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The Tree Frog Forestry News
July 30, 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.
US releases post-preliminary countervailing determination of Canadian softwood lumber
The US Dept of Commerces in FEA
July 29, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States
On June 30, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) published its post-preliminary determination for the seventh administrative review (AR7) of countervailing duties on certain softwood lumber products from Canada. This determination does not have any impact on current duties or cash deposit rates. In a memo accompanying its preliminary countervailing duty results published on April 8, the DOC said it would issue post-preliminary results once it completed an assessment of other remaining programs. The June 30 determinations now supersede the April 8 determinations. The period of review is January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. The revised preliminary findings are summarized in the table below. It is important to note that these findings are still preliminary:
B.C. wood producers brace for tariff hit that adds insult to injury
By Derrick Penner
Vancouver Sun
July 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
A niche corner of B.C.’s forest sector … is now staring down a deadline for a crushing blow in the next round of tariff charges announced by U.S. President Trump. Those new charges would slap a 50 per cent tariff on $28 billion of Canadian exports including B.C. plywood, veneers and plywood panels starting Aug. 19, leaving producers short on strategies to adjust. “(We’re) just hoping that Trump is flip-flopping again,” said Bhavjit Thandi, chief financial officer of Richmond Plywood. …Thandi said Richmond Plywood sells most of the output of its 450-employee mill into the Canadian market, but the 10 to 12 per cent it has been shipping into the U.S. represents its best and highest-value product. …To Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Producers Association, the threatened tariffs add insult to injury for his members that have been struggling for almost a decade under the punitive duties of the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute. [A Vancouver Sun subscription is required for full story access]
WTF? ILMA Asks the Question Everyone in BC Forestry Is Thinking
Independent Lumber Manufacturers’ Association
July 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada West
The Independent Lumber Manufacturers’ Association (ILMA) has chosen a convention theme that’s sure to get people talking: WTF? Where’s The Fibre? The title may raise a smile, but the question is serious. Join us September 21–22, 2026, at the Spirit Ridge Resort in Osoyoos, BC. Fibre availability has become the defining issue facing British Columbia’s forest sector. Harvest levels remain well below historical norms, mills continue to compete for a shrinking timber supply, and communities are asking what the future holds for one of the province’s most important industries. The ILMA Convention brings together senior government officials, First Nations leaders, industry executives, forestry professionals, suppliers, and community leaders to discuss practical solutions for the future of BC’s working forest. …Tuesday’s business program begins by examining how BC got here and why fibre access matters, before turning to the Province’s Active Forest Management initiatives and its goal of increasing the harvest toward 45 million cubic metres.
B.C. forestry company moving head offices to the U.S. amid struggles, tariffs
By Amy Judd
Global News
July 29, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada West
Jock Finlayson
One of BC’s largest forestry companies is moving its head offices from Burnaby to Atlanta, Georgia. …Jock Finlayson, the chief economist for the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, said that Interfor is one of the foundational businesses in BC’s forest industry. “They have reduced their footprint here kind of incrementally over time. Most of the assets of the business are in the US now, which I think sort of helps to explain the move.” But Finalyson said that Interfor’s announcement is a sign of how the overall forest products sector, which at one point was BC’s largest goods-producing industry, has fallen on hard times. …“BC has really lost our competitive position as a lumber and forest products producing jurisdiction generally, certainly in the North American context,” Finlayson said. …Finlayson added that this may not be the last big company based in B.C. that ends up relocating its physical office.
The Biggest Challenges Facing Wood Procurement Teams Today
Resource Wise
July 29, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States
Wood procurement has always been about balancing competing priorities, but the margin for error has narrowed. Procurement teams are expected to secure a reliable fiber or log supply at a competitive cost while responding to shifting market conditions, changing mill demand, transportation constraints, natural disaster events, and increasing scrutiny around sustainability. At the same time, leadership expects procurement decisions to be backed by data, not just experience. Experience and relationships remain essential in this business. However, they’re no longer enough on their own. Markets move faster than they once did, and the factors influencing delivered wood costs are more interconnected than ever. The challenge isn’t simply reacting to what’s happening today—it’s recognizing where the market is heading before those changes begin affecting procurement costs.
Two of the largest industrial unions in the United States and Canada urge US Trade Rep to reconsider Canada Trade Policy
United Steelworkers
July 29, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US West
PITTSBURGH – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Roxanne Brown and IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) International President Brian Bryant sent a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, urging him to reconsider tariffs on Canadian goods and instead employ a trade policy built on the long history and unique relationship the two nations share. “While it’s true that workers and their communities have suffered greatly from decades of so-called free trade, Canada has never been the problem,” said Brown. “Our two nations share a deep collaboration built on decades of economic integration as well as intelligence and defense cooperation. Rather than imposing further tariffs … we should work together with our Canadian allies to limit illegal trade practices and advance our shared prosperity.” “…we urge the administration to work with the Canadian government to preserve the integrated manufacturing relationship that supports workers on both sides of the border,” said Bryant.
Southern Forest Products Association | Lumber Shorts
The Southern Forest Products Association
July 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: US East
EXPO 2027 takes place August 18–20 in Savannah, Georgia. The floor is coming together fast, but there is still time to be part of it! …The next round of exhibit space invitations goes out in August, extending the opportunity to additional companies. After July 30, 2026, space assignments shift to first‑come, first‑served.
Export Markets Keep Southern Pine Moving. Southern pine lumber producers have a growth story worth telling, and it is happening outside the U.S. housing market. New export data shows that Southern pine lumber shipments to other countries have grown steadily since 2023. That growth matters right now. It shows that export markets can carry strong volume on their own. The key point is that export demand does not rise and fall with U.S. homebuilding. Export markets serve as a second, independent engine for demand that is not tied to domestic housing cycles.
Amid the Tariff Barrage, a Chance to Settle Softwood Lumber
By Marc Busch, professor, Georgetown University
Real Clear Markets
July 30, 2026
Category: Business & Politics
Region: United States, US East
President Trump has opened a new front in the US-Canada trade war. …But not on softwood lumber. Like other goods already subject to Section 232 tariffs, softwood got a pass. That exemption is more revealing than the tariffs themselves — and it points toward a deal that has eluded both countries for four decades. The US imports about a third of the lumber it consumes, and Canada supplies roughly four-fifths of those imports. …American mills are already running at roughly two-thirds of capacity, and output has been flat for years — tariff protection has not built the industry it was meant to build. …Four decades of duties changed the supplier, not the dependence. …The 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement supplies the model: export charges or volume restraints that stabilize trade without either government surrendering its legal position. A modern version should go further… creating faster dispute resolution before disagreements spiral into another decade of litigation.
In Loving Memory ~ November 14, 1942 – July 9, 2026
It’s with deep sadness we announce the passing of Kenneth Arthur Nelson, who passed away peacefully with his family by his side. Born in Garden Bay (Pendor Harbour), BC, Ken was raised on the Sunshine Coast. …Ken spent his entire career in the logging industry. After the tragic death of his older brother, Jim Catterall, in 1978, Ken purchased Eldred River Logging, becoming one of the most respected contractors on the West Coast; giving many people their first start in the industry in Mooyah Bay where many have timeless memories. A Pacific Northwest Logger Sports icon of over 30 years, Ken became well known by everyone as “King Kong”, where he won multiple Canadian and World Championships, participating abroad in the United States, England, Spain, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia. [Read more about logger sports and Ken’s contribution in The Land of the Legends]
Bank of Canada expects economic rebound, decelerating inflation rate but risks remain
By Paula Tran
Yahoo! Finance
July 29, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: Canada
Canada’s economy showed signs of growth in the second quarter of 2026, but uncertainty from U.S. trade policies and the war in Iran means monetary policy must remain nimble, the Bank of Canada’s governing council said during deliberations preceding its July 15 interest rate decision. A summary of deliberations that led to the council’s decision to hold interest rates steady at 2.25 per cent shows that members discussed Canada’s sluggish economy. Gross domestic product had not grown between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, members said, and the heightened uncertainty around tariffs and the Canada–U.S.–Mexico (CUSMA) agreement had kept the economy in excess supply. However, members noted recent indicators that showed the economy was recovering in the second quarter of 2026 after it adjusted to the U.S. tariffs and geopolitical turbulence, and the growth was broadening instead of relying on strong consumer and government spending.
VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber reported the second quarter results of 2026. Second quarter sales were $1.434 billion, compared to $1.334 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter earnings were $(61) million, compared to earnings of $(188) million in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $59 million compared to $(66) million in the first quarter of 2026. Other highlights include: Lumber segment Adjusted EBITDA of $41 million, including a $13 million favourable in-year duties adjustment; North America Engineered Wood Products segment Adjusted EBITDA of $13 million; Europe Engineered Wood Products segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $13 million; and Other Operating Segments Adjusted EBITDA of $(8) million, due largely to maintenance at our Cariboo pulp facility. …”West Fraser’s second quarter results delivered continued progress against our business priorities supported by improved market conditions,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s CEO….Based on our current outlook… capital expenditures for 2026 are expected to remain within the $300 million to $350 million range.
VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor reported its second quarter of 2026 results. Second quarter sales were $1.526 billion, compared to $1.359 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter earnings were $(18.5) million, compared to earnings of $(72.1) million in the first quarter of 2026. For the lumber segment, operating income was $41.2 million compared to the previous quarter’s operating loss of $43.7 million. …For the pulp and paper segment, the operating loss was $23.1 million compared to an operating loss of $16.2 million for the first quarter of 2026. …Canfor’s CEO, Susan Yurkovich, said “our second quarter results reflect an improvement in earnings, principally driven by a solid operating performance across all of our lumber regions and an ongoing improvement in our underlying cost structure, combined with an uplift in lumber market conditions in North America. Despite this short-term uptick, we continue to take disciplined actions to address longer-term structural fibre and market challenges.”
Amid Supply-Side Inflation Pressures, The US Fed Holds
By Robert Dietz, Chief Economist
NAHB Eye on Housing
July 29, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States
The Federal Reserve held the federal funds rate at a target range of 3.5% to 3.75% at the conclusion of its July policy meeting. There were three dissenting votes, all of which supported raising the federal funds rate by 25 basis points. The July monetary policy hold marked the fifth consecutive hold, following 75 basis points of cuts at the end of 2025. The central bank noted that “economic activity is expanding at a solid pace despite elevated uncertainty.” The Fed also stated that this uncertainty is due in part to the conflict in the Middle East. Additionally, Chairman Warsh noted that the economy has shown “impressive resilience” in the face of these headline risks. …With respect to inflation, the Fed stated that “inflation remains elevated” relative to the central bank’s two percent target. Importantly, the Fed attributed these inflation challenges to “supply shocks,” including the energy sector.
UFP Industries reports Q2, 2026 net earnings of $83M
UFP Industries, Inc.
PR Newswire
July 29, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States, US East
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — UFP Industries reported results for the second quarter 2026. Net Sales of $1.88 billion increased by 3% compared to $1.84 billion a year ago due to a 1% increase in organic units and a 2% increase due to acquisitions. …Net Earnings Attributable to Controlling Interests of $83 million compared to $101 million a year ago. Earnings were primarily impacted by higher freight costs while a weaker residential construction market was offset by improvements in other business units. Adjusted EBITDA was $154.5 million in the quarter, compared to $174.1 million a year ago. …UFP Industries is a holding company whose operating subsidiaries – UFP Packaging, UFP Construction and UFP Retail – manufacture, distribute and sell a wide variety of value-added products used in residential and commercial construction, packaging and other industrial applications worldwide.
Stora Enso interim results highlight continuing tight wood supply
By Stephen Powney
Timber Trade Journal
July 29, 2026
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: International
Wood supply continues to be tight and sawlogs costs high, European forest products giant Stora Enso has reported in its January-June 2026 Interim Results. The Group recorded an H1 operating result of €100m versus €235m a year ago, while the Q2 operating result totalled €16m – a 75% contraction from the €64m recorded in Q2, 2025. …Stora Enso’s President and CEO Hans Sohlström said “Market conditions nevertheless remained challenging. Demand levels across many end markets continued to be subdued and geopolitical tensions increased uncertainty during the quarter. The conflict in Iran contributed to increases in energy, logistics and other input costs. …“Compared to the exceptionally high levels seen over the past years, wood costs have moderated. However, wood supply continues to be tight and overall wood costs, including sawlogs, remain high.
Wood Manufacturing Council launches youth woodworking training program
By Rich Christianson
Woodworking Network
July 29, 2026
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada
BLACKFALDS, Alberta — The Wood Manufacturing Council launched Connecting Youth to the Canadian Wood Manufacturing Industry, a new program funded through the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. Over the next two years, the program will help 96 youths facing barriers to employment gain the hands-on-skills training, supports, and paid work experience needed to build successful careers in the wood manufacturing sector. Through industry-focused training, career coaching, and employer partnerships, participants will develop valuable workplace skills and connect directly with employment opportunities across Canada. Participants complete an 8-week paid, hands-on training program, receiving PPE and industry-recognized certifications, including First Aid/CPR. WMC then reimburses employers for up to 30 hours/week at provincial minimum wage for a 7-week work placement, allowing employers to provide shop-specific training while evaluating potential new hires.
NEW ZEALAND — Timber industry leaders have taken umbrage at the government’s belief that cement has no practical substitutes and needs to be supported with up to $60 million in taxpayers’ funds to maintain operations at the Golden Bay Cement factory. Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced last week the government would grant up to $60m for the company to undertake at least $150m in investments to support cost-effective production to 2040. Willis said cement has no “practical substitutes”. But that view has drawn a sharp response from Mark Ross, head of the Wood Processors & Manufactures Association (WPMA). “Minister Willis only needs to look out the window,” he said. He was referring to the soon-to-be-completed six-storey Parliamentary building in Wellington standing alongside the Beehive, which is being built from NZ-made engineered wood products. …Ross said there is a tendency from the government to support high-emitting producers over renewable, carbon-storing wood products.
In BC, almost 40% of the wildfires that started between 2015 and 2024 were sparked by people — our campfires, our infrastructure, our vehicles. To avoid preventable fires, officials ban campfires, restrict the use of heavy machinery and sometimes prohibit the use of off-road vehicles. But before making those decisions, they need to determine just how bad the fire danger is in the first place. …The billboards, with their green, yellow, orange and red markers that denote different fire danger levels. …Forest fire danger rating research began in Canada in the 1920s with studies in experimental plots to investigate the moisture content and flammability of forest fuels — everything from the fine needles and twigs that litter the forest floor to the deeper organic layers below. Over time, researchers incorporated that work into a series of scientific models now used across Canada and around the world to estimate wildfire danger and fire behaviour.
A University of British Columbia professor says a recent study near Summerland shows forest practices are resulting in more frequent and more intense flooding. Younes Alila, a professor with the Department of Forest Resources Management at the university, studied the forest area near Summerland, along with Spencer Pearson-Atkins and Xu Jian (Joe) Yu, also from the university. Their recent study found clear-cut logging can increase the risk of flooding. Alila, who has been studying flooding since 1996, said the area near Summerland has been indiscriminately logged over the years. Because of the logging practices used, flooding is becoming more severe. …He explained that …after heavy logging, that canopy is gone and as a result, the soil becomes wetter. …Intense logging practices can also result in increased risks of droughts, Alila added. …“Abandon clear-cut logging and adopt other eco-friendly logging practices,” he said. “We need to learn from our terrible, messy experience.”
A pest is placing huge swaths of BC’s forests under strain while adding a red tinge to the province’s landscape. Data from the Ministry shows the current outbreak of the western spruce budworm was mapped last year at 1.7 million hectares, more than double the previous two outbreaks which peaked in 1987 and 2008 at around 800,000 hectares. The budworm is native to BC and has been studied for a century due to the visible, and at times, deadly impact it can have on the province’s forests. …The pest takes a year to complete its life cycle. The eggs hatch in about 12 days, resulting in larvae that feed on tree needles, causing them to turn red. “These trees are not dead,” said a statement from the Ministry of Forest. “They may die after successive years of defoliation.” The ministry said younger, understory trees are more susceptible to being killed by the budworm.
Federal government will put 2,840 acres of Ohio’s only national forest out to bid for fracking
By Megan Henry
Ohio Capital Journal
July 30, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: US West
Nearly 3,000 acres of land in Ohio’s only national forest will be auctioned for fracking in September. The Bureau of Land Management announced 41 parcels totaling 2,840 acres in Wayne National Forest will go up for a bid on Sept. 15. …“Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for permit to drill detailing development plans,” the Bureau of Land Management said in a statement. “The BLM reviews applications for permits to drill, posts them for public review, conducts an environmental analysis and coordinates with state partners and stakeholders.” Fracking is the process of injecting liquid into the ground at a high pressure to extract oil or gas. …Evidence shows increased exposure to fracking impacts health, in particular children’s health, including low birth weight, preterm births, congenital anomalies, and asthma, according to Yale School of Medicine.
Does the choice of tree species enable timber production on polluted land?
By Haoyun Liu
WSL News
July 30, 2026
Category: Forestry
Region: International
SWITZERLAND — Forest trees can help contain heavy metals in polluted soils. But which tree species should be selected for this purpose? A study led by the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) investigated how seven different Central European tree species respond to metal-contaminated soils. All seven Central European tree species tested showed a similar ability to stabilise heavy metals in contaminated soil. Tree species with low nutrient needs keep excess metals out of their stems and foliage, making the production of uncontaminated timber possible. Selecting suitable tree species could bring abandoned land back into productive use while also safely confining the soil pollutants. …One promising solution is phytostabilisation— using plants to reduce the spread of pollutants into the environment. Trees are particularly well suited because of their long lifespans and extensive root systems.
Nippon Paper mill in Japan down after earthquake, five fatalities confirmed
EUWID Pulp and Paper
July 29, 2026
Category: Health & Safety
Region: International
Nippon Paper’s Yatsushiro paper mill in southwestern Japan is currently down following the severe earthquake that struck the region. On Tuesday morning, 28 July, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit the Kumamoto prefecture, causing at least 13 fatalities and numerous injuries, according to the latest reports. Workers at the Nippon Paper mill are among those affected. Production is also still suspended at the company’s Longview mill in the US following the chemical accident that occurred in May. [to access the full story a EUWID+ subscription is required]
The chair of the board in British Columbia’s fire-stricken Thompson-Nicola Regional District says that for a lot of people, the wildfires burning in the area will be “one of the most traumatizing events” they’ll live through. Barbara Roden told an online meeting with about 350 people on Wednesday to reach out for help if they need it, as properties remain under evacuation order across the region, including the village of Clinton, with no timeline for residents to return. …Clinton’s CEO Brian Doddridge told the meeting that property owners will get calls over the next few days to inform them if their home has not survived the large Pear Lake blaze, which measures about 668 square kilometres. Doddridge said the area’s watershed has been “severely damaged” and work is being done to see what effect that has on water quality. …Premier David Eby urged people heading out for the August long weekend to exercise “extreme caution” because of the fire risk.
The Trump administration has denied two of Gov. Tina Kotek’s requests for firefighting-assistance grants as wildfires ravage eastern Oregon. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved three of the state’s requests for financial assistance for the Lower Dry Creek, Awaka Butte and Grasshopper fires, the agency chose not to grant the state emergency federal funding for the East Evans Creek and Rowe Creek fires. Following the agency’s denial of the federal assistance grants for the two fires, Oregon’s U.S. senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, wrote to Robert Fenton, the head of FEMA, to express alarm and to argue that the decision represented “a major shift in administrative policy” for the agency.
Images coming out of the wildfires in central Oregon show firefighters dwarfed by towering flames. The lightning-caused Rowe Creek Complex is currently estimated at 295,132 acres and 39% contained, with 2,035 firefighting personnel assigned across the complex. The Brewer, Green Mountain and Crosswhite fires are now collectively called the Rowe Creek Complex-West Zone, which covers operations west of the Wheeler County line. The broader complex extends from the Prineville area toward Mitchell and Fossil. West Zone resources include 48 hand crews, 100 engines, 42 pieces of heavy equipment, 30 water tenders and 18 aviation resources. …Wildfires have burned more than 1 million acres across Oregon this year.
LEGE-CAP FERRET, France — An uncontained wildfire four times the size of Paris threatened to surge again in southwest France on Wednesday — as three firefighters died in Greece and crews across southern Europe confronted a punishing mix of heat, drought and strong winds. The deaths on Crete brought a fatal new dimension to a wildfire emergency stretching from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean. At the peak of the evacuations, a third of a million people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain. In France’s Gironde region, the country’s biggest blaze had not spread during a calm night, authorities said. But as temperatures approached 40 C (104 F) Wednesday afternoon and winds strengthened, the reprieve threatened to be short-lived. The landscape was so combustible that investigators believe routine brush-clearing work near a high-voltage line may have sparked the inferno, even though the work appeared to comply with regulations.
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.
A niche corner of B.C.’s forest sector … is now staring down a deadline for a crushing blow in the next round of tariff charges announced by U.S. President Trump. Those new charges would slap a 50 per cent tariff on $28 billion of Canadian exports including B.C. plywood, veneers and plywood panels starting Aug. 19, leaving producers short on strategies to adjust. “(We’re) just hoping that Trump is flip-flopping again,” said Bhavjit Thandi, chief financial officer of Richmond Plywood. …Thandi said Richmond Plywood sells most of the output of its 450-employee mill into the Canadian market, but the 10 to 12 per cent it has been shipping into the U.S. represents its best and highest-value product. …To Brian Menzies, executive director of the Independent Wood Producers Association, the threatened tariffs add insult to injury for his members that have been struggling for almost a decade under the punitive duties of the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute. [A Vancouver Sun subscription is required for full story access]
The Independent Lumber Manufacturers’ Association (ILMA) has chosen a convention theme that’s sure to get people talking: WTF? Where’s The Fibre? The title may raise a smile, but the question is serious. 
PITTSBURGH – United Steelworkers (USW) International President Roxanne Brown and IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) International President Brian Bryant sent a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer, urging him to reconsider tariffs on Canadian goods and instead employ a trade policy built on the long history and unique relationship the two nations share. “While it’s true that workers and their communities have suffered greatly from decades of so-called free trade, Canada has never been the problem,” said Brown. “Our two nations share a deep collaboration built on decades of economic integration as well as intelligence and defense cooperation. Rather than imposing further tariffs … we should work together with our Canadian allies to limit illegal trade practices and advance our shared prosperity.” “…we urge the administration to work with the Canadian government to preserve the integrated manufacturing relationship that supports workers on both sides of the border,” said Bryant.
President Trump has opened a new front in the US-Canada trade war. …But not on softwood lumber. Like other goods already subject to Section 232 tariffs, softwood got a pass. That exemption is more revealing than the tariffs themselves — and it points toward a deal that has eluded both countries for four decades. The US imports about a third of the lumber it consumes, and Canada supplies roughly four-fifths of those imports. …American mills are already running at roughly two-thirds of capacity, and output has been flat for years — tariff protection has not built the industry it was meant to build. …Four decades of duties changed the supplier, not the dependence. …The 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement supplies the model: export charges or volume restraints that stabilize trade without either government surrendering its legal position. A modern version should go further… creating faster dispute resolution before disagreements spiral into another decade of litigation.
Canada’s economy showed signs of growth in the second quarter of 2026, but uncertainty from U.S. trade policies and the war in Iran means monetary policy must remain nimble, the Bank of Canada’s governing council said during deliberations preceding its July 15 interest rate decision. A summary of deliberations that led to the council’s decision to hold interest rates steady at 2.25 per cent shows that members discussed Canada’s sluggish economy. Gross domestic product had not grown between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, members said, and the heightened uncertainty around tariffs and the Canada–U.S.–Mexico (CUSMA) agreement had kept the economy in excess supply. However, members noted recent indicators that showed the economy was recovering in the second quarter of 2026 after it adjusted to the U.S. tariffs and geopolitical turbulence, and the growth was broadening instead of relying on strong consumer and government spending.
VANCOUVER, BC — West Fraser Timber reported the second quarter results of 2026. Second quarter sales were $1.434 billion, compared to $1.334 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter earnings were $(61) million, compared to earnings of $(188) million in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA was $59 million compared to $(66) million in the first quarter of 2026. Other highlights include: Lumber segment Adjusted EBITDA of $41 million, including a $13 million favourable in-year duties adjustment; North America Engineered Wood Products segment Adjusted EBITDA of $13 million; Europe Engineered Wood Products segment Adjusted EBITDA1 of $13 million; and Other Operating Segments Adjusted EBITDA of $(8) million, due largely to maintenance at our Cariboo pulp facility. …”West Fraser’s second quarter results delivered continued progress against our business priorities supported by improved market conditions,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s CEO….Based on our current outlook… capital expenditures for 2026 are expected to remain within the $300 million to $350 million range.
VANCOUVER, BC — Canfor reported its second quarter of 2026 results. Second quarter sales were $1.526 billion, compared to $1.359 billion in the first quarter of 2026. Second quarter earnings were $(18.5) million, compared to earnings of $(72.1) million in the first quarter of 2026. For the lumber segment, operating income was $41.2 million compared to the previous quarter’s operating loss of $43.7 million. …For the pulp and paper segment, the operating loss was $23.1 million compared to an operating loss of $16.2 million for the first quarter of 2026. …Canfor’s CEO, Susan Yurkovich, said “our second quarter results reflect an improvement in earnings, principally driven by a solid operating performance across all of our lumber regions and an ongoing improvement in our underlying cost structure, combined with an uplift in lumber market conditions in North America. Despite this short-term uptick, we continue to take disciplined actions to address longer-term structural fibre and market challenges.”
In BC, almost 40% of the wildfires that started between 2015 and 2024 were sparked by people — our campfires, our infrastructure, our vehicles. To avoid preventable fires, officials ban campfires, restrict the use of heavy machinery and sometimes prohibit the use of off-road vehicles. But before making those decisions, they need to determine just how bad the fire danger is in the first place. …The billboards, with their green, yellow, orange and red markers that denote different fire danger levels. …Forest fire danger rating research began in Canada in the 1920s with studies in experimental plots to investigate the moisture content and flammability of forest fuels — everything from the fine needles and twigs that litter the forest floor to the deeper organic layers below. Over time, researchers incorporated that work into a series of scientific models now used across Canada and around the world to estimate wildfire danger and fire behaviour.
A pest is placing huge swaths of BC’s forests under strain while adding a red tinge to the province’s landscape. Data from the Ministry shows the current outbreak of the western spruce budworm was mapped last year at 1.7 million hectares, more than double the previous two outbreaks which peaked in 1987 and 2008 at around 800,000 hectares. The budworm is native to BC and has been studied for a century due to the visible, and at times, deadly impact it can have on the province’s forests. …The pest takes a year to complete its life cycle. The eggs hatch in about 12 days, resulting in larvae that feed on tree needles, causing them to turn red. “These trees are not dead,” said a statement from the Ministry of Forest. “They may die after successive years of defoliation.” The ministry said younger, understory trees are more susceptible to being killed by the budworm.
SWITZERLAND — Forest trees can help contain heavy metals in polluted soils. But which tree species should be selected for this purpose? A study led by the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) investigated how seven different Central European tree species respond to metal-contaminated soils. All seven Central European tree species tested showed a similar ability to stabilise heavy metals in contaminated soil. Tree species with low nutrient needs keep excess metals out of their stems and foliage, making the production of uncontaminated timber possible. Selecting suitable tree species could bring abandoned land back into productive use while also safely confining the soil pollutants. …One promising solution is phytostabilisation— using plants to reduce the spread of pollutants into the environment. Trees are particularly well suited because of their long lifespans and extensive root systems.
