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The Tree Frog Forestry News
November 6, 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.
Federal budget unveils new tax measures aimed at growing businesses in Canada
By Brett Bundale
Canadian Press
November 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada
OTTAWA – The federal budget has zeroed in on business growth with a suite of tax measures and incentives designed to spur private-sector investment. The central business pitch of the 2026 budget tabled Thursday aims to encourage Canadian companies to invest more, expand and become more competitive internationally. The budget, entitled Masters of our Destiny, includes capital gains tax breaks, incentives for companies investing in equipment and expanded tax support for research and innovation. But some business leaders and groups said the budget falls short in addressing the needs of small businesses. …A centrepiece business measure in the budget is a new tax exemption on up to $15 million in capital gains from eligible investments in Canadian companies. …The budget also includes what the government calls “the most ambitious effort in decades” to simplify the tax system. …The budget lays out a three-pronged approach to creating what the government calls an “investment supercycle” with measures aimed at spurring investment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
The BC Truck Loggers Association welcomes historic federal investment in Canada’s forest sector: The $6.5-billion Forest Sector Transformation Strategy, building on $2.9 billion in previously announced support, represents an historic investment in an industry that employs nearly 200,000 Canadians, contributes billions to Canada’s GDP and supports hundreds of rural, remote and Indigenous communities across the country.
BC Council of Forest Industries Statement on Federal Budget 2026: We welcome the federal government’s commitment of $6.5 billion in new funding over six years to the forest sector in Budget 2026. The Strategy should prioritize reducing regulatory duplication, streamlining permitting and strengthening federal-provincial coordination to give operators and investors greater certainty. …These measures must complement provincial efforts to improve access to affordable wood supply and restore competitiveness across BC’s forest sector.
World Wildlife Fund Canada: Budget 2026 – We can’t build a stronger country while losing the nature that makes us strong
From forestry to food banks, what’s in Budget 2026 for British Columbia?
The Canadian Press in the Times-Colonist
November 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
The federal budget handed down on Thursday includes funding pledges that are expected to benefit British Columbia. Here’s a look at some of them. The budget is proposing $6.5 billion in funding to support the forestry sector nationally over six years. It doesn’t provide a province-by-province breakdown, although it points out that B.C. accounts for 29% of the national forest sector’s GDP, representing the biggest share in Canada. There’s $4 billion for a new “forestry sector accelerator” to make investments in large facilities and major transformations of existing facilities, “including biorefineries, biofuel facilities, and other facilities producing higher-value and innovative forest products.” A further $2 billion is to help businesses in the forest sector modernize and expand, while $500 million goes towards strengthening fibre supply chains and supporting forest management. …The budget announces a $64-million loan guarantee to support the Tla’amin Nation acquiring 100% ownership of Western Forest Products’ Stillwater Forest Operation.
Six U.S. Pulp and Paper Mill Projects Deliver Results
By Stephan DesJardins
The Paper Advance
November 4, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
Improving mill performance does not always require a new production line. Across the United States, pulp and paper mills have achieved significant savings and operational improvements by upgrading existing equipment, refining processes and making better use of production data.
Six projects documented between 2022 and 2026 show how these approaches have improved water management, energy efficiency, machine reliability, chemical recovery and waste handling. All six examples are drawn from publications issued directly by the companies operating the mills between 2024-2026.
U.S. tariffs squeeze Canadian cabinet makers facing doubling of Trump duty
By Promit Mukherjee, Fergal Smith and Kyaw Soe Oo
Reuters in BNN Bloomberg
November 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
ST CATHERINES, Ontario — Alain Ouzilleau spent 40 years building Cabico into one of Canada’s biggest kitchen cabinet makers. …U.S. tariffs on Canadian kitchen cabinets are set to double to 50% on Jan. 1, threatening thousands of small manufacturers that employ almost 25,000 people, Ouzilleau said. The kitchen cabinet industry is part of the broader softwood lumber sector, among the main industries hit by U.S. tariffs, alongside steel, aluminum and automotive manufacturing. The industry is highly fragmented, comprising thousands of small, labour-intensive companies that are particularly vulnerable to rising costs and falling orders, and has shed more than 10 per cent of its workforce since Trump first imposed tariffs. …While Canada’s economy has avoided mass layoffs and grown modestly despite U.S. tariffs, the uncertainty has wreaked havoc on small businesses. Furniture makers were already struggling with an influx of cheap Chinese products, according to interviews with three wood product manufacturers.
Japanese Cedar Fence Pickets Sawn in China Face US Dumping Probe
By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
November 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, International
American importers of Chinese fence pickets could be paying duties from January, with the US Department of Commerce due to rule on subsidies that month if the US International Trade Commission (ITC) backs the cases first. It comes as Commerce on Wednesday opened dumping and subsidy investigations into what it now calls certain wooden fence components, nearly six weeks after three timber producers in Washington state and California petitioned for duties. “The U.S. wooden fence pickets industry has suffered years of injury at the hands of unfairly traded Chinese wooden fence pickets,” said Timothy Brightbill, counsel to the American Alliance of Wooden Fence Producers, when it filed in September. The alliance’s members, Alta Forest Products of Chehalis, Washington, and the Californian producers Sierra Pacific Industries and Mendocino Forest Products, alleged that Chinese pickets were being dumped at margins of up to 295%.
Boise Cascade to Acquire Two California Distribution Facilities from Taiga Building Products
By Boise Cascade Company
Business Wire
November 5, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US West
BOISE, Idaho — Boise Cascade announced it intends to acquire two building materials distribution facilities from Taiga Building Products in Rocklin and Sanger, California. The acquisition will expand Boise Cascade’s distribution capacity and strengthen its ability to serve customers throughout Northern and Central California, the California Coast, and Northern Nevada. Boise Cascade currently operates 39 distribution locations in the U.S. …The transaction is expected to close by mid-November 2026. Taiga’s other locations and products are not included in the transaction.
Nippon Paper to end production at quake-hit plant in Kumamoto
Nippon Paper Industries Inc.
November 6, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International
JAPAN — Nippon Paper Industries said it will cease production of graphic paper and pulp at a plant damaged by a massive earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture in late July. The company made the decision after concluding that repairing or replacing production equipment at the mill in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, would take three to four years and significant costs. It will explore new business opportunities at the site. Nippon Paper expects to book about ¥20 billion ($126.4 million) in losses related to the earthquake in the year ending in March 2027, including ¥15.1 billion for the first half. …Nippon Paper will transfer production of newsprint and other items at the Yatsushiro plant to its other mills in Japan and outsource production of some products to other companies.
Mercer International reports 3Q, 2026 net loss of $59 million
Mercer International Inc.
November 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, United States, International
NEW YORK — Mercer International reported third quarter 2026 Operating EBITDA of negative $2.9 million, an improvement from negative $28.1 million in the same quarter of 2025 and negative $21.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. In the third quarter of 2026, net loss was $59.2 million compared to $80.8 million in the third quarter of 2025 and $76.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. As announced on November 2, 2026, Mercer entered into restructuring support agreements with significant support from noteholders and shareholders to, among other things, effectuate a balance sheet restructuring which will address $1.275 billion of our outstanding senior notes and provide for $400 million of fully backstopped new capital to position Mercer for long-term success. Our operating subsidiaries will continue to operate their businesses with no impact on customers, suppliers and employees.
Interfor Corporation reported today its third quarter of 2026 results. Highlights include: Adjusted EBITDA was $76.9 million on sales of $832.1 million in Q3’26 versus Adjusted EBITDA of $92.3 million on sales of $804.4 million in Q2’26 and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $183.8 million on sales of $689.3 million in Q3’25. Interfor recorded a net loss in Q3’26 of $45.6 million, compared to net earnings of $1.0 million, and a net loss of $215.8 million in Q3’25. The net loss in Q3’26 was driven in large part by a non-cash impairment charge of $53.2 million related to a previously curtailed mill in Eastern Canada. …The Company generated $61.4 million of positive cash flow from operations after working capital changes in Q3’26 and available liquidity increased to $462.4 million at September 30, 2026. The Company has generated positive cash flow from operations in each quarter of 2026.
Western Forest Products reports Q3, 2026 net loss of $5.2 million
Western Forest Products Inc.
November 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada, Canada West
VANCOUVER, BC – Western Forest Products announced it third quarter 2026 results. Revenue for the period was $237 million compared to revenue in Q3, 2025 of $233 million, and Q2, 2026 of $240 million. The company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, as compared to negative $66 minion in the same period last year. …Net loss was $5.2 million in the third quarter of 2026, as compared to a net loss of $61.3 million for the same period last year. Results in the third quarter of 2026 benefitted from higher realized lumber prices, higher log shipments and the gain on the sale of our CVD sawmill site, partially offset by lower lumber shipments compared to the same period last year. Results in the third quarter of 2025 were negatively impacted by the finalization of the sixth AR.
US Multifamily Developer Confidence Weakens in Third Quarter
By Eric Lynch
NAHB Eye on Housing
November 5, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States
New multifamily housing confidence weakened year-over-year in the third quarter, according to the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) by the NAHB. The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) had a reading of 41, down five points year-over-year, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) had a reading of 69, also down five points year-over-year. Developer sentiment for new multifamily production has softened, due to challenges such as high interest rates, construction costs that are high relative to rents, and problems getting projects approved and connected to roads and utilities, resulting in many projects taking longer to complete. Due to the headwinds facing the industry, NAHB’s 2027 forecast shows a decline for multifamily starts.
Sweden builds houses and apartments like Lego sets. Why don’t we?
By Marina Bolotnikova
Vox
November 6, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, International
Sweden’s talent for mass-producing clever, easy-to-assemble home fixtures also extends to building entire houses and apartments. Ikea has become one of the biggest furniture retailers in the US. But those factory-built Swedish homes? Americans can’t have them. Yet. In factories throughout Sweden, workers assemble modular rooms that will become components of new homes. The modules are then trucked to their final destinations, hoisted up by crane, and arranged into place to form whole single-family or multifamily buildings — like a giant Lego set. …Estimates vary, but Susanne Rudenstam, managing director of the Swedish Wood Building Council, told me about 90% of the country’s new single-family homes are built with prefabricated timber systems. According to Sweden’s national statistics agency, 43% of new multifamily apartments are constructed with fully prefabricated structural frames. Another 46% are partially prefabricated. …The difference in Sweden is that it has embraced a “performance-based” building code.
After a summer of fire, southern BC braces for rain
By Cameron Fenton
National Observer
November 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West
After one of the driest Octobers on record, southwestern British Columbia is about to get very wet. The season’s first atmospheric river, a band of airborne moisture hurtling across the Pacific, is set to unleash hundreds of millimetres of rain in the coming days. In parts of BC, like the mountainous Fraser Canyon around Boston Bar, which saw more than 85,000 hectares torched by a series of summer wildfires, the rain brings new dangers. …the blazes destabilized the landscape over hundreds of hectares. According to a BC Ministry of Forests report, those areas are primed for “debris flows, sediment-laden floods, or nuisance flooding” that could affect roads, homes, rail lines and communities. If that happens, it could be a repeat of November 2021, when an atmospheric river caused “extensive landsliding, debris flows, and debris floods” in the same watersheds — shutting down highways and forcing evacuations. [National Observer requires a subscription for full access]
2.5M acres scorched, Oregon’s ‘record-breaking’ 2026 wildfire season comes to an end
By Michaela Bourgeois
KOIN 6 News
November 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
PORTLAND, Ore. — After more than 2.5 million acres of land were burned, Oregon fire officials announced the end of the state’s 2026 wildfire season on Wednesday. This year’s wildfire season was record-breaking, according to the Oregon Department of Forestry, noting this year’s 2.5 million acres burned exceeded 2024’s state record of 1.9 million acres burned. ODF explained that reduced snowpack in 2025 led to drought and dry fuels across Oregon. That, combined with several lightning events, followed by windy, hot weather, resulted in multiple new wildfires and rapid growth of existing fires in 2026. “As we mark the end of the 2026 wildfire season, I want to thank our first responders, landowners, contractors, local governments, Tribal Nations, the Oregon National Guard, other state and international responders, and every person who worked tirelessly to protect lives and property,” Governor Tina Kotek said Wednesday. “I am deeply grateful for the courage and collaboration that carried us through.”
Growing the Next Generation: Building Careers Across the Wood Supply Chain
By Lindsay Warness, Western Region Manager
The Forest Resources Association
November 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
November is National Career Development Month, an opportunity to recognize the programs introducing young people to careers in the timber and wood products industry and the importance of investing in the next generation of skilled professionals. When we think about the future of the forest products industry, conversations often focus on timber supply, forest management, regulations, and markets. While these issues are critical, there’s another challenge that deserves just as much attention: Who will make up the next generation of our workforce? …To address this need, FRA worked to introduce the bipartisan Jobs in the Woods Act (S. 1336/H.R. 4575). The bipartisan legislation would create competitive grants to expand workforce training, particularly in rural and low-income communities. …The Oregon Forest Resources Institute and the Western Forestry and Conservation Association co-hosted a summit May 2026. The resulting report, Oregon’s Forest Sector Workforce, estimates that Oregon needs about 3,400 new forest operations and management workers each year.
California — The United States Forest Service (USFS) has scaled back a vegetation clearing project for the Los Padres National Forest by about 85% after hearing objections from the public and a coalition of 91 community organizations. Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) officials announced on Oct. 20 that the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP) can now commence on 33,023 acres within Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. When the WRRP was first proposed in 2022, the project included 235,493 acres. A variety of methods will be used including mechanical thinning, piling and burning, weed-whipping and prescribed fire, LPNF officials said. The project includes portions of the Mount Pinos Ranger District in northern Ventura County but does not include the Ojai Ranger District, because officials said it was funded by money from the electrical utility PG&E which does not serve the Ojai area.
Türkiye’s defence industry has begun work on developing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of directly tackling forest fires from the air by dropping water. TodayPress TV reports that Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli, made the announcement during a meeting with journalists in Istanbul. According to the minister, the project will be carried out in cooperation with the Defence Industry Agency. UAVs are currently used to detect and monitor forest fires. The new project aims to develop drones capable of directly intervening in fires from the air and dropping water on them. Yumakli said the technology is not yet widely used around the world. Although some similar systems manufactured in China are available, he noted that they are mainly used in flat and easily accessible areas.
Forests economically support 1.6 billion people. Here’s how to value them correctly
By Mark Wishnie, Lyndall Bull, and Anna Zampa
The World Economic Forum
November 5, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International
Forests are critical infrastructure that can support resilient economies and thriving societies. Nearly one in three humans on the planet depend on forest goods and services for livelihoods, food and water security and nutrition. Beyond this, forests regulate water, support biodiversity and agricultural productivity, provide renewable materials and help economies adapt to a changing climate. Strengthening this natural infrastructure offers both economic and social returns. Healthy, resilient forests support rural livelihoods and long-term employment, while providing essential services that benefit economies and communities far beyond the boundaries of individual forest landscapes. Today, forests economically provide for about 1.6 billion people around the world, 60 million of whom are Indigenous People. The concept of the forest economy entails integrating sustainable production with essential ecosystem services and cultural values. It includes both the commercial forest sector, as well as wider ecological benefits and cultural heritage provided by forests, many of which remain partially priced or unpriced.
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.
The federal budget handed down on Thursday includes funding pledges that are expected to benefit British Columbia. Here’s a look at some of them. The budget is proposing $6.5 billion in funding to support the forestry sector nationally over six years. It doesn’t provide a province-by-province breakdown, although it points out that B.C. accounts for 29% of the national forest sector’s GDP, representing the biggest share in Canada. There’s $4 billion for a new “forestry sector accelerator” to make investments in large facilities and major transformations of existing facilities, “including biorefineries, biofuel facilities, and other facilities producing higher-value and innovative forest products.” A further $2 billion is to help businesses in the forest sector modernize and expand, while $500 million goes towards strengthening fibre supply chains and supporting forest management. …The budget announces a $64-million loan guarantee to support the Tla’amin Nation acquiring 100% ownership of Western Forest Products’ Stillwater Forest Operation.
Improving mill performance does not always require a new production line. Across the United States, pulp and paper mills have achieved significant savings and operational improvements by upgrading existing equipment, refining processes and making better use of production data.
ST CATHERINES, Ontario — Alain Ouzilleau spent 40 years building Cabico into one of Canada’s biggest kitchen cabinet makers. …U.S. tariffs on Canadian kitchen cabinets are set to double to 50% on Jan. 1, threatening thousands of small manufacturers that employ almost 25,000 people, Ouzilleau said. The kitchen cabinet industry is part of the broader softwood lumber sector, among the main industries hit by U.S. tariffs, alongside steel, aluminum and automotive manufacturing. The industry is highly fragmented, comprising thousands of small, labour-intensive companies that are particularly vulnerable to rising costs and falling orders, and has shed more than 10 per cent of its workforce since Trump first imposed tariffs. …While Canada’s economy has avoided mass layoffs and grown modestly despite U.S. tariffs, the uncertainty has wreaked havoc on small businesses. Furniture makers were already struggling with an influx of cheap Chinese products, according to interviews with three wood product manufacturers.
American importers of Chinese fence pickets could be paying duties from January, with the 
NEW YORK — Mercer International reported third quarter 2026 Operating EBITDA of negative $2.9 million, an improvement from negative $28.1 million in the same quarter of 2025 and negative $21.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. In the third quarter of 2026, net loss was $59.2 million compared to $80.8 million in the third quarter of 2025 and $76.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. As announced on November 2, 2026, Mercer entered into restructuring support agreements with significant support from noteholders and shareholders to, among other things, effectuate a balance sheet restructuring which will address $1.275 billion of our outstanding senior notes and provide for $400 million of fully backstopped new capital to position Mercer for long-term success. Our operating subsidiaries will continue to operate their businesses with no impact on customers, suppliers and employees.
Interfor Corporation reported today its third quarter of 2026 results. Highlights include: Adjusted EBITDA was $76.9 million on sales of $832.1 million in Q3’26 versus Adjusted EBITDA of $92.3 million on sales of $804.4 million in Q2’26 and an Adjusted EBITDA loss of $183.8 million on sales of $689.3 million in Q3’25. Interfor recorded a net loss in Q3’26 of $45.6 million, compared to net earnings of $1.0 million, and a net loss of $215.8 million in Q3’25. The net loss in Q3’26 was driven in large part by a non-cash impairment charge of $53.2 million related to a previously curtailed mill in Eastern Canada. …The Company generated $61.4 million of positive cash flow from operations after working capital changes in Q3’26 and available liquidity increased to $462.4 million at September 30, 2026. The Company has generated positive cash flow from operations in each quarter of 2026.
VANCOUVER, BC – Western Forest Products announced it third quarter 2026 results. Revenue for the period was $237 million compared to revenue in Q3, 2025 of $233 million, and Q2, 2026 of $240 million. The company reported Adjusted EBITDA of $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, as compared to negative $66 minion in the same period last year. …Net loss was $5.2 million in the third quarter of 2026, as compared to a net loss of $61.3 million for the same period last year. Results in the third quarter of 2026 benefitted from higher realized lumber prices, higher log shipments and the gain on the sale of our CVD sawmill site, partially offset by lower lumber shipments compared to the same period last year. Results in the third quarter of 2025 were negatively impacted by the finalization of the sixth AR.
New multifamily housing confidence weakened year-over-year in the third quarter, according to the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) by the NAHB. The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) had a reading of 41, down five points year-over-year, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) had a reading of 69, also down five points year-over-year. Developer sentiment for new multifamily production has softened, due to challenges such as high interest rates, construction costs that are high relative to rents, and problems getting projects approved and connected to roads and utilities, resulting in many projects taking longer to complete. Due to the headwinds facing the industry, NAHB’s 2027 forecast shows a decline for multifamily starts.
Sweden’s talent for mass-producing clever, easy-to-assemble home fixtures also extends to building entire houses and apartments. Ikea has become one of the biggest furniture retailers in the US. But those factory-built Swedish homes? Americans can’t have them. Yet. In factories throughout Sweden, workers assemble modular rooms that will become components of new homes. The modules are then trucked to their final destinations, hoisted up by crane, and arranged into place to form whole single-family or multifamily buildings — like a giant Lego set. …Estimates vary, but Susanne Rudenstam, managing director of the Swedish Wood Building Council, told me about 90% of the country’s new single-family homes are built with prefabricated timber systems. According to Sweden’s national statistics agency, 43% of new multifamily apartments are constructed with fully prefabricated structural frames. Another 46% are partially prefabricated. …The difference in Sweden is that it has embraced a “performance-based” building code.
