protect ourselves and people that live in our home.”

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Ending native forest harvesting for carbon credits is madness

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
August 6, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International

Rob de Fégely

AUSTRALIA — The forester who advised successive Australian governments on forest policy for eight years has argued that a country cannot stop making the wood it uses without importing the environmental cost along with the timber. That is according to Rob de Fégely, whose column ran in the Australian Financial Review on Thursday, twelve days before the Senate votes on whether to disallow the Improved Native Forest Management method behind the Great Koala National Park. “Ending native forest harvesting is not environmental leadership,” de Fégely wrote. …“The demand does not disappear,” de Fégely wrote of what follows when a country stops making its own wood, an effect economists call leakage, which moves the harvest rather than ending it. Australia already runs a wood trade deficit, buying $6.9 billion in wood products a year and selling $2.8 billion. …“Harvesting changes forests, but it does not destroy them,” de Fégely wrote.

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Climate Change Made Canada’s Forests Much More Likely to Burn

By Coco Liu
Bloomberg News
August 6, 2026
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: Canada, Canada East

The planet’s warming had a strong influence on destructive wildfires in Canada that have raged across Ontario and the Northwest Territories since late June, making the extreme fire weather that fueled them at least twice as likely, according to a report published Thursday by World Weather Attribution. With global temperatures roughly 1.4C above pre-industrial levels, Canada is experiencing a notable rise in extremely hot and dry weather — the ingredient required to turn minor ignitions into infernos. Researchers found that the severe conditions behind the recent blazes in Ontario are now twice as probable as they would be in a world untouched by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. The change is even more stark in the Northwest Territories: There, a week of fire weather as extreme as this year’s — which would occur once-a-decade without global warming — is now estimated to return every two years.

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Forest Fires

B.C. community in ruins as chief says 230 homes destroyed by wildfire

By Darryl Greer
Canadian Press in Victoria Times Colonist
August 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

VERNON — The devastation stretches for more than a kilometre along the northwest shore of British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake, house after house reduced to scorched and twisted metal and grey dust. The apocalyptic scenes — burned-out cars, still-smouldering ground and homes levelled to their foundations — stand in contrast to the postcard views previously enjoyed by this once-pretty waterfront community on the Okanagan Indian Band’s reserve. But the aftermath of the Bradley Creek wildfire, that was fanned by howling winds as it tore through the area on Saturday, extends far beyond the shoreline, and smoke still billows from behind the community, on a steep, forest-covered ridge. The depths of the destruction go deep into the reserve, where Chief Dan Wilson said on Tuesday that about 230 homes had been destroyed in one of the worst wildfire losses in recent Canadian history. Wilson said 30 homes of band members and 200 non-band homes had burned.

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Wildfire breaks out in Metro Vancouver’s Belcarra Regional Park

By Arden McLeod
CBC News
August 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

A wildfire in Metro Vancouver’s Belcarra Regional Park was discovered on Wednesday, forcing evacuations in the nearby Village of Anmore. The fire is burning roughly one kilometre southeast of Sasamat Lake’s White Pine Beach, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). The Village of Anmore had a population of just under 2,500 in 2022, according to its website. Two houses on Fern Drive were evacuated by ground crews, while an initial evacuation alert by the Village of Anmore listed 12 affected properties. That number grew to 35 properties after the Village of Anmore expanded its evacuation alert at 7:30 p.m. PT Wednesday. The affected areas are along Fern Drive, north of Magnolia Way; along Oak Court; and properties northeast along Crystal Creek Drive. …ground crews weren’t able to access the wildfire directly due to live electrical wires from nearby B.C. Hydro infrastructure …and instead utilized three helicopters to dump water over the fire. 

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Fraser Valley Regional District downgrades Boston Bar evacuation orders, residents allowed to return

By Dillon White
Victoria News
August 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©Barriere ESS

Several evacuation orders have been downgraded to evacuation alerts in the Boston Bar area. The Fraser Valley Regional District said on Aug. 5, the areas of Boston Bar, North Bend and Canyon Alpine, Fishblue Lake, Scuzzy Creek south of Boston Bar, and Nahatlatch and North Boothroyd are now under evacuation alerts instead of orders. Per the release, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) advised that risk has “sufficiently subsided” and residents can return home if they choose. Forty-six properties remain on evacuation order in the Hells Gate, Spuzzum and south to Sawmill Creek areas. The downgrade does not apply to any First Nations communities and the FVRD advises members to look to their governments for direction. Highway 1 also remains closed for a 63.5-kilometre stretch between Toll Road and Jackass Summit. …The Brunswick Complex wildfires remain out of control, with the Brunswick Creek fire listed at 7,817 hectares and the Ainslie Creek fire listed at 40,599 hectares.

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No change to evacuation alert for Area D in Columbia Shuswap Regional District

By Lachlan Labere
The Vernon Morning Star
August 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

With hot weather ahead, residents in Electoral Area D under evacuation alert are urged to prepare grab-and-go bags and emergency plans. In an Aug. 5, update on the Bradley Creek wildfire by Okanagan Lake, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District said evacuation alerts issued for properties south of Highway 97 in the Sweetsbridge/Cedar Hill area, and in parts of Glenemma, remain in effect. As of Wednesday morning the fire was estimated to be 2,852 hectares, with little growth seen from the day prior. “However, the wildfire remains active and is still listed as out of control,” said the CSRD. “Work is continuing on creating containment lines, but this is taking time due to the damage to infrastructure and the amount of danger trees in the area. The fire zone must be made safe for responders to work.” Environment Canada anticipates highs in the mid 30s for the Vernon area in the coming days, reaching 36 C on Friday, Aug. 7.

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‘Treepedo’: Officials share photo of smashed tree to show difficulty in returning to Boston Bar

By Jessica Peters
Hope Standard
August 4, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©FVRD

BC Wildfire crews and other officials accessing the Fraser Canyon are encountering everything from downed power lines and poles, to “treepedos.” As Boston Bar residents hope to head home following the Brunswick Complex fire, the Fraser Valley Regional District used social media over the B.C. Day long weekend to explain why that may take more time and effort than anyone expected. To illustrate the difficulty, they shared an image of a tree smashed on Highway 1, calling it a treepedo. “Treepedo (noun): A dead tree that falls over and rockets down a hill and lands on the road,” the district posted. “Treepedos are the reason the southern access is a definitely ‘no way’ for us to travel. Also giant boulders but we don’t have a cute name for that.” …The Brunswick Creek Complex wildfires are still considered out of control, and all evacuation orders remain in place as of Tuesday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. 

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UPDATE: Evacuation orders, alerts to remain as Quilpituk Creek wildfire slows

By Jordy Cunningham
The Northern View
August 5, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada West

©BCWildfireService

All evacuation orders and alerts will remain in place on Wednesday, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations (CORD) has announced. In total, 2,223 properties (approximately 5,113 residents) are on order and 425 (approximately 976 residents) are on alert. “We know residents want to return home, and we want that too,” stated CORD. “Evacuation orders will remain in place until it is safe to return, including addressing hazards such as damaged utilities, hazard trees and unsafe road conditions. At this time, Westside Road remains closed from Highway 97 in Vernon to Caesar’s Landing. The Quilpituk Creek wildfire is displaying Rank 1 and 2 fire behaviour on Wednesday, Aug. 5. This means the blaze currently is “a smouldering ground fire to low vigour surface fire, characterized by visible open flame and unorganized inconsistent flame fronts,” said BCWS.

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Crews battle Spokane fires. Latest news on containment, evacuations

By Natalie Neysa Alund, Thao Nguyen and Jeanine Santucci
USA Today
August 6, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: US West

©Spokane Fire District 9

Three major wildfires continued burning around Washington state’s second-largest city on Aug. 6, entering their sixth day after destroying hundreds of homes and other structures and forcing tens of thousands of evacuations. Fire crews from across Washington remained focused on … the Spokane Complex fires. Mandatory evacuation orders remained in place in parts of the region as firefighters worked to strengthen containment lines. More than 100 Washington National Guard members have been deployed to assist with the response, while over 1,400 firefighting personnel have been assigned to battle the blazes, officials said. The Autumn Lane Fire remained the most active of the three wildfires as of Aug. 5, though the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said crews had “successfully held the fire within its established footprint” while reinforcing containment lines. An estimated 600 to 1,100 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and as many as 1,824 structures are threatened, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. More than 60,000 people have been evacuated.

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