Daily News for October 03, 2025

Today’s Takeaway

Scale up efforts to reduce BC wildfire risk or face dire consequences

The Tree Frog Forestry News
October 3, 2025
Category: Today's Takeaway

A new study by wildfire experts says BC must spend more now on wildfire mitigation to avoid dire consequences in the future. In related news: the US shutdown is causing confusion across the US Forest Service; FSC suspends its MOU with Asia Pacific Resources; and the amount of land suitable for planting is said to fall short of what’s required for emissions-reduction.

In Business news: Prime Minister Carney to return to Washington as Trump’s tariffs hit lumber and other sectors hard; Ontario’s value added manufacturers condemn the punitive tariffs; the NY Times says new tariffs could worsen US housing crisis; and Fannie Mae tweaks its US economic outlook. Meanwhile: Union and Kapuskasing residents rally to save the Kap Paper mill; and Ric Sinclair takes the helm at ForestrySA in South Australia.

Finally, the latest news from Woodlots BC and the BC Community Forest Association.

Kelly McCloskey, Tree Frog News Editor

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Business & Politics

LeBlanc: No timeline for reaching tariff deals, but talks not at a ‘dead end’

By Kyle Duggan
The Canadian Press in Business in Vancouver
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, United States

Dominic LeBlanc

OTTAWA — It’s futile to predict how long trade talks with President Trump’s White House might last, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told the House of Commons trade committee Thursday. He told a Senate foreign affairs committee that Canada is still in discussions on dropping the sector-specific tariffs putting pressure on Canadian industries and he does not see “a dead end in those conversations.” …The minister told senators he is hoping to make progress on one-off, sector-specific tariff deals before the official review of North America’s trilateral trade pact launches next year. He added that “nobody has yet suggested” Ottawa should fold the sector-specific talks into the broader review. …The president escalated his trade war again this week, through an executive order adding a 10% tariff on softwood lumber and 25% tariff on wooden furniture.

Related coverage:

By Sean Boynton in Global News: Trade war ‘resolvable’ but U.S. ties have ‘fundamentally’ changed

By Ashley Burke in CBC News: Carney to return to Washington as Trump’s tariffs hit sectors hard

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Advanced Wood Manufacturing Companies in Ontario Condemns Punitive Tariffs

Wood Manufacturing Cluster of Ontario
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

The advanced wood manufacturing sector in Ontario and across Canada condemns the latest United States administration’s decision to impose unjustified punitive tariffs on kitchen cabinets, select wood furniture, and manufactured softwood lumber products. Immediate action is required by by our Federal and Provincial governments on all political sides to work diligently and aggressively to get these tariffs lifted; this is to guarantee jobs and prosperity for our communities across the country. The advanced wood manufacturing sector in Canada represents over $20 billion in revenues, over 100,000 employees, and includes a majority of small and medium-sized employers. …These tariffs will have a devastating impact on companies that export to the United States. They will also disrupt the North American housing sector supply chain, raise costs for housing in the United States, and destroy the shared prosperity and integrated trade relationship provided.

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Kapuskasing strong’: Hundreds rally to save papermill

By Maija Hoggett
Timmins Today
October 2, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: Canada, Canada East

KAPUSKASING – In the shadow of the Kap Paper mill and with empty rail cards in the background, hundreds of people rallied today to save the Kapuskasing facility that the company announced on Monday would be idled. The ask is for a three-month loan from the province to give the company time to apply for a federal government longer-term fund. “The money will ensure Kap Paper can transition to a long-term stable market. We need Ontario and the federal government to work with us on a solution and not point fingers at each other. The fate of our town’s mills, workers and families are too important for these games,” Kapuskasing, Mayor Dave Plourde said. GreenFirst announced today that its sawmill operations in Kapuskasing, Hearst, Cochrane will be reduced for one week starting on Oct. 6. While Politis said it was heartwarming to see the crowd standing together, he’s disappointed in politicians.

Related coverage in CBC News: Union says Kapuskasing mill workers were told it was ‘business as usual’ 2 weeks before shutdown

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New Era as Ric Sinclair Takes Helm as Forestry South Australia Chair

By Jason Ross
Wood Central Australia
October 3, 2025
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

Ric Sinclair

SOUTH AUSTRALIA — Ric Sinclair has been appointed as Chair of ForestrySA, succeeding June Roache, who has served as Chair of South Australia’s government-owned forest manager since 2018. “It is a great honour to be appointed Chair of ForestrySA for a 3-year term,” said Sinclair, who from 2008 until 2021 served as the long-time CEO of Forest Wood Products Australia (FWPA). …Sinclair, who was instrumental in establishing FWPA’s long-running social license partnership with Planet Ark and the award-winning WoodSolutions programme, will take over from Roache, who has increased ForestrySA’s net asset position and returned a dividend to the government. …ForestrySA oversees 10,500 hectares of plantation pine—supplying logs for regional domestic markets and select exports—and more than 16,000 hectares of native forest. These support conservation, recreation, and eco-tourism whilst adhering to a certified Forest Management System under Responsible Wood’s Australian Forestry Standard.

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Finance & Economics

Fannie Mae predicts major mortgage rate change coming soon

By Jeffrey Quiggle
The Street
October 1, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

Fannie Mae revised its mortgage rate forecast and other predictions about the U.S. economy in the September report. Among its projections are:

  • Mortgage rates are expected to end 2025 and 2026 at 6.4% and 5.9%, respectively, compared to 6.5%  and 6.1% in Fannie Mae’s prior forecast.
  • The total home sales outlook for 2025 was revised to 4.72 million, compared to 4.74 million previously. Its 2026 home sales projection is 5.16 million, compared to 5.23 million previously.
  • It revised its real gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook for 2025 and 2026 to 1.5 percent and 2.1 percent on a Q4/Q4 basis, compared to 1.1 percent and 2.2 percent in its previous forecast, respectively.
  • Regarding inflation, Fannie Mae expects the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to rise to 3.1 percent Q4/Q4 in 2025, compared to its August forecast of 3.3 percent. The CPI outlook for 2026 is 2.6 percent, a prediction that is unchanged.

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Trump’s New Tariffs Could Worsen America’s Housing Crisis

By Sydney Ember
New York Times
October 2, 2025
Category: Finance & Economics
Region: United States

President Trump’s latest round of tariffs aimed at wood, furniture and other household furnishings could drive up the cost of building and owning homes, further weighing on an already weak housing sector. Analysts said the steep levies could aggravate the nationwide housing shortage by slowing the pace of new home construction. The higher costs, as well as hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum that went into effect in June, could also dampen any jolt the housing market might have derived as the Federal Reserve begins to lower interest rates. …“These tariffs are really hard to understand given that the president has said to his supporters, ‘I want to bring down inflation, I want to bring down interest rates,’” said Anirban Basu, at the Associated Builders and Contractors. …And there could be ripple effects, including higher prices for home insurance because houses and their components would cost more to replace. [to access the full story a NY Times subscription is required]

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Wood, Paper & Green Building

Woodrise 2025: Timber presents a ‘fabulous opportunity for architecture’ to enrich lives

By Warren Frey
Daily Commercial News
October 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

A panel of international experts see a wood-based-future that departs from traditional building beyond use of materials. Jarrett Hutchinson, of British Columbia’s Office of Mass Timber Implementation, moderated a panel titled Innovative Solutions and Paths to Success: Shaping the Skyline with Mass Timber at the Woodrise 2025 conference in Vancouver. The panellists, Brazil-Based Urbem’s sales director Ana Belizario, Steven Ware, an architect at Paris-based design firm Artbuild, and Waugh Thistleton Architects director Andrew Waugh all detailed innovative wood design from an international perspective. Belizario said termites were in a way an impetus for mass timber adoption in Brazil. …Ware said he sees timber as a way to “push things a little further,” and stressed the importance of recycling to the timber lifecycle. …Waugh cited design’s obsession with tall buildings as part of the problem. …All three panellists agreed an increased emphasis on biophilia… is a natural match with wood-based building.

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Fort St. James startup creates unique housing system for rural communities

By Brendan Shykora
The Vanderhoof Omineca Express
October 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

When Nak’azdli Development Corp. (NDC) unveils its inaugural Timber House later this month — a unique prefabricated home in Canada that uses stud lumber from local saw mills and an innovative panel construction system by local forestry startup Deadwood Innovations — visitors will see firsthand what’s possible when academia partners with business to solve pressing challenges. The new home-building system could be a salve to Canada’s housing crisis in remote communities, while mitigating challenges faced by the forestry industry. “There has been… very little focus on supporting regional housing, tailored to the specific needs of remote and rural communities,” said Owen Miller, Deadwood Innovations CEO and co-founder, explaining that these large projects primarily use high-cost dimension lumber. “Our approach is all about tapping into local lumber, resources and expertise to build housing that aligns with community and cultural needs, is sustainable and delivers affordable homes built to last,” Miller said.

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Osaka Expo’s Grand Ring timber to be reused for housing in Ishikawa

The Japan Times
October 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

OSAKA – Timber used in the Grand Ring, a symbol of the World Exposition in Osaka, will be reused for public housing to aid recovery from last year’s strong earthquake and heavy rain in Ishikawa Prefecture, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. Suzu, an Ishikawa city heavily damaged in the disasters, will receive the dismantled timber from the world’s largest wooden architectural structure free of charge after the expo closes on Oct. 13. “We want to carry on the expo’s legacy and make it a symbol of our recovery,” a Suzu city official said. The ring structure was built with wood including Japanese cedar and cypress. A portion of the roughly 2-kilometer loop measuring about 200 meters will remain on the expo ground as part of the site’s preservation plan.

From the EXPO 2025 Blog: The Grand Ring was recognised by Guinness World Records on March 4, 2025 as “The largest wooden architectural structure”.

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Forestry

BC Community Forest Association releases 2025 Indicators Report

The BC Community Forest Association
October 1, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Don’t miss the September BCCFA newsletter with these headlines and more:

  • The 2025 Community Forest Indicators Report has been released along with the launch of our new website and visual identity. We encourage you to take a look and distribute to your networks wherever possible. Our updated website features a brand new BCCFA members only section! 
  • Community Forest Expansion!!! Three community forests in the Prince George TSA—Vanderhoof, Fort St. James, and Fraser Lake—are set to expand their land base. This milestone highlights strong collaboration with government to advance the mandate of growing the Community Forest Program, and the dedication of rural communities in championing resilience.
  • The 2026 BCCFA Conference and AGM will be hosted by Monashee Community Forest—a partnership between the Splatsin First Nation and the Village of Lumby BC.  Mark June 3-5th in your calendars!!!

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Woodlots BC News

Woodlots BC
October 3, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

Look for these stories and more in the Woodlots BC News:

  • Online voting for the Woodlots BC Board of Directors is open to all woodlot licensees. Be sure to cast your vote by October 6! 
  • The latest Woodlots BC Annual Report is now available, just in time for the conference and AGM in a few weeks. 
  • Just two weeks until the conference! The 38th Annual General Meeting will be on Thursday, October 16 at Spirit Ridge Resort.
  • The Resilient Ecosystems Committee, with the help of a Silviculture Innovation Program Grant, has developed a pamphlet that will be released at the Woodlots BC Conference in Osoyoos. 

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Eleven dead cattle found on logging road in B.C. Cariboo, likely poisoned

By Glenda Luymes
Vancouver Sun
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada West

…the carcasses of 11 cattle were found on a logging road near Quesnel earlier this week… The owner of the animals, who holds tenure for an area of Crown land in B.C.’s Cariboo region, discovered the cows had ingested a nitrate-based fertilizer used in forestry to encourage tree growth, said Kevin Boon, of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. “They licked it, thinking it was salt, and died of nitrate poisoning,” he said. …Boon said the rancher … fears more may have been poisoned… The fertilizer is usually applied in the winter or early spring, while cows aren’t grazing in B.C.’s forests. It appears to have been done earlier this year, due to a “lack of understanding,” said Boon, emphasizing that it doesn’t appear to be deliberate. “When you have multiple tenure-holders on the land, there needs to be communication with the stakeholders,” he said. …B.C. Forests Ministry is aware of the situation and is investigating…

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Scale up efforts to reduce wildfire risk or B.C. faces dire economic consequences: Study

By Gordon Hoekstra
Vancouver Sun
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

©BCWildfireService

If B.C. doesn’t turn to large-scale efforts to reduce the risks of wildfire, the full costs of those wildfires could have dire economic consequences, says a paper in the journal Science by wildfire ecologist Robert Gray, UBC professor Robin Gregory, and senior counsel at the University of Victoria law centre, Calvin Sandborn. They said the wildfire picture in B.C. in the past decade is stark. More than 70,000 square kilometres have been burned. The costs to fight those fires were $4.8 billion, with the province setting aside a wildfire contingency of $2.8 billion in its 2023-24 budget. …Indirect costs — that include disaster recovery, property loss, environmental damages, and business and health costs — can push the total costs of wildfires 1.5 to 20 times higher. …The authors recommend that B.C. make a policy shift that sets a clear vision to increase wildfire resilience, establishing targets for how much fire is too much and how much area will be treated…

Additional coverage:

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Shutdown causes ‘confusion’ across the US Forest Service

By Kylie Mohr
The High Country News
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

MONTANA — With the federal government in a shutdown, the Forest Service has paused much of the wildfire preparation and prevention work it does on its 193 million acres of national forest. A Forest Service contingency plan, current as of Sept. 30, calls for continued wildfire response. But the work necessary to reduce the fuels for massive wildfires, including prescribed burns, is on hold. …“We were told, ‘No ignitions,’” said a Forest Service fire management officer, who didn’t want to be named for fear of losing his job. “‘Don’t even start.’” The cooler, wetter fall season is an ideal time for prescribed burns and pile burning across the West. …Other significant activities will be delayed during the shutdown, including statewide forest inventories, processing special use permits and reimbursing partners like the states and non-governmental organizations that do forest management work with federal funds.

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Minnesota Department of Natural Resources completes project to sow trees by helicopter

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
October 2, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: United States, US East

©DNRFacebook

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has completed an aerial seeding project via helicopter to disperse jack pine, white pine and black spruce seeds on DNR-managed forests across the state. The flights are part of the DNR’s typical fall reforestation work, which can also include activities like direct seeding and planting, bud capping, prescribed burns, and other site preparation. Reforestation is led by the DNR’s Silviculture Program. …“Depending on each site and future goal, we choose the right mix of tree species and use every available tool to make sure we’re giving trees their best chance to grow,” said Chris Gronewold, DNR Silviculture Program coordinator. Some sites are too remote or geographically difficult to reach with a crew on the ground. In these instances, the DNR contracts a helicopter to aerially disperse seeds. 

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FSC Suspends Memorandum of Understanding with APRIL Following Reports of Alleged Violence

FSC.org
September 26, 2025
Category: Forestry
Region: International

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has suspended its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd. (APRIL) and its corporate group, effective immediately.  FSC was recently informed of serious allegations of violence involving Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL), a member of APRIL’s corporate group, and an Indigenous community in North Sumatra, Indonesia. These allegations, which include reports of attacks on community members, if confirmed, would be contrary to the intent and commitments of the MoU.  FSC will consider lifting the suspension if an independent investigation is conducted which identifies the root causes of the conflict, and results in the transparent implementation of corrective measures in line with the Remedy Framework. Failure to demonstrate meaningful progress may lead to the termination of the MoU. 

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Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

There’s far less land available for reforestation than we think, study finds

By Jim Catanoso
Mongabay
October 2, 2025
Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy
Region: International

Josep “Pep” Canadell, executive director of the Global Carbon Project, says he believes countries large and small need to think twice before pledging to collectively plant billions of trees as a primary emissions-reduction strategy to meet climate action goals. “We have somehow sold reforestation as an easier path [to fighting climate change], and it’s not easy at all,” Canadell said. “In my view, it’s not even easier than carbon capture and storage, a technology we’re still developing. That’s because when you bring humans into landscapes and try managing these landscapes, this stuff becomes very complex.” Canadell is the co-author of a new study in Science that found, among other things, that the amount of land deemed suitable for newly planted and restored forests — an area roughly the size of India — quickly shrinks by as much as two-thirds when taking into account adverse impacts on biodiversity, food security and water resources.

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